During my devotional time this morning, I thought about the name of Jesus, or Yeshua. Yet, this was not always His name. Before creation, the Son was with the Father and the Word was with God. He was the Son. And He was the Word, but He was not called Yeshua. In view of eternity, He has only had that Name for a very short period of time. So, why Yeshua?
“Yeshua” means: “God is salvation.” This means that this was not His name from the very beginning. In the beginning, there was no sin, no darkness, no fallen creation, no crisis, no brokenness, no judgment, no death, no need for salvation. The name “Yeshua” would have no purpose. He became “Yeshua” for us. Now, every time that name is spoken, it is a reminder that He has become joined to us! He chose to bear that name forever — which means, we are in His name! It is our salvation that He is declaring with His name… your salvation, my salvation, and the salvation of anyone who chooses to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. It sounds mysterious, but the reality is, we are all in His name. We must never allow that realization to be lost to us as we represent the Kingdom of God in this fallen world.
On to the House of Blessing…
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Much has happened in the last few days within the House of Blessing. For today’s update, we will mainly report on what is happening in the most recent area of ministry. The new mission field in southern Saudi Arabia has exploded with souls turning to Jesus as their Savior and Lord. It has, however, not been without a heavy cost. Previous updates provide details of a brutal attack on Pastor Abdelrahem, sheikhs Hayel, Arshid, and others and so I won’t retell the story. Abdelrahem, Hayel, and Arshid are however in very poor physical condition. More of that will be mentioned in the conclusion of today’s update. Please pray for them. In the pastor’s case, remember that he has passed from this life three times in the past 20 months, but the Lord chose to bring him back, so we know God is in full control. Our part, however, is to pray for these men diligently, no matter how God chooses to further the work of the ministry. He is the Lord of the harvest.
Just a quick note about the second printing press. There have been a lot of new believers, sheikhs and their followers who have sold off much of their own belongings in order to get the printer online and operational as well as to purchase paper and ink. The printer is now in operation. Note the photos. Thank God for His blessings!
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From Dr. Nibras:
Greetings, Brother Jack and greetings to all the loved ones of the Lord Jesus:
Since arriving here with Pastor Abdelrahem, I have had the opportunity to hold a major teaching session with the sheikhs. I found that those I had the chance to teach are not only well trained, but also courageous, energetic and fully committed to the missionary work to which they have been called.
This brings to mind Revelation 12:11 which states that believers overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. This includes many new believers who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of their testimony over the past 20 days of spreading the love and teachings of Jesus in this land (Saudi Arabia). I have lost count of the believers who followed in Pastor Abdelrahem’s footsteps, people who have been attacked, with some of them losing their lives in violent ways because of their faith. The number is tragically high. Yet for every man or woman martyred, at least 20 to 50 or even more come to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The seed sown in this soil has yielded a harvest of 10, 30, or 100-fold, and it continues to bear fruit. Nothing in this world, nor hell itself, can stop the work that God is accomplishing through these obedient servants. About two days ago, several relatives of the sheikhs who were raised up from their comas, including two of their own cousins, arrived to help. Last week they paid with their lives, being shot in cold blood while sharing the story of God’s love with people on the street. It is nearly impossible for those who live protected lives to grasp the brutality and the evil that so many endure throughout their lives. This is the reality of true followers of Jesus Christ in the Mideast today, as well as many other places around the world.
I would like to share with you, dear friends of the House of Blessing, the overwhelming joy people experience when they receive a copy of the Holy Bible, translated into Arabic. To them it is like honey, a delight beyond compare. They desire the Bible even more than food, clothing, or anything else. The number of those choosing to accept Jesus as their Savior is so vast that a single Bible is often shared among entire families, sometimes consisting of 10 to 25 individuals.
It is hard to grasp fully. When the latest and final batch of Bibles was distributed, it was like witnessing a wedding celebration. People were dancing, singing and laughing, and clutching their new Bibles to their chests. What a sight! If only you could have seen the new brothers and the sheikhs receiving the very first copies of the Bible. Their joy was so profound that some wept while others kissed their new books. They were practically bursting with happiness.
It made me wonder how many of our Bibles are sitting on shelves gathering dust from disuse, as in so many countries around the world. It makes me realize how fortunate we are. I cannot imagine my own life without the Bible. It is a sobering thought, for to whom much is given, much is required.
As we read the Book of Acts in the New Testament, it becomes clear that the power of God’s Word to transform souls is truly supernatural. The Spirit of God empowered a clumsy, boisterous, and talkative fisherman, Peter, to deliver a sermon that led 3000 people to fall to their knees, pleading to know how they could mend their relationship with God.
As the Word of God spread, more and more people came to realize that Jesus of Nazareth, who had recently been crucified, truly was the Son of God. Before long, these new believers faced persecution and some were even killed for their faith. The Apostle James was beheaded early in the first century, and shortly thereafter Stephen was stoned to death for his testimony. Yet the progress of the early church proved unstoppable. The Book of Acts notes that soon many priests had also converted.
