"The Qur'an is a Lie"

On a flight from Dubai to Jeddah, I noticed a Sudanese man sitting near me who looked like he was from one of the Arab tribes. I greeted him and told him that we lived in Khartoum for 2 years and that we had been praying against the current, devastating civil war in his country. He is from the Jaliyin tribe, one of the largest of the Sudanese Arab tribes, with a combined total of 33 million with few known believers among them. Before I could engage him in gospel conversation, he invited me to dinner the following night. 

At dinner he told me that he had left Islam years ago, knowing that "the Qur’an is a lie". As a successful businessman, he seemed to think that Christianity is better than Islam because the Christians he knows are more honest in their dealings than the Muslims he knows. I told him that, while this may be true, all of us are sinners in need of forgiveness from a holy God, who paid our sin debt at the cross. He said that he was interested in learning more if I could connect him with another Arabic-speaking Christian in Jeddah. The Egyptian brother with whom I connected him seems to be hesitant to contact him. Will you pray for both of them now?

There are so many physical needs among all Sudanese refugees who have fled the war in Khartoum. Several Sudanese brothers, Egyptian brothers, and Western missionaries in Cairo are talking about how to reach the least reached of the Sudanese refugees… the Arabs… through both humanitarian aid & social media outreach. Please pray that this collaboration will lead to more Arabs from Sudan clearly understanding and believing the gospel, and that reproducible churches would be planted among them.

Shepherd The Flock

Is it possible for a large church to know its members well enough to discern their salvation and ensure that they are growing in Christ-likeness? Perhaps it is possible if each member is engaged in personal conversation at least monthly by a mature believer representing the church, even if not a church elder. This could be done 1 on 1, or in a small group which would require attending a meeting in addition to the Sunday gathering. Thankfully, in a house church, those interactions happen at least weekly by eating the Lord's Supper as a full meal together and allowing participation while teaching the Bible, under the oversight of the elders. "Shepherding the flock" and "exercising oversight" (1 Peter 5) imply that a pastor/elder knows those he serves personally and interacts with them intimately and frequently.

But why is this question even important? Because after Jesus explained the process of church discipline in Matthew 18, he said, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." It is the responsibility of the elders of each local church to lead the entire congregation in using the "keys of the Kingdom", knowing its members well enough to discern their salvation & ensure that they are growing in Christ-likeness. It is not loving to give someone false assurance of salvation if the fruit of his life does not show it. This is one of the primary responsibilities of a local church. Would you pray that Arab churches in the Middle East would fulfill this biblical mandate well?

While we see in 1 Corinthians 14:23 that unbelievers sometimes attended the early churches, the local church was primarily a gathering of true believers. Acts 5 says that "none of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord." How were unbelievers in Jerusalem added to the Lord if believers didn't invite them to church? They invited them to Jesus. They shared the gospel with them. Would you pray that Arab believers would do the same?

Grace-Filled Accountability

I have an Egyptian friend who was once a volunteer leader in a very solid ministry. After marriage & kids, he began seeking his identity in success at work more than in Christ. We've been meeting weekly online. We've talked about how his depression is more about him responding unbiblically to life's realities than it is a chemical imbalance in his brain. We've talked about how he doesn't feel like he can talk to anyone at his church because there is little fellowship. They all attend the worship service & then leave. I met his wife and we've talked about marriage & parenting. We've talked about his heart issues related to online sexual lust. He has installed Accountable2You on his devices. Yet sometimes immoral activity online flies under the radar of A2U's "suspicious" notifications. Would you pray that he would glorify God BY enjoying Him forever, and serve God BY serving others? Also, would you (or someone you know who is not tempted by sexual immorality online) be willing to volunteer 30 minutes per week to help monitor the online activity of the Arab brothers who ask for it? I don't need to be looking at that garbage! Grace-filled accountability SHOULD be the role of the local church but... quite simply... we are not there yet... but moving in that direction. We will not see reproducing churches of gospel-centered Arab families if there is secret sexual immorality among those husbands.

