Jesus made what some might consider a harsh statement to his disciples. In Luke 14:27 He said, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.” Human nature, especially in our age — and maybe more so in the West, wince at that. Though many throughout history have made great sacrifices for lofty purposes, and many still do today, it goes against our grain. We desire safety, comfort, security, and pleasure — too often at the expense of doing what God has asked of us. Our unspoken thought is: “Let the zealots, the missionaries, the ministers, live consecrated lives and carry that cross on our behalf.” Granted, not all Christians face the same hardships, trials, sufferings or persecutions, but, if we’re not careful, we risk compromising God’s mission for the path of least resistance. The New Testament and 2,000 years of church history is full of crosses, chains, stonings and scars, beatings and worse, and we thank God that those days are gone. But are they? Not for a large percentage of the true Church around the world.
The cost of following Christ is great, but the cost of not following Him is greater. Every human being pays an extremely high price — either the cost of discipleship or the cost of opting out of it. The cost of opting out is much greater. Holding on to a little bit of sin and self destroys intimacy with our God and renders our life relatively fruitless. Hanging on to our own agenda regardless of God’s agenda for us means missing out on the blessing of walking in His steps and in the power of His Spirit. Now that is costly!
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his own soul?” Jesus is the one asking. What He means is: Having revealed the cost of following Him, He now asks: “Are you willing to pay the price of not following Me? “Jim Elliot, Christian missionary martyr in Ecuador many decades ago, put it this way: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” That is worth some serious thought.
Now to the House of Blessing…
I received several reports from the House of Blessing within two days. Many of you received special requests for prayer. I have transcribed the reports below just as I received them so you are aware of how things unfolded. I did very little editing. The first short message was received on the morning of March 22, 2026:
Greetings to all:
I just received a very special call from brothers Hayel and Arshid from northern Iran. They told me of a pressing need for prayer that I wish to share with you all. Many of you, dear readers, have prayed for and supported HOB for many years. I was informed that Pastor Abdelrahem suffered a very severe heart attack and is now in a coma. As most missionaries do daily, he was praying with hundreds of people. While the House of Blessing is exploring the possibility of admitting him to a hospital, a private room has been prepared for him by some brethren, and I am in contact with the doctors overseeing his care.
Just prior to this, Arshid and Hayel mentioned that four very well known sheikhs had just finished praying with Abdelrahem, resulting in more than 13,000 people converting to the faith in Jesus Christ and participating in a prayer of repentance with them. The names of these four men are Sheikhs Darwish, Al Tarani, Al Attari, and Malsama.
Please lift up these men to God in your prayers. We have witnessed many miracles. Let us trust in God to perform another. The harvest of souls is great, and there is a great need for harvesters.
On another note, it has been confirmed that an additional 63 missionaries from the House of Blessing have passed away due to the bombing in the mosque a few days ago. They join the 113 brothers who were preaching the word of God and subsequently killed when the bomb was exploded and Pastor Abdelrahem was nearly killed. Please pray for their families, for patience and comfort.
Time is very short, and our Messiah is at the door. Let us all complete the mission God has entrusted to us to the best of our ability.
His Servant Forever,
Dr. Nibras
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I received another email later the same afternoon on March 22, 2026:
My brother Jack, peace be upon you and all the beloved of Jesus. Just to clarify, this morning four sheikhs came to Pastor Abdelrahem and declared their faith, accepting Jesus as their Lord. They requested baptism and declared all their followers as well. Abdelrahem, Hayel,and Arshid were overjoyed.
Then news reached Abdelrahem of the deaths of an additional 63 people who had been injured in the explosion that killed 113. He went to pray and supplicate to God, asking for help for them (HOB), and for the shortage of Bibles and teaching booklets. He said, “We are in the age of the Gospel’s greatness and the Lord’s imminent return, and we cannot provide enough for these people.” This is when he suffered a severe heart attack, and two doctors were called. I contacted them, and they told me he had fallen into a coma; his heart was still beating, but he was not moving. We ask only for your prayers, my brother Jack. We are helpless; we don’t know what to say. We can only pray for him.
