An (un) American Prayer

One of our workers in a turmoil-stricken country recently overheard the following words at a prayer meeting of young Arab believers: 

“Give us a government through which people will wake up and notice that only in You can we truly find salvation, even if it means that we will be persecuted even more. Lord, we are prepared to suffer, if only through our pain, more people will find the way to You.”

When was the last time you heard someone pray like that at your church prayer meeting?

For that matter, when was the last time I prayed like that myself?  I'm not sure I ever have. 

What troubles me even more is that I'm not sure I even want to.

I recall many years ago when the German theologian, Helmut Thielicke, was traveling in America, he remarked that American churches have very little understanding of the purpose of suffering. I guess he didn't have to be a great theologian to observe that; he was a pastor in Germany during the Second World War, and ministered daily to the dying. I suspect that we, on the other hand, are so steeped in the so-called 'Prosperity Gospel', that we don't even notice it has affected us, even when we reject it in theory.

As David Platt remarked at URBANA 12, 'we come to Jesus to get stuff.' If the stuff keeps coming, then God is blessing us; if it doesn't, then either I am messing up on my end, or possibly He isn't keeping His end of the bargain.

Most Christians in the majority world don't have the 'luxury' of adding other things to Jesus. In his book, Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships (well worth the read, by the way), author Carl Medearis, who lived many years in the Middle East, tells about speaking at a city-wide discussion in his home state of Colorado. Two imams (Muslim teachers), two rabbis, and a Catholic priest, responded to the question, 'How does your religion get you to heaven?'

After the other speakers had articulated various views on what their religion teaches about the subject, Carl stood up. I'll let him tell it in his own words (pp. 175-176):

"I was praying for something significant to say. This is what came out: 'Actually, my religion doesn't get you to heaven.' The other panelists shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, and the host asked if I would like to explain more.

'Sure,' I said, 'I've just never seen a religion save anyone. All religions are great at laying out some basic rules–dos and don'ts–that are good for our lives, but they don't really provide hope or any kind of eternal security. It seems religions end up causing more trouble than solving anything.'

'So then,' said the host,'how do you get to heaven?'

This all seemed so basic, but I thought I might as well go ahead and say the obvious. 'Well, it's Jesus. He didn't start a new religion . . . . He takes us to heaven, not a religion.'"

When I wrote that 'Christians in the majority world don't have the luxury of adding other things to Jesus'– well that's not quite true, either. As one of our leaders recently wrote concerning the Arab Spring, 'the dream of more liberty has not come true for most people, and the hope of economic betterment has been fulfilled, either. Most citizens still suffer under unemployment and poverty."

The difference though may be what my Arab brother knows. Once any of us, American or otherwise, discover Jesus is all we need, then we can really learn to pray. And live. And love.

US Director

Arab Spring—quo vadis? 

A good majority of the 300 million people who live in predominately Arabic-speaking countries are under the age of 25, and the rate of population growth is between 30 to 40%. Most of these young people are growing up in a climate characterized by corruption, endless restrictions, and misuse of power. 

The economies of their countries aren’t keeping up with the increase in population, either. Access to precious resources like water and gasoline is tightening, and jobs are scarce. In Egypt alone there are nearly 750,000 college graduates each year, and even highly qualified academics can’t find work. They don’t see any opportunity to change their society or engage their situation in creative ways.

At the same time, these young people are informed about the world outside—social media like Facebook, YouTube, and chat rooms make sure of that. A person in Yemen knows within minutes what is happening in Tunisia. When Mohammed Bouazizi committed suicide on December 17, 2010, he started an unexpected avalanche of protest marches throughout the Arab world. Local police had confiscated his scales until he agreed to pay the expected bribe, but the 26-year old street vendor would not give in. 

After being beaten up more than once by the municipal authorities, Bouazizi couldn’t take the humiliation anymore. He set himself on fire in a main street of his rural town and died a month later. His deed set off a wave of indignation that quickly engulfed all of Tunisia, and rapidly spread to other places. Countless young people identify with this young man who simply wanted to earn an honest living, and was known for his willingness to give his produce away to the very poor.

We are familiar with the aftermath of Bouzizi’s death: within a few months, the regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya were toppled, and in many other countries, the pressure continues to grow, often accompanied by violent struggles. But did and will these protests lead to freedom of expression, justice, and fair elections? 

For many, the answer does not lie in Western ideas of human rights and democracy—they don’t want to exchange the repressive regime of despots for what appears to them to be an equally oppressive Western moral degradation. Arab nations wish to find Arab solutions to Arab challenges, and many still look to Islam. 

Other (non-Arab) majority-Muslim nations, like Turkey, have a much more ‘secular’ history, and a sizeable portion of its population rejects conservative Islamic conceptions , as has been evident in recent weeks. 
In any case, this ship of hope launched by the Arab Spring in Muslim political groups and parties is quickly running aground on the rocks of disillusionment. Syria, for example, continues to be more of an example of human tragedy than of Arab political awakening. 

It hard to evaluate all this from a Scriptural perspective.  On the one hand, the  desire for freedom to make one’s own decisions is a fruit of a Christian world-view and a God-given dignity. At the same time, true freedom is only found in fellowship with our Creator.

The bottom line for us who witness these events is that we are being challenged to pray for true peace and just governments in countries experiencing the Arab Spring. ReachAcross has workers in some of these countries, seeking to engage especially this younger generation, and hoping to bring about change—the kind that is based upon truth, respect, and above all, trust in the One who alone gave His life so that we may be truly set free. 

And in some places, the Gospel of Christ is gaining ground! 

Let us know if you would like be more informed about these situations so that you can pray more effectively. There are several good links for up-to-date information that we can share with you. 

This article is based upon an earlier one by the ReachAcross director in Germany, with revisions and additions by the US office. 

Caring for the Disabled in the Middle East

from the ReachAcross U.S. Director

For some years now, Gene and Rochelle have been working among disabled people in a Middle Eastern country, bringing grace and the Good News to some of the most neglected inhabitants of a largely unreached area. The English language and computer classes have been supplemented in the last two years through a program that provides for physiotherapists and other specialists to visit these people in their homes. Gene and Rochelle were evacuated recently with other personnel—much too soon to be able to turn this work over to nationals. We don’t know what will become of their labor, but we do know that we have a God who cares for the poor, and He will not forget about them.

The neediest patients often come from long distances. One morning a crippled child was brought from a village about two hours drive into the mountains. A caring relative in the city had given the family hope that they might be able to get help from a foreigner who actually loved and cared for handicapped people! Since the birth of their crippled child, the family had struggled in to know how to care for her. In the clinic a doctor did a medical examination and they got advice from a physiotherapist. We could see that it would be very helpful for the family to have a wheelchair to taking the growing child out of the house occasionally.

Thankfully, after a gift from a friend, we arranged a family outing to that village 2 hours away, and were able to deliver the wheelchair to the grateful family! We emphasized to them that God had provided for their need through generous Christian friends. They were so excited!

A qualified occupational therapist came along with us and was asked to look at two physically and mentally disabled boys. In her gentle way she showed the mothers how to do some simple exercises with their sons to help their muscles develop. Now they also felt some hope for their children.

The village is dusty and windswept with very little to employ people. The poverty drives the young men to leave the village to go to the cities in search of work. There are schools in the village and a small but active regional health centre. We long that centers like this will bring Christ's compassion and practical help to more people.

The end of the trip was very encouraging because after a generous lunch I had a good chat with our hosts about the Gospel. Gene