I would like to share a bit of news with you. Ever since the attack on Abdelrahem and the others, whenever I asked the pastor about his health, he replied that he is doing well. He says he knows that God has placed him exactly where he wants him to be, and that when the time comes for him to move elsewhere, God will make a way for that to happen. He repeatedly affirms that his entire life rests solely in the hands of God.
Since that incident, thousands of people have been touched by the gospel of forgiveness and hope, offered only by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The message of the Gospel has also reached a great number of tribal sheikhs. In fact, one of the men who was with the pastor that day and was left for dead, was the son of a tribal sheikh. Both men who were with the pastor during the attack were healed right before the eyes of these sheikhs and 400 other people. As a result, this sheikh set a goal to reach 50 other sheikhs, some of whose names have been sent to you. He has since been leading them one by one toward a genuine commitment to their Creator through Jesus Christ.
As I mentioned previously, Pastor Abdelrahem remains in a wheelchair, as do sheikhs Hayel and Arshid. All three have very little, if any sensation in the lower parts of their bodies. They dedicate all their time to training new missionaries to reach the countless people who know nothing about the God of love, a God who is willing to pay the ultimate price to redeem humanity. All God asks of us as human beings is that we choose to make him the Lord of our lives.
Thousands of people, including many sheikhs and their followers have made this commitment over the past few months, having lost everything. They are now attempting to stay out of sight of the regime. Most have brought with them only what they could carry. They sold all their possessions to finish payment and provide support for the new printing press, purchasing paper and ink to spread the message and love of Jesus. Is this not a magnificent manifestation of the greatness of the Lord?
While reading the Bible, I came across a passage that describes another pastor and the ministry in which he was engaged. It begins in 2 Corinthians 6:3:
3 “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way, in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots and hard work, sleepless nights and hunger, 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech, and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left, 8through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known yet regarded as unknown, dying, yet we live on; beaten and yet not killed; 10sorrowful yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (NIV)
One thing is certain, none of us can accomplish any work of any value in the Kingdom of God without the power and influence of the Spirit of God — not you, nor I, or even Pastor Abdelrahem could. He has also stated time and again that any great work he accomplishes, regardless of how many people God may have reached in recent months through this latest project, holds no intrinsic value in itself. We are God’s people. We either act upon the inspiration He gives us or we do not. Abdelrahem’s role is to go forth and carry out what He desires. Our role is to pray for him and assist him in meeting the urgent need for copies of the Bible to provide to these individuals as they begin the new lives in Christ.
As an aside, I would like to let you know that Brother Omar is the one who will be taking care of all the printing here.
His servant forever.
Dr. Nibras.
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Dr. Nibras mentioned a list of names that were sent to me by email. These are sheikhs that have, for the most part, already accepted the Lord. The rest will probably have done so by the time you read these names. I know that Arabic names are very difficult for westerners to pronounce, much less memorize. It was a challenge to even type the list, and I hope I got them right. But these men need, and have asked for, our prayers. If you could just put the list of names before the Lord as you pray for HOB, the Lord knows each of these men quite well, and He has no problem with middle eastern names! Please pray for these men, their families, and the thousands of followers/souls they represent.
Dar’amah, Arida, Bahloul, Fawaz, Awad, Mahmoud, Mu’taz, Ashraf, Abu Fawaz, Abu Khalil, Abu Hleil, Abu Anas, Abu Naji, Fares, Jawad, Abbas, Abu Rateb, Abu Lyad, Taym, Abu Nizar, Wahib, Fathi, Fathallah, Ya’qub, Fawaz, Munther, Manshar, Ayoub, Wahdan, Al-Muqbiti, Mashawi, Abu Lu’ay, Aishan, Shibli, Hazan, Azzam, Tannous, Abu Al-Makarem, Abu Al-Haija, Abu Hadba, Abu Shukri, Abu Elias, Abu Daoud.
In conclusion, Dr. Nibras joined Abdelrahem, Hayel, and Arshid in southern Saudi Arabia. All three men are in very poor condition, yet active as is reported above. Their legs are, however, extremely swollen, infected, teeming with bacteria. All three are in wheelchairs. Dr. Nibras is doing everything possible by changing dressings, and teaching others to do the same. He has a great fear of gangrene. As many of you will remember, Pastor Rashid fought with gangrene again and again in his years of ministry. One of the problems is that they are out in a very hot desert region. Treating injuries like the men received is very difficult under those circumstances. So, please pray!
As to the new printing press, materials are being printed as quickly as possible, and as they have the necessary supply of paper and ink. HOB is concentrating mostly in two regions and working out from them. One in the southwest by the name of Abha, and about 364 miles (586 km) to the east, in Sharurah.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Both are very much needed and HOB is most grateful for your help. Major war is imminent but multitudes are being reached before the door of the ark closes! Jesus is coming!
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)