I'm back in Atlanta now, and have had some time to reflect on our trip to Egypt and Dubai. Egypt is a third-world country. Years of a political corruption and spiritual darkness have decimated this nation. Dubai is is a modern wonder of the world. It boasts the world's tallest building and largest mall and yet in that city rampant materialism and an Islamic state meet, making one of the strangest unions imaginable. Over the course of two weeks we visited churches, talked with pastors, looked at efforts to reach the Middle East with the Gospel, and prayed about what role MVBC should play in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
For now, here are five lessons I think we as a church need to take away from this trip.
1. We should be humbled by the risks many Christians are taking to follow Christ. A few nights into the trip I joined a group of Christians in Egypt learning about evangelism. Many of these believers spoke the Gospel into the lives of Muslims, knowing full well they would be targeted as anarchists. Yet they persist. We take no real risks in America to share the Gospel. We should be humbled by those who do.
2. We should be amazed at how God uses the local church throughout the world. One church we visited is carefully and deliberately raising up men and women to leave for the sake of the Gospel. Another church is equipping believers with the Word and watching while they start ministries of their own. Another church has started a pastoral intern program and plans on sending these men out to some of the most difficult places in Asia and the Middle East. The common denominator in each church is the Gospel that grips our lives, brings us into community with other believers, and uses us to make the glory of God known.
3. We should be aware that Satan has a powerful hold on millions and millions throughout the Middle East through the false teaching of Islam. Only God can break Satan's hold. We should be ready to contend for the faith. Muslims see Islam as the fulfillment of Christianity. They see faithful Christians as people who have yet to arrive because we fail to accept God's final revelation Allah gave to Mohammed. The Koran binds its adherents to a religion of works where one never has assurance or hope. It is a religion without true joy. In Egypt and Dubai it is the dominant faith and, sadly, it is growing fast.
4. We should be thankful for the freedom we have to gather as Christians. Police officers stand outside churches in Cairo when they meet. The government says this is so the state can protect the church from radical Muslim attacks. In reality it is so the state can listen to make sure that the Christians within don't speak against Islam. One church in Dubai had a gathering shut down because it wasn't in an approved location. Another church we met meets regularly without approval and could be shut down at any moment. Another church in Egypt meets in secret. But the believers are eager to meet! They want to be together, learn together, and encourage one another. What freedoms we have here in the United States. Be thankful.
5. We should support the persecuted church. The most poignant time of the trip was when we met with Iranian believers temporarily out of Tehran. They explained how they cannot meet in public, how the secret police tap their phones. They told us how their pastor was killed and the new leader was in jail. There is no freedom of religion. Evangelical Christianity is seen as a threat to the state and it is shut down with the full force of the police. These believers are about to head back to Tehran. They will face real danger. As we minister in the States we should be supporting brothers and sisters like this.
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