June 27, 2004

Even In Bagdad, Jesus is the Light of the World

I was sought out by those who did not ask for Me
I was found by those who did not seek Me
I said "Here I am,Here I am!"
To a nation that was not called by My Name..

Isaiah 65:1

We look at the news, and see what is going on in the Middle East, and say to ourselves... How will this change? How can these misled from the cradle, people be renewed and brought to a place where they dont want to kill wontonly for the sake of their eternal future?"

You give them a choice and another option...

The Middle East has for the most part been closed to missions and evangelistic work for a thousand years, with only a few brief gaps, and small populations of indigenous Christians, such as the Copt, Marionites, and Orthodox

These poor people, are held in bondage to evil regimes in the natural and the spiritual world. Its horrible. They have no hope on the inside spiritually, which makes the outer day to day life that much more unbearable. They act out with the least provocation at whatever seems to be the problem or at whoever they are TOLD is the problem.

Islam, is a demonic religion that is based on the false pretense that you can some how earn your way into a blessed after life but commiting fiendish acts here on earth, and treating your fellow man (and woman and children )like dirt. When service is not the basis for social existance, then progress is not possible. That is why European Western Europe rose above fuedal barbarisims that still seem to grip the Oriental world. The civilising factors of sacrifice and service are absent in Islam and other oriental religions.

I heard the story of the Jesus Is The Light Of the World Church in Bagdad, Iraq this week and thought that I would post two write ups on it and give you this link to become a penpal to an Iraqi there. I must tell you that this could be a very important endevour, this penpal thing. I fully believe that the ASSIST ministries Bridge of Friendship pen pal project that linked up ofer 1 million Russian and Eastern Europeans to American and Canadian penpals was a major factor in the dissolution of the Evil Empire of Communism. You can't continue to hate people that you really get to know. You see that the decadent Americans are the same as you and how can you hate a friend? Slowly the walls came down inwardly, then outwardly.

This can happen in the Islamic World as well. We see even in the blog world how by communication, many have changed their minds about radical Islam to embrace a more peaceful mindset. Yes its only a few, but its a start.

Stories of God at Work

C&MA Church in Baghdad Reaching Iraqis for Christ
Its a full house at The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Baghdad, Iraq. Regular worshipers have learned to arrive early for a seat in the crowded sanctuary, where believers and seekers are packed together on every bench. Those who come later stand in a semicircle around the perimeter of the room, and the overflow crowd spills into the corridor. This is no special event but a weekly service at this vibrant Christian center. Hundreds of people come to hear the good news that God loves them and sent his Son to die for them.
The vision for a C&MA church in Iraq began during the Persian Gulf War. A Lebanese church leader took relief teams right into Baghdad. As a result, hundreds of Iraqis who had fled to Jordan came to know Jesus Christ. Among them were men who received biblical training and discipleship. Today, they lead congregations of believers throughout the Middle East.
One of these pastors gave his heart to Christ after hearing this church leader preach in Jordan. Later he felt called to full-time ministry and attended Bible school in Beirut for three years before returning to Baghdad. Because of the oppression of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the man was unable to open an evangelical church. Instead, he and his wife operated a nursery school where a small group of Iraqi believers met during the weekend.
Within a week of the fall of Baghdad last year, this church held its first open meeting. It had only 70 chairs available; many who attended had to stand. Later, the church acquired a two-story facility in central Baghdad. We have made the tallest cross in all Baghdad with the name of the church underneath it along with the words Jesus is the light of the world, the pastor said. Several days later, a threatening note with the name of a local organization was left at the church. Immediately, the pastor went to the headquarters of this group to talk about this message. His boldness was rewarded by the leaders, who told him not to worry about the note.
There are plans for the Bible school in Beirut to open a branch campus in Baghdad. According to the pastor, 20 Iraqi men and women have applied. Twenty two Iraqis are now taking classes. Teachers from the school will travel to Baghdad for modules of training during a two-week period.
Unexpected problems have surfaced. Many church groups are coming to Baghdad, and they want to start their own churches, the Lebanon leader said. Because they neither have followers nor any idea where to start, they are running after the people I have taught for 12 years. So far four families have left. One group offered the C&MA pastor thousands of dollars if he would let them claim the work he is doing. We realize there is a harvest field here. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom to know how to deal with other groups.
A spirit of unity seems to be breaking out among evangelicals in Baghdad. After the open-air ordination service of an Alliance pastor, a C&MA minister (who had traveled from Jordan for the event) invited leaders of the city’s evangelical congregation to a meeting. They recognized the need to work together in witnessing about Jesus and discussed the possibility of forming an evangelical synod.
In the meantime, the C&MA church continues to thrive. As many as 500 people fill the church each Sunday.

