Sam's Visit

This month marks 20 years of writing these prayer updates. For those of you who have been reading for any length of time, you know that I very rarely highlight an Arab brother and recommend you financially support him. But let me tell you about "Sam".

Sam is an Egyptian who grew up in Dubai and then studied theology in Jordan, where he met and married a Palestinian sister. He has been serving God full-time in Jordan for the past 18 years, but will soon move to Kurdistan, Iraq, to continue developing leaders, while also engaging online with a very unreached people group in the Arab world, possibly moving there one day if the situation there changes. My wife met his wife earlier this year in Jordan, but I've known Sam for 9 years. He is 42 years old. He is theologically solid, gets to the point, works hard, is a man of integrity, promotes biblical counseling, and wants to see reproducible churches planted.

Over the next 2 months, Sam will be visiting friends in the US to raise support. First, would you ask God to provide what Sam and his wife need to continue their ministry? Secondly, if you live in our city, would you consider gathering a few friends who would be willing to hear from Sam and me about his ministry? Or at least sit down with us by yourself to consider a financial partnership, even if it is a small amount? He will be in our city from Thursday late afternoon, Sept 18, until Tuesday late morning, September 23. It is also possible for us to connect with him online. Reply to this email if you have further questions or are ready to financially support him.

Spanking?

There is not really an Arabic word for "spank". Even Arab evangelicals just use the word "darab" which means "hit". So when talking to dads, I use a phrase which means "lovingly discipline him with the rod". They all know "the rod" from Scripture, though some argue that it is metaphorical. Yet when I ask, "Did you experience from your parents biblical discipline?", none of them say "yes". So I describe for them biblical discipline as explained here. When I ask, "Have you ever seen it modeled by any parents with young children?", I've had one in about 100 parents tell me they have.

Don't we face the same temptation that Arab believing parents face... to lazily ignore our child's sin until it annoys us to anger? At that point, we are no longer disciplining our children. We are punishing them. Hebrews 12:9-11 says, "We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Would you pray for Arab believing parents to preach the gospel to their children by lovingly disciplining them rather than punishing them? It is difficult for very young children to understand how Jesus' death on the cross can forgive their sin, but some temporary pain on their backside can help them understand the seriousness of sin more clearly.

Allow Participation? Or Continue To Prohibit It?

There is no Scripture passage describing a monologue sermon during a church gathering. If you can think of even one verse, please tell me. But several verses describe allowing participation in church during the teaching of the Bible rather than prohibiting participation, such as...

1 Corinthians 14:26 "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up... 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged... 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord."

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Romans 15:14 "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another."

Such participation, described above as happening in the main gathering of the church, is prohibited in most churches today.

It would be difficult to allow time for such participation in a church with more than, say, 25 adults. A church that permits participation could meet in a church building. However, the expense of securing a sanctuary would not be necessary if larger living rooms or basements can be used. Francis Chan talks about house church in this 11-minute video.

In the Arab world, persecution is an added incentive to gathering in private homes. Would you pray that some mature Arab believers from a Christian background would consider planting private house churches so that they can experience and model churches that believers from a Muslim background can attend and also reproduce?

The More The Words

While in Cairo last month, my young Egyptian friend was telling me about a disagreement between him and an American worker. (We say "worker" rather than "missionary" for security purposes, and also because Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful but the "workers" are few.) The American worker had encouraged a mutual friend/believer from a Muslim background to be more open about her faith. My Egyptian friend argued that she should be quieter. He wanted to know what I thought, so I told him that every MBB's situation is unique, so it needs wisdom.

I carefully suggested to my Egyptian friend that the issue may not be the issue at all. The problem might be that he shares his options too quickly and talks too much. This was the fifth time I had met him. I reminded him that I told him he talked too much near the end of the third time that we met. I tried to help him understand that God has given him a very social personality, but that doesn't mean he can't learn how to engage others with questions and then patiently listen rather than always speaking his mind. He received it with humility.

A few minutes later in the conversation, he opened his phone to show me his 5-star Uber rating. To his surprise, it had become a 4.9 because his most recent passenger had written, "Driver talks too much"! I couldn't help laughing out loud when he said, "It's a sign from God!" Later, I sent him these verses....

Ecclesiastes 6:11 "The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?"

Proverbs 10:19 "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."

James 1:9 "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger"

Would you pray for my friend to have more humility in his relationships, to be patient as he listens to others, and to continue to share the gospel boldly with many Muslims, as he is doing? He truly does have compassion for the lost and a passion for Jesus to be worshiped among all Arabs.

My mom Pat went to be with the Lord on Monday. Her passing was sudden but not completely unexpected. At 87 years old, she had been dealing with high blood pressure, swollen feet, and kidney problems for some time but always kept her joy. She personified Philippians 2:4… “Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others" yet she was also very keen to her sin and need for a Saviour, which she found in Christ. I will miss her but I'm so much more happy for her to be in heaven with my dad, who passed away 8 years ago.

It seems that the technology exists to ensure that gospel content on social media is seen by the unreached Emirati Arabs in Dubai and other UAE cities. I don't feel like I'm the one to do it since I don't live there. Pray that someone in-country steps into this. Perhaps someone already has but I haven't met them yet.

I recently finished listening to the audiobook The Schizophrenic Unicorn by Dr. Daniel Berger... "understanding the diagnosis of schizophrenia, the centrality of sleep, the biopsychosocial diagnostic model of mental disorder & considering a practical & proven alternative." Man, that dude is smart! You can listen to more from Dr. Berger here.

Quieting My Soul

I remember memorizing Psalm 131:1-2 as a college student...

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up (proud);

my eyes are not raised too high (haughty);
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

In my own pride and haughtiness, I can often try to occupy myself with
things too great for me, when I should be bringing those things before
God in prayer. Like holding a child who has not yet been weaned by
his/her mother, I can become restless and easily distracted before God
in prayer, thinking about what I need to DO rather than BEING in His
presence. A wise person once said that we are human beings not
human-doings!

Please pray for my time next week with a Saudi brother who is in full-time ministry online and will visit us with his family. Also, pray for a Saudi/Pakistani brother who will move from his family's home to another location due to some mild persecution. And pray for yet another Saudi believer whose marriage I will attend in Ohio this weekend, while also visiting a Lebanese brother who is now coaching basketball for Athletes In Action.

So often we get our news from sources that may or may not be indwelt
by the Spirit of truth. I've been reading The Pour Over email three
times a week. It's "Politically Neutral, Christ-First News"... and
it's free.

Traveling With My Wife!

