Not long after the Bible appeared, Negash began to have strange dreams of a man in white. In the dream, the man said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Later, Negash opened the Bible and found the matching passage in John 14. At this moment, he gave his life to Jesus and left Islam. Today, Negash disciples former Muslim believers and has planted 13 churches in the area where he lives.
He is one of the millions of the Christians in the world that has left Islam to follow Jesus.
Extraordinary conversion growth
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world today. Population research indicates that by 2060, it could also be the world’s largest religion, surpassing Christianity. But the number of Muslims converting to Christianity over the last few decades is unprecedented in history.
Research by author and missionary David Garrison finds that in the first 1,400 years since Islam was founded and established, there were 15 recorded movements of Muslims becoming Christians. Garrison defines a “movement” as at least 1,000 Muslims from a particular community who not only profess their faith in Christ, but voluntarily show it through the act of baptism.
In just the first two decades of the 21st century, there have already been 70 flourishing conversion movements.
Conversion catalysts
Like Negash many Muslims live in places where it is dangerous to become a Christian or where the gospel isn’t regularly shared. So how does God call His people living in these lands?
Former Muslims have repeatedly shared how God used dreams to come to them. By some counts as many as 25% of Muslim converts have experienced a dream or vision.
The idea of revelation through visions in modern times might seem a bit difficult to believe. But many Muslims are open to the revelatory nature of dreams due to general cultural and religious acceptance. According to a series of interviews of Christian migrants who had converted from Islam, many reported that dreams led their conversion, and enough were recorded that they could be sorted into four main categories:
- – Jesus speaking Scripture to them, even though they had never heard it before.
- -Jesus telling them to do something.
- -A dream that led to a feeling of being cleansed and at peace.
- -A physical appearance by a man in white.
One person said he could feel God wrapping himself around him in a dream. Another said a cross appeared out of the sand.