Middle East: ISIS Trainer Seeks Out Bible

Egyptian Christians wear a cross tattoo on their arms so their body may be identified as Christian if they are beheaded. One of our Egyptian pastors posed for this picture.

Many of us watching the events taking place in the Middle East have felt very frustrated and wonder, “What can I possibly do to make a difference?!”

But we do have incredible and “doable” opportunities to invest in the lives of those who have gone through some of the most difficult of circumstances that have been documented in the Middle East. I’m talking specifically about two countries: Egypt and Iraq. I’d like to share this brief account with you:

Just a few days ago I received a report of a Lebanese taxi driver who drove a sheik from the Syrian-Lebanese border to the airport in Beirut as he was making his way from Syria back to Saudi Arabia.

During the 5 1/2 hour drive to the airport, the sheik noticed that the taxi driver was a Christian. The sheik, bearded and dressed in conservative garb asked the question, “do you know how I can get a hold of a Bible?”

The taxi driver replied, “well of course.” So they drove to a place a friend of ours runs, which of course is the International Bible Society in Beirut. As they presented the Bible to him, they asked the question, “why is it that you wanted this Bible?” He responded, “I’ve been training soldiers for ISIS, and I’m sick of the killing; I think there has to be a better way.”

It’s these kinds of reports that bring hope and encouragement and remind us that God the Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts of men and women in the Middle East.

I’m asking you: what would you be willing to do to assist in seeing people like this sheik come to know Jesus Christ as Savior? We are already working directly with those who stand on the front line in the Middle East.

And a second question: would you be willing to assist me with a one time sponsorship of $100 to help us reach a $5,000 goal to put on a conference to encourage pastors in Egypt next month?

Egypt National Pastors’ Conference – In October we will put on an Egyptian Pastor’s Conference for our national team and other Egyptian pastors who held the front lines as we in the US watched (in silence) the Muslim Brotherhood rise to power and force its repression on Egypt through torture and death in these extremely difficult years. These men stood to protect and minister to the Church faithfully.

The theme is “He Restores My Soul.” We need $5,000 for this conference as we give these precious men the opportunity of being refreshed. You can donate online and in the Donate button, select Middle East Pastors’ Conference. Thank you and God bless you.

Please pray for those of our US team ministering to these pastors and for the women’s and children’s ministry that will also take place at this time.

Iraq Church Plant Opportunity – We are assisting in another church plant in Baghdad, Iraq. We have a young man who is ready to serve the Lord in full-time service under the national Baptist church that we had a part in seeing planted in 2004 (please see last month’s “The Liaison” on page three for an article on this church plant, or on our website to read the article as a blog).

Perhaps you and your church would be willing to stand with this pastor at $100 a month and in doing so, join our Global Church Planting Initiative team. Our target for this project is $500/month. If you’d like to be one of these five elite givers in assisting people come to know Jesus Christ as Savior in the midst of the front lines, I encourage you to join with us in making this happen. Donate online and in the Donate button, select Global Church Planting Partner.