A Nigerian Muslim Cleric's Testimony of His Encounter with Jesus Christ
DID YOU READ WHAT SOMEONE SAID ABOUT HIM ON WHATSAPP?
Yes, I am aware of two written posts from unidentified individuals on Whatsapp who call into question the authenticity of this Muslim cleric’s claims about his encounter with Jesus Christ.
The first unidentified individual with the more vitriolic response claims to have interacted with said-cleric months prior to his testimony and outright calls his testimony a fake. He calls into question the cleric’s motivation (financial), lambasts his character, and attempts to discredit the timeline of his story.
The other response takes a more levelheaded approach. His concern has more to do with Church leaders who “rush” new converts onto big platforms to share their story and the dangers it can pose for such a person. 1 Timothy 3:6 would agree with him, as would I. He calls for more intentional discipleship to help new converts mature in their newfound faith, and urges followers of Christ to not be gullible, but to be wise as serpents (and hopefully, though not included in his response, “gentle as doves.”).
Agree, and agreed.
I stand with the Bereans in Acts 17:11, who “…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
It’s for this reason that I have made every attempt at Biblical due diligence with the cleric’s 47-minute conversion story. I have listened to his testimony line by line a little over a dozen times in order to transcribe it. This was done with my Bible in hand as I continually checked to see if any of his experiences conflicted with the truths and principles of scripture.
Through that process, I have settled on the conclusion that the cleric, Mahmoudu Jimoh Adua Bello’s testimony of his encounter with Jesus Christ that took place in April of this year, 2019 is legit!
I have every reason to believe that his testimony is not only real, but also Biblically sound.
It’s also for this reason that I created captions/subtitles for the video so you too can explore the same content and arrive at your own conclusion. IN THIS DOWNLOADABLE PDF DOCUMENT of his audio recording, I have included the Biblical references to the appropriate sections for you to do your own cross reference check.
For the record, I have no dog in this fight. I do not know, nor have I ever met the cleric or his accusers. I simply chose to give him the benefit of the doubt rather than make a judgment on him based on Whatsapp hearsay.
On a personal note, I was inspired by his passion for Jesus Christ and impressed by this his insight into the scriptures. It has stirred up in me a greater love for the LORD, which honestly is my other motivation in putting this much energy and time into making this resource available. I’m praying that it awakens in followers of Jesus Christ a sense of awe and wonder at the wonderful gift of salvation we have in Christ, and that it stirs us into Great Commission action!
BUT WHAT IF YOU’RE WRONG, SEGUN?
There’s always that possibility.
I would be shocked though if time revealed him to be a fraud because quite frankly, his presentation of key Biblical tenets of the Gospel is more clear and concise than much of what I have heard in many Nigerian pulpits (and I’m Nigerian!!)
At one point in his testimony (minute 18:39 to 19:30), he weighs the Quran against the Bible and weaves a beautiful and theologically profound argument about Jesus Christ being more worthy than the prophet Mohammed to intercede for us on the day of judgment!
If this guy is a fraud, then someone should hand him an Oscar for best performance in the Preaching Category!!
We’re talking here about a man who has spent most of his adult life studying the Quran and striving for an Islamic form of righteousness, yet he effortlessly argues from the Bible (the same Bible that many Christians fail to read themselves) that the Savior Christians worship is indeed the One True God!
Quite frankly, I don’t care who he was prior to his April 2019 conversion, nor do I hold his alleged misdeeds prior to that date against him. If Christ were to count my life prior to faith in Him against me, then my salvation would be pointless, wouldn’t it? It was those very sins He was nailed to the cross for! (Colossians 2:13-14).
AS LONG AS CHRIST IS BEING PREACHED, I’M HAPPY!
