The other thing that was necessary was an unconditionally loving congregation.  Boy the people just loved us across, so you can imagine three boys all of whom were now saved, my two old brothers and myself hawking into a southern Baptist church in the north.  It was quite an awkward moment.  And we weren’t that much to look at.  We were all scrawny, little Muslim kids that were in our awkward teenage years who grew up not even speaking English as a first language.  Fairly poor from the wring side of the tracks and the church just lovingly welcomed us in, treated us as family and drew us to the cross.

JC:  You’re mother is also a Christian now?

EC:  That’s right, my mother while I was a youth pastor at a church, I came forward during one of the invitations and professed faith in Jesus Christ.  I was baptized shortly thereafter, my grandmother at the age of 92 accepted Christ as her Savior.  I was able and privileged to lead her to the Lord personally while we were in a small little redneck town living here in North Carolina.  God is far too good.

JC:  How is your relationship with your father now?

EC:  Those who are disowned would be a different piece of advice to those who are speaking to Muslims who if they accept Christ will be disowned.  To those Muslims, and I’ve dealt with Afghans, Pakistanis and so forth in sharing Christ and that’s the largest barrier, even more than truth.  We spoke to one young lady, an Afghan and she said, “I know what you say is true, but I cannot lose my brothers.  I cannot lose my family and therefore I must just have to reject your claim.”  The best piece of advice is to tell them listen this is something that will be difficult and something that’s promised within the scripture.  Matthew 10: Jesus promises, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword that I’ll separate daughter from mother and son from father.”  And that it will come true in many Muslim’s lives because that’s explicitly Koranic.  In Chapter 3:85 of the Koran says that “If you accept another religion it’ll never be accepted of you.”