Saturday, December 25, 2021

The Evangelist is Faithful in a Hostile World - Sami Dagher


Sami Dagher

The Evangelist is Faithful in a Hostile World


Key Reference: Revelation 2:8‑11


I am so happy to be in Amsterdam. I have wonderful memories of this

place. In 1971, I was invited to a conference like this. At that time, I

was working in the hotel business. After one week of hearing Dr. Billy

Graham preaching and presenting the needs of the world ‑ especially in

Europe and the Middle East ‑ I was touched by the Lord, and I

accepted the challenge to serve Him. In 1973 I resigned from the hotel

business and started church planting. We were three people at that time ‑ me, my wife, and one

other person. By the grace of God, we have six churches now in Lebanon: four in the Arabic

language for the Lebanese; one for the Sri Lankan people in my country; and one for the Sudanese

residing there. We also have a Bible school to train people in Lebanon so that we can send them

all over the Arab world with the message of Jesus Christ.


So far we have sent a missionary to Africa's Ivory Coast, as well as short‑term

missionaries to Iraq. Now we have an Iraqi man who is continuing ministry in that

country.


All of that comes as the result of obeying what the Lord had said to me in Amsterdam almost

twenty‑nine years ago. My prayer is that you have been listening carefully to the voice of the Spirit

during your time here, and that you will obey what the Lord has said to you.


The subject I have been assigned to speak on is "The Evangelist is Faithful in a Hostile World."

You have heard many preachers this week, and today you are going to hear another preacher. In

my heart I have but one wish for you this morning: I wish that the Lord Jesus Himself would be

able to stand here today in the flesh and teach us about this subject. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Wouldn't you like to hear a message from the mouth of the Lord Jesus?


Beloved ones, this wish would be very heard to fulfill, because when the Lord will come again, He

will not come as a preacher or as a teacher, but He will come in great glory to judge the living and

the dead. But let me assure you, even if He were to come as a preacher, He would not change

one Word of what He has said before. For it is written, "I am the LORD, I do not change" (Malachi

3:6). Because He is God and He changes not, His word will never change.


The passage that we have just read is a message from the Lord Jesus after resurrection to the

angel of the church of Smyrna. In His message, He encourages the angel, and He gives him some

directions and orders. He says to him: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life"

(Rev. 2:10b).


Dear brothers and sisters, we evangelists are stewards of the mysteries of God. And a steward is

entrusted to be faithful in all situations of life, without exceptions. There is no excuse for

unfaithfulness. This morning I have a few thoughts I want you to know:


I. Hostility is expected whenever we take a stand for Jesus.


In John 17:14, Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, "I have given them Your word; and the world

has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."


Paul says, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).


According to the teaching of our Lord and the teaching of the Holy Spirit, there is no escape from

persecution, because we are hated by the world. All of us face different persecution ‑ mental and

physical. And we have to be prepared to face it. Jesus tells us, "A servant is not greater than his

master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20).

Many times, we as believers are ashamed to speak out for Christ. We are ashamed to carry our

Bibles because of the pressure and persecution of the world. Why? Because we have not been

prepared for this kind of pressure or this kind of persecution. Our problem is this: when we present

the gospel of Christ to other people, we usually only portray a picture of peace, stability,

happiness, and joy. As a result, new believers are often shocked when they face problems,

suffering, pressure, and persecution.


Of course we do have peace, joy, and happiness in Christ. But we must explain what that means

to the people we are trying to reach. What kind of peace are we talking about, what kind of joy are

we talking about?


We should know and make clear to our listeners that the peace and joy that we have in Christ is

not a guarantee for us against hardships, sufferings, and persecutions. Again Jesus says, "These

things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation;

but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).


So in Him we have peace. In Him we have victory. But in the world, we shall have tribulations.


Jesus made it very clear that the world would hate us: "I have given them Your Word; and the

world has hated themY" (John 17:14a). We are hated by the world not because we are bad, but

because we have the word of God.


We are not only hated by the world, but we are also strangers of the world. Referring again to that

same verse: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of

the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14).


If we were from this world, the world would have loved us, because it loves its own. But we are not

of the world: our goals are different and our nature is different. We are partners of the divine nature.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are strangers in this world.


