Many of the readers and supporters of the Mideast Updates are aware of the tremendous harvest of souls the Lord has brought into the Kingdom of God through the faithful ministry of the House of Blessing missionaries. The reports coming in from the varied locations around the mideast continue to amaze me. There is probably not one of us that wouldn’t like to see such things for ourselves. But, God has His people placed in different locations around the world for His own purposes. In the end we will see that God knew exactly what He was doing all along!
There is something that I would like to address, however. How many of us feel guilty because we don’t see the same kind of harvest through our own faithfulness to the Lord? It made me think of the prophet Jeremiah. Do you know that Jeremiah saw zero results from his ministry in 40 years of faithful service? From our perspective, it would seem that Jeremiah was totally unsuccessful. The poor man had to watch as the people of his nation were invaded and taken captive to Babylon three times. The first time King Nebuchadnezzar invaded was in 605 BC. The second invasion was in 597 BC and the third in 586 BC. More people were taken captive each time and when the Babylonian army invaded the last time, they destroyed the city of Jerusalem as well as the Temple.
Year after year Jeremiah did his best to turn the minds of his people toward Yahweh but to no avail. The opposition against him got so bad he fought with the desire to quit. In fact, he cursed the day he was born. There was a reason he was known as the weeping prophet. He witnessed some of Judah’s darkest days. As humans, we judge success by the numbers and Jeremiah had none to show after all those years. God, however, judges differently than we do. Jeremiah had done exactly as God had asked of him.
When it comes to doing the Lord’s work, our role is to be faithful and serve. God has kept the responsibility of bringing the results to Himself. We are told in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” Only God can bring faith to the spiritually dead. God’s salvation has been a work of His grace throughout history, both in the Old Testament times and throughout the Church Age and it will still be by His grace even during the Great Tribulation. Our usefulness to God is not measured by the size of ministry or the numbers being reached. It is measured by our faithfulness. This is what pleases God.
Think about the Sunday School teacher that was used to touch the heart of the great evangelist Billy Graham. How many other inconspicuous people have been used by the Lord to have the right words for someone who later on was used in a great way in God’s kingdom? How many souls are stirred because a grandmother has faithfully prayed for her children and grandchildren? How about the times God has put it on someone’s heart to share a financial gift — no matter how small? None of us has any idea what God has done behind the scenes because of the faithfulness of God’s people. I believe it was Billy Graham that said, “Little is much when God is in it.” When we have finished with this life and enter the eternal one, we will find out that God took the little seeds we planted on this side of eternity and turned them into a harvest that we could never have expected! Staying wholly dependent upon God ensures that His purposes are accomplished, and not our own. So Be Encouraged!!
Now to the House of Blessing…
As most of you are aware, there have been an extraordinary number of Muslim sheikhs who have been reached with the Gospel. One after another makes a point of testifying before crowds having gathered for Friday sermons and prayers. Sometimes the response is nearly universal, with most of the gathered crowd submitting to the Lord Jesus after hearing the testimonial. Many times it is because of miracles that happen before the eyes of everyone present. There are other times, however, when the testimony is given, that extremists jump up from the crowd and attack those giving testimony and anyone supporting them. In the end, God always takes what the devil has intended for evil and turns it into good. One way or another, the Word of God is proclaimed and the seeds that are planted, watered, and God eventually brings about a harvest. The account below is one example.
One of the sheikhs who has become a follower of Jesus not long ago, a man named Kaabar made the decision not to go to morning prayer as he normally did, but went later. Sheikhs Al-Awiwi, Al-Shomri, and Zaltimo went with him as support. There were about 530 people gathered when the men arrived. Not only did he intend to testify to his faith in Jesus but also to tell the story of how the Lord had healed his wife. When the time was right, Kaabar gave his testimony. He testified that he had been a sheikh for over 30 years and had never seen a miracle like what happened to his wife. He also shared his faith with the crowd. After sharing his heart with the people, the men were able to teach the people from the Scriptures. There were some in the crowd that objected but the people knew Sheikh Kaabar and his wife well and loved them. They were so anxious to hear the Word of God that those objecting were silenced. I was sent what was taught to the people and have included it below as requested.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John 10:30; John 14-7-16; Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:26-27; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 9:28
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. That we are saved by Grace, through Faith. Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 2:8-9; Ephesians 1:7
We believe in the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. John 14:26; John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26; Galatians 5:22-24
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. 1 Corinthians 15:49-52; Philippians 3:20-21
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 2:2
We believe in the assurance of salvation for every believer through the shed blood of Christ who atones for our sins for all time. Ephesians 1:13; Jude 1:24; Hebrews 7:25; John 10:29
As you can see, the doctrines being taught are solid and straight from the Scriptures. The people are also taught that God’s people are to love one another, share the Gospel with the lost, and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel if need be. They are also taught the shortness of time to the return of the Messiah.
