Thanksgiving in Cairo; ministry in Egypt

We had the awesome privilege to travel to Egypt to come alongside a ministry to the Christian minority there.  We were there during Thanksgiving week and had 3 days of work and 3 days of touring.  Our 3 children who live at home (Savannah, Rebekah and Quentin) also traveled with EB and me.



On six different occasions I spoke to students in both Cairo and Alexandria.  My topics ranged from "How to Experience God's Love and Forgiveness," to "Loving Others by Faith" as well as "Our Joy in Christ," based on John 16:33, a talk I have given frequently as of late.  Notice in the picture above how the guys and girls are separated on different sides of the room.

What a privilege it was for us to fellowship and worship with Arabic believers!

EB spoke with the moms and wives who are part of the ministry there.   As usual, EB was popular among the ladies in Egypt who wanted to keep talking with her long after her session ended.   In this photo, she and Rebekah and surrounded by a group of college students.

 My friend and translator for the week was Bushra.  He and Quentin hit it off well.

Here I am with two heroes of the faith in Egypt.   I am holding a can of cantaloupe Coca Cola.

Typical street view in Alexandria.

One day we spent touring the pyramids.  I was amazed at how big they are!   And I love this picture of Rebekah.  It so captures her personality!

Quentin gets into the act as well!  Nacho Libre meets Tim Lincecum

The camel ride near the pyramids was the touring highlight of our week.  Although Savannah said she also loved shopping and bargaining in the 900 year old bazaar that we visited (more than once) in Cairo.

 

Goats on a roof:  Just another day in Cairo!  Why not, "Fish in a Tree"?

The mosques were plentiful and beautiful in Cairo.   We even saw several with "Christmas lights" but we knew that could not be...

bedouins near the pyramids

McDonalds in Arabic!

On the last day in Cairo, we hung out for awhile at Starbucks.  We knew there was snow in Budapest and wintry weather in the States.   We savored the moment in the warm sunshine and short sleeves on the Starbucks patio.  It was kinda neat too to see Starbucks written in Arabic!

The sunset over Alexandria:  One of my Christian heroes is Athanascius who lived in the 3rd century in Alexandria, Egypt.   Athanascius influenced the church to retain the doctrine of the deity of Christ when it looked like the church would abandon such belief.  From his work, the church received the Nicene creed.  I was grateful to walk the same streets he walked and to teach the same message he taught.

Two weeks in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo

Recently I visited our work among the Albanian peoples that stretch across 3 countries (Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo) in Southeast Europe. As I have reflected back on my trip, the Lord has impressed 4 things on my heart. I have interspersed those reflections among some photos of the trip.

Tirana: the beautiful capital city of Albania



Kyle Collins from Atlanta has a spiritual conversation with an Albanian college student.



Some of the bright smiling faces who are part of our work in Kosovo.

1) What God has done among the Albanian people: In the 1980s Albania was officially atheistic and closed to the outside world. All religious expression was illegal, much the way North Korea is today. Yet now in Albania the number among the evangelical church has gone from less than 20 in 1991 to over 20,000 today. Through the efforts of faithful missionaries, the gospel has gone out among every town, city and village across Albania. However, there is still much work to be done in proclaiming Christ in Albania.

This is me sharing my story of faith with students in Tirana.

Some of the guys who are part of our ministry in Tirana.

2)  What God can do among the Albanian people: The Albanian body of Christ is already sending missionaries beyond its borders. Even more so than that, Albanian missionaries can go into the difficult Muslim countries that American missionaries cannot enter. Albania is the missionary gateway to the rest of the Muslim world.

Outside our hotel in Tirana, Albania was a lemon tree with branches heavy with fruit.  Usually you don't associate Muslims in Europe with "low hanging fruit" but the team from Atlanta thought the word picture was appropriate after our week with college students in Albania

Brent Harrison, of Experiencing Missions International, leads the discussion with college students in Kosovo.

3)  The necessity of church partnerships: In order for the gospel to claim new ground in our world today, there must be partnerships forged between mission agencies and missions-minded churches. The gospel work in Albania, as well as other parts of Eastern Europe, will depend on vibrant, committed partnerships with North American churches to provide encouragement, prayer support, training, laborers and finances. Likewise, many missions organizations can provide on-site logistic support, local contacts and the needed infrastructure for churches to extend their influence into “remotest ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

If your church is looking to establish church partnerships in international locations, particularly Eastern Europe, please contact me.

These are some of the awesome college students we talked with in Tetovo, Macedonia.   This city is traditionally a very difficult place for Christian missionaries so our goal was to make friends and establish some connections.   We were helping "move rocks" and "dig up bushes" that day so that later the soil may be plowed so someone else can sow seed. 