What does a stranger expect in a foreign land? We all know that a stranger in a foreign land

expects to face trials, problems, and suffering. All of the prophets and saints who have gone before

us have all confessed to being strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They had a trial of cruel

mockers, they were stoned, and they were slain by the sword. It is written that the world did not

deserve them; but they stood faithful to the word of God to the end ‑ in spite of suffering and

persecution (Hebrews 11:38).


So, the first thing we should know is that hostility is to be expected whenever we take a stand for

Jesus. This brings me to my second pointY


II. The upright life of the evangelist gives him respect in a hostile world.


Dear brethren, listen carefully. If we want to escape some of the suffering in a hostile world, we

should live an upright life. Living an upright life gives us respect and reverence in a world that is

hostile to the gospel.


Paul says in Romans 13:3, "Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil." He goes on to say

that if you don't want to be afraid of their power, do that which is good, and you will receive their

praise.


We have been serving in an Arab country for nearly ten years. The people of that country believe

that they have suffered a lot at the hand of the Christians. They look to the Western world as a

"Christian" country. They accuse the West of killing their children and destroying their homes and

their future.


In the beginning, we faced a lot of difficulties. They watched our every step. After a long time, they

discovered that our only goal was to show them the love of Christ. We did not have any hidden

agenda, and we were not looking for profit or material gain. They came to trust us, and they gave

us permission to give tens of thousands of New Testaments in the streets of their cities. To our

surprise, by special order from their president, the Jesus film was shown on national TV, and

some 20 million people watched it.


The reason for the difficulties behind proclaiming the gospel in the Middle East is not only the

fanaticism of other religions, but also the life and the behavior of those who profess to be

Christians. Instead of being a blessing and a light to others, they are stumbling stones.


I encourage you to walk worthy of our calling. As God's word says, "As you therefore have

received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Colossians 2:6).


Daniel lived in a country whose system was hostile to his religion and his faith. He was watched

day and night by his enemies, yet they could not find a fault to be used against him. He was

honest, and he was loved by the king despite his different religion and faith. In the end, his

enemies trapped him, and he was put in the lion's den. But he stood faithful to the end. What was

the result? God moved on the scene and saved Daniel. And the king gave a decree saying, "No

other God should be worshipped but the God of Daniel." I challenge you to be as Daniel and to

stand alone.


In front of our eyes, we have a man who has lived for Christ. His upright life has given him respect,

dignity, and reverence of all people. Dr. Billy Graham's life is an example to every one of us. He is

not ashamed of the gospel of Christ in a modern world. He believes that the gospel is the power of

God unto salvation, and he practices his belief in a hostile world. He is faithful to God's calling,

even though he faces hostility.


Hostility does not necessarily come from rulers and government. Hostility might even come from

friends, neighbors, or family members. The Lord said, "Be faithful until death and I will give you the

crown of life" (Rev. 2:10b). By being faithful and living an upright life, Dr. Graham kept the dignity

and integrity of the gospel of Christ. As a result, he has gained respect and reverence even from

his enemies. He has prayed for kings and presidents, and he has prayed for the whole world.


Dear brethren, it is true that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world. It is true that we are hated

by the world. But our duty and our responsibility is to be the light of this world and to pray for

those who oppose us so that they might come to the knowledge of Jesus our Lord and so find

peace.


In the Old Testament, there is a command from God to His own people. In Jeremiah 29:7 we read:

"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to

the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace."


Paul in the New Testament gives us a similar command in 1 Timothy 2:2: "[Pray] for kings and all

who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." If

we as believers live this kind of life, we will make a difference in the world.


You might say, "We have prayed. We have lived a godly life and we have shown them the love of

Christ, but they still persecute us. They are still opposed to us. What can we do?" That leads me

to my third pointY


III. You should know that faithfulness for the Lord and His gospel is a divine request in

spite of hostility.


Jesus said to the angel of the church of Smyrna: "Do not fear any of those things which you are

about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested,

and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life"

(Rev. 2:10).


Dear believers, a day will come when people will kill us and actually think that they are doing a

service to the Lord. Be faithful unto death, be faithful to Christ, and be faithful to the Word of God.

Jesus is saying, "Fear not. They are going to put you in prison and they are going to persecute

you. Be faithful."


God's problem with the inhabitants of the earth is their lack of faithfulness. He said in Hosea 4:1:

"Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the

inhabitants of the land: 'There is no truth [faithfulness] or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.' "


God has a court case with the inhabitants of the earth. To be able to have a court case, you need

charges. What are the charges against the inhabitants of the earth?