It was great to have my woman with me on this trip. She has taught kindergarten 3 days a week for the past several years. But this year, the youngest two are homeschooling only & working, therefore, she could join me.

I traveled to Saudi for a week before she and I met in Cairo for 4 days, then Beirut for 3 days, Jordan for 4 days, then Nazareth for 2 days. It was different than previous trips as I usually try to stay in one location and receive as many brothers who can visit as possible. But since most of these brothers have younger kids, we needed to visit them and their wives in their homes. Some of these guys with whom I've been tracking for 5+ years but never met their wives or entered their homes!

She says, "I was encouraged by the many families that we met. Two Arab believing women stood out to me because of their passion and dedication to sharing the Gospel with the unreached. These women have many more “obstacles” in their lives that could be excuses to not sharing Christ but instead they do so with joy. Would you pray that when they share the gospel, that the Holy Spirit prepares and opens hearts to the truth?"

A Believer From a Sunni/Shia/Sufi Family

Through a mutual friend in the Arabian Peninsula, I was connected with "Y". He is an Egyptian whose father is an Egyptian Shi'a and his mother is a Jordanian Sunni Sufi. Interesting combination. His dad worked in Saudi so he grew up there. In high school, he became curious about the Christian faith, but there were only five students who identified as "Christian" in his school and they were either unwilling or unable to answer his questions. One told him to read Revelation so he began reading the Bible. He had a vision of Jesus. Later, he went to the Orthodox church in Egypt to be baptized. Later he was thoroughly discipled in an evangelical church in Dubai. He recently moved to the US to get a passport in 3 years and then to return to Egypt to serve in ministry. Would you ask God to give "Y" the determination to follow through on his plan? It is encouraging to know Arab brothers who could choose comfort and affluence yet choose to be a light among their people.

Ultimate Reconciliation

Have you heard of the doctrine of ultimate reconciliation? It is the belief that God will eventually cause all souls to come to a saving knowledge of Christ and spend eternity with Him. During a recent conversation with a missionary friend in Jordan, he told me he believed this. He said that he might be willing to discuss it later. God has given my friend the privilege of disciplining several new Syrian families from a Muslim background. Would you pray for their protection from this heresy and for my friend to be willing to wrestle together with Scripture about this? He is a wonderful husband/father and is faithful to Christ in so many ways.

A friend in Saudi Arabia from a Muslim background has been hyper-critical of other believers in his city, even to the point of cutting off fellowship. One of his complaints has been that they don't respond immediately to his texts. I said to him, "Brother, I've texted you many times over the past two years, and many times you haven't responded to me. And these brothers have families and other responsibilities, unlike you as a single guy." To my surprise, he accepted my words with complete humility, evidence of the Spirit's work in his life. Over the Christmas break, he spent time individually with two brothers who are mature enough to love him well and understand the importance of his committing to a local church.  Please pray that God gives him the grace to trust others and commit.  

Intentional

Yesterday I was worshiping with a group of 20 believers in Jordan, about 10 miles from the Syrian border. Please pray that the fall of the 55-year Al Assad regime would somehow lead to more Syrian Muslims hearing the gospel.

During my recent visit to Cairo, I sat with an Egyptian friend who used to pastor an evangelical church in Gaza. He's been going to the border to provide aid to the few Palestinian refugees who have been allowed to leave Gaza. He told me a funny story about an Egyptian Muslim who lives there and helps him with the distribution. The man has been monitored by the Egyptian police in the past because of previous ties with ISIS. When the police saw his recent increase in cell phone activity and asked him how he made these connections, he said, "the Presbyterian church". Needless to say, the police were shocked!

It is challenging for me to discern why my Egyptian pastor friend and other Arab brothers I know are not sharing the gospel more intentionally with Muslims around them. Perhaps it is fear. Perhaps it is a lack of compassion for their souls. Perhaps it is a lack of passion for God's glory. Perhaps it is a lack of trust that "the gospel (really) is the power of God for salvation to those who believe" (Romans 1:16) and that the Holy Spirit will open Muslims' eyes and hearts. Perhaps it is the reality that my friend is welcomed like a hero by Palestinians when he brings aid but will often be rejected if he challenges their beliefs. I know all of these temptations too well myself. Please pray for me as I try to gracefully challenge these false comforts and identities.

Exploding Pagers

After 4 days in Beirut, I left my host's home on a Tuesday at 3:30 pm to go to the airport. This was the exact time that pagers of Hezbollah fighters exploded, apparently the work of Israel. To get to the Beirut airport, I had to drive through Dahya, one of the most Shi'a Hezbollah neighborhoods in Beirut. It was chaotic. Ambulances were trying to move through heavy traffic. Groups of people were crying on the side of the road along the way. Two guys on a motorcycle drove past me, one with blood coming from his head. My Uber driver learned online that a pager had exploded. "How can one small pager cause this much damage?" I thought. Finally, I arrived at the airport and learned that approximately 3,000 pagers exploded. The next day, walkie-talkies of Hezbollah fighters exploded. Before these two events, the fighting was contained in south Lebanon. This was the beginning of several necessary Israeli operations in Beirut. Israel cannot allow a continuous threat on their northern border. Regardless of our political leanings, would you pray that God uses this war to cause many Muslims and Jews to think carefully about eternity and the person of Jesus?

At a church two days before I left Beirut, I met a brother in his late 20s who grew up in the south. The next day he told me that his dad is an atheist but his mom is a committed Shi'a. He came to Christ through a friend and several dreams, one in which something like wine or blood was being poured on his head. He wants to become a pastor but his dad told him he will receive threats if he does so. Changing his ID card from "Muslim" to "Christian" would mean that he forfeits his inheritance. Will you pray for "A" to follow God's lead in his life, no matter the cost? Keep in mind that Lebanon is the only Arab nation where leaving Islam is permissible by the government. But often there is still persecution from families and communities.

Difficult Decisions

A Saudi brother who grew up in a Muslim family recently wrote to me..."Every year at this time I wonder if I should be here or not as my children start school (ages 10 & 9). It’s confusing to me that I am putting them in a situation where they have to study Islam and sometimes practice it in school (prayer). I am terrified that could affect their identity in Christ. To be honest I don’t know if it’s meant for me to be here also. Is it a calling or a comfort zone (culture, family, etc.)? Sometimes I say to myself that my kids are going to be better servants as they grow up in church with parents who are believers and they know enough of Islam to serve the purpose of preaching the gospel. This kind of thinking is making me physically sick not only mentally."

Would you pray for this couple and many more like them who live in Islamic countries where their kids must attend schools that teach the Quran? Would you pray that God would give them creativity and grace as they make these difficult decisions? This family is blessed to have a wonderful house church. So many others do not. Would you pray that others would?

