The Voice from the Minaret: Understanding and Praying for the Muezzin

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to help us better understand Islam—not because we agree with it, but because understanding Muslim culture and practices helps us pray more effectively and interact more compassionately with Muslims. The more we know about them, the less strange they seem, and the more God can work on our hearts to care deeply and pray fervently for them.

Today, I want to talk about something you've probably heard if you've ever visited a Muslim country—the call to prayer, and the men who give it, called the muezzin.

[The call to prayer - what happens daily]

Across the entire Islamic world, men called the muezzin call the faithful to prayer five times per day. At dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and at nightfall.

On Fridays, all male Muslims are supposed to attend the noon prayers, which are usually accompanied by a message given by the Imam.

[How it works - the voice from the minaret]

In most places, the call to prayer is broadcast by loudspeakers located on a minaret—that tall tower attached to the mosque. Sometimes recordings are used, but most people prefer a live voice. There's something more authentic, more compelling about a human voice calling you to prayer.

Some muezzin have become very famous for the dignity, professionalism, and beautiful vocal and musical quality of their calls to prayer. There's actually competition among them! A documentary film called "Muezzin" was released about individual expression and competition between muezzin in Turkey. One muezzin says in the film, "The more people I can attract to the mosque with my voice, the more successful I am."

It's fascinating—they see themselves as performers in a way, but also as spiritual leaders. Their voice is what draws people to worship.

[In non-Muslim countries]

In Western and non-Islamic countries, muezzin often cannot make the call to prayer publicly except on the radio or in the courtyards of local mosques because of laws restricting loud and intrusive noises. Some communities have debated whether to allow it. Switzerland actually held a national referendum in 2009 about minarets, with the country voting to ban construction of new minarets.

In Africa, there's an interesting dynamic—Christian preachers sometimes give the muezzin competition early in the morning, using their own loudspeakers to preach while the Islamic call to prayer is being given! Can you imagine waking up to competing religious messages over loudspeakers? It's spiritual warfare in audio form.

[What they actually say]

So what do the muezzin say? Let me share the actual words that are repeated day after day across the Muslim world. Shiite Muslims use slightly different phrases for some lines, but this is the standard Sunni call to prayer. I’m not going to try to pronounce the Arabic words so this is what they are saying in English:

— Allah is the greatest  — I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah  — I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah — Make haste towards worship — Come to the true success — Prayer is better than sleep — Allah is the greatest  — There is no deity except Allah

[Our response - love and prayer]

Now, whatever our reaction to the call to prayer—whether we find it beautiful or unsettling, intriguing or intrusive—God calls us to love the muezzin. These are real men, with families and dreams and spiritual hunger. They're seeking God, even if they're seeking Him in the wrong place. And our calling is to pray for them.

Think about it: These men are dedicating their lives to calling people to prayer five times a day. They're taking their spiritual role seriously. What if that same dedication, that same devotion, that same beautiful voice was calling people to Jesus instead of to a mosque? What if these men encountered the living Christ and became evangelists for the true Gospel?

[How to pray - specific requests]

So let me give you some specific ways to pray for the muezzin around the world.

First, pray for the hundreds of thousands of muezzin worldwide. Pray that many of them will encounter the living God through Jesus, the Messiah. Imagine if even a small percentage of them came to Christ—the impact would be massive! They already have platforms, they already have influence, they already have the respect of their communities.

Second, pray for humility. Sometimes muezzin become very centered on their role in society. As with any public figures—like pastors and politicians—some muezzin are tempted to place their own honor and prestige very high on their list of priorities. Pray that all muezzin would be brought to humility before God and truly confounded by His majesty, so that when they say "God is great," they're referring to the one true God, not their own reputation.

Third, pray for the Muslims who hear the call to prayer. Five times a day, millions of Muslims are reminded to pray. They're spiritually hungry, seeking connection with God. Pray that as they respond to the call to prayer, God would reveal Himself to them as He truly is—as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[Understanding breeds compassion]

You know, when I first heard the call to prayer in Istanbul, Turkey, it was strange. But the more I learned about it, the more I saw it differently. These aren't just strange foreign sounds—they're the cries of people seeking God. They're looking in the wrong direction, following a false prophet, but they're seeking.

And Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. That includes the muezzin climbing the minaret five times a day. That includes the millions responding to the call. They need the Gospel, and understanding their practices helps us pray more effectively for them.

[Closing challenge and prayer]

So here's my challenge: The next time you hear about the call to prayer, or if you're ever in a Muslim country and you hear it echoing across the city, don't just think it's strange. Pray. Pray for the man giving that call. Pray for the people responding to it. Pray that God would draw them to Himself through Jesus Christ.

