A Stick or a Tree?

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We bought two fig tree saplings three months ago. We promptly brought them home and planted them in our yard. One flourished and has already doubled in size but the other wilted losing the original leaves we brought it home with. For over a month it resembled a stick shoved into the ground. I was about to yank it out and replace it when I walked out of the door this week and found what is pictured above: two new leaves budding on the very top of this supposedly dead stick.

This fig tree reminds me of the young church in Morocco and other parts of the Muslim world. It goes through long periods in the “stick stage” where no growth is visible. I have been tempted to pull it out of the ground thinking it is just a dead stick we have idealistically thrust into the dry sand of North Africa.

But while I judge above ground there is a whole work going on below as the roots slowly take hold deep below the surface. The roots are learning to draw on the substance of Christ and feed the whole stick. Then to my surprisea leaf springs up and then another. My weak faith, shown in the fact that I have not yet yanked out the “stick” but have stopped watering it, becomes sight and I am drawn to praise the Creator who gives life in miraculous ways. 

      The work of planting churches in the Muslim world requires great confidence in the power of the seed. The visible fruit does not come quickly. There may be no culture more opposed to Christ and His Word that Satan has devised. It is a hard ground on the surface for the workers of the harvest. But God loves to get glory by planting a strong church rooted in the grace of Christ deep into every soil of this world. Would you consider joining the effort to plant churches in North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, and the Far East where 2 billion Muslims live outside of the reach of the Gospel? 

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A Prophet of their Own

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In light of recently finding out that a new “believer” actually is a police informant I found this following poem written by a North African 100 years ago to be quite instructive for the trusting foreign missionary encountering the Muslim facade for the first time.

It reminded me a lot of what Paul said in Titus 1:12, “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always…”

You can never know man
By a mere surface scan
Or a glance at his face. You must pierce to his heart
And be ever alert
If his motives you’d trace.

The man is not honest
Because he has promised
To grant you tour wish;
For a promise may be
Like a net in the sea
That catches no fish.

Behind many a smile
There is hidden a wile,
So watch for this dart;
For a man’s smile may be
Like the fruit of a tree
That’s rotten at heart.

When men in your presence
Bow down in obeisance
Beware of their words;
For obeisance may be
But a trick of the knee
For hiding their swords.

When men bring you a gift
Then forget not to sift
The motive behind;
For these presents may be
Giving two to get three,
As we often find.

When men come to borrow
Put off till to-morrow
And take time to think;
For this lending may be
Like stones thrown in the sea
Which out of sight sink.

When a man swears by God,
That he will keep his word,
Watch his palavers;
For a man’s oath may be
But the trick of a key
To unlock favours.

When the barber takes in
The penniless orphan,
Shares and trims his head;
Such a free gift may be
Good opportunity
To teach boys the trade.

So keep your eyes open
Trust not the word spoken,
Dig beneath the smile;
Set a watch on yourself
Lest the robber by stealth
Gets in to make his kill. 

The solution to this duplicity that is so deep in the Islamic culture? We are tempted to do the following:

1. Trust anyway. This results in the missionary being naive and burnt time after time. He gets hurt. His family gets hurt. His church gets hurt. He doesn’t adjust from his culture of trust to this new culture of suspicion. The nationals think he’s lovable but just too naive to be of any use.

2. Reject the sin, the culture, and the people. This results in such discouragement and lack of deep relationships with the people that the missionary goes home.

3. Reject the sin, the culture, but not the people. This results in the missionary turning into an island living in the host culture. He distrusts everyone. He groups all of the nationals into one lump of contempt.

Paul knew Titus faced this same situation. He quoted a poet of the Cretans, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” He quoted the poem not because he hated the Cretans but because he loved them enough to be honest about the struggles they faced and the decisions Titus would need to make while working with this people. So his solution?

1. Reject the sin

2. Rebuke the sinner

3. Teach the Word to faithful men

4. Trust the faithful men in the culture to such a level that they are appointed as pastors and leaders.

He specifically said, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee…Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.”

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Hespress article, Feb. 21, 2015

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Christians Use Facebook and the Radio to Proselytize Moroccan Youth
Moroccan Christians have recently begun an evangelistic campaign aimed at young people through the social networking site Facebook and broadcast under the name “Light of Morocco Radio”. The radio features talk shows broadcasting live openly, by leaving telephone numbers to communicate, and spaces to chat about Christianity.

The organizers encourage Moroccan visitors to contact one of the “mentors” 24 hours a day, about topics covered on the radio like: The Bible, “Halal and Haram in Christianity”, and prayer in Christianity.

Professor Assaruti: “The evangelization of Moroccans did not fade.”

Hespress interviewed an expert on Christian activity, Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Meknes, Dr. Mohammed Assaruti. Professor Assaruti confirmed that this confirms the reality of Christianity in Morocco as many thought that the missionary effort targeting Morocco in the last two years has failed.

Assaruti attributes this targeting of Moroccans for evangelism to a “lack of arrest and deportation of missionaries,  the media phenomenon, and the absence of a political discussion as the oral or written questions in Parliament about Christian evangelism is zero.”

The professor adds that “Christian evangelists seemed to retreat yet that was just a mirage. These organizations are racing against time to overcome the various obstacles faced.”He pointed out that “missionary organizations are making a greater effort to use digital space because of the opportunity to evangelize without restriction or supervision.”

He notices that Missionaries believe that this digital space is not just a new way to evangelize, but a quantum leap that should be invested in for the creation of social connections and strong links between the missionaries and target groups, especially as the number of Internet users in the world is estimated at about two billion people. “

Assaruti stressed that the law prohibits the promotion of the Christian religion. He reported that the missionary organizations singled out the 15 per cent of Moroccans using Facebook. He added that it is difficult to control them even if the government wanted to, which makes it a safe way to spread the Christian religion among Moroccan youth.”

He noted the role played by these electronic means during what is known as the Arab Spring as young people communicate with each other and transfer facts to the world despite the restrictions and censorship campaigns.”

He also stressed that the missionary organization has strengthened its means with telephone numbers for those wishing to learn more about Christ and Christianity, which reveal that the evangelists reside in the country, in addition to more than 15 electronic addresses in order to communicate with the Moroccans, especially the users of Facebook.

Assaruti concluded that missionary activity in recent years increased more sharply than before, taking advantage of advanced technologies offered by modern technology of satellite channels which, and social networks, forums and websites, allows direct communication. Such activity is out of control.

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