Would you also pray that God would restrain evil in the Middle East to avoid regional war? This 14-minute lecture seemed to explain the conflict better than others I have listened to.

Training

A missionary in Cairo told me that many local Christians attend "trainings" but are not applying what they have learned. This is something that I have noticed in other Arab countries where I have served. Maybe this is our fault as missionaries. In our efforts to "do something" we host training conferences (often at nice hotels) but training involves more than passing on information. In kingdom work, it usually involves heart change, grace-filled accountability, and some level of relationship with the trainee. 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, "Knowledge puffs up but love builds up." Pray for missionaries in the Middle East, that we trust less in the missional strategies of CPM and DMM and DBS and M2M and 4Fields and T4T. Pray that we will model obedience to God in abundant gospel-sharing and reproducible church planting among all Arabs.

Speaking of training, I've enjoyed training the homeschooled high school boys basketball players this summer. It's been good for me to step away from this computer screen 2 or 3 times a week for a few hours. Recently, we watched and discussed this 10-minute video to get a more biblical perspective on competition.

Name Above All Names

An American friend "K" serving in Lebanon told me about being invited to a home to pray for a man with an evil spirit. He entered the home, unaware of which family member had a demon. As tea was being served, "K" was introduced to a man and immediately his eyes rolled back into his head and he began convulsing on the ground. After 20 minutes of prayer in Jesus' name, he became normal and immediately started confessing sin. Unfortunately, despite his miserable situation and the gospel clearly offered, "K" said that the man did not want to leave his sin.​ ​ ​"K" will soon be moving to serve among very unreached Iraqi Arabs. Please ask God to give him a good church and good friends there.

Years ago, I had a similar experience with a friend that was scary and confusing​, yet clearly supernatural. Yet looking back today, my friend and I both agree that God gave us a great gift allowing us to experience the power of Jesus' name. Whereas before we both believed that Jesus was Lord, afterward we knew it.

Was the Bible Corrupted?

The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's death for sin and resurrection alone. The Quran teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross. Therefore, Islam MUST claim that the holy books before the Quran were somewhat corrupted. But when you ask the questions of when, where, who, and how the previous holy books were corrupted, Muslims have no answer. 

I tell them that there was indeed corruption. But it happened in the Catholic church when they sold indulgences to forgive sin. It happens today when Catholics and Orthodox pray to Mary. The Bible says we should only pray to God. But to say that the TEXT of the Bible has been corrupted has no historical basis.

I tell them that this claim, especially without historical evidence, is very dangerous. We Christians do not claim that the Torah of Moses or the Psalms of David were corrupted. They are part of our Bible.

I tell them we have more manuscript evidence for the New Testament than any other book in history... by far. These manuscripts contain the same message in the original language of Greek that I find in the English Bible on my phone.

I remind them that Islam teaches that the corruption of the previous holy books did not happen until after the time of the Apostles. Yet if they study history, they will find that the Apostles took the Bible to Spain, India, and Africa during their lifetimes. How could someone collect all Bibles from 3 continents and change them to say what the Bible says now? This is historically impossible.

We know that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, not just believing in inerrancy. However, faith comes by hearing, and Muslims are more likely to give the gospel a fair hearing if they are persuaded that the source of the gospel (the Bible) is reliable. Pray for such Holy Spirit-inspired persuasion and ask a Muslim you know, "What did you learn that caused you to believe that the Bible was corrupted?"

Ministry in Dubai

The past two trips in September and January have begun in the city of Dubai. The United Arab Emirates is home to 9.5 million people but only 1.2 million are Emiratis. They are 99% Muslim but comfort and materialism may be more of a barrier to the gospel than Islam for most Emiratis. However, most would face at least moderate persecution if they openly followed Christ, especially if they shared their faith with Muslim friends and family members.

There are churches for the expat majority in UAE. Many Asian expats visit churches with Christian friends out of sheer loneliness. Then they hear the gospel and God saves them! There are also Arab churches for Christian Arabs who live and work in the Emirates. However, there is not as much ministry happening among the local Emiratis themselves. Some say that it is even difficult to get to know Emiratis unless you work with them. I'm asking the Lord to help me to identify and learn from those who are ministering to Emiratis, both online and face-to-face. I'm asking the Lord to show me what my little part to play might be in the Emirati church. Perhaps it is biblical counseling, house church coaching, family ministry, evangelism coaching, or a little of each of these. Would you ask with me?

Sudanese Arabs

Sudanese are either Arab (70%) or African (30%), generally speaking. While there are some churches for most of the African people groups, there are virtually none for approximately 35 million Sudanese Arabs. While I'm sure there are brothers exclusively focused on evangelism & church planting among Sudanese Arabs... I don't know of any. Would you ask God now to send more workers into that harvest field? Would you ask Him to raise up workers from within the harvest through targeted social media engagement?

I've known a former M from a Sudanese Arab tribe for 3 years. He has been a believer for several years, has 5 kids, and lives in Cairo so I get to see him on most trips and we zoom between trips. We talk about family, kids' schooling, evangelism to Ms, the war in Sudan, his house church, and the 2 other HCs he influences.

But the conversation in January was a difficult one. He and another brother in his church said that the situation for Sudanese refugees has become so dire that the 3 churches are not meeting because the believers have to work longer hours. They said that all of the humanitarian organizations are corrupt and that the aid doesn't get to refugees. They said that their gospel conversations have stopped because they can't visit homes if they don't bring a food basket. Would you ask God to give me both humility and discernment as I engage in this conversation and others like it?

I hope you find this Greek/English Bible to be as helpful in your study as I have.

Unsaved Or Unreached?

Romans 1 says that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Romans 10 says that faith comes through hearing. Since 45% of Kentuckians claim to be evangelicals, we can guess that 95% of them will hear the gospel at least once before they die and have a friend who is a born-again believer. We should not be surprised when those around us reject the gospel, for Jesus told us in Matthew 7... "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

You can see here that the only Arab people group that is considered "reached" (>3% evangelical) are Egyptians, who are barely "reached" at 5%. That means that the vast majority of the Arab world will not hear the gospel at least once before they die, nor will they have a friend who is a born-again believer. This is the tragedy of the unreached. The vast majority of them are Muslims, who will begin fasting during their holy month of Ramadan next week. Would you click here to pray for them?

Jesus said in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations, or ethnos meaning people groups. He said in Matthew 24 that the end will come when the gospel is proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all people groups. There are still 7,000 unreached people groups representing 42% of the world's population. Would you pray regularly with Christian friends for Jesus to receive the worship that He deserves among all peoples?

