After reading a book written by Brother Andrew, a missionary for the Open Door Ministries, I thought I would share with you some facts. Some are shocking but true.
Brother Andrew learned that there were many Christians Palestinians. As he spoke to the believers, they poured out their pain, especially the pain of not being recognized by the Western World's churches. They wanted those churches to know that they indeed were part of the Body of Christ. Many Christian's in the Middle West are so obsessed with Israel and its place in Biblical prophecy that they completely ignore the Christian Church in Israel, which tody is 85 percent Arab. As a result, the believers there feel lonely, abandoned, and betrayed.
In Gaza there is a small Baptist Church which has been without a pastor for many years. Also, there is a desperately needed mission hospital near there, which has a $1,000,000 deficit and is fighting for survival.
Brother Andrew learned that the percentage of Christians in the Middle East is shrinking at an alarming rate. In Syria and Iraq, for instance, Christians at the turn of the twentieth century comprised between 30-40 percent of the population. Now that number is 3-4 percent. In Palestine and Jordan it dropped from 32 percent to 4 percent over the same period. Christians make up only 1.8 percent of the population in Israel.
To me this is sad for the missionaries who worked so hard and gave up so much to serve the Lord and preach the Word. This is near total failure. What can be done to get the Word out again in the Middle East? Email us-
WE need to hear from you on this subject.
