(THIRTY-year-old Peter Akbar has done Master of Divinity in
Theological Studies and Master of Theology in Christian Apologetics. He is
currently doing Doctor of Theology in Apologetics. Since 2005, he has been
living in Mumbai along with his wife Susan. He quit his job with a
multinational company to do the Lord’s work. He is the founder of ‘Winning
Muslims for Christ Ministry’. He travels around training and equipping churches
to witness to Muslims. Although there are 200 million Muslims in India, he feels
there are not enough ministries that work among them. He holds two- and
three-day seminars through which he helps believers share the Gospel to
Muslims. He can be reached at peterakbar@gmail.com )
Testimony according to Peter Akbar
"I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became
manifest to those who did not ask for Me" (Romans 10:20).
My family were serious followers of Islam
My name is Peter Akbar, son of Mohammed Khaja Mohinuddin and
Navanbee. I am the sixth child in my family following three sisters and two
brothers. Our family was very religious, following the traditions and beliefs
of Islam. My father was an engine driver working for Central Railways and my
mother is a house maker. My father was an active member in the Mosque and my
mother was a teacher of Koran. They were very passionate towards Islam and
serious about following its traditions, rituals, beliefs and teachings. My
parents had brought us up in the same fear and faith of Islam.
A voice calling my brother's name
My eldest brother's name is Musthafa who was born after my
three elder sisters. One day as he was walking on the road, he suddenly heard a
voice calling him by his name and saying, " Mustafa, Mustafa look at me. I
am the Lord your God." My brother looked all around to try and find the
one who was calling him but he could not find anyone. It was one of the
strangest experiences he had ever had. Again the voice came and this time he
recognized that it was coming from above. Before he could work out what was
happening, my brother was immediately surrounded by power, which was like an
electric power. This led him to a small Christian tent meeting where a preacher
was preaching about Jesus Christ.
Coming to know the one who was speaking
The power, which was all around him said, "The one who
spoke to you on the way is the same person this man is preaching about".
The preacher was preaching about Jesus Christ and my brother understood that
the one who spoke to him was Jesus Christ himself! My brother accepted Jesus
Christ as his Lord and Savior with a strong conviction as the Holy Spirit dealt
with him in his heart.
What our family had believed in the past
We being Muslims did not believe that Jesus Christ was the
Son of God. (Allah does not have a Son.) According to the Quran (or Koran),
Jesus was a prophet among many other prophets. Muslims do not believe in the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ because we believe that before the crucifixion of
Jesus Christ, Allah took him up into the Heaven. We believed that Christians
(and Jews) were mistaken thinking that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.
We believed that someone else whose face was changed by
Allah into the likeness of the face of Jesus Christ was crucified. We also
believed that the Christians have changed the Bible. We believed that Jesus
Christ came only for the Jews and He promised in the Bible that Mohammed would
come. Mohammed was the messenger of Allah for the entire World and we believed
that we should follow only Mohammed now.
My family was upset with my brother
When my mother, father and all of my family members came to
know about my brother's new faith in Jesus Christ they were very upset. My
parents were very unhappy and they were very angry with him. For many days
arguments and discussions about the Koran and the Bible went on with neither
side conceding.
Healings and demons cast out in the name of Jesus
But my parents noticed that whenever my brother prayed in
the name of Jesus healings took place. People who were suffering with cancer tumors,
the blind, the lame and the demon possessed people were getting healed when my
brother prayed for them in the name of Jesus. My mother and father observed all
these things.
My aunt's bleeding disease
One day my mother's cousin sister (my aunt) came to visit us. She was suffering from the disease of blood hemorrhage (the issue of blood). She was very weak because of continuous flow of blood and expecting my mother to take her to see a good doctor. My mother asked my brother to pray for her and my brother agreed. We were watching as my brother laid his hands on my aunt and began to pray. Suddenly my aunt fell down on the floor and a voice came out of her screaming, "I will not leave her, I will not leave her!" We understood that an evil spirit had possessed her.