Servant of the Lord,
Dr. Nibras
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A third email was received from brothers Ma’touq and Aylout on the afternoon of March 23, 2026:
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack. This is Ma’touq and Aylout. We have been teaching the new sheikhs who have believed and confessed Jesus, and the 13,000 new believers they have brought with them. This story has increased their faith, and there are other souls who will come as well. There are long lines of people waiting, and you will hear, and we will tell you more stories of sheikhs who will soon be converted, and we will facilitate their baptism.
We have moved Abdelrahem to a monitoring room because we don’t want to draw attention to him. We have endured many surprise attacks and we must be very careful, now more than ever. You also know this from reports from the HOB missionaries. As believers, we know that physical death separates us from this earth, from our families, our friends, and our loved ones, but only for a short time. But death without Jesus Christ separates our loved ones from the presence of God forever. Jesus did not downplay this message; rather, he was very clear about the eternal dangers we risk. He clearly said, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Luke 13:5). The twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Luke is full of warnings, perhaps the most prominent of which is found in Luke 12:4-5:
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear; Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
Eternal separation from the God of all creation is hell. And the only way to the Father is through His son, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all who call upon His name. May understanding this eternal truth convince us, motivate us, and encourage us to live and preach the Gospel as the missionaries of the House of Blessing missionary organization do every day. May the God of all creation strengthen and encourage us to do so as well.
Your brothers, servants of the Lord,
Ma’touq, and the brothers Hayel, Aylout, and Arshid
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A fourth email was received a few minutes after the third one above. It came in the afternoon of March 23, 2026:
Peace be upon you, my brother Jack, and upon all the followers and loved ones of Jesus. After a large meeting between myself, the elders, and the community, my brothers and sisters Fatima, Sarah, Hafiza, and Mufida — and after the study I conducted with Sheikh Zakaria, it seems that with all these successive events, and the new ones that follow every day, many believers in God seem to have become disheartened and weary. We, however, must remain faithful and continue on whatever path God has called us to. As Pastor Rashid and Pastor Abdelrahem taught us, and as we follow in their footsteps and remain true to our commitment, we will not falter in serving in the Lord’s work and spreading His Gospel. Our merciful Father has promised to help us until the end — and we are indeed on the verge of that very end — the end of this present age. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, who understood the message well and was inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
35Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:35-39
I wonder if we sometimes think that missionaries are immune to discouragement. This is absolutely not true. They get tired and exhausted, often worn down by hunger, illness, the harshness of nature, or even physical attacks from those who hate the message they spread. Missionaries, like everyone else, get sick, discouraged, and exhausted. They also suffer from hunger, cold, and dampness, and they don’t get enough sleep. They must sometimes wonder if the Christian world has forgotten them. I don’t think so. There is a merciful Lord who speaks to their hearts. Therefore, we must pray for them.
Please, brother Jack, thank them for us. We love them with all our hearts and know that they have not, nor will they ever abandon us. There is a great distance between us and you, but we feel you are very close because we will meet in the same intimate presence with our Lord.
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord forever
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The fifth and final report, again from Dr. Nibras, contained extraordinary news, and was received on the morning of March 24, 2026:
Today, we had a great event that I would like to share with you, and we will undoubtedly hear more about it in the near future. I received two short but heartfelt calls from Ma’touq, Hayel, Aylout, and Arshid from northern Iran, where they are conducting the baptism of 13,000 people with the help of the elders. As they told me the story, and as they witnessed firsthand the hourly deteriorating condition of Pastor Abdelrahem, it didn’t take long for them to realize that their mentor and dear friend was dying. His heart had stopped beating, his face had turned pale, and he showed no signs of life. His lungs and heart had both ceased to function. It was very difficult for the four men to say goodbye to Pastor Abdelrahem after they had done everything they could to save him. Not wanting to tell anyone yet, they could only cover him with a blanket, continue praying, and watch over him. They continued like this for an hour.
Then something supernatural happened…
From Father Abdelrahem’s perspective, he suddenly found himself in a place quite foreign from the room and bed he had slept in. He described the place as incredibly beautiful, full of lush plants, beautiful trees, lakes, rivers, birds of every kind everywhere, and children laughing and playing in every corner. He also said that he met very friendly people who were kind to him. And then a handsome old man approached him (in his bed) and placed his hand on his chest. This man had a strong hand that pulsated with tremendous energy.
