Can you imagine growing up persecuted for your biblical faith while living in Islamic-ruled nations? Host Renod Bejjani doesn't have to imagine. He grew up in once-Christian nations that shifted to 99% Muslim. Similar patterns are happening now in Western nations. Yet you can help change the outcome.
Can you imagine growing up persecuted for your biblical faith while living in Islamic-ruled nations? Host Renod Bejjani doesn't have to imagine. He grew up in once-Christian nations that shifted to 99% Muslim. Similar patterns are happening now in Western nations. Yet you can help change the outcome.
Here's a fresh dose of inspiration and road-tested principles that will embolden you to share your biblical faith with Muslims and other non-believers.
Thanks for listening to this podcast. A donor-supported series from iHOPE Ministries. For more bite-size things to know and do to share your faith with intention, follow us on Instagram. @ihopeministries then go to, ihopeministries.org and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you listen. Your review helps the show empower more everyday Christians with the courage, confidence, and know-how to share Jesus in our generation.
Renod (00:02):
Have you ever held back from sharing your faith, especially with people of other faiths and cultures? Welcome to the iHOPE Empowers Podcast. I'm your host Renod Bejjani and here's a fresh dose of inspiration and road-tested principles that will embolden you to share Jesus with Muslims and other non-believers.
Karen (00:36):
Hello, this is Karen. Renod and I have five sons and I can't even imagine them being tortured for being Christian. Can you imagine being tortured and growing up as a teen in the middle of a war for survival? Because you're Christian, it's hard to imagine. Isn't it? Well, my husband, Renod doesn't have to imagine
it. He lived it! In today's episode in honor of iHOPE's ten-year anniversary, we'll share the backstory behind how the Lord prompted Renod to love Muslims enough to tell them about Jesus. Let's start at the beginning. So Renod you grew up in the Middle East. What was that like?
Renod (01:18):
Well, it was horrible. I was born into a Christian family and raised in Islamic-ruled nations. And generally, people living in Islamic rule nations have limited freedom and rights and non-Muslims have even less. Christians aren't allowed to share their faith with Muslims and they risk persecution, even death for doing so.
Karen (01:45):
Well, it's hard to fathom that where you grew up, it was mostly Christian by 600 AD.
Renod (01:50):
Yeah, and when Islam arrived, it grew quickly! Today, less than 1% of the population is Christian. Now I'm seeing the same trends happening here. Now over there, my dad worked in construction and he traveled between countries in the Middle East and North Africa to make a living. Now, Islam was a mandatory part of the education system. So my parents kept me home. Now whenever possible, mom taught me at home and a mandatory part of her education was teaching me the Bible. I'm grateful for my mom. My dad passed away in his fifties, but my mom, well she's 91 years young this year.
Karen (02:40):
We are celebrating her! Your mom is wonderful, and she's an active prayer warrior for iHOPE right now!
Renod (02:45):
Yes, and I loved her Bible teaching so much that I went outside where we lived and preached whatever she taught me about Jesus. Now I don't remember what said, but I remember preaching Jesus with passion. Now, one day after preaching, I was four years old, a man kidnapped me and took me to a rooftop of a building, and tortured me. Then he dangled me upside down over the side of the building to drop me to my death. Thank God, he changed his mind!
Karen (03:24):
And you were just four years old.
Renod (03:27):
Yes! and when I found my way back home, I couldn't articulate to my parents what had happened. As we moved between Islamic countries, the same cycle of persecution kept happening over and over, and it was linked to being a Kafir, which means infidel in English. And that's someone who doesn't believe in the God of Islam. So as a kid, I didn't understand the word or why I was persecuted.
Karen (03:59):
Well, I can imagine that you did know. When did you finally understand?
Renod (04:04):
At 10 I finally understood what Kafir meant, and a seed of anger and hate grew in my heart for Muslims. By 13 I was in the middle of a war for survival against Muslims in Lebanon. But God took me out of that and my parents sent me to America to live with relatives, to have a better life.
Karen (04:28):
I can't even imagine flying across the world at 13. So what was that like for you?
Renod (04:34):
Well, I experienced culture shock and despite my horrific childhood and I was relieved to no longer be living in the middle of that in an Islamic nation yet I missed my family horribly and so much that I prayed every day to return to my parents in that war. Now in high school, I walked away from God. I thought, well, if God was real, He would have protected me from Islamic extremists. So I denied God and lived a sinful lifestyle for the next 25 years.
