The Rangi are like people of faith all over the world. Some are dedicated; some are nominal. The Lord knows our hearts, and if one is genuinely seeking Him, do you think he is limited in how He reaches them? I don’t think so. Muslims come to Jesus after a variety of experiences, but a common theme for many is that they were SERIOUSLY seeking truth. Pray for the Rangi to be serious seekers. Pray for a fervent spirit and a lack of peace with Islam. Pray for the Lord to reach them by whatever means He knows is best- through their own book, through the Bible, through dreams, through interactions with Christians, through interactions with Muslims… really, the sky is the limit!
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)
As Christians, we walk in assurance that Jesus has cleansed us from our sins and, as our living intercessor (Heb 7:25), is still interceeding for us! Our sinful flesh is DEAD. We will stand before God with no sins to our account.
To Rangi Muslims, the issue isn’t THAT you sin, rather, it’s how MUCH you sin, or at least that your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds. But is that what God’s word says? No. ALL fall short of the glory of God and are redeemed as a gift (Romans 3:23-25). We know that no amount of “goodness” will bring us up to the PERFECT standard of our Lord.
The Rangi don’t understand that. Pray that their eyes would be opened, as so many of ours have, to the ugly fact of the depth of sinfulness that each person will be responsible to answer for, and to the fact that they CANNOT outwork their bad deeds. Pray first for understanding, then for a desire to seek a solution to that problem!
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
We are very thankful for the Resource Center the team living here built before they left. 17 people are regularly coming to visit and make use of the Resource center. The books in this Resource Center have great value in this ministry of outreach to the Rangi people. Some leaders are hearing the gospel message and although there have been no personal public confessions of faith yet, the center has been such a help for the Rangi communities. Pray for the community as they access this center, for truth and Jesus’ love for them to be seen.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Please pray for our Rangi friend. He asked us for a Bible a while back. He is a Muslim man, but has been coming to our home often to read the Bible together and ask questions. Our discussions have been deep and significant and he is open. Please pray for this man as he searches for the truth. Pray he would find the TRUTH in Jesus and he would turn to follow Him. Pray for courage for this man, as he is a respected teacher of his religion in our village.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Please pray for Saumu. She is a young lady studying nursing and is from our area. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior while at secondary school, but has been under many physical and spiritual attacks in nursing school. She told one of the pastors from that area, “I have decided to live as a Muslim again, although I have not denied Christ yet, for I know that He saved me.” Her family is pressuring her to return to the Muslim faith and she is very confused, as she knows the TRUTH of Jesus, yet is conflicted with what her family is telling her about the Bible and Christians. Please pray for Saumu, and for her to seek Jesus fully in this time of uncertainty and confusion in her life and that her heart would truly surrender to Him.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Ramadan Day 30: If the moon is seen tonight, Eid will be tomorrow. Eid is the feast of fast-breaking- the celebration of the end of Ramadan. People will wake up early, dress in their finest, and gather with many others outdoors at a stadium or at a mosque. They’ll come home to enjoy special foods. They’ll say Islam is a religion of peace. “They say, ‘Peace, peace’, but there is no peace” says the Lord (Jer. 6:14). There is no peace with God except through Jesus Christ. Ask God to remove the veil that covers Muslims’ hearts that they may know the true way to peace with God.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Ramadan Day 19: Pray for Muslim background believers to “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what they have heard they will entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (from 2 Tim. 2:2)
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Ramadan Day 8: The second pillar of Islam is salat-ritual prayers done five times a day. As Muslims pray, ask God to have mercy on them, and to show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life. “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give Muslims spiritual wisdom and revelation in their growing knowledge of Him-may the eyes of their heart be enlightened- so that they may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the wealth of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of His power toward us who believe.” (adapted from Eph 1:17-19)