Support Christians in Sudan

During my trip to the Middle East last month, I sat with approximately 80 friends in 5 countries. Unfortunately, one of those countries was not Sudan. The civil war in the capital Khartoum has gone from bad to worse. After getting advice from several people who serve the Sudanese church, I have discerned that the best investment of our Kingdom donations would be to support Sudanese evangelical families through MRDS by clicking here (account code “RapidIN.080”). Two of my American friends who both lived in Sudan are heavily involved in this project. I will join their weekly conference calls beginning next week. You can read his description of the project here. If everyone who receives this email actually read it and gave $10, the minimum need would be met. I can't think of a more pressing need in our world today. I can't think of a better way to support Sudanese evangelical families and their Muslim neighbors. Would you please give sacrificially to help these families who are unable to find work due to the war? I know some of them personally.

When The Ground Is Shaking...

Please pray for peace and stability in Sudan. For the past 40 years, there have been several conflicts in South Sudan, Darfur, and the Nuba Mountains. These conflicts had little effect on Sudanese Arabs, who are 70% of the population of Sudan. But now the fighting is in the capital Khartoum. As one brother said on a prayer call this past week, "When the ground is shaking, the hearts are breaking". Would you pray that the Lord would break the hearts of Sudanese Arabs over their sin? Would you pray that African Christians in Sudan would be so full of grace that they would extend grace to their Arab Muslim neighbors by sharing the gospel with them? Would watching this 4-minute prayercast for Sudanese Arabs help you pray more sincerely? I do not yet know of a church or organization that I could recommend to steward relief funds well but I am working on it.

Got Questions?

A Saudi friend Ahmed was telling me how his wife, his brother, and his sister-in-law are meeting for Bible study. Three of them are believers and his brother is close to salvation but has two questions… How were people before Christ saved? Will God send to hell those who will never hear the gospel? Such honest questions that all of us have asked before. I sent him an answer from Got Questions, a website that I literally use multiple times each day. Many of the answers are translated into other languages, including Arabic. Would you pray that Abdulahi would trust that God's sovereignty, justice, and love are higher than his own?

Click here to join the prayer movement for Muslims during Ramadan, which begins this month.

It is worth 7 minutes to hear Paul Washer respond to this question about speaking in tongues.

"I believe Jesus died...."

In September, I was walking to a friend's house in Irbid, the second largest city in Jordan. I saw a guy taller than me and by the way he walked, I could tell that he was a hooper. So I engaged him and his friend in conversation, friending each other on Facebook as we departed. When I returned to Irbid a few weeks ago, I was able to meet with his friend, whom we'll call "N". We talked about basketball. We talked about life. I started to talk about faith and how the Qur'an says that Jesus did NOT die on the cross. To my shock, "N" said, "I believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins!" He began to tell me how his Muslim family had sent him to a Baptist school as a child. When he heard praise songs about the cross, he knew in his heart that Jesus had died for him. "N" thinks that maybe his older brother also believes but they feel like they cannot tell each other, much less their family. I was able to connect him with two believers who can disciple him, one in his hometown and one in the city where he attends college. One has yet to hear from "N" and the other said that "N" said he is busy but will contact him later. Would you pray that God would give "N" the courage to overcome any fear or whatever it is that would keep him from being in fellowship with other believers?

I just returned from 4 weeks in the Middle East. I was able to connect with 100+ brothers individually and attend 10-15 gatherings of believers. Many of these brothers have the potential to plant reproducing churches of gospel-centered, Arab families. Please ask God to give them the faith and courage to make it happen.

Here is an excellent 15-minute house church video by prof J.D. Payne.

Preach!

The three Greek words that are translated as “preach” appear in the New Testament 128 times (kerusso, kerugma, and euangelizomai). Can you send me one instance in the NT of any of these words referring to a speaking activity that is clearly happening inside a church gathering, such as a sermon? Almost always, these words refer to evangelism. What most Christians refer to as "preaching", I believe the Bible refers to as "teaching". Solid teaching during the church gathering is important but according to 1 Corinthians 14:26 (didache=teaching), that teaching should be open to participation by others attending. I don’t promote “house” church but I do promote “participatory” church. Can you think of one verse in the New Testament that describes, much less prescribes, only one person teaching? If so, please send it to me.

My missionary friends are on all points of the missions spectrum. On one end of that spectrum, I have my gospel-centered, reformed friends. They emphasize clear gospel presentation, expository preaching, and biblical eldership. On the other end, I have my movement (CPM, DMM) friends. They emphasize abundant gospel sharing, house churches, and rapid reproduction of disciples. Being in the middle of the spectrum, I feel like I am constantly telling one side what we can learn from the other side. Would you pray for me as I engage in these conversations almost daily?