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me. I hope it helps you understand and pray for Muslims better. We'll continue this series on understanding Islam in future episodes.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and pray for those who are seeking God!

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Revival in the Kabylie Mountains: The Story of Algeria's Berber Awakening

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to tell you about one of the most remarkable revival stories happening in the Muslim world right now—a story that spans nearly 2,000 years, from the early church fathers to present-day North Africa. It's the story of the Kabyle Berbers of Algeria, a people who lost their Christian heritage 1,350 years ago but are now experiencing an unprecedented return to faith in Christ.

The Kabyles live in the rugged mountains called Kabylia to the east of the Algerian capital, Algiers. They belong to the Berber or Imazighen people groups—the original inhabitants of North Africa before the Arab invasion. And what God is doing among them today is nothing short of miraculous.

[The ancient roots - early Christianity in North Africa]

To understand this story, we need to go back to the beginning. The Berbers were the original inhabitants of North Africa, and many of them became Christians as early as the second and third centuries AD—just decades after the apostles! North Africa was home to some of the greatest theologians and church fathers in Christian history: Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine were all North Africans.

The North African church was vibrant and growing. Many Berbers were martyred for their faith under Roman persecution, well before Islam ever existed. Christianity had deep roots in this region for centuries. But then everything changed.

[The Arab invasion - a faith lost]

Around 1,350 years ago—in the 7th and 8th centuries AD—Arab armies invaded North Africa, bringing Islam with them. The Arabs Arabized and Islamized the Berbers through a combination of conquest, taxation of non-Muslims, and social pressure. Over the course of several centuries, the once-Christian Berbers gradually converted to Islam.

The Kabyle Berbers fled to the mountainous regions of Kabylia, and despite many centuries of Arab occupation, they were able to keep their language alive by passing it on orally to each generation. They maintained their traditional clothing—colorful dresses and headwear for the women. They preserved their distinct ethnic identity.

But their Christian faith did not survive. The Kabyles were very reluctant to become Muslim—they resisted for generations. But here's a critical detail: The Bible was never translated into Berber in those early years. This is a major reason why the Kabyles eventually became Muslim. Without Scripture in their own language, their faith could not be sustained.

Think about that! If missionaries in the 4th or 5th century had translated the Bible into Berber, the entire history of North Africa might have been different. This is why Bible translation matters so much—it's not just nice to have, it's essential for preserving and spreading faith across generations.

[Lilias Trotter - a faithful pioneer]

For many centuries, the Kabyles and other Berbers remained Muslim. But God never forgot them. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Christian missionaries began working in North Africa, and one of the most remarkable was an English woman named Lilias Trotter.

Lilias Trotter was born in 1853 to a wealthy London family. She was a gifted artist—so talented that the famous art critic John Ruskin told her she could become one of the greatest painters in England if she devoted herself to art. But Lilias chose a different path. She felt called to missions, specifically to North Africa and the Muslim world.

In 1888, at age 35, Lilias sailed to Algeria. She would spend the next 40 years of her life there, serving until her death in 1928 at age 75. She founded the Algiers Mission Band and worked tirelessly to reach Muslims with the Gospel, including Berber peoples like the Kabyles.

Lilias faced enormous challenges. Islam was deeply entrenched. Converts faced severe persecution. Progress was slow and often heartbreaking. She wrote in her journal about the spiritual darkness and the difficulty of seeing fruit. But she persevered with faith, prayer, and sacrificial love.

Lilias was also a gifted artist and writer, creating beautiful illustrations and devotional writings that continue to inspire Christians today. She saw the beauty of God in the desert landscapes and used her art to worship and to communicate spiritual truth. Her book "Parables of the Cross" is still read today.

Though Lilias Trotter died without seeing the breakthrough she longed for among the Kabyles, she was planting seeds that would bear fruit decades later. She was faithful to the call, trusting God for the harvest even when she couldn't see it.

[The breakthrough - 1980s revival begins]

And the harvest did come! In the early 1980s—more than 50 years after Lilias Trotter's death—the Lord started moving among the Kabyles in a new way. An Arabic-speaking Christian shared the Gospel with some young Kabyles on a football team. They accepted Jesus and in turn reached out to their own people.

This is how revival often works—not through big crusades or famous preachers, but through ordinary believers sharing Jesus with their friends. Those young football players became evangelists to their community.

Others saw dreams and visions of Jesus—a phenomenon that's increasingly common in the Muslim world. Small house churches began forming secretly in the mountains. All this took place underground for fear of persecution from the Muslim population. These believers were risking everything to follow Christ.