Karen (05:15):
But that's not the end of the story. So how did God bring you back into a relationship with them?
Renod (05:21):
Well, during my prodigal years, I got married was divorced, and raised two sons. My wonderful mom who raised me as a Christian was now teaching the Bible to my sons. Now I try to resist it, but she was prepping them well to ask me tough questions about God.
Karen (05:43):
I love your mom. She's wise like that!
Renod (05:45):
Yes, well, in the process of seeking intelligent answers for my sons, the Holy Spirit opened my mind and heart and I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Then the terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001.
Karen (06:06):
And that was when I first became aware of Muslims, and I wondered why they attacked us! What were your thoughts Renod?
Renod (06:12):
Well, all my old hate and rage for Muslims resurfaced! My sons were angry too, and they committed to join the military after college, and by the way, they kept that promise and they served in the military after college. Now back then, I would tell Christians that we should just nuke them all and get it over with. Then the Holy Spirit convicted me that my thoughts were not from God.
Karen (06:47):
So how did God lead you from that hate and anger to love?
Renod (06:50):
Well, right after the terrorist attack, I was shopping at an Arabic grocery store. I saw the fear in the eyes of Muslim women. The men didn't wear clothing that identified with them with Islam, but the women wore hijabs. That's their hair covering. So they were easily identified. I could hear the fear in their voices. They were terrified of being attacked by extremists here in response to September 11. Right then the Lord filled my heart with compassion. I identified with these Muslims because I was hated and persecuted by Islamic extremists in Islamic nations. Then after I came to America, I experienced hate from some Americans. For example, after the Iranian hostage crisis in the 1970s, I had to flee from Americans who mistakenly thought I was Iranian or Muslim and I was neither.
Karen (08:03):
So after 911, God began healing and transforming your heart. So what was next for you?
Renod (08:10):
Well, eventually God healed me. God is love. And He filled me with love for Him and for others, including Muslims. I realized they were people just like me created by God in his image. And they needed to know the gospel as I did. Now in 2008, my church was sending a team to plant churches in the Middle East. I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to go, and I argued with God. I said, Lord, I have a sinful past, I don't have a seminary education. And I've never been on a mission trip before. And I wondered God, why would you send me on a church-planting trip to Muslims! Yet God said, go. And I went,
Karen (09:05):
So you obeyed reluctantly and faithfully went back to where you had suffered years of persecution and war. What was that like?
Renod (09:15):
Well, I was afraid! We landed at midnight and outside the airport, I saw big banners with pictures of people that Americans considered terrorists! Men with machine guns patrolled the streets. Some were on trucks, mounted with machine guns. Now in terror, I was praying without ceasing. And that first night I couldn't sleep. I was filled with anxiety and fear and I prayed all night asking God, why did you bring me here? And just before dawn, I heard something else I hadn't heard for decades. It was the mosques blaring the Islamic call to prayer throughout the city. I kept praying and asking God, why did you bring me here? As we traveled through the region, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We visited old cities that pre-date Christ on earth. And there were historic church structures there where Christianity was born in the region over 1,900 years ago. And the gospel spread from there. By 600 AD that region was predominantly Christian. But by 2008, when I was there, it was less than 1% Christian.
Karen (10:49):
Well, now those countries are all Islamic ruled and it's sobering to consider that a Christian region can so quickly become a Muslim nation.
Renod (10:56):
Yes, and initially the gospel spread and grew despite opposition, Christians were zealous for God. There was persecution, even death to those who accepted Jesus. But as Christians became the majority gospel opposition and persecution diminished. By the fifth century, Christians were in power and many became wealthy. At that point, they drifted away from spreading the gospel as they enjoyed freedom, wealth, and power.
Karen (11:36):
Renod that sounds a lot like what's happening in Western nations today. We've enjoyed religious freedom, great wealth, and power. And most everyday Christians have drifted away from sharing their faith. Now, Christianity is declining here. In the 1960s when I was growing up, 93% of Americans identified as Christian. And when we founded iHOPE in 2011, 75% identified as Christian. And by 2019, only 65% of Americans identified as Christian, where we live now in America's Heartland, only around 48% identify as Christian. So, alright Renod back to what the Holy Spirit was revealing to you, continue with your story.