Another report I received was in reference to an unusual miracle. Some of the brothers reported that in one location, at least 1180 people had responded to the Gospel and had flocked to the mosque. The elders began to pray for the people and many were blessed in miraculous ways. At the time they were gathered, the outside temperature had risen to 46-48 C (approximately 115-118 F). The electricity had been cut off meaning there was no relief available through the air-conditioning system. The power is only available for about five hours in many places. As the people were enjoying the presence of the Lord and worshipping Him, they began to ask for the Lord’s favor by bringing some relief from the extreme heat. As they were praying, they began to notice moisture appearing on the inside of the mosque and running down its walls. This moisture helped to bring some balance to the very hot dry air, and some relief to the worshippers. They also noticed an unusual light emanating, but could not tell from where it came. In addition to the moisture and the light, they began to smell the fragrance of jasmine in the air. The love of God which was so obvious brought the people to deep felt thanksgiving and tears for a long period of time.
After the time of worship, the people had a feast including bread, cheese, watermelon and lemonade with mint and ice. Even though it was a simple meal, the people said it was the best food they had ever tasted! The presence of the Lord makes all the difference!
There is another interesting story that was sent to me about a sheikh from the Hama Governorate. His name is Bazlamit. He was given a Bible about two months ago. Bazlamit was the head sheikh of a mosque, with a regular attendance of over 700 people, and was quite well known. Although some didn’t notice it, other Muslims in the crowd found it odd that Bazlamit began praying for the people by laying a Bible on them and reading from Psalm 103, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 6, and Jeremiah 17:14. It was, however, hard to argue with the results of his prayers. People were healed of skin diseases, others suffering from alopecia, others with hearing loss, and even women who were unable to bear children. Bazlamit’s wife Huriya helped him when he was dealing with women. I suspect we’ll soon get reports that these women have become pregnant.
People had had Muslim prayers over them for years but with no results. Now, all of a sudden, many miracles were happening. The people began to bring Bazlamit and Huriya gifts; goats, rice, sugar and even money. He didn’t keep any of it but gave everything to the poor people. Bazlamit and Huriya are from Rastan, which is a city between Hama and Homs, Syria.
I have mentioned in previous updates that there are many people coming across the border from Iran into Iraq. Many of these belong to the House of Blessing community of believers. Quite a number of them have already made it and located HOB brethren who are doing everything to help them. There are many more coming. There are hundreds of them who were incarcerated at the infamous Evin prison in Tehran. From information I have been able to find, this prison held a few hundred prisoners in the early 70’s. The prison’s population grew to over 15,000 by 2025. It is a prison that is known for its brutality. Most of the prisoners are there for expressing their opposition to the present regime. There are, however, also hundreds — if not more — who are of a different religious persuasion than the particular brand of Shia Islam that is practiced by the Ayatollah’s regime in power. This included many hundreds of believers that belong to the House of Blessing community of believers.
It was when Israel bombed the entrance to the Evin prison that an untold number of prisoners were able to escape. Although there are videos being circulated showing many areas of the prison being hit by missiles, it has been proven that these videos were AI generated. Israel was only interested in setting political and religious dissidents free. There were casualties but the real numbers are different from what is being propagated for the sake of negative propaganda against Israel. What else is new??
As I continue to receive information from the former prisoners of the Iranian prison in Tehran, I will write another update to tell their stories. I also have a detailed listing of HOB teachers and their helpers that I will include in the next update. Bibles and teaching booklets are being printed as fast as the funds are available. Printing is being done in both Arabic and Persian. Please continue to pray for all of the House of Blessing and if the Lord lays it on your heart to help with the finances of this ministry, please use one of the two email addresses below to inquire how you can donate. Every dollar is used for ministry. There is no paid staff. Thank you all for your help! Time is running out.
Forever in His Service,
Jake (aka Jack)