But the churches grew! They couldn't be hidden forever. Eventually, the Kabyle Christian movement became visible. It is now well known throughout Algeria that many Kabyles are Christians. A few years ago, the Algerian government even published figures indicating the presence of at least 7,000 Kabyle Christians—and that's likely a conservative estimate. Some believe the actual number is much higher.

[The Bible in Kabyle - Scripture returns]

And here's what's beautiful: Remember how the lack of Bible translation contributed to the loss of Christianity 1,350 years ago? God is rectifying that now! Some Kabyles started translation work and saw the emergence of written Kabyle for the first time in history.

The first book ever written in the new Kabyle Berber script was the New Testament! Not a novel, not a textbook—the New Testament. The first film ever translated into Kabyle was the JESUS film. Worship songs in Kabyle now exist. And soon, the entire Bible in Kabyle will be completed.

Do you see what God is doing? He's giving the Kabyles what they needed 1,500 years ago but never had—His Word in their own language. And this time, the faith is taking root and spreading because believers can read and hear God's Word for themselves.

[The character of the Kabyle church - boldness]

The Kabyles are bold people, willing to share their faith despite the risks. In Algeria, converting from Islam to Christianity can result in family rejection, loss of employment, physical violence, and even legal prosecution. Yet Kabyle Christians are not hiding their faith. They're openly baptizing new believers, gathering for worship, and evangelizing their communities.

This boldness is remarkable given the context. Algeria is 99% Muslim. Leaving Islam is considered apostasy—a serious offense in Islamic law. Yet the Kabyle church is growing and becoming more visible. Clearly, a revival is taking place.

[The broader context - Christianity in North Africa today]

The Kabyle revival is part of a broader movement of Christianity returning to North Africa. For over a thousand years, North Africa was considered a "dead zone" for Christianity—the region that once produced Augustine and Cyprian had become almost entirely Muslim.

But in recent decades, God has been moving throughout North Africa. In Morocco, there's a growing Berber Christian movement. In Tunisia, there are small but significant numbers of converts. In Libya, despite civil war and chaos, there are secret believers. And in Algeria, the Kabyle movement is the most visible and fastest-growing.

According to various estimates, there may be tens of thousands of Algerian Christians today, most of them Kabyle Berbers. Some churches have hundreds of members. The government has responded with increased restrictions—closing some church buildings, arresting some pastors—but the movement continues to grow.

[What we can learn - lessons from the Kabyles]

So what can we learn from the Kabyle story? Let me give you five lessons.

First, God never forgets His people. Even after 1,350 years of Islamic dominance, God remembered the Berbers who once followed Him. He brought the Gospel back to them. No people group is too lost, too resistant, or too far gone for God to reach.

Second, Bible translation is absolutely essential. The lack of Scripture in Berber contributed to the loss of Christianity in North Africa. The presence of Scripture in Kabyle is fueling the current revival. Support Bible translation! It's not a luxury—it's foundational to spreading and sustaining faith.

Third, faithful missionaries plant seeds that bear fruit later. Lilias Trotter labored for 40 years without seeing the breakthrough she longed for. But she was faithful, and her prayers and work contributed to the soil in which today's revival is growing. Don't measure success by immediate results—measure it by faithfulness.

Fourth, dreams and visions are important in reaching Muslims. Many Kabyle believers report encountering Jesus in dreams before they heard the Gospel from Christians. This is a pattern we're seeing throughout the Muslim world. Pray for Muslims to have dreams of Jesus!

Fifth, boldness in witnessing produces growth. Despite the risks, Kabyle Christians share their faith openly. They don't hide. They baptize publicly. They worship openly. And the church grows. Fear restricts the Gospel; boldness spreads it.

[How to pray and support]

So how can we pray for and support the Kabyle Christians? First, pray for their protection. Pray for the completion and distribution of the full Kabyle Bible. Pray for discipleship and maturity. Pray for a continued harvest. Finally, support organizations working with North African Christians. Groups like SAT-7 (satellite Christian TV in Arabic and Berber), Frontiers, and others are reaching and discipling believers in North Africa. Your prayers and giving can support this vital work.

[The bigger picture - Islam is not invincible]

The Kabyle story reminds us of something crucial: Islam is not invincible. For centuries, people assumed that once a region became Muslim, it would stay Muslim forever. North Africa was "lost" to Christianity.

But God is breaking that paradigm. Muslims are coming to Christ in unprecedented numbers—in Iran, in Central Asia, in North Africa, in Indonesia. The Kabyle revival is one of the most visible examples, but it's part of a broader movement.