No faithfulness on the earth

No mercy or love on the earth

No knowledge of God on the earth



There are three charges, but the first is unfaithfulness. God forbid that it be said of us that we are

not faithful. Jesus says to be faithful until death, and He will give you the crown of life. When we

hear about the believers who lived under communism and how they were faithful until death, we are

proud of them and we have a great respect for them. May the Spirit of the living Christ help us to

be faithful to death, as well.


You might ask, "Is there a way that will help us to keep up our courage in a hostile world?" Yes,

there is, which brings me to my fourth pointY


IV. The only way that will help us to keep our courage is to remember that JESUS HAS

ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER.


Jesus says in Matthew 28:18: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."


Dear brothers and sisters, we are serving the Lord of glory, the almighty God. We have to

remember that Jesus has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. Not one hair will drop

from our heads without Him knowing about it.



Remember that He is the One who wrote by His hand on the wall of the king and terminated

his kingdom.

Remember that He is the One who sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions so that

they would not hurt Daniel.

Remember that He is the One who walked in the furnace fire with the three Hebrew

children.

Remember that He is the One who gave the order to the water of the river of Jordan to stand

like a wall.

Remember that He is the One who stood at Lazarus' tomb saying, "Lazarus, come forth."

Remember that He is the One who ordered the storm and the sea to be silent.

Remember that He is the One who rose from the dead.



Dear brethren, isn't He worthy to be trusted? Isn't He worthy that we should even die for His sake?

How can we be afraid when we remember these things? How can we be afraid when we look at the

empty tomb?


Be faithful until death. Death is not an enemy anymore for the believer. Death is the way that will

take us to our eternal home. Death is the channel through which we will see Jesus. As it is

written, "While we are at home in [this] body, we are absent from the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6).


One day I was going to a Bible study, and I went through a town controlled by the Druzes' militia.

Two men riding on a motorbike approached me. The one in the back pointed a gun toward me and

waved me to stop. So I stopped. He then came down from his motorbike, sat next to me with his

gun pointed to my side, and said, "Drive!"


When we got off of the main road, I was really afraid. They took me to a building far away from the

town, and within minutes I found myself in a locked room. They took everything from me except

my New Testament.


I prayed and then I opened my New Testament to read, but I was shaking like a leaf. I couldn't

read, so I prayed again. I thought that God would help me, but to my surprise, my fear just grew.

Then I kneeled down and really poured my heart before the Lord. At that moment, this verse came

to mind: "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." I kept repeating this verse in

my mind.


Suddenly I was separated from the love of my wife, my children, my church ‑ and even from life

itself. I stopped shaking and I was only thinking, "I want to see Jesus!" At that time, the door

opened and they took me for questioning. I was like a lion.


To cut a long story short, while they were questioning me, a gentleman came to the room. The

men all stood for him and saluted him. He gave an order that I be sent back to the room. After a

half hour had passed, a young man came back with all my papers and said, "You can go." He was

trying to take me out through the back door, but I told him that I wanted to go through the front to

see the same people who had questioned me and to thank them for letting me go. So I left from

the same door I had entered. I went back to those people and thanked them. Then I promised to

come back to drink a coffee with them the next week. The second week I returned with a Bible and

a letter explaining the way of salvation to them.


Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.


Paul, facing imminent persecution, understood the importance of his life ministry, but he also

realized what an incredible blessing it would be to be with Christ. He writes, "But if I live on in the

flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard

pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better"

(Philippians 1:23).


Dear brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of physical death. Jesus says, "Do not fear those who

kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body

in hell" (Matthew 10:28).


With that being said, let me give you one final principle that will help each of us to remain strong in

a hostile worldY


V. The evangelist needs wisdom from heaven above.


The evangelist needs wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent. It is written in

Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Then

further down in verse seven we read, "A time to keep silence and a time to speak."


We have to know when to speak and we have to know when to be silent. If we speak when it is

time to be silent, it is dangerous; and if we are silent when it is time to speak, it is also

dangerous.


We need wisdom from heaven above. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of

God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Pray for wisdom, and do not delete from your account the work of the Holy Spirit or forget the great

promises of God. Do not forget this precious promise from Jesus: "Whatever you ask the Father in

My name He will give you" (John 16:23b).


