Open Doors

Open Doors

A missionary receives surprising opportunities in Turkey.

I arrived in Turkey with high hopes, but felt discouraged as the week progressed. Through a connection with the government ruling party, my translator Asif and I were invited to share our message about Muslims in Bible prophecy. We arrived at the convention center, only to realize that we were not included in the speaking schedule. The meeting lasted over two hours. All eleven speakers talked about Said Nursi, a promoter of back-to-Islamic rule who died in 1960. 

The following day, we were invited to another meeting. Inside the mosque were a small group of tourists from Europe, and we sat for a lecture on becoming Muslim. This was not at all why I had come to Turkey! In the late afternoon, I was invited to another gathering, but this time I declined. I had had enough Muslim evangelism for the day. Even my young Turkish translator was unhappy with all the running around to meetings without opportunities to share our special message. “The week is yet young,” I tried to encourage my friend. “God can still work in many ways.”

On Wednesday, we received another meeting invitation. Finally, I was truly asked to speak!

I began by telling the story of Ishmael and Hagar, and the double blessings Abraham’s offspring received in Deuteronomy chapter 21. I told how their side of the family received the whole Middle East. All the while, the meeting leaders smiled and nodded. “Islam was called by the God of the Bible,” I explained. “It was your countrymen who responded and answered the call of Revelation 9:12-15 to deliver the young Reformation movement.”

After the close of my talk, a leader turned to us. “Tomorrow I have a newspaper interview arranged for you, and a TV program on Friday.” Once outside, Asif and I praised the Lord for what He had just done!

At the newspaper office, the editor asked me to write a weekly column on what the Bible teaches about end time events and Islam. As we talked, my mind raced. The editor accepted the concept of Jesus and sacrifice. This was an amazing moment. 

On Friday, the television station manager heard about our Adventist beliefs and reviewed the charts. He called three of his friends, and they listened as I repeated the story.

Remember Said Nursi? At every meeting I attended that week, the people told me that he had made a prediction. Near the end of time, there would be a small group of Christians who would visit and teach them about the Second Coming of Jesus from the Bible. As Asif and I showed them the Ottoman Empire in Bible history, the people were convinced that Seventh-day Adventists do have the last message for the Muslim world!

It was a wonderful week of open doors. As I thought about all of the letters and emails I had sent out asking for prayers during my week in Turkey, I knew that God had answered.


Location
Turkey

Author
Stephen Dickie is the director of a ministry dedicated to ministering to the Muslim people.

Pray that the Lord will continue to open doors for sharing the gospel with the Muslim people.

To find out more about Stephen Dickie’s work among the Muslims or to donate to this work, visit:

www.strawberrymeadowassociation.com

www.islambibleprophecy.com