ABOUT THIS EPISODE
3 Things You'll Learn
- How Muslim converts to Christianity in Sweden faced deportation and death threats, and what their stories teach us about the cost of following Jesus.
- Why officials struggled to tell the difference between relationship and religion, and why an authentic relationship with Jesus is the only thing that will stand under persecution.
- Why the Gospel is good news: you don't have to die for God, because Jesus died for you and rose again.
Description:
Whoever controls the narrative controls the culture. Greg Lancaster shares a CBN News report from Stockholm about Faisal, a man from Pakistan who stopped believing in Islam after arriving in Sweden, came to Christ, and was baptized. Then the Swedish migration board ordered him deported, which would have split up his family and put his life in danger, because his relatives now saw it as their duty to kill him. The report also tells of Herman, a former teacher who was kidnapped in Pakistan and forced to watch a colleague murdered, only to have his asylum request denied.
Greg points out that the Swedish officials questioning these converts asked about church traditions and technical details, but these believers had simply met in a home, read the Bible, and fell in love with Jesus. Officials were trying to define a relationship with God by religion: buildings, titles, and nonprofit status. Greg compares this to the Pharisees, and to the day Jesus' own family came to take Him home, thinking He had lost His mind. If we may lose our jobs, our relationships, or our freedom for our relationship with God, we had better have one.
Greg also notes reports that about 80 percent of religious persecution in the world today is against Christians. He shares the Gospel clearly: Jesus loved us so much that He gave Himself as a ransom, was beaten, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross, and then walked out of the grave alive. The harvest is coming in a powerful way, even in difficult days. Scriptures referenced include Hosea 4:6, Mark 3:20-35, Mark 10:45, Acts 17:22, and Matthew 7:16-20.
Notable Quotes
"God died for us. You don't have to die for God. He died for you. That's why it's called good news."
"You can't explain your relationship with religion."
"If we're gonna be in prison for our relationship with God, we better have one."
"Jesus is alive and He wants to walk with you. He will forgive your sins."
#Sweden #MuslimConverts #PersecutedChurch #RelationshipNotReligion #GregLancaster
Begin Your Journey Today!
Jesus didn’t just call us to believe in Him. He called us to follow Him.
Step into the life He designed for you through Emmaus Road’s The Commands of Jesus. This is more than learning. It’s an invitation to walk with Him, obey Him, and experience Him in a real and powerful way.
You don’t want to miss this journey.
Start today: https://GregLancaster.org/StartHere
Sign up for the Spirit-Filled Vine Seminar! Back to Jesus, Back to Being His Church @ https://VineSeminar.org
Find your place the Vine Fellowship Network Family, at Loving God, Loving Others, and Leading Others to do the Same @ https://VineFellowshipNetwork.org
Subscribe for more, and explore resources at https://GregLancaster.org and https://GregLancaster.org/Books.
My Social Links:
https://GregLancaster.org/MyLinks
https://YouTube.com/@GregLancaster
https://X.com/GregLancaster
https://Facebook.com/RealGregLancaster
https://Facebook.com/GregLancasterMinistries
https://Instagram.com/GregLancaster98
Download the GLM APP: text "GLM" to 77977
Connect & Engage
We’d love to connect with you. Please take a moment to complete a connection card: https://glministries.cls.co/YjDQ
© 2026 Greg Lancaster Ministries