On the main highway through the mountains southeast of Tirana we rounded a corner and had to brake quickly because we didn't expect to be sharing the road with some fellow travelers.

4)  The stewardship given to the North American church: I believe that God has given the American church all that is needed to fulfill the Great Commission in our world today (Matthew 28:18-20) . Yet are we good stewards of what God has given us? Recent studies, according to World magazine, show that the average Christian gives only 3% back to the church and of that money, only 3% goes to missions outside of the USA. Other resources such as training, laborers, facilities, even the English language, go largely to fortressing the church of America rather than proclaiming light in dark parts of the world. Will God remove the lampstand given to the American church (Revelation 2:5)? Will He transfer it to another church? The Asian church? The Latino church? The African church? Perhaps even the Albanian church? "God blesses his people with extravagant grace so they might extend his extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth." David Platt from his book, Radical.

This ole guy offered to sell me this rabbit which was still very much alive for 20 Euros ($28).  When I politely declined he sweetened the deal by offering to slit its throat, skin it and throw it in a big pot of boiling water at no extra charge. 

This sign was at a bridge on the Macdonian border with Kosovo.   After I saw this, I thought twice about joy-riding across the bridge in my tank. 

Matthew 16:21-23: Sin, the belief God really doesn't know what is best for us.

But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests but man’s.” Matthew 16:23

“Religious ‘flesh’ always wants to work for God (rather than humbling itself to realize God must work for it in free grace). That is why our very lives hang on not working for God. Then shall we not serve Christ? It is commanded, ‘Serve the Lord!’ (Romans 12:11) Yes, we must serve Him. But we will beware of serving in a way that implies a deficiency on His part or exalts our indispensability.”
John Piper from his book Desiring God.

This rebuke to Peter directly from Jesus in Matthew 16 must have come as quite a shock to Peter. Moments before Jesus 1) praised Peter and 2) called him a rock and 3) said his words were inspired directly from God (Matthew 16:17-18). Now Jesus reverses those three compliments and rebukes Peters, calls him a stumbling block and says his words are inspired by Satan. The color must have drained from Peter’s face and his jaw must have dropped.

After all, Peter was only defending his beloved Master. For Jesus had just told Peter and the other disciples that the time had come to go to Jerusalem where Jesus must suffer, be killed and rise again on the third day (Matthew 16:21). Peter was selective in his hearing and only heard the words about suffering and dying, not about His resurrection. So Peter, perhaps cocky from the blessing of Jesus, leaped up and exclaimed, “God forbid it, Lord!” That is when Jesus brought the hammer down.

God’s will is set; Jesus’ decision to go to Jerusalem was not an “open” one. The Word of God says Jesus MUST go to Jerusalem and be killed (v. 19). However Jesus’ crucifixion is neither sadistic punishment nor because things spiraled out of God’s control. On the contrary. It is the Father’s loving will that Jesus is crucified and raised. It is no wonder Jesus rebuked Peter so forcefully.

Jesus’ rebuke serves as a warning at several levels. First, this warning speaks to those of us in Christian service. Second, this warning speaks to all people everywhere.

I think those of us in any sort of Christian service can learn from Jesus’ rebuke of Peter. Just as Peter was blessed by Jesus (Matthew 16:17), often times in our ministries we see the hand of His blessing. Then, if not checked, our pride can grow and we begin to think we know better than God what God’s will should be! To varying degrees, we are all guilty of this. But in its extreme, our ministry can become a cult of personality; a ministry or church becomes more about making an individual, a ministry or a church look good rather than making the Lord Jesus Christ look good.

Perhaps even more important is that Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is a warning to all men, everywhere. Peter, probably without realizing the full weight of his comment, was attempting to usurp the very will of God. Sin is the belief that God really doesn’t know what is best for us. We are all guilty of sin (Romans 3:23) and the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Our sin is the reason Jesus went to Jerusalem.

God’s will will be done. Will we futility fight against it? Or will we join Him in the battle? Evil’s best effort was to crucify Jesus. Yet what was meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). For by the crucifixion of Jesus, our sins were paid for! And three days later, just as Jesus promised, He was raised! Because Jesus went to Jerusalem, died on a cross and was raised, all of mankind has hope – hope that is stronger than death! And, most importantly, God receives the glory due Him! Hallelujah! Praise God!

Don’t fight against His will; rather trust in Him, rest in Him, glory in Him.