Our problem today is that we have lost the greatest weapon against Satan and against all of our

enemies. I say it with sorrow in my heart ‑ in these days we have lost the power of prayer. We

have neglected this great weapon, which was given to us by God. All the prophets of the Old

Testament and the saints of the New Testament triumphed over the world by prayer.


Elijah was a man like us, and he prayed that it would not rain for three years and six months ‑ and

it did not rain. Later he prayed for rain, and God sent rain.


Joshua prayed for the sun to stop until they finished the battle against their enemies, and God

answered his prayer. And to be able to answer his prayer, God had to change the solar system! It

is written in Joshua 10:14: "And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord

heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel."


Beloved, let us go back from this conference determining to gain back this power which has been

lost, and to pray without ceasing. Pray and believe that our Lord is able. Pray and ask the Lord to

fight for us as He fought for Israel in the times of old.



Let us go back from this conference remembering that we are strangers and pilgrims on

this earth.

Let us go back remembering that we are hated by the world, but loved and sent forth by the

Lord.

Let us go back remembering that our behavior and our upright life will give us respect,

dignity, and reverence.

Let us go back remembering that Jesus has ALL authority in heaven AND on earth.

Let us go back remembering that we can obtain wisdom from heaven above when we ask

for it.

Let us go back remembering that we possess the greatest power on earth ‑ the power of

prayer. And let us remember that the power of the Holy Spirit is ours when we honor Christ.




May the Lord richly bless you.

Amen.




This Amsterdam 2000 speech text is under copyright. The author has rights protected by

international law. This text is not for reprint or republication. The message actually delivered at

Amsterdam 2000 may have differed significantly from this text.


Monday, November 22, 2021

“But the plans were on display …” Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe - Douglas Adams



[Planner] “But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.”

[Arthur Dent] “Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything.”

[Planner] “But the plans were on display …”

[Arthur Dent] “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”

[Planner]  “That’s the display department.”

[Arthur Dent] “With a flashlight.”

[Planner] “Ah, well the lights had probably gone.”

[Arthur Dent] “So had the stairs.”

[Planner] “But look, you found the notice didn’t you?”

[Arthur Dent] “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’.” 

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Thinking - William James Mayo

 38. “The great contribution we can make is to prepare the oncoming generations to think that they can and will think for themselves."

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Property Rights - William James Mayo



5. "Property rights have heretofore been considered sacred; human rights, of less consequence”
William James Mayo (June 29, 1861 – July 28, 1939) was a physician and surgeon in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic. 

Saturday, November 13, 2021

knowledge ... William James Mayo

"Today, it is impossible for any one man to know more than a little of comparatively few things. 




William James Mayo (June 29, 1861 – July 28, 1939) was a physician and surgeon in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic

Saturday, October 09, 2021

legacy - Benny Hester

 


We're leaving a trail wherever we go
Pushin' so hard that we never slow
To stop and wonder what we've left
For this world to know

Somewhere deep in my heart
I wish I knew for sure
What you'd remember of me
When I'm not here anymore
The Lord has a way of healing the past
Of taking your best and makin' it last

I want to leave a Legacy
Of love for you that will add up to
More than this simple man could ever be
I want to leave a Legacy

When the hard winds blow
Like a feather we spin
If we've fallen asleep
We may awaken again
To find we've long been judged
So blind, so deaf
So when it's all said and done
I pray this one thing is left

That I may leave a Legacy
Of love for you that will add up to
More than this simple man could ever be
Lord, help me leave a Legacy

With things unseen, God will bring
Reality from a dream
That's what His Spirit does
Time keeps slippin' away
With every word that I say
He is the good in us

And my hopes and desires
Are what I want you to see
They're not what I am
But what I'd like to be
Jesus died and is risen to redeem mankind
So when all seems lost, keep this is mind

That He has left a Legacy
Of love for you that will add up to
More than any man could ever be
And if God will shed His grace on me
I will have left a Legacy

Oh-oh, yeah
Mm-mmm, yeah
Eric, Nikki and Sue
For you, yeah, oh-oh...
And everybody else, too
For you, yeah, oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

Monday, October 04, 2021

Not I - Anonymous

Not I, but Christ

Be honored, loved, exalted;

Not I, but Christ

Be seen, be known, be heard;

Not I, but Christ

In every look and action;

Not I, but Christ

In every thought and word.

-Anonymous 




Sunday, October 03, 2021

Mission Sketch 3 - Psalm 23 for the Unreached

 


Psalm 23 for the Unreached



Helping a New Generation Enter a New Land

Psalm 23 for the Unreached


Purpose:


To vividly demonstrate the hopelessness of unreached people groups.


