SHARING THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA
We are watching the implosion of a modern Arab state, and the tragic reality is that the Arab Republic of Syria is unraveling. The civil war in Syria is approaching five years. Many world leaders have called this one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Millions of Syrians who are fleeing for their lives have left the nation’s geographic boundaries, while millions of others are internally displaced inside Syria, having fled from their homes and villages seeking safety within the nation. Thousands of refugees are flooding over the borders into Lebanon, Jordan and the surrounding nations. We know that you, our friends and prayer partners, care deeply about this situation and want to know how to pray. You are asking, “What is happening? Is there any hope? What is God doing?”
Following is a testimony of a Joshua Fund brother and ministry partner who leads an organization that is helping local Arab believers preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live it out as they care for the practical and spiritual needs of refugees. He has just returned from the region and will share with us what is happening on the ground and how Christians are making an eternal difference in the lives of the refugees they serve.
These are desperate people. If you had the opportunity to sit with us in a tent as we have just done recently, you would have seen the desperation in their eyes. Picture, if you can, a walk down a dirt path into a tent home, which has a dirt floor or at best a rough concrete base. You would sit on the floor and perhaps think “sitting like this is uncomfortable” until you realize this is their life 24 hours a day. They are not allowed to work, their children are not allowed to go to school, and they are not allowed to do anything but wait. They did not leave Syria by their own will. They left because of the evil that is taking place in their country.
On our recent trip to Syria, we walked those biblical streets and prayed with Syrian pastors. We met with youth pastors from Syria who were talking about how many young people are coming to Christ. One young man from Aleppo, with tears in his eyes said, “I’ve got young people back home that are depending on me.” God is doing some wonderful things inside Syria. Please pray for the people of Syria during this difficult time, that they will be open to God’s message of love and hope, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no word in the Koran or in the Sunni Muslim language for “love.” They have no concept of “love.”
When we go in to minister in the love of Jesus Christ, this is shocking to people from a Muslim background. All of a sudden they see people caring for them and providing food and a place for their kids to go to school and they are asking, “Why are you doing this?” This opens the door to respond, “Because the compassionate heart of Jesus Christ compels us, because we love all people because Jesus loves all people.” They ask, “Who is this Jesus? What is love?” Then we have a chance to share, “Every month we will bring you food. Every month we will provide a school for your children, and we will come back every month on a consistent basis. We love you as a person.” They often respond, “But I am Muslim!” and we have the chance to share, “Yes, and God died for you!” Time and time again we see a sudden light bulb go on in their mind. We sit there with them and listen to their desperate stories. We recall times when we’ve sat on the floor in their tent and they begin to weep when you tell them about the love of Jesus. It’s a new concept, but as we share, it begins to make sense to them.
In a conversation with one young woman, she asked, “Tell me about this Jesus, because he seems much better than my God.” This is a wide open door to share the Gospel. I can’t tell you that she came to Christ, but I can tell you that she took a Bible, and she asked our team to pray for her and we will follow up with her. Sadly, it’s the desperation that is driving these wonderful people to look for Jesus Christ. We hear that they see Him in dreams and in visions as God opens the door in a wonderful way for us to reach a people group that normally, from a human viewpoint, we would never be able to reach.
Please be Praying
/1/ Please pray for the people that we serve and the nation of Syria, that they will be open to the Gospel.
/2/ Please pray that our team will be strong and physically able to continue the work. This refugee crisis is not going to end anytime soon. The best estimates are that it will be 20 years before Syria will be livable again and the displaced people will be able to move back.
/3/ Please pray that we can minister in this crisis as Jesus would, loving and serving the people with God’s power and help.
/4/ Rejoice with us for all the people who are coming to Jesus Christ in the Epicenter.
