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Just received two emails almost simultaneously about the Middle East. Very encouraging stories from some of the main countries in the area.
- Recently one of the Christian leaders in shared that the response to the gospel is unprecedented in the Middle East right now. He referred to the story of the 3 young men in the fiery furnance. Those young men were not hot, their clothing did not even become smoky. But from the perspective of those outside the furnace, it was 7 times hotter. Even the men who just went near the fire were burned. This man shared that as a Christian inside of Iraq, there is peace and no fear. The response to the gospel is unprecedented.
- Another mail contained the testomony of a 37-year old man. He had had Hepatitis B and the illness had developed to a very serious stage – his doctor had given him 6 months to live. In the 4th month, he had a dream where he saw a man dressed in white come up to him and give him something that he had been holding in his hands. He woke up with a strange sensation, certain that what he saw was real. Two days later, he had the same dream again. This time he asked the man in his dream who he was and the man said he was Jesus. Jesus gave him the same thing again and he knew in his heart whatever it was, it had healed him. He woke up again with a strong conviction that what he had seen was real. The next day, he went to the doctor who was amazed at his health. “How can this be? You are totally healthy!” The doctor was so stunned he pulled up all the previous records, as if to prove that the man really had been ill. The man was so overwhelmed at what Christ had done for him that he believed there and then and confessed to his doctor, saying, “I want to come to believe in this Jesus”. He had been a Sunni Muslim and after accepting Christ, his family (wife and children) and all those around him rejected him. The authorities even took away his business (he owned a factory) and put him in prison for 6 months. They told him he had no right to say the things he’d been saying but he only replied with renewed boldness that he had every right to say them because what he was sharing was reality!! He continues to share his faith and has been watching [christian tv] programs to help him grow in his faith. He called to ask for guidance in this area – he wants to be more effective in the way he shares his faith with others!
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