Peter's brother Musthafa became a Christian and started to heal 'in the name of Jesus'. Being in a Muslim family, Peter wondered why there was so much power in the name of Jesus to heal.

(THIRTY-year-old Peter Akbar has done Master of Divinity in Theological Studies and Master of Theology in Christian Apologetics. He is currently doing Doctor of Theology in Apologetics. Since 2005, he has been living in Mumbai along with his wife Susan. He quit his job with a multinational company to do the Lord’s work. He is the founder of ‘Winning Muslims for Christ Ministry’. He travels around training and equipping churches to witness to Muslims. Although there are 200 million Muslims in India, he feels there are not enough ministries that work among them. He holds two- and three-day seminars through which he helps believers share the Gospel to Muslims. He can be reached at peterakbar@gmail.com )

Testimony according to Peter Akbar

"I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me" (Romans 10:20).

My family were serious followers of Islam

My name is Peter Akbar, son of Mohammed Khaja Mohinuddin and Navanbee. I am the sixth child in my family following three sisters and two brothers. Our family was very religious, following the traditions and beliefs of Islam. My father was an engine driver working for Central Railways and my mother is a house maker. My father was an active member in the Mosque and my mother was a teacher of Koran. They were very passionate towards Islam and serious about following its traditions, rituals, beliefs and teachings. My parents had brought us up in the same fear and faith of Islam.

A voice calling my brother's name

My eldest brother's name is Musthafa who was born after my three elder sisters. One day as he was walking on the road, he suddenly heard a voice calling him by his name and saying, " Mustafa, Mustafa look at me. I am the Lord your God." My brother looked all around to try and find the one who was calling him but he could not find anyone. It was one of the strangest experiences he had ever had. Again the voice came and this time he recognized that it was coming from above. Before he could work out what was happening, my brother was immediately surrounded by power, which was like an electric power. This led him to a small Christian tent meeting where a preacher was preaching about Jesus Christ.

Coming to know the one who was speaking

The power, which was all around him said, "The one who spoke to you on the way is the same person this man is preaching about". The preacher was preaching about Jesus Christ and my brother understood that the one who spoke to him was Jesus Christ himself! My brother accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior with a strong conviction as the Holy Spirit dealt with him in his heart.

What our family had believed in the past

We being Muslims did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. (Allah does not have a Son.) According to the Quran (or Koran), Jesus was a prophet among many other prophets. Muslims do not believe in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ because we believe that before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Allah took him up into the Heaven. We believed that Christians (and Jews) were mistaken thinking that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.

We believed that someone else whose face was changed by Allah into the likeness of the face of Jesus Christ was crucified. We also believed that the Christians have changed the Bible. We believed that Jesus Christ came only for the Jews and He promised in the Bible that Mohammed would come. Mohammed was the messenger of Allah for the entire World and we believed that we should follow only Mohammed now.

My family was upset with my brother

When my mother, father and all of my family members came to know about my brother's new faith in Jesus Christ they were very upset. My parents were very unhappy and they were very angry with him. For many days arguments and discussions about the Koran and the Bible went on with neither side conceding.

Healings and demons cast out in the name of Jesus

But my parents noticed that whenever my brother prayed in the name of Jesus healings took place. People who were suffering with cancer tumors, the blind, the lame and the demon possessed people were getting healed when my brother prayed for them in the name of Jesus. My mother and father observed all these things.

My aunt's bleeding disease

One day my mother's cousin sister (my aunt) came to visit us. She was suffering from the disease of blood hemorrhage (the issue of blood). She was very weak because of continuous flow of blood and expecting my mother to take her to see a good doctor. My mother asked my brother to pray for her and my brother agreed. We were watching as my brother laid his hands on my aunt and began to pray. Suddenly my aunt fell down on the floor and a voice came out of her screaming, "I will not leave her, I will not leave her!" We understood that an evil spirit had possessed her.

 An evil spirit cast out

Whenever my brother took the name of Jesus that demon was shivering out of terror and 'closing its ears'. My brother questioned that spirit, "Who are you?" The demon said, "I am a spirit sent by a person who was this women's enemy and who wanted to kill her with this disease." When my brother said, "In the Name of Jesus Christ leave her" the evil spirit was shivering and left her saying "because of you I am leaving her or else I would have killed her." After some time my aunt got up and asked us what had happened to her and why she was on the floor? I asked her, "Do you know what you have said?" She said she doesn't know anything about what had happened to her. But she knew she was healed and that she could feel the healing and comfort and strength in her body. She had no pain and no flow of blood. She was full of joy and there was a great glow of happiness on her face.

Searching the Bible for truth with an open heart

As all this had happened in front of my own eyes I started reasoning, why should an evil spirit leave in the Name of Jesus Christ? Why not in any other prophet's name? Why had the evil spirit obeyed the command, which is given in the name of Jesus Christ? What is there in the name of Jesus Christ that even evil spirit had obeyed to that name? Why not the name of Mohammed? What power or authority does the name of Jesus contain? My mind was filled with all these kinds of thoughts. So I decided to read the Bible to know more about Jesus Christ who is claimed to be the Son of God by Christians. With an open heart searching for truth, I started to read.

His Words were alive and powerful

Jesus said, "These signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast out demons" (Mark 16:17, NASB version). As I read this verse I was almost knocked down and my spiritual eyes were opened. I was amazed that even after approximately 2000 years that the words Jesus Christ spoke were true! His Words were still alive, bringing life and they were working right before my eyes.

His Word corrected me

This incident had brought faith in me in the Words of Jesus Christ. I understood that if this word of Jesus Christ has proved itself to be true then all the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible, whatever He said about Himself, must be true. As I continued to read the Bible, each and every doubt and misconception about Jesus Christ and His Word (Bible) were answered. When I read the Word of God in the Bible it corrected me and made me understand all the wrong teachings against the Christian Theology that I had been taught by Muslim Theologians.