"You shall be my witnesses...even to the remotest ends of the earth." Jesus in Acts 1:8

Earlier in September I traveled to Orlando to help train a new class of missionaries in how to raise their financial support teams. This is exactly what I did during the 90s when we lived in the States. The training was divided into 4 classes or workshops so the training could be easily individualized.

The workshop that I assisted had a very unique quality. Many of these missionaries pictured above are going to HARD SOIL PLACES: French-speaking Africa, East Asia, Paris (spiritually speaking, Paris is very hard soil)and Islamic parts of Asia.. Many of these have returned for additional training from one year assignments at these tough locations and are going back full-time.

It thrilled me to be part of the equation in getting these missionaries to their remote locations.

It has been my growing conviction that here in Eastern Europe, our staff need standardize training and coaching in the area of fund-development. Each country has developed their own methods; some are successful, many are not. Therefore I brought with me 3 of our Campus Crusade missionaries to learn this training and to help me begin to implement it throughout Eastern Europe.



Here are the three staff from Eastern Europe that were with me in Orlando. They are from Albania, Romania and Moldova. Pictured here is my old boss and friend Ellis Goldstein (2nd from right) who directs all of Campus Crusade's fund developmnet training.



Edi from Albania and Elvis from Romania both try on football helmets for the first time during some time off in Orlando.



I traveled to Kansas a few days before the Orlando training so I could visit our two kids at college. It was also Liz's 20th birthday. No longer a teenager! We had a brief visit with family. Here is Liz along with her grandma (left, Charlotte Biays) and her aunt Sherla (EB's sister).



While in Orlando, I visited Campus Crusade's world-wide headquarters.



When I got back to Budapest, I learned that EB and the kids "rescued" a cat that was abandoned at our veternarian's clinic. Our dog Regan took an instant liking to the yet-unnamed cat and the two are now inseperable. Here they are cuddling on our porch.

Thank you for standing with us in ministry; together we are playing a fruitful part in taking the gospel to the nations.

"Upon this rock I willl build My church and the gates of hell will not overpower it."

Peter says to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” To which Jesus responds, “Blessed are you, Peter…and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not overcome it.” Matthew 16:16-18

John Piper is one of my favorite authors. He opens his book, God is the Gospel, with this compelling question:

If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?

I wish this question was merely rhetorical. But the sad fact is, many people alive today envision a Christ-less heaven, whether by accident or purposely. There was even a best-selling book by Mitch Albom, Five People You Will Meet in Heaven where God is regulated to a very small insignificant role, if even present at all, in His heaven.

Yet Jesus Himself gives us a different picture, from His reign in heaven (Revelation chapter 4 and 5) to His church on earth (Matthew 16:18). The Christian church is His church and not man’s church. The Christian church is the church where Jesus Christ is central. It is the church where Jesus Christ is honored, worshiped, adored, studied and proclaimed. The sad thing is that ironically many churches today, like Albom’s heaven, give very little credence to God.

It has always baffled me why churches exist where Christ is not proclaimed, or perhaps not even believed. Christ may exist in these churches as more of a water-downed self-help guru; certainly not as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” These churches are nothing more than man-centered, feel-good, houses of self worship. Jesus is regulated to a role akin to a cosmic "ShamWow!" salesman. These kinds of churches settle for much less than best because they fail to proclaim a Person much more beautiful, much more just, much more powerful, much more worthy than mere man. And that Person is Jesus Christ Himself.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who emptied Himself in the greatest act of humility our world has ever seen. He took on a human body, lived on planet earth, was delivered up to Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried for our sins. Yet 3 days later Jesus came back to life with a new resurrected body and by it proved that He was God! He invites wayward man into completeness through fellowship with the Father through Him. There is no other like Him; He alone is worthy of our worship and adoration.

If your church is not centered on the teachings of the Bible and on the person of Jesus Christ, then you are not in the church of the Living God; rather you are in a dead church. Leave that “church.” And find one where Jesus Christ is exalted. And it is Christ’s church that the gates of hell shall not overcome!

Throughout history, there have been those who have tried to destroy the Christian church. From Nero to the Communists, enemies of God have risen up, and will continue to rise up, in a futile attempt to exterminate the church.

In an interview I saw recently with Timothy Keller, he said that the “New Atheists” have declared that religion is “the worst thing that has happened to humankind” and these atheists have declared that religion “must be wiped out.” However, they will fail in their goals, just like Nero and just like the Communists. Because a church built upon the Rock, even when the mighty storms come and slam against it, WILL NOT FALL (Matthew 7:25) and the very gates of hell shall not overcome Christ’s church.

