DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — A young boy rushed up to Mabili after the neighborhood Bible club with a huge smile on his face.

“Pastor, I want to hear more about Jesus, and I want my father to hear about Him too! I’ll bring him to church this Sunday.”

“That’s great!” Mabili said, wondering if the boy’s Muslim father would really come.

But when Sunday came, both the boy and his father walked into the church. Both listened intently to the message Mabili preached, and both stayed to talk to him after the service.

“I really liked what you were saying,” the father said. “Can you tell me more?”

Mabili, a student at Shalom University, had been meeting regularly with Denise, a Crossworld worker. Together they had studied how to share the gospel with Muslims in a non-offensive way as part of his preparation for future cross-cultural ministry in Chad. Mabili smiled at the opportunity God was now giving him to put his training into practice.

“Of course,” Mabili said. They talked about the Bible, and Mabili showed him how the Old Testament points to Jesus. Then he shared about Christ and how His work on the cross reconciles us to God.

“I believe!” the man said. “I want to give my life to Jesus too.”

The next day Mabili excitedly told Denise what had happened.

“This is so fabulous,” she said. “The barrier of the fear of being able to reach out to Muslims has been completely broken down.”

Mabili graduated from Shalom University with a master’s degree in missions. He is currently serving as a pastor in Congo and continuing to make disciples of Christ as he raises support to go to Chad.

The gospel is good news for everyone — not just those who look and think like you. How can you make Christ relevant to someone who is different from you?

Italicized names were changed to protect identities.