An evil spirit cast out
Whenever my brother took the name of Jesus that demon was
shivering out of terror and 'closing its ears'. My brother questioned that
spirit, "Who are you?" The demon said, "I am a spirit sent by a
person who was this women's enemy and who wanted to kill her with this
disease." When my brother said, "In the Name of Jesus Christ leave
her" the evil spirit was shivering and left her saying "because of
you I am leaving her or else I would have killed her." After some time my
aunt got up and asked us what had happened to her and why she was on the floor?
I asked her, "Do you know what you have said?" She said she doesn't
know anything about what had happened to her. But she knew she was healed and
that she could feel the healing and comfort and strength in her body. She had
no pain and no flow of blood. She was full of joy and there was a great glow of
happiness on her face.
Searching the Bible for truth with an open heart
As all this had happened in front of my own eyes I started
reasoning, why should an evil spirit leave in the Name of Jesus Christ? Why not
in any other prophet's name? Why had the evil spirit obeyed the command, which
is given in the name of Jesus Christ? What is there in the name of Jesus Christ
that even evil spirit had obeyed to that name? Why not the name of Mohammed?
What power or authority does the name of Jesus contain? My mind was filled with
all these kinds of thoughts. So I decided to read the Bible to know more about
Jesus Christ who is claimed to be the Son of God by Christians. With an open
heart searching for truth, I started to read.
His Words were alive and powerful
Jesus said, "These signs will accompany those who have
believed; in My name they will cast out demons" (Mark 16:17, NASB
version). As I read this verse I was almost knocked down and my spiritual eyes
were opened. I was amazed that even after approximately 2000 years that the
words Jesus Christ spoke were true! His Words were still alive, bringing life
and they were working right before my eyes.
His Word corrected me
This incident had brought faith in me in the Words of Jesus
Christ. I understood that if this word of Jesus Christ has proved itself to be
true then all the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible, whatever He said about
Himself, must be true. As I continued to read the Bible, each and every doubt
and misconception about Jesus Christ and His Word (Bible) were answered. When I
read the Word of God in the Bible it corrected me and made me understand all
the wrong teachings against the Christian Theology that I had been taught by
Muslim Theologians.
God's plan … purpose … His judgment
Through the Words of Jesus Christ, for the first time in my
whole life I was introduced to God as a loving Father. A God with whom I could
go closer … a God with whom I could speak personally … a God with whom I could
have fellowship. For the first time, the emptiness in my spirit was filled with
God's love and His presence. I understood the Love of God and the purpose and
plan of God, which was made known through sending Jesus Christ into the world
to die on the cross to take away the sins of the world. I understand that
judgment of God … "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17, KJV).
Salvation … a free gift
Man cannot achieve salvation by his own good deeds.
Salvation was a free gift to all the human kind through Jesus Christ from God.
God the Father had given the Power in the Name of Jesus Christ for His Glory.
"And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above
every name: that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father"
(Philippians Chapter 1:8-11, KJV).
A burning fire to tell others
On 24 December 1998, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and
Savior and took baptism. Since then the call of God and the strong passionate
urge in me to preach His Gospel and His Word of truth to the dying world was
like a burning fire in my heart. I resigned my job from a multinational company
and I have dedicated my life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Word
of Truth all over the world till my last breath.
Other family members coming to know Jesus
My brother Musthafa and I started preaching the gospel. As
the days went on, this news of our conversion was spread all over town. It was
very embarrassing to my parents as they felt the shame on our family name
because my brother and I had become Christians and were preaching the Gospel.
After few days slowly one after the other of my family members accepted the
Gospel and came to Jesus Christ miraculously as the Lord opened their hearts as
He opened the heart of Lydia (Acts 16:14).
Being counted worthy to suffer for His name
We have excommunicated from the Muslim religion and our
Muslim relatives and many who were near and dear have forsaken us. Being
reproached for the Name of Christ we esteemed ourselves to be blessed because
He made us worthy to suffer shame for His name. Many times we have been
threatened with being killed but we never looked back. Whatever we have
suffered and will continue to suffer, it is nothing compared to our Lord's love
and His crucifixion for us.
