Chatnow.org: The impact of online evangelism
A young Muslim man, Ahmed*, tells Ignite how he came to faith with the help of Chatnow.org – a website dedicated to answering questions about Christianity – led by Counties evangelist Matt Rich.
Chatnow.org is a Christian website that enables people to talk and find answers about Christianity, where people can choose to chat with a Christian online. Over the last 12 months, people from almost every country in the world have visited the website. They have clicked on the link:
Chat Now with a Christian
Chat Now – find how Jesus can help
Chatnow recently heard from Ahmed, who had been brought up to follow Islam and worship Allah. But over the years, he became disillusioned with the Muslim faith and turned his back on belief in God altogether – but Jesus was at work in his life. Although Ahmed called himself an atheist and was living the life of someone who was convinced that God was just a made-up idea, he still found himself intrigued to read the Bible. He told Chatnow:
“While reading about Jesus in the Bible, one question came to my mind: ‘Why would someone willingly suffer so much with no personal gain? At first, I thought Jesus must have either been insane or He was truly God.
But then I thought more deeply – why would so many apostles devote their entire lives to a simply delusional man? That didn’t make sense.”
Counties evangelist, Matt Rich, from Chatnow, says:
“Ahmed visited the Chatnow website and had a live chat with a Christian who cared about Ahmed and wanted to listen and understand, someone who pointed him towards Jesus. Last month, we received this email from Ahmed:
“The main reason I’m writing is to thank the volunteer who prayed for me during our live chat. Today, I no longer call myself an atheist. I now believe in God, and I have accepted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Lord and Saviour. God bless you, my friend. Thank you. I hope we’ll meet again one day in Heaven.”
Ahmed discussed his faith journey with Ignite in more detail.
Can you explain a bit more about what made you disillusioned with following Islam?
The first thing that made me turn away was that my whole life was spent around Muslim sects and communities. I was always with them, sometimes willingly and sometimes against my will. When I got to know them more closely, I realised that they were not as they appeared from the outside. Once, a friend of mine asked our religion teacher if he should read the Qur’an in Turkish. (My friend was Muslim, and like most Muslims in Turkey, he had never read the Qur’an in Turkish or wondered about its meaning – he only read it in Arabic without understanding.) The teacher said: “Don’t read the Qur’an in Turkish, it will confuse you.” At that time, I had just started reading the Bible, and those words made me very angry. In Islam, I saw less love, but in the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ came, lived among us, and died for us.
What made you want to read the Bible?
When I left Islam and became non-believing, I felt restless and began searching for peace. One day on TikTok, I came across a message against Islam, and I really liked it. From that moment, I started researching Christianity.
As you read the Bible, what were your thoughts about Jesus?
Because of my Muslim background, when I first read the Bible, I kept thinking: “Why is Jesus humiliating Himself? Why would God live with humans? Why would God lower Himself so much?” But now I understand— it was because God loved us so much.
Can you explain a bit more about what happened next and how you went from reading the Bible to accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Did you talk to others, read things online? What helped you to make that step?
After reading much of the Bible, I took a break from studying religions. A few months later, I came across a video about Christianity. At that time, I was feeling very restless mentally. So, I started researching again. Initially, I studied the denominations and their fundamental beliefs, including the doctrine of the Trinity. Then my interest grew even more, and I began seeking answers to personal questions (Did Jesus Christ really exist? Was the Bible altered? If God loves us, why does He allow evil? If God is good, why is there evil? Why doesn’t God reveal Himself? Why does God appear loving in the New Testament but not in the Old Testament?)
Eventually, I found answers to these questions. But I still couldn’t feel Jesus Christ. Yes, I accepted Him intellectually, but not spiritually. During this time, I looked for help on Chatnow’s live chat. They talked to me about Jesus Christ and told me to pray and wait. That night, I prayed:
“Father, I know that You exist. I know Your love. If you are not real, then no god is real. Please, if you truly exist, give me a sign. I beg You, Father, I can’t do this without You. I am in a hard situation, please help me. If you are there, if You are real, know that I love You very much. Amen.”
I kept praying every night and tried to avoid sin; slowly, I began to feel Him. For the first time, I resisted a particular temptation for five months. But one day I failed and gave in. That night, I cried and asked Christ for forgiveness. For the first time in my life, I felt Him so close to me. Usually, I pray sitting in the dark with my eyes closed. That night, I felt as if Christ was sitting in front of me with His hand on my head. I began to cry, saying, “Don’t love me this much, Father. I don’t deserve you. Why do you love me this much? I don’t deserve your love.” That night was when I truly began to see myself as a Christian.
How are you feeling about your faith now?
I feel peaceful. Yes, my problems haven’t disappeared, and I still face hardships in life. But now I know that Christ is with me, and I can overcome difficulties more easily. I am a more peaceful and calmer person.
For more information, visit chatnow.org.
*Name changed to protect his identity