[Closing reflection and prayer]

As I researched the Kabyle story, I kept thinking about Lilias Trotter. She died in 1928 without seeing the breakthrough. She prayed and worked for 40 years with so little visible fruit. But she trusted God.

If Lilias could see what's happening in Kabylia today—thousands of Berbers worshiping Jesus in their own language, the New Testament in Kabyle, churches growing despite persecution—she would fall on her knees in worship. Her faithfulness mattered. Her prayers were answered, just not in her lifetime.

That's a challenge for all of us. We want to see results now. We want to see breakthrough in our lifetime. But sometimes God's timeline is longer than ours. The question is: Will we be faithful even when we don't see fruit?

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me today. The Kabyle story is a powerful reminder that God is at work in the Muslim world, and that faithfulness matters even when we don't see results.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and trust God's timing for the harvest!

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The Glory of the Impossible: Samuel Zwemer's Call to the Unreached

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to share something with you that stirred my soul deeply—a challenge from Samuel Marinus Zwemer, nicknamed "The Apostle to Islam." Zwemer lived from 1867 to 1952, and he was an American missionary who served in Arabia—in places like Busrah and Bahrein—from 1891 to 1905.

Here's what's remarkable about Zwemer: He was famously turned down by the American Missionary Society. They wouldn't send him. So he went overseas alone anyway! He founded and edited the publication "The Moslem World," and his greatest contribution to missions was stirring Christians to the need for evangelism among Muslims.

And I believe that need should be stirred again today! The Muslim world remains one of the most unreached populations on earth. Muslims comprise a vast majority of the 10/40 Window—that rectangle stretching from West Africa across the Middle East to Asia where most of the world's unreached peoples live. In some Muslim regions, there are as few as three missionaries per million Muslims. Think about that—three missionaries for a million people!

Islam is the second-fastest growing religion in the world, after Christianity. And yet, how much of our missionary effort is focused there? How many young people are preparing to take the Gospel to Muslims? How many churches are praying for and supporting work in the Muslim world?

What I want to share with you today is Zwemer's message called "The Glory of the Impossible." I'm going to walk through his main ideas, translating his powerful 19th-century language into something we can grasp today. Listen carefully, and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart.

[First main idea - Faith transforms sacrifice]

Zwemer begins with this foundational truth: Our willingness to sacrifice for something is always in proportion to our faith in it. If you really believe in something, you'll give everything for it. Faith, he says, has the genius of transforming what seems barely possible into actual reality.

Think about it—once you're dominated by the conviction that something must be done, you won't stop until it's accomplished. That's what real pioneers are like. They don't get discouraged by setbacks. They don't quit when things fail. In fact, even when missionaries are martyred, it only motivates them more! Opposition just makes them work harder.

Zwemer says it bluntly: Great victory has never been possible without great sacrifice. If winning a battle requires soldiers willing to die, then we can't expect to reach the hardest mission fields without loss of life. And here's his penetrating question: Does it really matter how many die or how much money we spend if we truly believe that missions is warfare and the King's glory is at stake?

War always costs blood and treasure. Our only concern should be fighting aggressively and winning the victory, regardless of cost. Then Zwemer says something powerful: "The unoccupied fields of the world must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost."

Just as Jesus had to go to the cross before the Holy Spirit could come at Pentecost, the unreached fields must see sacrifice before they'll see breakthrough. There's no resurrection without crucifixion. There's no Pentecost without Calvary.

[Second main idea - Following Jesus means suffering]

Zwemer then reminds us that the unoccupied fields await those willing to be lonely for the sake of Christ. Jesus said to His disciples, "As my Father has sent Me, even so I send you." How was Jesus sent? His welcome was derision—people mocked Him. His life was suffering. His throne was the cross.

If that's how Jesus came, Zwemer says, then that's how we should expect to go. We must follow in His footprints. The pioneer missionary has the privilege not only of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings.

And what is that suffering? Zwemer calls it "the glory of the impossible!" Who would naturally choose to leave the warmth and comfort of home and family to go after a lost sheep whose cry we've barely heard in the howling storm? Nobody! Yet that's the glory of the task—it's so important that neither family ties nor personal needs can hold back those who've caught the vision of the Great Shepherd.

Why? Because the lost ones are His sheep, and He's made us His shepherds, not hired hands who run away when danger comes. We must bring them back.

[Third main idea - Avoiding the calculating spirit]

Here's where Zwemer really challenges us. He points out that in the early days of Christianity, there was an absence of what he calls "the calculating spirit." Most of the apostles died outside of Palestine, even though human logic would have said they should stay there until their own country was fully Christian.

