The WORD on Thursday Night

There are many places in the world where it is against the law to share the truth of Jesus Christ.  Austria is NOT on that list.   Traiskirchen, Austria, is a place where as many as 200 to 450 refugees (many from Mu51im backgrounds) can experience the truth of Jesus Christ in one week at the Oasis.  The Oasis is just a building, but in this building the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.   The Word shared inside the building IS the Word of God with a power beyond all powers.

This past Thursday was no exception:  Doors opened at 7:00 and the refugees came in.  The truth of Jesus Christ was shared.  Jesus calls us to love people and so we offer the Oasis on Thursday nights as a free place to hang out, play games and drink coffee and tea.  Jesus calls us to share the gospel.  So, this past Thursday, like most other Thursdays, in addition to the front room, we opened up the back rooms and shared the Jesus film in other languages.  In the small room we shared an hour of the Jesus film with about 5 guys from Pakistan.  Then shortly after they left, 6 or so more guys from Pakistan came and watched an hour of the Jesus film in the same room.  Upstairs there was a group of 12 or 15 guys from Afghanistan who watched a teaching video about the love of Jesus, in their language, for about 90 minutes.  In the back room on the main floor there were also about 9 guys and one lady, all from Afghanistan who watched the Jesus film in Farsi, their home language. 

The front room was open for any to just hang out and play games and talk.  One of those who hung out in this room is a man who is interested in knowing Jesus more.  He had seen a part of the Jesus video and here was his question to me:  “At the end of the video, they invited us to pray a prayer.  Tomorrow I will be transferred to a different city.  How will I know what to pray when I go to that city?”  I answered:  “No problem.  Just speak to God in Farsi.  God will listen to you.  Tell him what you need.”  His eyes lit up when he heard this.  He said growing up his parents told him God only listens to us when we speak Arabic prayers, but this did not make sense to him since that was not the language he spoke.  I showed him the Lord’s prayer in Farsi and assured him the friends of Jesus also wanted to know how to pray.  I showed him how that prayer is a model for how we should pray—not a magical formula when followed we get anything we want.  He understood that it was a pattern and that he could use it to talk with God in Farsi.  I told him that we at the Oasis can help people with small things, but God can do much more than we can.  I encouraged this man that although he is being transferred away from the Oasis, God will always provide the Oasis he needs.

Dan Lincoln