Worship, adore, proclaim and enjoy Jesus Christ. For that is His purpose for His church, which is His bride. Christ is central to the universe; from His church on earth to His eternal heaven, the universe exists for the glory of God. To be central on anything else except the Christ, the Son of the Living God is foolish. Hallelujah! Come Lord Jesus, come!

A Summer in Ethiopia: "Heart-breaking injustice, unspeakable poverty."

Our three oldest children (Liz, Ben and Savannah) spent their summer in Ethiopia on a missions project with a Campus Crusade ministry called MK2MK (Missionary Kid to Missionary Kid). Below you will find their words and their pictures describing their experience. A hearty THANK YOU to those who prayed and gave to make their summer mission possible.

LIZ: "Heart-breaking injustice, unspeakable poverty."

I couldn’t put words behind the things I was seeing as I climbed up the pile of trash. The worst stench I had ever smelled entered my nose as the two girls holding my hands helped me find my footing. I tried not to gag. My shoes and pants were covered in mud and filth. I was walking through a dump, and surrounding me were pieces of glass, AIDS tests from a hospital, feces, streams of urine, and much other grime and waste. Also surrounding me were at least a hundred dark faces, young children and frail elderly, digging through it all persistently. This was their existence.

I was walking through the Korah dump. Korah is a slum of over 130,000 people in Addis Ababa. A former leper colony, it attracted the beggars, prostitutes, HIV positive people, and society’s rejects for 75 years, growing into the huge community it is today.

God did many things in my heart this summer. Seeing the poverty, I really began to reflect on the brokenness of the world. However, God has provided the Answer, Jesus Christ. Christ brings hope, and I want to share that hope with the nations.





BEN: "The harvest is plentiful in Ethiopia!"

The ministry I was a part of did initiative evangelism at major Ethiopian
colleges. Because of my evangelism background of Europe, I was skeptical
going into it. But the second we began, I knew that that was right for me. One day I talked to three little boys and within ten minutes they were asking the money question: “How can I have a personal relationship with Jesus?”

I loved my conversations I had with students about the Gospel and God used me and my Ethiopian translator to bring 11 people to Him! Praise the Lord! Ethiopians are so willing and so open about the Gospel. The harvest is plentiful in Ethiopia!





SAVANNAH: "I am more blessed than I ever could imagine!"

When I walked into the nursery at the Ethiopian orphanage, the first thing that caught my eye was a cockroach crawling from the bed sheets into the pillowcase. The filth in the orphanage was overwhelming. It smelled like a mixture of urine and rotting food...I just wanted to go back outside and play with the older kids.

Despite my inner complaints, I was handed a small Ethiopian child, who couldn’t have been more than three years old. My heart broke for the girl whose life was rapidly coming to an end. She had growths on her face that looked like warts, but were caused by her illness—she was HIV positive.

Spending time with the orphans who had nothing but were filled with hope was so heart‐warming. The joy of knowing Jesus was one of the few joys they knew. It was moving to see how content they were, their home being a filthy orphanage with no personal possessions except for the clothes on their backs. It made me realize that I am blessed—way, way more than I could’ve ever imagined.

Jesus: "Who do you say I am?"

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher...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 patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher."

C.S. Lewis, from his book, “Mere Christianity”

Matthew 16:13-17

Jesus is with His disciples in a place called Caesarea Philippi, about 120 miles (195 km) north of Jerusalem. He turns to His disciples and asks them (v.13), “Who do people say that I am?” “John the Baptist”, “Elijah”, “Jeremiah”, “one of the prophets.” The answers pop forth like kernels of popcorn heating over a stove. Then Jesus makes the question personal (v.15): “Who do you say that I am?” It is no longer about what other people think; now it is personal. Every man must decide for himself.

Every man, not only present then with Jesus, but everyman who has ever lived on earth must also decide for himself. In fact, THIS IS the most important question anyone will ever face: “who do you think Jesus is?”

Jesus picked an interesting place to ask this penetrating, all-encompassing, question. Caesarea Philippi was a city known for its worship of pagan gods, particularly a god named Baal. It would be today’s equivalent to Jesus standing outside the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake or an extravagant Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia and asking, “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter’s response to Jesus’ personal inquiry was quick and unhesitating (v.16): “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” “Christ” as used in those days was the Greek form of the Hebrew word, “Messiah.” “Son of the living God” implies a nature superior to that of human; it implies deity, God. Peter throws in an interesting adjective when he says, living God. Jesus is not a dead god like those worshiped in Caesarea Philippi; rather Peter states that Jesus is the living God, the real God, the God Who Is.