Instructions:


Two people stand facing the audience. The Christian (A) reads Psalm 23 from his/her Bible.

Someone from and unreached people group (B) says his/her lines from memory. For more visual

impact, person B can dress in clothing of another nationality.


A: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

Saturday, October 02, 2021

the Cotton Patch Version - Clarence Jordan


Just a word of caution when reading the cotton patch version. In my opinion the New world Translation by the JW's looks like a good translation 

the Cotton Patch Version of Paul's Epistles

....We need to have the good news come to us not only in our own tongue but in our own time. We want to be participants in the faith not merely spectators. When Jesus told the story of "a certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho," every person in his audience may have felt as though he himself were that "certain man" who fell among thieves on the familiar and oft-traveled road. But few of us would feel so personally involved. . . . So the "cotton patch" version is an attempt to translate not only the words but the events. We change the setting from first century Palestine to twentieth-century America. 

Another reason for a "cotton patch" version is that the Scriptures should be taken out of the classroom and stained-glass sanctuary and put out under God's skies where people are toiling and crying and wondering, where the mighty events of the good news first happened and where alone they feel at home. We want Paul's letters to have the simplicity, the humbleness, the earthiness which they had the still had before Christians erected temples of mortar and stone. 


1. And so, when Jesus got through briefing his band of twelve, he checked out of there to teach and preach in their cities.

2. When John, who was in the clink, heard the things the Leader was doing, he sent a message to him by his students. “Are you the Expected One,” they asked, “or are we to wait for someone else?” Jesus replied, “Please go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing—tell him the blind are seeing and the lame are walking, the lepers are getting well and the deaf are hearing, corpses are coming alive and the poor people are being told about the big doings. Tell him, too, that a man is wise not to be turned off by my thing.”

7. As they left, Jesus began talking to the crowds about John: “What did you expect to see when you went out to the backwoods? A bamboo blown this way and that by the wind? Really, what did you expect to see when you went out? A man dressed up in his Sunday best? Listen, well-dressed people live in suburbs. Honestly now, why did you go out there? To see a man of God? Of course! And brother, I’m telling you, what a man of God! He’s the one to whom this Scripture refers:

‘I’m sending my agent to precede you;

He’ll get everything ready for your coming.’

I tell you right now, John the Baptizer is the greatest man that’s ever been born. But, the tiniest baby in the God Movement is greater than he! For ever since John the Baptizer started preaching until right now the God Movement has been infected with violence, and men of violence are taking it over. For until John’s time all the prophets and the law spoke to this point. And if you are willing to admit it, John himself is the ‘Elijah-to-come.’ Now think that over!

16. “How shall I describe this generation? They are like kids playing in the streets and shouting at each other, ‘We put on some rock-and-roll, but you wouldn’t dance; so we put on some funeral music, but you wouldn’t go into mourning.’ For John offered a harsh, rugged life, and people say, ‘The guy is nuts.’ I, the son of man, offered laughter and joy, and people say, ‘Look at that guy. He is a no-good bum who runs around with Communists and peaceniks!’ So, if intelligence can be judged by its fruits, well—!”

20. Then he started lambasting the cities in which he had done most of his works, because they refused to re-order their lives. “It will be hell for you, Columbus; it will be hell for you, Albany; because if Dalton and Calhoun had seen as many mighty works as you have, they would have reshaped their lives right off the bat. But I’m giving it to you straight, Dalton and Calhoun will have it a lot easier on Judgment Day than you will. And you, Savannah, do you think you’ll be praised to the skies? You’ll be sent to hell! Because if the mighty works which have been done in you had happened in Sodom, it would be standing till this very day. But I’m giving it to you straight, it will be easier on Sodom on Judgment Day than on you.”

25. About that time Jesus said, “I fully agree with you, Father, .......

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

lunatic, devil of hell or the Christ the Son of God - CS Lewis

 


“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either he was and is the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

CS Lewis Mere Christianity

Monday, September 06, 2021

I Will Sing Thy Name . . . the Monks of Self Realization Fellowship

 Thought This was ironic and their trying to appear as though they are of Christ

"Two thousand Voices United in Song and Spirit

'I Will Sing Thy Name'

Devotional Chanting by the Monks of Self Realization Fellowship"



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