{"id":36644,"date":"2024-05-14T07:44:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T06:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/?post_type=prayerline&p=36644"},"modified":"2024-05-24T10:16:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:16:01","slug":"coffee-and-fire","status":"publish","type":"prayerline","link":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee and fire\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A chat about discipleship over fresh coffee, open-air prayers around a glowing bonfire \u2013 to many of us this might sound idyllic.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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But this setting was far from relaxed for Karim* because he was secretly meeting with IFES staff. \u201cThis is the only way we can give ministry support in his country without putting the local group at risk,\u201d says Jamil, regional secretary for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)<\/a> region. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Cost of Following Christ\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In recent months, one young woman, a secret attendee of their fellowship group, was exposed when her family spotted a message on her phone. She is now \u201csanctioned\u201d at home.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Karim has also faced hostility for his faith. When he was just 16, his family rejected him for turning from Islam to follow Jesus. He was left to fend for himself on the streets. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A Growing Group and Need\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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But God is faithful. Thanks to the kindness of school friends, Karim was periodically invited to wash his clothes, eat a good meal, and have a bed for the night. As they offered care, he offered faith, leading all six friends to know Christ.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

As students, these friends lived out their faith and connected with others; now, the ministry in their city involves around 16 students and graduates.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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With such growth, the need for fellowship and discipleship is great, especially since they cannot attend the few churches that exist \u2013 as converts, they would put the church at risk of being persecuted for having proselytes. So, in February, Karim reached out to Jamil, asking for help with leadership training.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Creative Solutions for a Bright Future<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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A month later, seven students and graduates were invited to a different Muslim-majority country, where IFES MENA staff were able to provide training on leadership and Bible study. Having seen their enthusiasm and faith, Jamil anticipates the strategic impact the newly equipped leaders can have: \u201cThese believers represent the future of the church in that city!\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The formal training was then followed by an informal visit by IFES staff to the country. The mentoring continued \u2013 but inconspicuously, in a cafe, over coffee.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

And when finished, wanting to pray together, they drove for an hour out of the city, into the desert. Away from spying eyes, they lit a fire and prayed for God\u2019s flame to burn bright among them.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Pray<\/strong> <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Let\u2019s pray for this group and their witness in this Middle Eastern country:  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
    \n
  • Give thanks for Karim* and the way God used him to raise up student witness in his city. <\/li>\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n
  • Pray that God will protect all those involved in the group and change the hearts of family members who stand opposed to Christ.  <\/li>\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n
  • Pray for the seven leaders who recently received training \u2013 that they will remain steadfast in their faith and be used by God to multiply the group and establish its witness. <\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n

    * Name changed to protect identity. <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":36654,"template":"","area":[461],"theme":[],"class_list":["post-36644","prayerline","type-prayerline","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","area-mena"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCoffee and fire\u00a0 · IFES Prayerline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A chat about discipleship over fresh coffee, open-air prayers around a glowing bonfire \u2013 to many of us this might sound idyllic.   But this\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coffee and fire\u00a0 · IFES Prayerline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A chat about discipleship over fresh coffee, open-air prayers around a glowing bonfire \u2013 to many of us this might sound idyllic.   But this\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IFES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-24T09:16:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/joris-voeten-gL84ogFsV6s-unsplash-e1716542153366.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"937\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/\",\"name\":\"Coffee and fire\u00a0 · IFES Prayerline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/joris-voeten-gL84ogFsV6s-unsplash-e1716542153366.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-14T06:44:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-24T09:16:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"A chat about discipleship over fresh coffee, open-air prayers around a glowing bonfire \u2013 to many of us this might sound idyllic.   But this\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/joris-voeten-gL84ogFsV6s-unsplash-e1716542153366.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/joris-voeten-gL84ogFsV6s-unsplash-e1716542153366.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":937},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/coffee-and-fire\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Prayerline\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Coffee and fire\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/\",\"name\":\"IFES\",\"description\":\"A movement of students sharing and living out the good news of Jesus Christ. 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