The Chosen Series Leads PhD Student to Christ
A project Holly worked on this past year was writing evangelistic discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen from seasons 1-4. (You can download them from our website if you’d like to use them.) We are seeing God reach people all over the world through The Chosen. One is a young man, “Ibrahim,” who shared his journey with Holly.
Ibrahim is a Jewish PhD student from Uzbekistan who arrived at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2023. He immediately joined Bridges, Cru’s ministry to international students. After attending Bible studies all year, he attended Bridges watch parties of The Chosen during the summer. He loved seeing Jesus come to life on the show.
He was first impacted by the scene in which Nicodemus (a faithful Jew) meets Jesus. Ibrahim learned that Jesus did not come to save His people from the Romans but to give them spiritual rebirth. He left that episode with a clearer understanding of why Jesus came.
But, the episode that struck him most deeply was when a leper approached Jesus and the disciples. The disciples warned Jesus to keep his distance because the man was unclean. Jesus, ignoring their advice, walked over to the man, touched him, and said his sins were forgiven. At that moment, God pricked Ibrahim’s heart, and he knew He wanted Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. Ibrahim knew he was self-centered. He saw Jesus' love in a way that was so opposite to the world that he wanted to live like Jesus. Ibrahim put his faith in Jesus that day. He now faithfully attends church, has shared Jesus with his Jewish family, and is even coming alongside other international students to help them learn about Jesus.
Ibrahim said, “I wish more people understood how generous Christianity is. While other religions require many steps to ‘salvation,’ Christianity requires only a firm faith in Jesus and acceptance of Him as the Son of God. If non-believers were aware of this, I believe, many more would follow Jesus.” The Chosen opened his eyes to the Jesus of the Bible. Ibrahim now has an eternal perspective on life, wanting to share Jesus with them and live for God’s Kingdom, not his own. Please keep praying for these watch parties that are happening worldwide and for more students to see Jesus and believe in Him.
Personal Update
Matt has been diagnosed with a “weak heart.” We are looking into the next steps for this. Please keep him in your prayers as he manages his health, family, and work. Holly returns to Phoenix Seminary January 5-9 for her next class toward her PhD in Ministry. Her next 6-month Discipleship Training Class begins at the end of January, where she trains women to disciple others. Thank you for your prayers and support as we follow His lead in our lives and ministry.
