As I opened my Bible to read this morning, this passage caught my eye. It reads like this:
Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Concerning the words which you have heard—because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me. I also have heard you,” says the LORD. 2 Chronicles 34:26b-27
The storyline is from the time of King Josiah’s reign over Israel. He had become king while only an 8 year old child. His rule immediately followed the reign of evil king Amon. At the age of 16 he began to search for God in earnest and by age 20 began to eliminate all forms of pagan worship throughout the land. After about six years of purging the land, King Josiah took money that had been set aside and hired workers to begin the repair of the Temple which had been thoroughly cleansed. It was then that the Book of the Law that Moses, written centuries ago, was found. When it was delivered to the king, he had one of the scribes read it to him. After it had been read, the king was so distraught that, in his humility and grief, he tore his robes, exclaiming that God’s wrath was great upon the nation due to the complete disregard of God’s laws and pagan practices having been put into place instead.
The passage above is an example of national repentance, and God honored it. God also, however, honors the humility and repentance of any individual who recognizes Him for who He is, and invites His Lordship into their life. We find these words in John 1:12-13:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God.
This is the basic message presented to the Muslims of the Mideast during Ramadan 2022 by the House of Blessing missionaries. The message of God’s love through the life, death, resurrection, and soon returning King, Jesus Christ, was shared with thousands of families in their tents. As had been the plan at the very beginning of Ramadan this year, each missionary team spent at least an hour at each tent. This provided plenty of time to share the Good News of the Gospel, answer questions, and pray with all that asked to be prayed with.
The HOB missionaries also took a supply of their Oregano tea mix to share with people. The results were quite amazing! The missionary teams reported back having seen hundreds healed of the flu, viruses, and many other sicknesses and diseases.
The reader might remember the story of the four ISIS (Daesh) militants that had been shot in a gun battle with Hezbollah fighters. These four men, who are now followers of Jesus Christ, are recuperating and being taught what being a disciple of Jesus is all about. I am told they are anxious to learn and are doing well in their studies. Their whole perspective on life has radically changed now that they have experienced the love of God. They are now vessels of that same love!
Brother Suleiman and those under his tutelage were able to step in within the last few days of Ramadan and funded the purchase of 1,000 additional Bibles and two full flatbed truckloads of sacked wheat. What a blessing that was—especially for the last few days of this year’s evangelistic effort! God blessed abundantly!
Now that Ramadan is over, the HOB missionaries are going to try and get a little rest. They have been going all hours of the day for the last month and are physically worn out! Many of the men have not seen their families for the entire month.
Pastor R has continued meeting with his key leaders throughout the entire month. Much prayer, fasting, and hours of planning has gone into the last few weeks. It probably won’t be until the Lord calls us all home that we will know the full extent of what God has done in the last few weeks. The fields certainly are ripe for harvest!
Thank you all for your prayers and support. God continues to answer prayer!
Forever in His Service,
Jake