Rescuing Souls In Turkey
An update from Mark, our missionary in Turkey (full named concealed for safety reasons)…
“But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:9, ESV).
These words have been an encouragement to us for the last several months. Particularly because we have been so keenly aware of our own limitations. Unlike Paul, our limitations have not been chains and guards. Rather for us, it looks something like this: struggling with a new language, walking through the season of life with young children, facing the regular uncertainty of visa issues in Turkey, and experiencing sickness at the most inconvenient of times.
We are glad that on our most limited of days, the Word of God is not bound.
It has been a process, but the Lord has graciously allowed us to learn how sweet it is to watch him work in and through our weaknesses. We rejoice that sickness cannot render His Word homebound. We thank God that His Spirit does not need a visa to operate in Turkey. We are confident that his gospel is bearing abundant, sweet fruit, even in the hard fields of one of the most unreached nations on earth.
We are grateful for the privilege we have had to observe some of that fruit up close. When our home church (Sovereign Grace Church Dayton) sent us to Turkey in 2020, we came to be part of a small Turkish church (the name of the church is concealed for safety reasons). This has been a wonderful context for us to spend time with Turkish believers.
It has also been a unique place for our family to serve. One of my ministries has been coordinating various translation projects of Sovereign Grace resources. By God’s grace, we have completed the Statement of Faith, Living the Cross-Centered Life, Humility, and other Sovereign Grace publications. My prayer for these translations is that they encourage Turkish Christians and bolster their love for the Savior.
I also have the joy of leading the music for our church on Sundays. I want to mention that I am only able to serve in this way because of my wife, Becca, who graciously cares for our young children in the back week after week. Both of us are overjoyed that our Turkish church has worked with us to translate some of the songs we love from Sovereign Grace Music. One of the sweetest things for us has been listening to former Muslims joyfully singing these words from the song Before the Throne of God Above in Turkish: Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free.
Our church recently had the joy of baptizing a new friend and brother whose sinful soul has been counted free in Christ. His name is Brother O (identity concealed for safety purposes). Brother O works as a handyman in a Turkish resort, holiday town. He has interacted with a number of Christian tourists over the years. His whole life, he has been taught that Christians were infidels who believed lies about God, the Bible, and the prophet Jesus.
However, over time, he noticed a difference in the way these infidel Christians lived their lives. He found himself attracted to this difference. A powerful curiosity arose in Brother O’s soul. He had read the Quran before, but not the Bible.
One day he found a Bible and started reading it side by side with a Quran. Over time, he realized the profound difference in the Bible. He told me that the most significant book of the Bible for him was the Gospel of John.
Most likely those Christian tourists will have no idea about any of this until Heaven. The Lord used them to prompt Brother O to begin reading the Bible. And God’s Word changed him forever. He rejected Islam and came to faith in Christ.
Last summer he found our church. We had the privilege to baptize him in November. At his baptism, our church gathered on the beach. After singing together, our Turkish leader took Brother O into the waves. He confessed his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and his intent to follow him all his days. As I watched, I rejoiced. Jesus Christ, the Great Fisher of Men, had done it again. He had rescued yet another soul.
No matter what happens in our lives, no matter what our visa situation looks like later this year, and no matter what limitations we experience day to day, we know we will have the joy of watching Jesus save more and more people just like Brother O. That’s who Jesus is. That’s what Jesus does.
He is not bound.
