In Matthew 16:18, Jesus made this comment: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” That statement was made 2,000 years ago and it has proven true throughout the centuries. Not only that, but it will continue to be true until the very end of the age. The Church started quite small, and with an unlikely group of men whom no one would have expected to initiate something that would ultimately grow worldwide. Jesus’ disciples literally changed the known world. Throughout the centuries, Jesus has sustained and protected His Church and will continue to do so until the day when He removes it at the Rapture/Catching Up event.
The powers of evil have always hated the Church since its very inception on the Day of Pentecost. The attacks from the enemy have been ferocious in the attempt to hinder or detour God’s work. But nothing hell can throw at the true Church will stop it, nor can it! At times, the battle becomes quite intense. Many followers of Christ have paid with their lives for their faith. The accounts shared in these Mideast Updates have attested to this, and they continue today. The persecution was fierce in the first century, and it is fierce as time is running out. Our Messiah and Savior, Jesus, is at the door and when He calls us home, our portion of the task will have been completed. Soon and very soon!
In the most recent updates, the stories were told of how Shukria, and then a few days later, her husband, Gaaga, had their lives violently taken from them because they refused to deny their faith in Jesus. Out of the tragedy, as happens often, hundreds were brought to faith in Jesus. There were a number of extraordinary miracles, including healings from tumors, cancers, open infections, and other diseases. What made some of these miracles even more outstanding is that a group of believers had prayed over cows that had been given to them and afterward, many of those who had been sick were healed after they drank the milk from the same cows. There are folks who might question the validity of supernatural events such as these, but the Bible is full of miracles and Jesus promised these things would happen for those who believe.
Several reports came in telling how the Lord had multiplied food in different locations. One such testimony told how some of the leaders in one location only had five sacks of flour left. The sisters kneaded dough and made an assortment of breads using some cheese, oil, thyme, tomatoes, olives and onions. All had a desire for meat, but there was none, so they prayed over the food, mentioning to the Lord what kind of meat they would love to eat if it had been available. As they began to eat the breadt, some tasted chicken, others fish, still others beef — and yet, there was no meat! This reminds me of when Pastor Rashid excitedly called many years ago telling us a story much like this after a large group of men had prayed and fasted for three days. Pastor Rashid had urged the men to ask the Lord to provide their desire, and He did!
There was another report in northern Syria in which the Lord blessed the last 25 kilos of flour that a group of HOB leaders had. The flour was prepared and made into various breads and then distributed to four locations. One portion fed over 780 people, a second portion fed at least 600, a third portion fed 840, and the fourth fed another 570 people. All of the teachers and students in all four areas were miraculously fed. In yet another location, the leadership prepared the last 100 kilos of flour into an assortment of foods and over 1700 people were fed for over a week! Amazing accounts!
The reader might notice that I often mention a number of HOB missionaries by name. This is partly to help personalize the stories. A second reason is to provide some real names for those who desire to pray for these people by name. One thing that some readers may not be aware of is that the House of Blessing is scattered across the Middle East and some of the HOB communities are hundreds of miles apart. An update, such as this one, tells the stories of a number of events over the past few days, but they are not all from one region. For example, the miracles with wheat sacks happened in more than one location. Also, the House of Blessing has underground communities in many Syrian governorates. The evangelism work of the House of Blessing has crossed many national borders in the Mideast, and continues to do so.
The missionaries depend on our prayer support. Danger is never far away. One example is the recent kidnapping of three of the sisters: Karima, Jamila, and Fatima. Several men were also assaulted and kidnapped. Their names are: Wazwaz, Bahaa, Dargham, Bilal, Habib and Laith. They were taken by two men named: Abu Ajaj and Abu Zainab. The kidnappers had a reputation of being violent bandits, men who plundered others seemingly without conscience. Both men had families but the family relationships were very broken. The children had been treated so badly that they had become like animals in their actions and could not speak. The two men treated their wives in vile ways as well. One of the wives, named Zahra, opened up to one of the HOB sisters and asked her what the Book was that they carried and who they prayed to before eating. She also asked what the secret was to their silence and tranquility while being held in the cave they were in. Fatima told her the book was the Bible and that she and the others believed in Jesus Christ. Zahra said that she is Shiite Alawites, but her religion does not provide comfort. She added, “I loved this religion, but I am afraid of being killed by my husband. She then added, they (the kidnappers), plan on raping you soon.”
After spending some time with the HOB sisters, the women decided to accept Jesus as their Savior and were baptized. Fatima baptized Zahra and Karima baptized the other wife, Bakzah. Sister Habib also prayed, and as she did, the Lord spoke to her and said that the healing of the children would be a special sign of His grace. So, they prayed for the children, and by the next morning, the children were healed. The proof of their healing came when one of the fathers came back home, bringing some other men with him. The children spoke up, but did not approach them. The father stood there silent for a minute and exclaimed, “Our children are speaking and acting normal. What happened?” When he heard the story of how they were healed, he begged to be prayed for also so that he can find peace for himself as well. He kissed the brother’s hands and asked them to please pray for him. After praying the sinner’s prayer he was also baptized. After his baptism, the whole community came together to hear the Good News about Jesus. The brothers reported that they would need a few days to minister to all.
I will add one more story in today’s update sent to me by brother Abdelrahem. He has been traveling the last few days, making contact and encouraging the brothers and sisters in various locations. One of his stops was to attend a special baptism service and lead them in prayer on their first Sunday gathering. Before he and Jawad, Bandar, Jihad, Wazwaz arrived at their destination, they, stopped at a place where they could rest. There they met some people whom they did not know. As Abdelrahem put his drink on a table, a man approached him and said, “I know you.” But, Abdelrahem didn’t know him. He went on, “Your face shines with light all around you!” So, Abdelrahem and the man began to talk. The man told him that he had been a prisoner in the cursed Sednaya prison and he had suffered greatly from a variety of tortures. He said one of the things they did was to insert bullets under his skin, among other things. He also suffered from urinary infection and pain. Not only that, but he had hardly been able to sleep for years. Abdelrahem had a bottle of barley water with ginger in it and he gave some to the man, telling him to drink a cup during the day and a cup at night. He then prayed for the man.
When the HOB missionaries returned from Aleppo, they came back through Sweida. The man saw them and stopped Abdelrahem and asked him, “Who are you? What is your religion? I have been cured! I was urinating blood before and now I am well.” Abdelrahem answered, “We worship a Savior, we worship Jesus Christ.” The man then asked Abdelrahem to pray that he stay healthy. When Abdelrahem asked if they could spend the night with him, he said no, but asked if they would go with him to visit a friend who had problems with pimples and had an untreated hole in his back. So, they went, and prayed for his friend. They gave him some of sister Shukria’s recipes using natural products, including fig leaves, a mixture of avocado peel, pomegranate peel, and sage oil. In two days, the man was cured. All of this happened because they happened to stop for rest at this particular location. God was the one who directed them to stop where they did. God is the one who opens doors, and in this case, not only were these men healed, but an additional 270 entered the faith, trusting Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord!
The stories keep coming in… God is opening amazing doors and the harvest is pouring in. The House of Blessing thanks you all for your prayers. It is very dangerous, but the harvest fields are ripe! As I finish this update, we are only a day from the beginning of Ramadan. Abdelrahem and others have made many copies of teaching materials for use during Ramadan and have been distributing them. They also have distributed as many Bibles as they have, though a great many more are needed. Praise God for what He has provided and we praise Him in advance for what He is yet to supply. We serve a great God!
Forever in His Service,
Jake