I stand with the apostle Paul on this matter when he says in Philippians 1:15-18, “ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”
So, I stand on the opposite end of this converted Muslim cleric’s accusers, and I rejoice on his behalf. Yes, I WILL CONTINUE TO REJOICE because he affirms the truths of scripture in his testimonial and unabashedly preaches:
…that none is righteous and all have fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:10-12)
He preaches that Jesus Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can come to the Father expect through Him (John 14:6)
He preaches that Jesus is sinless, therefore more worthy than anyone, even Mohammed, to intercede for us before the Almighty God (Romans 8:34)
He preaches that through [Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3)
He affirms the Biblical truth that with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
And he is crystal clear in his Christ-calling to become a platform of glory to deliver his Muslim brothers from the darkness of Islam to the light of the Gospel. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6)
Brothers and sisters in Christ, IS THERE A MORE BIBLICAL MESSAGE THAN THIS??
What is perhaps most incredible in his audio recording is the fact that he’s not even aware of the Biblical references of much of what he’s saying. He’s simply relaying to us what He heard the resurrected Christ speak to him - all of which is consistent with the scriptures!
Can you imagine how high a cost he’s having to pay socially among the Muslim community for sharing his testimony? So, may I suggest that rather than harangue him on social media, the body of Christ should spend that time interceding in prayer for Mahmoudu Jimoh Adua Bello as he strives to reach and evangelize his brothers and sister in Islam. I assure you, your prayers will result in a greater kingdom impact than your attacks on his character!
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WEIRD PARTS of his story THOUGH?
I will admit that there were one or two section of his story that pushed me slightly beyond my worldview comfort level, but then again, I also understand that I’m listening to a newly converted Muslim’s testimony through the filter of a westernized worldview.
Naturally, words and meanings will get lost in translation.
I also had to factor in that he’s a recent convert to Christianity, so of course, he’s going to state things in a raw and unfiltered manner that makes more sense to him than in a style or manner that makes sense to those of us who have grown up in Church and who speak “Christianese” fluently.
The one section that I wrestled with the most is about ¾ way through his testimony at minute 39:24 when he attempts to distinguish between the 3 in 1 nature of the Godhead and nine different spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gifted to a particular pastor.
In the video I produced, it’s the only section where I insert a visual commentary note. I assure you that I did not cut out any piece of audio recording or try to manipulate it. I simply paused it at that section to insert my own personal commentary to take away the shock value of what I assume would be misheard/misinterpreted.
At first listen, it sounds like he’s saying there are nine Holy Spirits manifested. That is clearly contradictory to the words of scripture. It seems more likely that he’s struggling for words to describe nine different spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit had given to the pastor being referenced at minute 38:00 - 39:00.
Spiritual gifts are abilities the Holy Spirit gives Christians for the benefit of the whole Church (Romans 12 + 1 Corinthians 12), and there are quite a number of them. So it may be that, as is the case for many pastors and Church leaders, this particular pastor being referenced in the context was blessed with nine of them. Plus, when the audio resumes at minute 39:43, it becomes clear that the context of the statement was the spiritual gifts that were yet to be manifested in the life of the servant/pastor in question. And if that doesn’t convince you, then consider that at least on three separate occasions in the recording, he already unabashedly makes it clear that God is three-in-one; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!
And that settles it for me!
You may very well have more questions; I’m willing to interact and answer where I’m knowledgably, yet also willing to admit where I might be wrong.
Once again, however, my overall conclusion is that this Muslim cleric was indeed visited by the resurrected glorified Lord, Jesus Christ, who still reigns over every nation, tribe, peoples and languages (including Muslim clerics in Nigeria!)
So, my prayer for you is that this testimony would stir in you a greater love for Jesus Christ, a greater devotion to the great commission, and it would lead people far from God, especially Muslims into the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
I leave you with the words of Darren Carlson who wrote an article on The Gospel Coalition website titled, “When Muslims Dream of Jesus:
“As I have pondered the legitimacy of these dreams, I have been drawn to passages like Matthew 12:22–36, where the validity of Jesus’s own ministry was questioned. Would Satan cast out Satan? Would he give dreams filled with Scripture, pointing to Jesus, that ultimately lead to conversion and purity? I doubt it. The Spirit is still on the move, saving his people from among the nations. Of course Satan tries to attack and muddle what is real, but this should cause us to be discerning, not dismissive.“
The Holy Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.”
Husband. Dad. Pastor. Nigerian American. Storyteller. Aspiring Prayer Warrior. Steak Lover. Follower of Jesus Christ reminding you that God the Father still loves you.