Ministry of Friendship

I recently returned from 3 weeks in the Middle East. I was able to share the gospel with approximately 10 Muslim traveling companions or Uber drivers, then point them to gospel content online with good follow-up. Pray for an Uber driver named Khalid who said, "I have doubts about Islam sometimes." When I asked him to clarify, he sheepishly said, "I probably shouldn't talk about it... but I can't imagine the verses in the Qur'an about killing and wars are from God." It was wonderful to visit a few friends in Dammam, Saudi Arabia after not being there since '12. Surprisingly, my host lived close to the mall where I spent many hours/days meeting Saudis with whom I was in gospel conversation online. 

During this past trip, approximately 80 Arab brothers visited me to drink tea and pray together. Through this "ministry of friendship", I've begun to understand the importance of asking questions and listening carefully. From TikTok to podcasts, everyone wants to be heard but who wants to hear? These brothers will most likely live all their lives in the cities I visit. The Kingdom moves forward as they trust & obey Christ.

A mature, younger brother who lives in south Lebanon where the terrorist group Hezbollah is strongest, recently wrote to me, "Our church started a home church in another nearby area. They believe in it but the goal is not to reproduce it but to do it until it becomes a big church. I am considering maybe starting one at some point since my house will have a big living room. There is no such thing where I live."

Church Change

We love the folks at the house church we have attended for the past 3 years but most of them live at least a 30-minute drive away.  We live a 30-second walk from a Baptist church!  So we've started attending. We know most of the families there so it's not a difficult transition. What is difficult for me personally is not being able to model house church for my Arab brothers. We've made it our goal to attend house churches for the past 20 years. That was easier to do overseas than here in our home state where there are SO MANY solid churches that virtually no one considers attending a house church.

Since everything needs an acronym :-) there are PERKS when it comes to gathering in a smaller, house church...

(1) more thorough discipleship by allowing PARTICIPATION during the church gathering, under the oversight of the pastors

(2) EATING the Lord's Supper weekly as a full meal together like the churches in the New Testament

(3) Kingdom expansion through private churches (not public) that are more REPRODUCIBLE among all people groups

(4) KNOWING one another well enough to discern one another's salvation through baptism and church discipline if needed

(5) STEWARDING financial resources more strategically by giving more to missions.

Our elders at the Baptist church know that we would like to see biblical house churches planted in our city and are supportive of that. Until then, we will enjoy growing in Christ and serving God with them together.

I leave soon for my next trip. Pray for new friendships as I may add 2 or 3 new cities in the Arabian Peninsula to the itinerary. I will most likely not be able to visit Nazareth due to the war.

"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?

Reproducible Churches

Our family was sick over Thanksgiving but at least we spent time together. Heidi and Anna visited from Colorado. Sam is looking for full-time work. He was the assistant coach on the youngest 3 kids' cross-country team. They are now playing basketball. Henry & Nehemiah ​can't beat me in ping-pong... ​nor cornhole... ​nor airsoft. Petra is working part-time at a retirement home.

I have been affiliated with the Jordan Baptist Convention since we lived there in 2015. The vision statement of the JBC is “to glorify God by planting reproducible churches in Jordan, the Arab world, and to the end of the earth.” However, if you look at our 22 Baptist churches in Jordan, none of them are actually reproducible for 97% of the population of the country. If a Jordanian or Palestinian Muslim began following God according to the Bible, he could not reproduce a public, church building. The vast majority could not even consistently attend such a church due to persecution from the government, the community, even their own family. However, they could consistently attend and reproduce a private, house church. Pray for Arab believers from a Christian background to plant churches that are reproducible for all Arab believers in all Arab countries.

This resource is helpful to find how many times a particular Greek word is used in the Bible.

Where is Afghanistan?

Before my trip to the Middle East in September, Henry and I spent 4 days in New York City. Most meaningful to me was the visit to the 9/11 memorial. On that date in 2001, I began asking questions like, "Where is Afghanistan? What do these people believe about God?" The Lord began to burden our hearts with unreached people who had never heard the gospel. In 2004, we ended a wonderful 8 years of full-time ministry and moved our family of 7 to Jordan... then Sudan... then the US... then Egypt... then the US again... then Jordan again... now back to the US again. Along the way, 3 more kids were born, along with many failures, much grace, and many friendships deepened. Please pray for these "iron sharpens iron" friendships through lots of video chat, voice messages, and texting over the next 2 months before I visit them again in January.

Would you please watch this 3-minute video about missions to the unreached?
Great 3-minute video here about how teenagers should handle dating.

Awwal Marra

My wife & I were on a date night, strolling a park, when I saw a Sudanese man dressed in Islamic garb. What?! We knew there were Sudanese Christians in our city but Sudanese Muslims?! I greeted him and he took me to a pavilion with 25 men dressed just like him! They are all refugees from a region called Darfur, where genocide was taking place in the early 2000s. They were gathered for the Islamic holiday Eid Al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. I was introduced to the community leader (shaykh) and sent home with enough food to feed our family 2-3 meals. 

This past Sunday, on my second visit to the leader's home, I was able to explain the gospel and answer the common objectives Muslims have. When I asked him if this was the first time in 8 years of living in our state that he has had a faith conversation with a Christian, he said in Arabic "awwal marra", which means "first time". Would you pray for Abdulaahi, his family, and the community he leads? Would you also pray that God would give you opportunities to engage in gospel conversation with immigrants or students from unreached people groups?

Here is a wonderful way to get your family or small group thinking about missions to the unreached.

Give Until It Hurts

How can I be faithful to write to you without again including an opportunity for you to financially support either this ministry or this ministry, both recommended by a senior SB mission leader who lived in Yemen? Would each of you who are reading this choose one of these two ministries and give something that you would consider to be "sacrificial" (Mark 12:41-44)? You may not think that you are rich but compared to these precious Arab image-bearers of their Creator... you are. God has blessed us Americans so that we can be a blessing to others. But we need to be able to discern between our needs and our wants. 2 Corinthians 8:9, 13-15 says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich.... For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, 'Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.' "

Before summer, we prayed for work opportunities for our 3 youngest kids and God provided. Petra is working fast-food and hopes to begin a cleaning job when she gets her driver's license soon. Henry is working in concrete as he did last year. Nehemiah is working two half days on a farm & looking for more work.

A Cup of Cold Water In Jesus's Name

Ramadan has begun. Muslims believe that fasting during this month will erase sin. Would you click here to pick a country and a 15-minute prayer slot, then forward this link to your Christian friends? 