The calculating instinct is death to faith! If the apostles had been calculating, they would have said: "The need in Jerusalem is so huge, our responsibility to our own people so obvious, that we need to focus here first. Charity begins at home, right? After we've won Jerusalem and Judea, then we'll go abroad. We have so many unsolved problems right here that it's absurd to take on a new burden."

Sound familiar? That's what we say today! "We have so many problems in America—why go overseas? We need to fix our own country first!" But that's the calculating spirit, and Zwemer says it's death to faith.

What thrilled the early church? The bigness of the task! The difficulty! The apparent impossibility was the glory. The worldwide scope was the grandeur. And the same is true today.

[Fourth main idea - Plowing in hope]

Zwemer encourages pioneer missionaries with this promise: Those who plow virgin soil should plow in hope. God never disappoints His farmers. The harvest always follows the planting season.

He shares a testimony from missionary Hogberg in Central Asia. When Hogberg first arrived, it was impossible to gather even a few people to hear the Gospel. They couldn't get children for school. They couldn't give away Gospels or tracts. When they built a chapel, they wondered if it would ever be filled with Muslims listening to the Gospel.

But guess what happened? The chapel filled up! They needed a bigger room! Day after day they preached, and Muslims no longer objected to hearing about Jesus. One Muslim told Hogberg, "Before you came here, no one spoke or thought of Jesus Christ. Now everywhere one hears His name." At first, Muslims threw away the Gospels or burned them. Now they buy them, kiss them, touch them to their foreheads, press them to their hearts—showing the highest honor a Muslim can show a book!

But here's the key: The pioneer must have long patience. Results don't come overnight.

[Fifth main idea - The prospects are bright]

Zwemer tells the story of Adoniram Judson, the great missionary to Burma. Judson was thrown in prison, loaded with chains. A fellow prisoner sneered at him and asked about the prospects for converting the heathen. Judson calmly answered: "The prospects are as bright as the promises of God."

That's our confidence! Not in our abilities, not in favorable circumstances, not in easy access—but in God's promises! And Zwemer says there's scarcely a country today that's harder to reach than Burma was when Judson faced it and overcame.

So the prospects for evangelizing all the unoccupied fields are as bright as the promises of God. Why should we wait any longer?

[Sixth main idea - Making a life, not just a living]

Then Zwemer issues a challenge to talented young people. Is there a more heroic test for human potential than pioneer missionary work? Here's an opportunity for those who may never find room at home for all their abilities, who may never find adequate scope for all their powers.

There are hundreds of Christian college graduates planning to spend their lives practicing law or working in business just to make money. Yet they have enough strength and talent to go to unreached fields! There are young doctors who could gather thousands of suffering people at a new mission station and lift their burden of pain. But instead they confine themselves to comfortable practices where healthcare is measured in cash and competition.

Zwemer's devastating line: "They are making a living; they might be making a life."

What are you doing? Making a living, or making a life? There's a difference!

[Seventh main idea - Pray for power, not ease]

Zwemer quotes Bishop Phillips Brooks: "Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle."

Perfect words for the challenge of reaching the unreached! God can give us power for the task. He was sufficient for those who went out in the past, and He's sufficient for those who go out today.

[Eighth main idea - It's no sacrifice]

Finally, Zwemer closes with David Livingstone's famous words when he visited Cambridge University in 1857 to appeal for missionaries to Africa. Livingstone said:

"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God appointed me to such work. People talk of the sacrifice I made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paying back a small part of a great debt we owe to God? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blessed reward in healthy activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of glorious destiny? Away with such a word! It's emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it's a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then may make us pause and cause our spirit to waver and our soul to sink—but only for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice."

[Personal application and challenge]

So let me bring this home. Zwemer's message is clear: The unreached fields of the world are waiting for Christians who will embrace the glory of the impossible. They're waiting for believers who will say, "The bigger and harder the task, the more glorious it is! The impossibility is what makes it worthy of Christ!"

Right now, there are 7,401 unreached people groups representing 3.4 billion people. There are Muslim regions with only three missionaries per million people. There are Buddhist peoples, Hindu peoples, animist peoples who have never heard Jesus's name. The unoccupied fields still await.

Are you making a living, or making a life? Are you spending your talents in comfortable careers that benefit you, or are you investing them in eternal work that glorifies God? Are you calculating what's safe and reasonable, or are you embracing what seems impossible because of your faith in God's promises?

The prospects are as bright as the promises of God! God never disappoints His farmers—the harvest follows the planting. The unoccupied fields must have their Calvary before their Pentecost. And it's no sacrifice—it's a privilege!

[Closing prayer]

Let me pray: 

The glory of the impossible awaits! Will you embrace it?

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and don't settle for making a living when you could be making a life!

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