In Reformers Unanimous the curriculum teaches us the importance of yielding to God's Spirit in our lives. The first fruit as listed in Galatians is love. Love is defined as the willing sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of others without thought of return.
Here is a illustrated of such love:
God has a way of turning the deepest pain into victory. Because Ethiopian
Christians faithfully ministered to a convicted murderer in jail, God brought
salvation to Mohammed Ahmed, who was convicted of killing an evangelist named
Tulu on February 2, 2005. Tulu was the fifth eldest child of eight, but
suffered from an unidentified disease that made him physically weak and a slow
learner. During July of 2001, Tulu accepted Christ and experienced God's
healing hand. His health improved to such an extent that he was able to attend
secondary school in a predominantly Muslim area in southern Ethiopia.
Tulu devoted time to prayer and studying the Word of God. He became known
for his warmth and affection when witnessing about God's love to the community.
However, some Muslim extremists did not appreciate the change in Tulu's life
and attacked him with a spear five months after his conversion. Even though the
spear penetrated his skull, after intensive treatment he miraculously
recovered. "During this time," recalls his mother, "there were
only four believers in our area, but through Tulu's persecution, 50 people came
to know Christ as their Savior, including his father and me."
Mohammed confronted Tulu at a secondary school on that tragic day in 2005.
Mohammed swung his machete and hit Tulu's throat with a single blow as he
shouted the Jihad (Islamic) war cry: "Allahu Akbar!" The family tried
to rush Tulu to a nearby clinic, but the young evangelist took his final breath
and died en route. He was only 19 year old.
Two local church leaders in southern Ethiopia have permission to visit
prisoners at least once a week. During such a visit, the church leaders
approached Mohammed with a few words of encouragement. Though at first he was
not receptive, the leaders continued to demonstrate God's unconditional love.
As the leaders continued to invite him to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, he
started to show interest. Because of their patience in sharing the gospel and
their reassurance that they held no grudge against him, God's grace broke
through and Mohammed accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord.
Mohammed confessed religious fanaticism, fanned by Muslim extremists, was
the real reason for Tulu's murder. He sincerely regretted what happened. The
two church leaders taught Mohammed and three other Muslim-background believers
while in prison. On March 5, a little more than two years after the murder,
Mohammed was baptized in the name of the God he once persecuted. The prison
authorities escorted him and the other three prisoners to the church compound
and witnessed their baptism. When the excited converts were asked to give their
testimonies before being immersed, Mohammed made sure all the witnesses
understood that he was being baptized in the name of the Almighty God,
testifying of His redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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