My mother's vision of Jesus Christ
In our same town we have started a Church Ministry. We have
preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the villages, which are all
around the town and district. I have worked with Campus Crusade for Christ. I
took The Jesus Film around the villages and even into deep forests where tribal
people lived. Many came to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.
The church was increasing day by day. One day my mother said to God, "If
what my sons are preaching was the truth then she wanted to know about
it." As she prayed she saw a vision in which she saw Jesus Christ. His
whole body was wounded and bloody. When my mother saw this she could not bear
it and she accepted Jesus Christ.
My father coming to know the Saviour
Though my mother accepted Jesus Christ she was a secret
believer because of my father. One day my father was driving his train. He
stopped to check the engine and after this he got back inside. Suddenly he felt
something bite him on his leg. He ignored it but by the time he came home his
leg was swollen. The doctor said that it is elephantiasis and there is no cure
or medication for this disease. My father was upset and feeling sad. He was
wondering why this disease had come to him since in his whole genealogy no one
had this disease.
We took the opportunity to share about Jesus Christ and we
told him that Jesus Christ is all-capable to heal him. Immediately my father
said "if He heals me I will believe in Him and accept Him as my Lord and
Savior." We prayed for him and we gave an oil bottle. We told him that the
oil represented the blood of Christ, which Jesus shed for him on the cross. We
told our father he should by faith apply it. My father took the oil bottle and
would apply it when he had time. After two days all the peels fell from his leg
and his leg became normal. He was amazed at this miracle; it brought faith in
him and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and also he took
baptism.
More miracles in our family
One by one every member of our family accepted Jesus Christ. This has included my sisters, their husbands, all of their children, and my second brother, who at first was against us and would criticize us. Every one has experienced miracles in their lives when we prayed for them and all of them accepted Jesus Christ. My second brother Mehboob was quite critical of our faith also was touched by the love of Jesus. Musthafa and Mehboob are pastors now. Musthafa lives in Kazipet in Andhra Pradesh where, he pastors a church.
We have been excommunicated by Muslims. All our relatives
and friends forsake us because of our faith. There have been death threats to
us. However, we have not looked back. Our sufferings in Christ pale before the
love of our Lord.
Moving to Mumbai
I have done a Master of Divinity in theological studies and
I am now doing a Doctor of Theology in Apologetics. The Lord led me to Mumbai,
to start the ministry, especially among the Muslims. I moved to Mumbai in June
2005 with my wife Susan. I have started a Ministry with the title of Winning
Muslims for Christ.
Helping Muslims to know the good news
When I was praying to God He spoke to my heart and gave me
the two reasons why Muslims are not being as effectively evangelized as they
could be.
Firstly, many in the Church are neglecting the Muslims and
thinking that it is someone else's work. Jesus spoke to me and said "if I
questioned the Church about if they had obeyed my command in preaching the
gospel to all creation?" they would respond "Except Muslims
Lord!"
Secondly there are some in the Church who would like to
evangelize Muslims but they do not know how to do so effectively.
The prophetic scripture "I was found by those who did
not seek Me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me." has been fulfilled in my life and
in the lives of my family members" (Romans 10:20).
I have experienced the gracious and loving kindness of Jesus Christ in my life and witnessed it also in the lives of my whole family. His Word has been proved to be true and it has been fulfilled in our lives. Though we did not seek Him, though we did not ask for Him, He found us and made Himself know to us. Oh I wish that each and every breath of mine be praise to Him and a sweet song for my Lord Jesus Christ.
Helping others to see the need
The vision and mission of our ministry is to impart the
burden for Muslims to the churches and to train and equip them.
Let all the glory and honor be given to God Almighty who is
rich in His Mercy and Grace. Amen!
Pray for me and for the Muslim ministry that I am doing.
Yours in Christ's Service,
Rev. Peter Akbar
Mumbai, India
http://www.christianmessenger.in/%E2%80%98jesus%E2%80%99-word-is-true-still-alive-and-working%E2%80%99/