Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16
Coming into the Race we were advised to read Matthew 10 to our parents. I don’t know why really. This year in all actuality hasn’t once felt threatening to my life or safety. I think though, the reading and study of this chapter was prophetically deeper then just these 11 months on the World Race. Yes, we have seen the manifest presence of God heal different diseases and afflictions. We have received without payment and so we have given. We have exercised our God given spiritual authority, literally, from one end of the earth to the other. Don’t get me wrong this has been amazing and life changing to say the least. As far as the feelings I got when first reading Matthew 10, knowing that the areas of the world I would be coming to were not necessarily first world or westernized or possibly even safe. I 100 percent believe I was ready to lay it all down for this race if that meant being persecuted and beaten or even killed for that matter, sure I was ready to die for this. As I would say that goes for the rest of my squad as well. Did I think in my spirit that was actually going to happen? Not for a second. My point is I remember how I felt laying it all out there before God saying here I am, if this is how I’m going out I’m ready to go. Again that’s not how this race has been, however, recent events have lead me to believe that my yes then wasn’t my last yes.
We’re sitting in Jordan. Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia to my north and east and Israel, possibly the most hated nation in the world to my west. No one really seems to know why other then the Israelis kicked a bunch of Arabs out of their land a bunch of years ago. Anyways, the Middle East seems to be a pretty hostile environment. Well that isn’t exactly the vibe I’ve gotten since having been here. So far the people have been extremely nice and extremely giving. I have personally not received any we hate you because we’re Muslim and you’re white so you must be Christian. Nothing like that. So far.
I was sent a YouTube video to watch the other day called Sheep Among Wolves. It exposed so much of what’s going on in the Middle East as far as persecution towards Christians and the realities of Islam. There were several key points to this video that really stuck out to me. I think the biggest point the director made was that Islam is the biggest challenge for Christians. Not a challenge in the sense of them versus us. A challenge in the sense that so many Islamic believers are perishing with this false ideology that if they do this and this they will be rewarded by God in paradise. Of course after their 1000 year purification process in hell. He went on to charge us as believers. What are you going to do with this opportunity? You know, there are so many “Christians” sitting back at home in the states watching what’s happening with Islam and Isis and the refugee crisis but what are we really doing to help and love these people with the heart of Christ. Sure we all have our opinions about what America should do. I’ve heard these statements. We should just nuke em and get it over with or they’re Syria’s problem why should we have to deal with them. Another interview I watched said God’s making it easier for us. He’s bringing the ministry to us as opposed to us having to go to the Middle East. Our comfortable little Christian lives are being invaded and challenged. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to tuck our tails and retreat or are we going to be the Hands and Feet of Christ and love them as he calls us to? He also blatantly stated that you and I are no more worthy of Christ then they are. That goes from the pulpit all the way down to the member of Isis raping, beating, murdering and beheading people. Christ says love him and pray for him just as you would yourself.
How do I love and pray for that sort of evil? I don’t know, I think it’s a process for sure. Eventually in my heart though I believe God’s nature will take over in my life and I will have compassion for someone of that degree. Do I have it now? Not at all. Yes I do want to be able to love people in that manner though. Another interview I watched was of an Egyptian pastor with a 60 million dollar contract on his head by Al Queda. His heart and his passion are all in for the Muslim people. He said the problem is not Muslims the problem absolutely is Islam. He said all Isis and radical Islamists are doing is opening our eyes to the realities of Islam. He went on to quote 5 or 6 verses from the Quran and linking the verses to things we see on T.V. Then he talked about Muhammad and his life on earth. In one day he beheaded 1000 Jews. Personally that doesn’t sound like the practice of peace. Sure people are gonna have their doubts and questions and assume we as Christians take everything out of context. That’s fine. I’m not here to argue. My point is this though. If so many people that are actually living in these war torn areas of the world and are seeing the effects of Islam seem to believe that Islam is a problem and it is not a peaceful religion and it has millions upon millions of people brainwashed. Why would I choose to believe anyone that hasn’t experienced it first hand? How do you know what’s really happening if you’ve never had to live it?