Here we turn to Aylout, Hayel, Arshid, and Ma’touq, and how the story began for them. They saw a handsome old man, radiant and very tall, possessing great power and presence that illuminated the entire room with a brilliant light. The man had a white beard and indistinguishable eye color. He said that he had been sent to revive Father Abdelrahem. Ma’touq and his companions were intimidated by the man’s presence, and were, of course, also quite exhausted from baptizing so many people. They had by this time lost hope for Pastor Abdelrahem. The doctors had confirmed to them that he had passed away. They took one final look at him before covering him with a blanket. The man stepped over to the lifeless body of Abdelrahem and placed his hand on his chest and commanded him to rise. The four men were astonished but overjoyed to see Father Abdelrahem come to life! He raised up and sat up. The men couldn’t contain their joy! They raised their hands in praise and gratitude to God for what was happening before their very eyes. The bearded tall man then asked them to leave the room, and they did. As Abdelrahem stood up and sat smiling, this heavenly being talked about many things with him. The white-bearded visitor told Father Abdelrahem that he was doing a good job and that he should return and continue the same work. He said, “We are happy with what you are doing! Well done!” Then he disappeared. They had no idea where he went!
Naturally, questions arise: “Who did he mean by, ‘we’? Was this Jesus Himself in disguise, while also referring to the Father and the Holy Spirit? Or was it one of God’s angels, like those we read about in the Bible maybe referring to other angels as well and maybe even all those in heaven who might know what was happening in the Middle East with Pastor Abdelrahem and the House of Blessing?” I don’t know, and Pastor Abdelrahem himself seems unsure. Personally, I think it was an angel sent to rescue him, but my role is limited to recounting Pastor Abdelrahem’s story as it was told to me. I, (Dr. Nibras) was not with them.
After speaking with Pastor Abdelrahem, the shock of the events did not leave the men! He was dead for at least an hour, yet here he was very much alive! They began kissing his hands, weeping, and praising the Lord — wondering if they were dreaming or experiencing reality. Perhaps many things will only become clear when we are all finally in heaven. There are many things that will become clear to us all, things that seem illogical in this world.
One of the things that resulted from Pastor Abdelrhem’s resurrection from the dead was that it sparked great celebration and joy among the congregation of believers at the House of Blessing, as well as across the entire HOB community of believers across the Middle East. Many people flocked to him seeking prayer. There is a new anointing, a new strength, and a renewed influence on people and among them. This will yield a bountiful harvest of souls.
My brother Jack, we worship a merciful Lord who is kind to His servants. I will inform you if further news becomes available, but our joy is very, very great!
Your brother,
Dr. Nibras, servant of the Lord
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It is amazing how much can happen in a couple days or a week. In the past year, the moving of God’s Spirit throughout the House of Blessing community of believers has been stunning and the events have been unfolding rapid-fire. I am aware that many people are not fans of doing a lot of reading, but these Mideast Updates have become longer and more frequent. The spiritual world is invading the physical world, both the good and the evil. There is a tremendous harvest of souls being brought in at this point in history. What is happening today truly is historic. Could it be that we are experiencing at least a portion of the latter rains spoken of in Scripture? I believe people all over the world are being saved right out of the fire. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus put it this way:
20But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22And on some have compassion, making a distinction, 23but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Jude 20-23
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Today’s update is a strong example of an answer to the prayers of a great many people. Please continue to keep all of the House of Blessing in your prayers. Financial gifts are gratefully appreciated to cover the great cost of printing Bibles and teaching booklets. A special thank you to all who responded so quickly when the need was mentioned to cover a $2500 tax bill received by HOB’s underground print shop. Two of the gifts that came in, were enough to cover it. The additional funds coming in will immediately be applied to the running balance to make it possible to continue printing more Bibles and teaching booklets. The truth of the matter is that HOB is always printing way ahead “in faith,” if you know what I mean! Thank you again. God cannot be outgiven! For any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either email address below.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)