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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