We recently met with a Jordanian pastor here in Amman. It was a contact given by a friend through a friend sort of thing. No real intentions behind the meeting other then really just telling more about who we are as the World Race and maybe possibly seeing if they would want to host World Race teams in the future. Well a meeting that could’ve only taken an hour tops turned into two and a half maybe three hours. It was really cool to talk with someone who has been in Jordan for quite sometime and knows what it looks like to be a missionary to a Muslim nation. He poured out a wealth of wisdom on us and really left me questioning so much of what I had experienced and seen in Islamic nations. So far in Jordan, everyone has been extremely nice and extremely hospitable. We haven’t ran into the slightest bit of pushback or trouble from anyone here. That may or may not change seeing as we’ve only been here not even a week. We are going to work with a refugee camp out side of Amman, 7 miles from the Syrian border, so I will have to write a follow up blog with our experiences there. One of the things that stuck out most to me though was when he said Islam is not a peaceful religion. His whole demeanor changed and he became real serious real quick. He said do not believe them when they tell you that. He also went on to say as a Christian they Hate you. I guess I can understand why he thought this way. He’s far more intelligent on their religion then I am and has been experiencing persecution and hate from them for many many years. He was telling us story after story of his time here in Jordan and it wasn’t all pretty.
And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22
This meeting reminded me a lot of my friends I had made in Indonesia at the Islamic boarding school. They were peaceful and they were nice and they loved us and it did kind of bum me out hearing these things from him. Maybe what we’ve been experiencing is just a front to try and again “brainwash” or however you want to call it, the western world that this is a peaceful religion. Maybe it has nothing to do with religion at all. Maybe it has everything to do with no matter where we go or what we do there’s going to be good and evil. There’s going to be people that just love you because that’s their nature and people that hate you because that’s the way they’ve been brought up. Either way I don’t see it really mattering. What really matters is, am I going to love that person regardless? Say I get a knife to my throat and I’ve only got enough time to say one last sentence, am I going to forgive that person for not knowing what he’s doing. John 16 says the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think they are doing a service to God. Jesus goes on to say when the hour comes. He says the hour Is coming and When it comes. Not if or maybe. His confidence in these events happening is a little staggering to me. Really makes ya think.
So something else that stuck out to me in this video. They interviewed an ex radical Islamists convert. He asked a simple question, what is your cost? The cost of becoming a Christian in the Middle East means a lot. Sometimes it’s everything you own. Sometimes it’s never being able to see your family again. Think about never being able to see your child or your parents or your sibling ever again. Sometimes and a lot of times it’s a death sentence over here. The cost of becoming a Christian or being a Christian over here is very high. What is our cost as the leaders of the free world? I mean what exactly does it mean to suffer for the gospel in America. I remember being a kid and going to a little country Church of God church and the service nearly making it to 2 o’clock in the afternoon with no air conditioning. Boy that was tough. These people would literally die to be able to freely sit in a church. So what is my cost? What would I give to go where I am called and be like Christ?
That’s a big question to answer. Life altering. The feelings of of dying for the gospel, Yeah of course I’d die for this. I’ve stated before it’s the only cause I see worth dying for. I don’t mean to sound all militant or whatever but I think death really would be the easy part. Yes it’s a high price to pay but what does it look like to really come over here and live here full time and be persecuted and hated every single day and not be put to death. What does suffering really look like? How would I feel to not see one person come to know Christ? How discouraging would it be to have my life threatened day in and day out and not get to see any fruit from my labor? Could I do it? Immediately it’s easy to say yes. Then I think will I ever get to see my family again? Will I have a wife and kids? Well if I do then how could I ever live with putting them in harms way. Or would there be any English speakers anywhere or will I have to learn Arabic and never be able to speak in my native tongue. Sounds funny but how draining must it be to not have a single person around to just have a conversation with. Now all of a sudden the cost of “going” is much higher. Well I’ve got an answer to all of those questions and guess what? Jesus is STILL worth my yes to go. Can I see the other side of it and realize that that yes will be challenged every single day? Sure, even 1 year 5 years or 10 years down the road. That yes may get harder and harder and harder. Is Jesus still worth it? Absolutely!
