More and more people in the Islamic world are leaving the religion for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Many do this in silence to avoid facing persecution from family, friends, and the community, however some write about it or stand up in Church to testify.
A particularly fascinating testimony today comes from Apostle John Bunjo, the founder of Christian Restoration Ministries International. The former Muslim has for several years now shared the gospel of Jesus Church in Uganda and beyond through various channels.
Unknown to many, a few months ago, LeadImpact University – USA honored him and his wife Sarah Bunjo with doctorate degrees in Divinity and Christian Missions respectively.
Apostle John Bunjo on 20 October, 2019 took to social media to open up about how he has been transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ since leaving Islam.
Born to a Muslim father, Apostle John Bunjo grew up as Siraje before converting to Christianity.
His conversion had a lot to do with a friend who kept inviting him to attend church. He eventually went “in hope that this would shut his friend up!”
But on his first visit, Bunjo received Christ, was baptised with the Holy Spirit, and also received healing; he was born with a septal defect, commonly referred to as having three holes in the heart.
Mr Bunjo started ministry in 1985 and in 1987 planted a church in Najjanankumba.
In 1993, the Lord led him to leave the church he planted in the hands of preachers Paul Musula and James Mwesigwa to join Victory Christian Center Ndebba
After several years of conventional pastoral ministry, the Lord instructed John to start apostolic ministry with the mandate to restore the church back to her biblical foundations.
This mandate is based on Isaiah 58:12.
Life Transformed
According to Apostle Bunjo, Christianity is not words or ideologies but a reality. Receiving Christ brought an end to negative generational cycles, and he also witnessed open doors of opportunity, progress and abundant living.
“I was a Muslim, and God has done a tremendous work in my life especially my background,” he said on Saturday.
“I am the first to live with a wife 26 years against my background. I am the first to have lived with my children throughout. I only used to see my Dad during school holiday, but again, it wasn’t possible due to the so many wives he had,” he said.
“I am the only educated and qualified person, none of my siblings got a certificate of attendance. Except for my father to go to Mecca, am the only world traveler. I am the first to own car in my family, and for long a long period time,” he continued.
“I am the first to own a finished home, my father built one, but it was never completed. Jesus is for real, and he doesn’t only take us to heaven but transforms our lives all over,” he said.
Growing trend in hostility towards converts from Islam
In July 2019, Uganda was ranked among the top 10 countries in the world where people are experiencing the highest levels of social hostilities involving faith.
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American fact tank based in Washington, D.C., said Uganda had some of the largest increases in social hostilities related to religious norms most especially in 2017.
To provide a broader understanding of how the global situation has changed, the report, entitled, “A Closer Look at How Religious Restrictions Have Risen Around the World,” covered a 10-year span, from 2007 to 2017.
