Saturday, August 15, 2009

Arab Christians

THE largest numbers of Arabic-speaking Christians, be it in whole numbers or as a percentage of each country's population, are found in Syria, Lebabon, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. About 90,000 Palestinian Christians live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while 190,000 live in Israel.

And yet compared to Muslims in those countries, the Christians are a small band of believers. Too often they are persecuted, shut-out of communities, and attacked as they are considered traitors to the Islamic faith. They need to be supported, encouraged, and covered in prayer. And they need God's protection to spread the Gospel of Yeshua to their families and friends. Let us pray that the blinders will be taken from all Muslim eyes.



CHALLENGE TO YOU: 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus

August 22 - September 20, 2009



  • The 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus coincides yearly with Ramadan (a holy month of fasting in Islam).

  • This prayer movement is currently coordinated out of France (previously from Australia), and has been operating since 1993.

  • It calls upon Christians to make a concerted but respectful effort during that month to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbors—across the street and around the world.



"A fascinating new book, My Enemy, My Brother, has just been published that was written by a Palestinian man who was born and raised in Jerusalem. During the 1967 war, as the fighting between Jordanians and Israelis was at its most intense in the battle for the Holy City, Hanna Shahin begged God to save all the members of his family from death, and if God did that, he promised to serve the Lord in full-time ministry for the rest of his life. In a series of gripping events that Hanna shares in the book, the Lord heard that prayer and answered it in an amazing way. In time, Hanna went on not only to become a minister of the gospel, but one of the most influential Revivalists in the region, using the power of radio broadcasting to beam the good news of Jesus' love and mercy to untold Muslims and nominal Christians throughout the epicenter."

The premise of the book: "We all know how dangerous it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Radical Muslim and a devout follower of jihad. But have you ever stopped to consider just how beautiful -- indeed, miraculous -- it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Revivalist and a devout follower of Jesus instead?"

Some Arab Christians of note:


Michel Aflaq - cofounder Baath Party

Afif Safieh - Palestinian ambassador to the U.S.

Azmi Bishara - Palestinian citizen of Israel member of Knesset

Salim Jubran - member of the Israeli Supreme Court

Walid Shoebat - former Palestinian terrorist



Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Christians
http://30daysprayer.com/muslim/
http://novembercommunications.net