Financial support in missions doesn't always accomplish what we hope to accomplish. I've often had to ask myself questions like, "Does my Sudanese brother visit me because he is truly interested in planting churches among Ms, or does he want to immigrate?" or "Did my Egyptian friend genuinely click 'agree completely' with my online points about house churches or is he looking for financial support for his ministry?" When we missionaries don't have the linguistic or relational success we hoped to have within the first few years overseas, it is tempting to turn to the one thing we can do... partner financially with nationals. But that has its own challenges. So when I am asked by an Arab brother to connect him with financial partners, I send him the Arabic version of this.

Yet as I mentioned in a past e-newsletter more than a year ago, we certainly have a biblical precedent for cross-cultural financial support in times of crisis. Humanitarian organizations are rightly investing in refugees from Ukraine, who are "barely reached" with the gospel at 4% evangelical. Yet how much more should we the church support gospel-centered relief work for Yemeni Arabs (0.00% evangelical) who have endured civil war for years? This ministry was recommended for funding by a senior SB mission leader who lived in Yemen for 25 years and has been a friend for the past 10 years.

I'm not a Baptist but....

...I think they got it right when it comes to church government. When I read Scripture, I am persuaded that the congregational form of church government (church decides) is more biblical than the presbyterian form (elders decide) and the episcopal form (the bishop decides). Of course, all churches would agree that Christ Himself is the true head of the church. As I talk to Arab brothers, it seems that one of the major barriers to them planting a house church is related to the issue of authority. From whom should they get permission to do so? Should they be formally ordained by a registered denomination, or is it enough to receive the informal blessing of other Arab pastors whom they know? Should they follow their evangelical cultural norm of a single pastor, or is it more biblical to have a plurality of pastors/elders? If the congregation has ultimate decision-making authority, what does it mean to "obey" and "submit to" the elders? This article has been helpful in answering some of those questions so I had it translated to Arabic and share it often with Arab brothers.

For most of May, I was in the Middle East. I was able to visit friends in Nazareth for the first time since covid began. Therefore, I was also able to connect with brothers in Irbid in northern Jordan before traveling down to Amman. Please pray for continued conversations online with both old and new friends. I was unable to visit Sudan last month. Especially, pray for brothers there who are all struggling economically & socially.

You're In Charge

I was in Nazareth for 3 days for the first time since before covid. Then I was in Jordan for 5 days. I am in Beirut now for 3 days. I will be in Egypt for 6 days and then Saudi for 4 days. Would you ask the Lord to raise up reproducing churches of gospel-centered Arab families?

We all need counsel when it comes to parenting. A Jordanian couple in full-time ministry with whom we were friends when we lived there called me last month. Their older kids are doing well but their younger son was not submitting to his teachers at school. The mom said she found herself yelling at him sometimes. After asking questions and listening for 30 minutes, I suggested that they read chapter 4 "You're In Charge" of Shepherding A Child's Heart and each write 2 obedience points to apply to their parenting. I was a little concerned that the dad might not follow through but he actually shared 3 obedience points when we met the next week online! We talked about the difference between discipline and punishment. This family is loved and respected by many in the evangelical community of Jordan. Pray that they would be "strict but kind" to quote the dad. Have you and your spouse ever considered asking an elder in your church for parenting counsel? Sometimes just expressing the problem out loud and answering a few of their questions is enough to help us see it more clearly.

Hell's Best Kept Secret

When leaving the airport in Sudan, I saw two younger guys who were wearing shirts from American universities. I assumed that they were both Muslims so I took a seat beside them to engage them in conversation, hoping to share the gospel with them. Turns out that one of them actually grew up at the evangelical church where our kids attended a children's ministry years ago! He and I connected online yesterday and had a wonderful conversation. He told me that he listens to Christian teaching online so I asked who he listens to most and he said, "Ray Comfort", famously known for street evangelism and a sermon called "Hell's Best Kept Secret". He said that most of his friends are Muslims and he is learning how to respond to their objections to the Bible. Would you pray for this brother, that his apologetics would lead to his Muslim friends having a more thorough understanding of the gospel? I'm looking forward to meeting his parents when I return to Khartoum. Would you also ask God to give me opportunities to befriend more younger, teachable brothers in the Middle East?

A helpful perspective on Ukraine/Russia here.

What Counts?

What counts? What really matters? According to Galatians 5:6, "the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love" (NIV). Let's think deeply about that.

 
I am writing this from the airport in Amman, Jordan after visiting Egypt, Sudan, and Lebanon also. I was not able to visit Saudi because the embassy website did not clearly explain that those who enter Saudi within 2 weeks of visiting Egypt must quarantine for 5 days. (Sense a little bit of agitation?!) But it was a great trip. I was able to meet with approximately 80 guys. Some had to cancel or do it via Zoom due to covid cases and the largest snowstorm in Jordan in 7 years!

There were demonstrations in Khartoum against the Sudanese military who appears to be disrupting the transition to a democratic government. During the largest demonstration, eight people died. From the Nile Theological College, the smell of tear gas was strong and we could hear people screaming. Please pray for peace, justice, and stability in Sudan.

Not Going Alone

I leave soon for 3 weeks in the Middle East. I'm traveling alone... but there are a lot of people "going" with me. Roger is going with me because he gave me a used laptop last month. Charlie is going with me because he gave me his old iPhone. Holly & Alex go with me because they let me use their Delta buddy passes. The teachers at the classical school are coming too. They help my wife educate 3 of my kids while I'm gone. Ron, John, and Steve go with me as the elders of our house church, overseeing my family and my ministry. Each of them checked up on me two weeks ago when they learned I had covid (only mild symptoms.) Steve, David, and Steve are going with me because they have been so influential over the years in developing me as a missionary. Approximately 40 of you are going with me since you have financially supported us over the past year. Approximately 80 of you are going with me because you receive the daily prayer texts with the names of brothers whom I will meet each day of my trip. My closest companion on this trip will be my wife, who will homeschool, crack the whip, teach at school, cook, handle bills, feed chickens, and help me stay connected to the family daily online. Would you pray that even in my sometimes laser-focused engagement of Arab brothers while traveling, I would recognize that many people have a role to play in me being there... and that I would be thankful?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Most Arab Christians are Coptic, celebrating Christmas on January 7.

The Kiz fam is looking forward to Christmas. Then I'll be in the Middle East for a few weeks. Lebanon is experiencing one of the worst economic crises in recent history. Sudan experienced a military coup two months ago. But I will most likely visit both, as well as Jordan, Egypt, & Saudi. Nazareth is questionable due to travel restrictions to Israel. Would you ask God to raise up local shepherds/elders in each of these locations who are modeling gospel-centered families and reproducible church planting?