How does Jesus respond? Note that Jesus does not rebuke Peter and say, “I am not God; I am merely a prophet.” Rather, Jesus receives Peter’s statement of worship and even blesses Peter for his proclamation.

At the trial of Jesus (Matthew 26:63), the Jewish high priest asks Jesus point blank, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Living God?” Curiously, this is the same title given by Peter in Matthew 16. Again, Jesus does not flinch; Jesus does not deny it. Jesus affirms His own status as Messiah, His own title as Son of God, His own deity, even though it will result in His crucifixion.

We cannot merely say Jesus was just a good teacher or a religious prophet. Jesus never gave us that option. Jesus claimed to be God in a human body, the 2nd person of the Godhead. As C.S. Lewis frames it, Jesus is either Lord, a liar or a lunatic. Personally, I believe He proved Himself as Lord by rising from the dead. We must either accept Jesus on His terms as God or we must reject Jesus completely. One option leads to the forgiveness of sins, friendship with God and eternal life; the other option leads to eternal separation from God.

Who do YOU say Jesus is?

Two fun videos

While in the USA this summer, Savannah needed her wisdom teeth pulled. The camera captures her one request, repeated over and over, while waking up from anesthesia.



While not for everyone, this video starts with a $20 investment in some groceries and what happens when they become targets at a rifle range. There is some great footage here shot by my son of a watermelon exploding on impact from a rifle bullet. This video is also subtitled, "What happens when someone messes with one of my daughters without permission."

‎"We thought God had forgotten Kosovo."

The last week of July I teamed up with our campus ministry in Kosovo and Albania for an English language camp. Both Kosovo and Albania are ethnically Muslim and war-torn yet they are open to the gospel and friendly to Americans. The above quote is a response I heard when conversation turned to Jesus at camp.



Many of their names I could not pronounced so I relied on nicknames. This is my class starting back left: Me, Luan, Taulant "Mr. T.", Xhelal "J-Lo", Denis "Hopper", Ardit "DT", Genci. The front row: Dianna, Kaltrina, Alketa "Katie" and Flora.

That week was one of the funnest weeks of ministry I have had in years. There were difficult parts, most certainly, but connecting with the students in my class made it a fantastic week. Mine was the advanced level of 4 different classes which led to good conversations with these students, both inside and outside the classroom.



I had in-depth gospel conservations with just about everyone in my class. When I met with "DT" (pictured here with his girlfriend Ela) he told me, "I believe that Jesus was the Son of God. What should I do next?" I was floored with how the Holy Spirit had prepared his heart. DT trusted Christ with me that very evening! Another student in my class also trusted Christ that week.



In the evenings on the beach our class had "discussion group" when we read from the Bible and discussed what we read. Bible readings for the week including Genesis 1 ("do you believe there is a God who created the universe?"), John 1, Romans 5 and Matthew 27-28, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Although most of the students were not Christ-followers and most were at least ethnically Muslim, the conversation and questions led me to believe these students were attentive to what the Spirit wanted to show them.



Two law students in my class, Kaltrina and Flora, both had birthdays during camp week and we gave each a UGA baseball hat. They are both from Muslim homes yet they do not fit the American stereotype of young Muslims.



Jennie and Ron Rush from our church in Atlanta (Johnson Ferry Baptist Church) traveled over to help teach at the camp. The students respect and look up to older people, contrary to many western societies, and they loved Jennie and Ron. Here they are pictured with Izmiri.



Dave Stubblefield (middle), on staff at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, also joined us for the week. Dave taught one of the classes and did a great job connecting with the students. Here he is with Denis (left) and Xhelal "J-Lo."



One day we had a discussion about different countries. Here are my notes about what my class said they liked (left panel) and didn't like (right panel) about America. I kept the in-depth discussion to spiritual things even though it was interesting to see how this culture viewed the rest of the world.



Need to use the bathroom while at school? May I introduce you to the "squatty potty"! Just put your feet on either side of that hole and the rest is self-explanatory. Also, they turned off the electricity to the school for the summer so our classrooms were without any electrical power, including fans and lights.



From a distance, the beach where we stayed was new and beautiful. Yet there was trash everywhere. Cows scavenged thru the trash on the beach and wandering pigs rummaged thru the garbage along side the roads.



Our flight leaving Albania departed at 5am for Budapest. Since we were picked up at the hotel at 2:30 am for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the airport, I just didn't go to bed that final night and stayed up with the students. One of the blessings of a 5am flight was that I was able to catch the sunrise out my airplane window.

Thank you for your prayers and giving so we can be ambassadors for Christ in far-away places. The world is hurting and needs what God has entrusted to the American church.

Here is one last glimpse into our week...