Muslim Meets Jesus
On a summer day 2,000 years ago, Jesus first shared the Sermon on the Mount. Those words, still living and active, have echoed through the centuries. Fifteen years ago, they pierced the heart of a young Muslim man in the Middle East for the first time. After hearing the words, the young man, named Omar, hungered to know more about the man who spoke them.
Born and raised in a devout Muslim household, Omar knew nothing of Christianity. His own brother and nephew had become honored Islamic leaders, and his extended family all held to the traditions they had been taught. But Omar had heard the Sermon on the Mount when he was 32. The words stuck with him. Who really was Jesus, the man who taught these sayings? And how could he know more about him? Omar held these questions in his heart for more than a decade as he struggled to find the Truth. He felt as if he was a pilgrim traveling to meet Jesus all those years ago, walking the dusty roads of the countryside anticipating the satiation of his spiritual hunger. He felt so hungry. He had to know more. It was then, at 47 years old, that Omar connected with a Christian man online. The man began to share more with him, and introduced him to a MAPS Global missionary and local Arab, Hassib, at the Middle East Missions Base. This was when Omar’s story began to change.
Hassib began to disciple Omar the week after they met. In the beginning of 2026, he took him through the Gospels, and Omar devoured the Word with fervor and excitement. Finally, his questions were being answered. His hunger and thirst for the truth was being satiated! After reading through the four Gospels, Omar began to read Acts. As he read, he dreamed of selling some of the land he owned and using the money to help get the Gospel out to more of his fellow countrymen. He envisioned using his house for Bible studies and discipleship gatherings like the ones in Acts. He felt everyone needed to know of this hope and life found in Jesus.
Today, Omar is still growing in his faith, reading through Acts, and talking with Hassib about getting baptized. Omar is not the only one. The Middle East Missions Base continues to receive Muslims - through online contacts- who are hungry to know the Truth just like Omar. Recently, the Middle East MB connected with a 50-year-old Muslim man who also desires to know more about Jesus and be baptized. The words of Jesus through the Sermon on the Mount continue to ring out as more and more Muslims turn towards the Man who spoke “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”