Some friends in the Middle East are requesting Arabic-speaking biblical counseling online, especially for some believers from countries where there are very few Christians. Would you ask God to give me wisdom as I begin to connect with several potential online counselors, mainly Egyptians?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Regardless of what season it is, grace-filled accountability helps all of us repent of sin, or simply develop better habits. For the past few years, I've been using the app HabitShare. Would any of you brothers prayerfully consider downloading the app to share habits between the two of us? You can try it out first without sharing habits with others.

Why House Church?

"Why does your family attend a house church?" I get this question fairly often. It is not really about having church in a home. It is more about experiencing and modeling and promoting the biblical principles of...

(1) Kingdom expansion through smaller churches that are more REPRODUCIBLE among all peoples

(2) more thorough discipleship by allowing PARTICIPATION during the church gathering, under the shepherding and oversight of the elders

(3) knowing and LOVING one another more by gathering more like a family and eating the Lord's Supper weekly as a full meal together

(4) STEWARDING financial resources more strategically by giving more to missions.

These principles are easier to apply in house churches. These principles are further explained here if you have 10 minutes to respond to my introductory points about "reproducible churches". Keep in mind that the target audience of this form is Arab believers. If you live in the Kentuckiana area, you are invited to join us any Sunday at 10:30 am. Please pray for our house church and ask God to raise up house church planters in the Middle East.

My Vision... "To Befriend"

Israel will reopen in November and I could probably visit Lebanon by then but it seems most effective to continue developing relationships online and wait until January to visit them. My role in Saudi and Sudan is becoming more clear but please keep praying for even greater clarity. God used the visit to Saudi to cause me to think more about the potential for using native speakers and chatbots in social media evangelism. Please pray for this around the region.

Would you take 5 minutes to pray for these brothers? After reading my prayer requests, you may assume that I have some kind of pastoral role in their lives but I don't. I tell them that I want to be one of their many "good friends" and an "older brother in Christ''. I encourage them to share these prayer requests with an elder in their church. For most of them, it is easier for them to share these things with a foreigner whom they don't have to see on a weekly basis.

I send specific prayer requests via text every week or so. When I'm overseas for 3 weeks, those texts are sent daily and include the names of the guys I'm meeting with. If you would like to receive these prayer texts, reply to this email with "I'm in!" You can always say, "I'm out" later and it won't hurt my feelings.

My mission/vision here.

May Your Kingdom Come

I'm writing from Cairo, Egypt. It has been a good trip but a little sad since our youngest kids got covid last week, then my wife tested positive. Her symptoms have been mild and she has lots of help but it's hard to be so far away. I'll be home soon. 

On my previous trip to the Middle East in May I visited Sudan, where we lived in 2006 and '07 but had to leave after our residency visa was denied. A multiple-exit/re-entry visa for Sudan is not looking possible in the near future. On this trip, I was able to visit a country that I had not visited since 2011... Saudi Arabia. We never lived there as a family but I was traveling to and from KSA to visit the Muslim guys with whom I was engaging in gospel conversation online. In 2012 and '13, I served with a team of mobilizers under the Saudi Advocacy Network, mobilizing the church to reach the 100,000 Saudi students who were studying in the US at that time.

Saudi has changed a lot over the past 10 years. Women now drive, the religious police have much less authority, and I was able to get a multiple-exit/re-entry visa online in a few minutes! Would you ask God to give me wisdom as I process whether or not to add KSA to my itinerary on regular trips to the Middle East? I desire to do so but my role there is unclear for now. Israel is still not open but a Jordanian friend introduced me to several brothers from Irbid with whom I will begin connecting online. I was advised not to visit Lebanon on this trip.

Summertime

Would you take 5 minutes to read this article about modesty?

Conversations online with Sudanese brothers are going... okay. I will most likely not visit Sudan during my September trip but may reconsider if I am able to get the multiple exit/re-entry visa. Please pray for this. It is still not clear whether or not Israel will be open to individual tourists by September. Pray that I would be able to visit friends there in Nazareth like this couple, as well as wisdom whether or not to pursue developing relationships in nearby Irbid, which is Jordan's second-largest metro area.

We are grateful that a friend allowed us to use his lakehouse at Rough River last week for a couple of days. All 8 of our kids were there. Kendra and Trent are busy with their photography business. This will be Sam's last year of running while completing grad school. Anna will graduate from college next summer. Max just got promoted to a supervisor position at UPS. Heidi soon begins her last year of high school online and is working at Wal-Mart. My wife and I prayed for summer jobs for Petra (15) and Henry (14) and God provided! Nehemiah (12) is playing on a homeschool soccer team. The three youngest are all attending a classical school three days a week and running for the Homeschool Tommies cross-country team. My wife will move from being a 4th-grade assistant to teaching KG this year. Lots of swimming at grandparents, cornhole, basketball, fishing, and watching Little House on the Praire this summer.

Taxi Accident In Beirut But Recovering Well

Near the end of my trip to the Middle East last month, I was involved in a taxi accident in Beirut. The elderly driver and I were taken to the hospital but sustained no major injuries. I'm still very sore in my shoulders and neck but PT and massage are helping. A friend in Beirut sent me this news report of another vehicle accident at the exact same location two weeks after my accident. Please offer a prayer of thanks that my accident was not serious and my injuries were minor compared to what I initially thought they were. The single American brothers who hosted me helped with meals, transportation, and allowing me to continue my meetings with Lebanese brothers in their living room.

Please continue to pray for my discernment regarding the feasibility of future trips to Sudan coupled with online conversations with approximately 35 younger Sudanese church leaders whose quality of internet service varies. I'm testing this now and over the rest of the summer.

And if you have five MORE minutes to pray :-) would you pray for these brothers in the Middle East?

Visiting Sudan After 13 Years

From 2006 to 2008 our family lived in Khartoum, Sudan. I was denied a residency visa and therefore had assumed that I should not try to visit. After government changes over the past 2 years, Sudanese pastors assured me that I could visit without bringing unnecessary attention to them. It was a wonderful visit! I stayed in a small hotel in the middle of the market where I spent most of my time the first year learning how to share the gospel in Arabic. To get an idea about what the market is like, you can watch my 5-minute commute to work here. Pray for a few Sudanese believers to have a vision for social media outreach (through Facebook advertising) now that sanctions against Sudan have been lifted. Pray for gospel-centered Sudanese families to plant reproducible churches among all Sudanese peoples. Pray for discernment regarding the feasibility of future trips coupled with online conversations with younger Sudanese church leaders who may have weak internet.

