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[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]
Thus far: Little Faruki is born in answer to a Muslim woman’s prayer to Jesus for a son. While still a child, Faruki has a dream about a man in white. His family scoffs at the dream, but 7-year-old Faruki travels across the desert to a city to meet the man. This man teaches him about love for people and love for God. Years pass, and Faruki tells others what he has learned.
Faruki’s ministry eventually spread across the country. His ideas were published in national papers, and he had followers from many different backgrounds. The evil one was not happy. People in power tried to make his life miserable, and also the lives of his followers.
Eventually the persecution became so great that Faruki and many of his closest followers had to leave their tribal homeland. They went to live in a big city. Although the persecution did not end there, at least they were safe for a while.
One day, a man dressed in black, who had heard about the spiritual journey of Faruki and his followers, came to visit them. He was intrigued that they believed people who followed Isa (Jesus) would be closer to God on the day of judgment.
The little black book
When Faruki’s wife saw this man, she could not take her eyes off something he had in his hand. It was a little black book. She kept asking herself why it looked so familiar. Then she remembered. Why, of course, she had seen it 35 years before in a dream. Yes, there must be something important in that book.
Soon the whole group was studying the little black book. They studied the lives of the great prophets of the book, and their faith grew deeper and deeper. But most importantly they studied the life of Isa. And many of them eventually made Isa the Lord of their lives.
The group had many questions. For example, why didn’t the man in black and all his people keep God’s holy day as was explained in his black book? The group sent their children to be taught about the little black book every week on the first day, but none of the adults went because they had already had their day of rest on the seventh day.
Fleeing persecution again
Once again persecution flared up and became even more intense than before. The local authorities did not respect their own laws about tolerance and respect. Several men were beaten, and one received 80 lashes until he dropped to the ground, nearly dead, because he would not renounce his belief in the little black book and the Man of that book.
The believers fled to yet another city where they hoped they would find peace and freedom to believe and worship. Once again, God provided for them, incredibly and beyond their wildest dreams. In the city, a good man heard of their plight. He was leaving the country to live somewhere else. He had a large compound. It was big enough for dozens of families to live together.
Here in the big city, the authorities offered some protection from persecution. But God was not yet done with the believers. He still had something more in store for them. But I am getting ahead of the story. I need to back up and tell another little story.