24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for `these things' must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. 24:8 But all these things are the beginning of travail. 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. 24:10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.  http://www.mcleanbible.org/media_player.asp?messageID=10566 6:8 Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 6:9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down. 6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. 6:11 And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? 6:12 And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 6:13 And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 6:16 And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Another wonderful presentation by Joel of how prophecy relates to the news of today and the end times, tribulation, anti-christ etc. etc. etc. WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE MIDDLE EAST - - Joel C. Rosenberg
“Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, ‘I will set up my
camp in such and such a place.’ The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: ‘Beware of passing that
place, because the Arameans are going down there.’ So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated
by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, ‘Will you not tell me
which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?’ ‘None of us, my lord the king,’ said one of his officers, ‘but
Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.’ ‘Go,
find out where he is,’ the king ordered, ‘so I can send men and capture him.’ The report came back: ‘He is
in Dothan.’ Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded
the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with
horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh, my lord, what shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don't be
afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha
prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked
and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. II Kings 6:8-17
Yet 108 times the Bible tells us, “Do not be afraid.”
In Luke 12:32, Jesus said, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the
kingdom.”
More Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ today than at any other time in human history.
Examples:
• Before September 11, 2001, there were only 17 known followers of Jesus Christ in all of
Afghanistan.
• Today, there are more than 10,000 believers in Afghanistan.
• In 1979, there were only 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity in all of Iran.
• Today, there are more than one million Muslim converts to Jesus Christ in Iran.
• Iranian evangelical leaders tell me that in the next 12 to 18 months, they believe 10,000 new
house churches will be planted in their country.
• More than one million Sudanese have come to Christ since the year 2000.
• More than 5 million Sudanese have come to Christ since the mid-1990s.
In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad Al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, said on Aljazeera satellite television:
“In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity.
Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity….A tragedy has happened.”
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
(KJV)
The question is: Will you and I ask the Lord to open our eyes so we can see what He is doing and what role
He has for us to touch the lives of every Muslim – here in Washington and around the world – with the
love of Jesus Christ?
FOUR STRATEGIES
Learn.
Pray.
Give.
Go.
Strategy #1: Learn.
We need to learn what God is doing, why He is doing it, and how He wants us to be involved.
“Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that
you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)
Some books to read:
Brother Andrew, Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire
Brother Andrew, Secret Believers: When Muslims Come To Christ.
A community to join:
Christians Responding to Islam (CRI) Community is a fellowship of Christ followers at McLean Bible Church
who are interested in learning about the challenge of Islam and how to reach out to Muslims with the love
of Christ.
The next CRI meeting will be Sunday, Nov. 18th at 12:30 p.m. in the 3400 North group room. The topic is
“How to Present the Gospel,” as well as hearing reports from those who have been actively reaching out in
local communities. Anyone interested in hearing about the CRI community can contact:
lovemuslims@gmail.com.
Strategy #2: Pray.
PRAY FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS: We need to pray knowledgably, consistently and faithfully for
believers in the region to be courageous and bold in their faith and in sharing the gospel as the Apostle
Paul tells us in Colossians.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door
for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may
proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Colossians 4:2-4)
PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES: We need to obey Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:43-44 when He said:
“You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
PRAY FOR MORE LABORERS: We must also obey Matthew 9:38 in which Jesus tells us to pray that the
Lord of the harvest would raise up more laborers (Christian workers) to go into the fields that are white for
harvest.
Strategy #3: Give.
We need to step up our investment in individuals and ministries that are touching the lives of Muslims
here in D.C. with the love of Jesus Christ, as well as those working in the epicenter – and the people of
McLean Bible Church are doing just that.
Did you know there is an Iranian/Afghani fellowship that meets in this building, helping Muslims find
Christ and grow strong in their faith?
Did you know that some of the Arab believers that are doing the most strategic work for God in the
epicenter are support by MBC?
• Henri and Ruthie Aoun with Life Agape
• Hanna and Evelyn Shahin with Endure International.
Strategy #4: Go.
It is not enough just to learn, pray and give.
Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:18-20 to “go and make disciples of all nations,” even dangerous
nations, even enemy nations.
Learn – Pray – Give – Go http://resources.mcleanbible.org/documents/sermons/11042007-SermonNotes.pdf |
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