I also visited Cairo, Alexandria, Amman, and will return home soon from Beirut. Pray for ongoing relationships online with the 100+ guys that I have met with individually over the past 3 weeks.

Hear God Speak?

Do you remember the popular Bible study from the early '90s called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby? It was the first Bible study in which I ever participated. I was 18 years old. From the beginning of the study, it was assumed that born-again believers could somehow hear the "voice" of God. Well, I am no longer persuaded that believers should assume that God “speaks” to us through our thoughts. I have this conversation often with brothers in the Middle East, where the hyper-charismatic movement has influenced many churches.

When God spoke to people in Scripture, it seldom happened and it was clearly God speaking because it happened in supernatural ways (audible voice, angels, vision, donkey). I see nothing in Scripture that says that He cannot still speak to someone in a personal, supernatural way today. Yet trying to subjectively discern whether or not a particular thought we have is the "voice" of God is never prescribed or even described in Scripture, except for the inspiration of Scripture itself as mentioned in 2 Peter 1:21.

Some might say, "But the Bible doesn't tell me who to marry, where to live, or which career to pursue. I need to "hear" from God on those things." James 1 tells us to ask God for wisdom. Romans 12 tells us to discern the will of God by renewing our minds and testing. Philippians 1 tells us to pray for discernment. Then, God will give us the wisdom to make decisions that we ourselves discern will glorify God, along with our understanding of Scripture.

I've been sharing the Arabic version of this short article about "God told me" with several Arab brothers. Would you pray for them to have biblical clarity regarding the "voice" of God? Pray also for traveling mercy to four Arab nations next month.

More Zooming

I received the single-entry visa for Sudan but there are just too many complications to travel to four Middle Eastern countries right now. Almost ten separate PCR tests would be required, flights are limited and expensive, and my Arab friends seem to have varying comfort levels when it comes to visiting with someone who has traveled internationally from a "red country". Thank God for Zoom! Would you take 3 minutes to read here how you and your church can partner with churches in Lebanon to provide relief to so many who are suffering there?

Speaking of Lebanon, please pray for a brother there. He was pursuing a young lady in marriage but she recently ended the relationship, primarily due to some trust issues related to his lack of online purity. He now has online protection and accountability but... he is heartbroken. He also recently took on a different role in full-time ministry online which gives him more opportunities to share the gospel abundantly and follow up with seekers face-to-face.

A few more thoughts about "no grounds for divorce" here.

No Biblical Grounds For Divorce?

Looks like I will need to wait until at least February to visit the Middle East. I'm still waiting for my passport to return from the Sudanese Embassy in DC. Plus, Lebanon just entered a 3-week lockdown due to COVID. So more zooming.

 
In my conversations with Arab brothers, we discuss many issues related to the family. We don't often discuss divorce and remarriage because it is not as prevalent in Arab culture as it is in western culture. I've been persuaded by Pastor John Piper here that there are actually no grounds for divorce, not even adultery. He says that the exemption clause of "sexual immorality" mentioned twice in Matthew is related to fornication during engagement rather than adultery during marriage. However, I'm open to interpret the relevant passages of Scripture differently if persuaded otherwise. (You can view Piper's longer version here which I don't completely agree with.) Also, what would qualify as "sexual immorality"? Does a believer have grounds for divorce if their spouse kisses someone else? What about if they look at pornography daily? Or once? Even though I interpret the Bible to say that neither adultery nor abuse is grounds for divorce, counseling and a redemptive separation would be needed until repentance is proved.

Would you pray for a born-again Egyptian friend who recently committed fornication but is engaged to another woman? I don't think that he is taking this as seriously as he should. Also, would you take a few minutes to pray for these brothers?

For the past few years, I have prayed (but not enough) for a tech-savvy believer who could turn something like this into an online assessment of Christ-like character for counselees. Would you prayerfully consider forwarding this idea to any tech-savvy believers you think could help?

Grateful

For 25 years now, I have been financially "freed-up" to serve in ministry full-time. My wife and I say "thank you" to so many of you who have supported us over the years. Your donations have allowed her to homeschool 8 children. We understand that our arrangement of being under the authority of our local church without a mission organization or a monthly salary is unusual. Yet you continue to entrust us with the stewardship of a portion of your Kingdom dollars.  We are also grateful for those of you who pray for the Arab brothers in our e-newsletter from time to time, and especially for the 75 of you who are praying for specific requests weekly, even daily whenever I am overseas. 

Let me tell you about an Egyptian brother named Samuel. We met 10 years ago when his older sister was in the homeschooling group. (How is it that all roads lead back to this group?!) In his late 20s, his life's ambition was to be a missionary. He is now planting house churches among Syrian refugees in Iraq! Two weeks ago he was stateside and passing through our city, so he stopped for an overnight visit. No mention of a fiance... then recently he tells me that he is marrying an American girl who also serves in Iraq! Please pray for Samuel and Lindsey as they return to Iraq to make disciples among the unreached.

This week I sent my visa application to the Sudanese Embassy. Would you pray Romans 8:28 over my possible trip to Sudan, Egypt, and Lebanon next month? Complications abound.

Possible Visit To Sudan

Recently, our president facilitated the recognition of the nation of Israel by the Arab countries of Bahrain, UAE, and most recently, Sudan. We lived in Khartoum, Sudan for 2 years but were denied a residence visa in 2008. Now that its long-time president has been ousted, Sudan is trying to remove itself from the US state-sponsored terrorism list that it has been on for the past 27 years. I hope to visit old friends there in December, as well as be introduced to several younger pastors with whom I will develop online friendships and visit twice a year. I hope to visit Egypt and Lebanon on the same trip. Unfortunately, Jordan is requiring a 2-week quarantine. Would you pray for God's perfect will to be done regarding travel and visas for this complicated trip?

Last week I zoomed with a wonderful Egyptian father. As a college student, he was trained by Cru on how to share the gospel with the Ms. That led him to find oil work in neighboring Libya, one of the most unreached countries in the Arab world. After years of serving there and even recruiting a few Egyptian families to join them, he led his family back to Egypt due to increasing instability. His wife is now part of the homeschooling group that I mentioned last month. They attend the Brethren Church which is known to be open to 1 Corinthians 14-style congregational participation but not known for outreach to Ms. He told me that he wants to learn how to discipline his young kids in a way that pleases God so I sent him this.