God's plan … purpose … His judgment

Through the Words of Jesus Christ, for the first time in my whole life I was introduced to God as a loving Father. A God with whom I could go closer … a God with whom I could speak personally … a God with whom I could have fellowship. For the first time, the emptiness in my spirit was filled with God's love and His presence. I understood the Love of God and the purpose and plan of God, which was made known through sending Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross to take away the sins of the world. I understand that judgment of God … "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17, KJV).

Salvation … a free gift

Man cannot achieve salvation by his own good deeds. Salvation was a free gift to all the human kind through Jesus Christ from God. God the Father had given the Power in the Name of Jesus Christ for His Glory.

"And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father" (Philippians Chapter 1:8-11, KJV).

A burning fire to tell others

On 24 December 1998, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and took baptism. Since then the call of God and the strong passionate urge in me to preach His Gospel and His Word of truth to the dying world was like a burning fire in my heart. I resigned my job from a multinational company and I have dedicated my life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Word of Truth all over the world till my last breath.

Other family members coming to know Jesus

My brother Musthafa and I started preaching the gospel. As the days went on, this news of our conversion was spread all over town. It was very embarrassing to my parents as they felt the shame on our family name because my brother and I had become Christians and were preaching the Gospel. After few days slowly one after the other of my family members accepted the Gospel and came to Jesus Christ miraculously as the Lord opened their hearts as He opened the heart of Lydia (Acts 16:14).

Being counted worthy to suffer for His name

We have excommunicated from the Muslim religion and our Muslim relatives and many who were near and dear have forsaken us. Being reproached for the Name of Christ we esteemed ourselves to be blessed because He made us worthy to suffer shame for His name. Many times we have been threatened with being killed but we never looked back. Whatever we have suffered and will continue to suffer, it is nothing compared to our Lord's love and His crucifixion for us.

My mother's vision of Jesus Christ

In our same town we have started a Church Ministry. We have preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the villages, which are all around the town and district. I have worked with Campus Crusade for Christ. I took The Jesus Film around the villages and even into deep forests where tribal people lived. Many came to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. The church was increasing day by day. One day my mother said to God, "If what my sons are preaching was the truth then she wanted to know about it." As she prayed she saw a vision in which she saw Jesus Christ. His whole body was wounded and bloody. When my mother saw this she could not bear it and she accepted Jesus Christ.

My father coming to know the Saviour

Though my mother accepted Jesus Christ she was a secret believer because of my father. One day my father was driving his train. He stopped to check the engine and after this he got back inside. Suddenly he felt something bite him on his leg. He ignored it but by the time he came home his leg was swollen. The doctor said that it is elephantiasis and there is no cure or medication for this disease. My father was upset and feeling sad. He was wondering why this disease had come to him since in his whole genealogy no one had this disease.

We took the opportunity to share about Jesus Christ and we told him that Jesus Christ is all-capable to heal him. Immediately my father said "if He heals me I will believe in Him and accept Him as my Lord and Savior." We prayed for him and we gave an oil bottle. We told him that the oil represented the blood of Christ, which Jesus shed for him on the cross. We told our father he should by faith apply it. My father took the oil bottle and would apply it when he had time. After two days all the peels fell from his leg and his leg became normal. He was amazed at this miracle; it brought faith in him and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and also he took baptism.

More miracles in our family

One by one every member of our family accepted Jesus Christ. This has included my sisters, their husbands, all of their children, and my second brother, who at first was against us and would criticize us. Every one has experienced miracles in their lives when we prayed for them and all of them accepted Jesus Christ.  My second brother Mehboob was quite critical of our faith also was touched by the love of Jesus. Musthafa and Mehboob are pastors now. Musthafa lives in Kazipet in Andhra Pradesh where, he pastors a church.

We have been excommunicated by Muslims. All our relatives and friends forsake us because of our faith. There have been death threats to us. However, we have not looked back. Our sufferings in Christ pale before the love of our Lord.

Moving to Mumbai

I have done a Master of Divinity in theological studies and I am now doing a Doctor of Theology in Apologetics. The Lord led me to Mumbai, to start the ministry, especially among the Muslims. I moved to Mumbai in June 2005 with my wife Susan. I have started a Ministry with the title of Winning Muslims for Christ.

Helping Muslims to know the good news

When I was praying to God He spoke to my heart and gave me the two reasons why Muslims are not being as effectively evangelized as they could be.

Firstly, many in the Church are neglecting the Muslims and thinking that it is someone else's work. Jesus spoke to me and said "if I questioned the Church about if they had obeyed my command in preaching the gospel to all creation?" they would respond "Except Muslims Lord!"

Secondly there are some in the Church who would like to evangelize Muslims but they do not know how to do so effectively.

The prophetic scripture "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me." has been fulfilled in my life and in the lives of my family members" (Romans 10:20).

I have experienced the gracious and loving kindness of Jesus Christ in my life and witnessed it also in the lives of my whole family. His Word has been proved to be true and it has been fulfilled in our lives. Though we did not seek Him, though we did not ask for Him, He found us and made Himself know to us. Oh I wish that each and every breath of mine be praise to Him and a sweet song for my Lord Jesus Christ.

Helping others to see the need

The vision and mission of our ministry is to impart the burden for Muslims to the churches and to train and equip them.

Let all the glory and honor be given to God Almighty who is rich in His Mercy and Grace. Amen!

Pray for me and for the Muslim ministry that I am doing.

Yours in Christ's Service,

Rev. Peter Akbar

Mumbai, India

http://www.christianmessenger.in/%E2%80%98jesus%E2%80%99-word-is-true-still-alive-and-working%E2%80%99/