Bookstore Evangelism

I tend to draw a crowd whenever I go to a YOU bookstore; people seem rather amazed that I can read their language.   A few weeks ago, two girls stopped to talk to me.  At the time, I was holding a book that is kind of the YOU people’s Cliff Notes to the Koran.  It is a summary of the teachings of the prophets.  Holding such a religious book encouraged these very traditional girls (both wearing their full head coverings) to start asking me religious questions.  This quickly drew the attention of everyone in the store and they surrounded me to overhear the conversation.  In a large group, my answer to “What religion are you?” goes something like this, “I believe that the Lord God is One and that He created this whole world and all that is in it.  He is the one in control and I am trying to walking according to His way.  In all my decisions I want to please the one true powerful creator God.” Most people are happy with this answer and are willing to consider me a friend instead of an enemy, which keeps the conversation going.  Like always the next question followed right away. 

“Have you read the Koran?”

“I have read all of the Holy books, the Tawrat, Zabor, and the Injil” I answer.  And then as almost an afterthought “Oh, and yes, I have read the Koran; but every day, when I go to read and to pray, I find myself drawn back to the Injil.  The Words of Jesus give me hope and point me in the way that God desires all people to go.”  The purpose of group conversations like this is not to see lives changed on the spot, but to give people food for thought. So, I turn the question back on them, “have your read the first three Holy books?” These girls answered by saying “no, the Koran says we are not allowed to read them.”

Before I could give my usual answer of, “Holy means that these books came from God, if you also call them God’s word why would God later tell you not to read them?,” a book store owner jumped in with his own answer to their statement “Actually” he said “the Koran tells us we should read them.”  The girls seemed surprised by his answer, but I could tell it carried more weight coming from a fellow YOU than it would have coming from me. 

The girls turned back to me and said “These books are not available in our language; so there is no solution.”

Once again the book store owner spoke up “The Injil is in YOU and the Tawrat are in YOU and I think they are still translating the rest”

Praise the Lord; knowledge of His Word is spreading.  The shop keep did mention somewhere in there that these books had been changed; but, despite that, he encouraged a whole crowd of people to read the Word in their own language; and we know that the Word can change lives.