Lebanon Relief

Over the past 16 years of serving in and out of the Middle East, one of the more difficult things to discern is how involved I should be in the process of financially supporting Arabs in full-time or part-time ministry. This has been especially difficult in a country like Egypt, where our US dollar has great buying power. However, if this financial support consistently comes from wealthier western believers, the local Arab believers will be tempted to consistently neglect the biblical principle of giving to support their own ministries. Yet it seems like there should be an appropriate way that we can give. This 1-page document is my attempt to do so. I send it to Arab leaders who request financial support. I also ask them to respond to my points about financial stewardship in both the introduction and part 1 of "reproducible churches".

While there is no biblical precedent for cross-cultural financial support of church leaders, we certainly have a biblical precedent for cross-cultural financial support in times of crisis. 2 Corinthians 8 describes how the Gentile churches not only financially supported the believers in Judea during a famine but found great joy in doing so. Can the same be said for each of us American believers during this pandemic? Are we “begging earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints” (verse 4)? I beg you to read about this important opportunity currently among the churches in Lebanon.

Church Like A Family

my wife's mini-farm

A professor at a seminary in the Middle East introduced me to an Arab student who desires to plant house churches so that even believers from a Muslim background can attend. He grew up in a Catholic family but was saved after seeing the change in his older brother's life as he began attending an evangelical church. He is married with 2 young kids. When I asked him about his ministry passion, he said, "Rather than seeing 1,000 people in my church, I want to see 1,000 house churches." He asked if we can meet online every other week. In the past 2 conversations, we have discussed my fatherhood questionnaire. Pray for this brother, as well as these other Arab brothers.

I want to invite any of you to visit our house church here in our city. Of course, you may continue attending your church but just know that we meet at 10:30 am on Sunday mornings. We are currently team-teaching through the book of Acts, then the guys and ladies separate to pray for each other. We eat the Lord's Supper as a full meal and kids play together outside.

Coronavirus and Christ

In 5 minutes read Piper's "Coronavirus & Christ" at bit.ly/coronachrist

It is important for Christ-followers to be humble during this pandemic. It is tempting to let our insecurities get the best of us in one of two extremes. Not only the insecurity of the fear of the future but also the insecurity of wanting to come across to others like we know more than we really do. May God give us the grace to take captive insecure thoughts and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5), finding our ultimate identity in Him. He knows what will happen and He will be using it for His glory and our good (Rom 8:28). But we must define "good" as being conformed to Christ's image (v29) rather than defining it as "comfortable" or "easy" or "going my way". Let us pray for our governing authorities (1 Tim 2:2), assuming that they are doing the best job possible with the counsel they are receiving.

Thanks for asking God to move some of my Arab "acquaintances" to become "friends". He actually has been doing that! The strict lockdowns that many of my Arab friends are under have given them more time to connect online. I've been reminded that video chat is more than a little better than audio-only. It's a lot better! Please pray for these brothers and see their updates. Also, pray for our house church as several families are moving from our city and we have faced some challenges.

Iron Sharpens Iron

A younger Egyptian brother told me today that he appreciated my ministry of "serving in the shadows". He described my ministry well. Though I promote many things like reproducible church planting, biblical parenting, and abundant evangelism online, I'm mainly focused on "personal ministry". Paul Tripp defines personal ministry in his book Instruments In The Redeemer's Hands as "the careful ministry of Christ and His word to the struggles of the heart that have been uncovered by good questions from a committed friend." With most of these younger Arab brothers, I'm only a "friend" by Facebook's definition. More like an acquaintance. Friendship requires logging lots of listening hours, doesn't it? In these weeks of quarantine in the Middle East, through online conversations, would you ask God to move some of my acquaintances to become friends as we sharpen one another by God's grace?


Our son Sam is living with us while finishing his junior year in college online. Our younger kids are homeschooling 5 days a week rather than two. Now may not be the best time, but let us know if you know of any work opportunities in our city between now and the end of summer for our 16 and 14-year-old girls and our 12 and 10-year-old boys.

A Typical Day

Some have asked, "What do you actually do?" A typical day for me usually begins at 5 am online because it is already noon in the Middle East. Breakfast with the fam then we read one of the 3 chapters from the Bible that will be taught by us men at house church that Sunday. Then I'm back online to continue relationships through conversations and messages. After lunch, I usually take a 20-minute nap. So much screen time means I need to do burpees, squats, run, walk/talk with my wife, or shoot basketball with the kids in the church/school gym... which is a huge blessing. My schedule is very flexible... which is another huge blessing. I usually finish my work online at 6 pm then walk 30 seconds to my home for dinner... another huge blessing! In the evenings we might play games (current favorite is Monopoly Deal), sing these worship songs, or watch these videos. For a few hours each week, I usually visit a few friends to discuss family or church or missions. Saturday is the day off so we do fun stuff... anything but screen time.

Click here to see prayer updates for 12 friends/leaders from my December trip. I leave next week for 3 weeks in the region, including 4 days at a conference to connect with leaders from the Middle East and North Africa to discuss shepherding in the home and in the church. Please pray for these conversations and for relationships to continue online.

Jesus of Nazareth

Merry Christmas from where it all began with the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary... Nazareth, Israel... where Jesus grew up. Tourists and families walked downtown last night with Christmas paraphernalia everywhere. It makes me wonder... what % of the Muslim majority of this city have ever truly understood the purpose of the annunciation, sinless life of Christ, crucifixion, and resurrection. Evangelicals here are less than half of a percent of the population. This trip has been good. I return home tomorrow. Would you take 5 minutes to pray either once or regularly for these 12 friends/leaders in the Arab world? I will update this document if God allows me to see any answers to these prayers.

Some American brothers in the region are doing an EXCELLENT job finding Arab seekers online. Would you click here and support them either financially or prayerfully?

Morocco and Tunisia

This coffee shop in Tunisia offers customers a swipe of roll-on deodorant. How kind!

Whew! The dialect of Arabic in North Africa is very different from the Middle East! But the main problem is that I just don't know the Arabic language well enough, in general, to communicate with Moroccans and Tunisians at the level of family counseling. I need to first improve my Egyptian Arabic. Also, North African believers are already gathering in smaller, private churches due to persecution. It seems to me that God would get more glory if I invest more of my time encouraging believers in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon to embrace reproducible, biblical principles for gathering. Pray that God will give me discernment regarding when/if I should return to Morocco and Tunisia. Pray for the opportunity that I now have to serve 60+ missionaries and a few English-speaking North Africans online in family ministry and counseling.

One of the Tunisian leaders simplified his Arabic for me. When he was a teen, he and 3 of his friends began asking a lot of questions about their religion. This led them to meet a young lady who was already a believer. God saved all 4 of these friends together, making the discipleship process much easier. One of them is now married to that young lady! Please pray for this leader who wants to connect me with a few younger, believing fathers who speak English well and can train other parents.