And this mention in Agape Press
...An Iraqi pastor says his Baghdad church is thriving despite concerns about next weeks transfer of power and the continuing lack of security. Rev. Ghassen Thomas says his Jesus is the Light of the World church is only about a year old -- but already has 450 to 500 Sunday worshipers, 300 children in Sunday school, five services a week and daily prayer meetings. Thomas says visiting the United States has shown him that many Americans are praying for his country, and he has been able to report all the good things that U.S. troops are doing in Iraq. There is anxiety, though, as a new Iraqi government prepares to take over. Thomas says the future with us is uncertain, but adds that Christians in Iraq have found the real peace with Jesus Christ. [AP]


and from World Help Ministries

Iraq Ministry Update



Iraq Ministry Update: God is definitely working in Iraq!



I have just returned from the Middle East where I met with our Egyptian Bibles for Iraq project director in Cairo. He had just returned from a week in Iraq where he was overseeing the distribution process of the New Testaments we are providing. He told me that their convoy had been fired upon by terrorists . . . thankfully, they were not hit, but it was a close call.



I was planning a trip into Iraq this week, but he strongly advised against it at this time. I have tried 3 times to get into Iraq, and every time, I have had to cancel my trip because of the extreme danger. He not only told me it was too dangerous for me, but it would put our Christian friends and leaders in danger as well. Once again, I had to postpone the trip. I was discouraged, but I knew I had to wait on Gods timing. And obviously it is not His time!




However, I was able to meet with one of our key partners, Iraqi pastor Ghassan Thomas. Pastor Ghassan pastors the largest evangelical church in Baghdad. A normal attendance is 500 on any given Sunday morning . . . 200 believers and 300 seekers.



He told me that he had recently put a sign up in front of the church in Arabic, Jesus is the Light of the World. This was the first Christian sign or billboard in Baghdad. A few days later, some militant Shiite Muslims put up a cardboard sign in front of the church saying, Jesus is not the Light of the World. Mohammed is the Light of the World and we are warning you.



Pastor Ghassan responded in kindness and took his Muslim neighbors humanitarian aid of bandages, medicines, and gifts, and asked them if they respected the Bible. They said, Yes, so he gave them all a New Testament. He also asked if they respected Jesus as a prophet, and once again they said, Yes. He turned to John 8:12, where Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Amazingly, these militant Muslims said, We are sorry, we respect you and want to be your friends. It was a God moment.



God is using Pastor Ghassan to build bridges in this war torn nation.



He also told me that he spends one day each week discipling pastors and Christian leaders in the training center in downtown Baghdad that World Help is helping to provide. He said the he would like to start another church in western Baghdad as soon as possible. Many people who are receiving these New Testaments are reading, studying and wanting to know more about Jesus Christ.


I also met a Christian leader working behind the scenes and underground in Egypt to help with the church-planting efforts in the Middle East. He told me he had been beaten, imprisoned and even hung upside down and tortured because of his faith. In Iraq and all of the Arabic speaking Muslim countries, when a Muslim converts to Christianity they are disowned by their families . . . all ties are broken. Sometimes family members even call the police. According to Islamic law, a person has 30 days to come back to their senses and back to Islam. After the 30 days, if they have not done so, it is lawful to kill them. Some new Christians dont even tell anyone that they are believers. Most have to leave home and family and move to a new city and start a new life.



I also received some very encouraging news . . . even though the U.S. is officially handing over control of the government on June 30, we will still be able to distribute the New Testaments.



In a few weeks, I am going to the country of Jordan. This is our staging area for the massive Iraq project, and I will have the opportunity to meet with all our partners. Since it is too dangerous to go into Iraq at this time, several Iraqi pastors will meet me in Amman, Jordan. We will continue to make plans to reach Iraq for Christ. We already have 72 churches networking within Iraq.



I told you recently about the great need for a childrens home and feeding center for children whose parents have been murdered because of the bombings and terrorist attacks. The soldiers keep bringing them to the U.S. military base because they have nowhere else to take them. The need also encompasses the training center in Baghdad to train future church planters.



Since this need was made known a couple weeks ago, many of our World Help partners have already helped and we have raised over $42,000. However, we still need a little over $50,000 to complete the project. I want to hand deliver the money when I go to Jordan in a couple weeks to meet this tremendous need immediately!


God is definitely working in Iraq . . . and we want to join him there!



Will you help me with a one-time gift to provide this childrens home, begin a feeding program and to help train church planters? Please . . . time is of the essence! If you can help with this great need, please call toll-free at 1-800-541-6691

I see this going on and it gives me hope. The late Walter Martin, founder of the Christain Research Institute, a think tank on cults, false religions and "isms" used to say at the end of his radio programs, "Are you willing to do for the truth, what the cults are willing to do for the lie?"... I think that our military and our government has been willing to do the battle with the physical world, but we who are people of faith need to do battle in the spiritual world as well. Pray, and be ready to speak the truth regarding Islam. It is NOT a religion of peace, but a cult of violence and bloodshed. There can be no peaceful co-existance, no tolerance and no detante with this EVIL EMPIRE.

Islam is correctly described in II Timothy chap. 3:1-7

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Each and everyone of us must give account of ourselves one day. Let it not be said that we cowered before the scimitar of unholy, self serving, brutal islam , but stood for the values of freedom, service and human dignity. Pray for Brother Thomas and the people of faith he shepherds there in Bagdad. Those people are the light in a dark nation, and their courage is a light in a dark world.