Renod (12:22):
Well, by the sixth century, Christians in the Middle East and North Africa had drifted away from sharing their faith. And opposition to Christianity grew once again, some people viewed Christians as hypocrites because they drifted away from spreading God's kingdom. About that time, a businessman called Muhammad arrived on the scene. By the seventh century, he had founded Islam, then Muhammad and his followers focused on spreading the kingdom of their Islamic God as their primary purpose in life. They attack Christians as weak followers of God because they said they abandoned the primary calling of God, which was to spread his kingdom.
Karen (13:14):
Well, you know, the rest of the story Islam grew quickly while Christianity declined rapidly and today Christians make up less than 1% of that population. So Renod there, you were visiting ancient churches that are now tourist sites or have been converted to mosques. And the Holy Spirit used those experiences to stir up your passion for the gospel. So what happened next?
Renod (13:40):
Well, I quickly realized that I couldn't replicate what the seminary-educated church planters were doing. I just felt overwhelmed and out of place. So I prayed and God is faithful. And He responded. He overwhelmed me with His love and peace. The Holy Spirit reminded me of the simple things, Jesus and the disciples and the apostles did in the New Testament to spread the gospel. I began calling them the five essentials, every Christian should know and do, they were simple and doable. I practiced them and they were fruitful. I've done the five essentials with thousands of Muslims and hundreds of them accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and became reproducing disciples. Now, before this guidance of the Holy Spirit, I thought I needed a Ph.D. in Islamic and cultural studies before I could reach out to a Muslim or be effective. I, it was overwhelming to me. And, but it was also clear to me that other Christians were like me too. At the time, lacking the courage, confidence, or know how to cross-cultural lines, to share Jesus with people of other religions and faiths
Karen (15:09):
Renod It sounds like the Holy Spirit helped you realize that sharing your faith, wasn't rocket science. And then He empowered you with simple things that you and every Christian can do. You got schooled by being obedient and following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Renod (15:27):
Yes, and God opened my mind and heart to realize that He prepared me all my life for this. He allowed me to be born and raised in nations that were predominantly Christian and now almost 99% Muslim. Then God brought me to live in America, a predominantly Christian nation, but now He could show me that what happened over there is happening here in Western nations. Christians are enjoying freedom and prosperity and they're distracted from loving God and our neighbors enough to tell them the good news of Jesus. So Christianity in the West is declining fast while those with no religious affiliation in Islam, while they're growing, and there are severe implications for the future like I've experienced. And if these alarming trends are not reversed, it's not a matter of if, but how soon Islam will overtake Christianity in the West.
Karen (16:40):
Well, as you can imagine, these things keep us up at night because we don't want future generations to experience the kind of persecution Renod faced as a child. And with Muslims and people of other religions coming here in record numbers, We knew there would be unprecedented opportunities to share Jesus and to change trends and lives for eternity. So we founded, I hope ministries a decade ago to lead the way in inspiring and empowering everyday Christians to share their faith in love with Muslims and people of other religions. Now, this is not a skill typically taught in the church and most Christians don't recognize the need. And yet, if we don't talk about this or empower people, our children and grandchildren will be facing a perfect storm. It will take every Christian involved in some way, whether through your time, your talents, your prayers, or your witness to turn the trends around. I hope you'll join us in striving for every Muslim to know the gospel through an authentic Christian witness. It will take every single one of us involved to turn around the trends to make it a brighter future for future generations.
Renod (17:56):
Yes. And now, as we close our time together today, I want to leave you with one thing to think about and talk about with your faith-filled friends today this week, that is this, do you love God and your non-Christian neighbors enough to help them know the good news of Jesus? What would it take for you to help further his Kingdom? Join us next week for some bite-size things to know and do, to share the hope of Jesus, right where you live. Thanks for listening to this podcast. A donor-supported series from iHOPE Ministries. For more bite-size things to know and do to share your faith with intention, follow us on Instagram. @ihopeministries then go to, ihopeministries.org and sign up for our weekly newsletter. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you listen. Your review helps the show empower more everyday Christians with the courage, confidence, and know-how to share Jesus in our generation. See you next time!