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A member of our tribe died this past week. A leader, actually. Nabeel Qureshi grew up in a warm Pakistani family as a faithful, practicing Muslim. After an arduous intellectual and spiritual journey, he began to follow Jesus as a young adult in 2005. His love for Jesus and for Muslims led him to a career as an apologist, arguing winsomely and relentlessly for the truth of the Gospel. His book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus has seen unprecedented success and has impacted untold numbers of people. In August of 2016, Nabeel shared on Facebook, “My family and I have received the news that I have advanced stomach cancer, and the clinical prognosis is quite grim.” In the midst of intense, global prayer, Nabeel died last Saturday, September 16th at age 34. He leaves behind a wife and young daughter. He also leaves behind some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m grateful that his books and videos remain, but much work also remains. I pray that Nabeel’s death will inspire us to love Muslims more practically and fiercely, share the hope of Jesus more faithfully with both Muslims and Christians and pray without giving up for the fullness of God’s kingdom. If you want to help Nabeel’s wife and daughter, buy his book or give directly here. To learn more, check out this blurb in the Missions Catalyst ezine, this article by his boss and friend, Ravi Zacharias or this kind overview by Justin Taylor. Will you join me in praying for comfort and hope for Nabeel’s family? Let’s also ask God to raise up many to carry forward his work. May his influence for God’s glory in death far exceed what has been seen so far. |