church rising

It is hard to believe Christianity has been in Amman for 2000 years. It was one of the seven churches in the book of Revelation, known then as “Philadelphia”. The city is almost completely dominated by Islam today- with Mosques and minarets in almost every sector of the city. The night is filled with the sounds of the Imams calling people to prayer over the loud speakers. The city of seven hills has Muslim prayers echoing throughout the valleys. It is ironic to me that in His charge to the people of Philadelphia, the Lord referred to the new Jerusalem that would come down in the last days, as this city is undoubtedly tied to the Holy City. For starters, it is made up of 70% Palestinian. Although ruled by a Hashemite Jordanian King, the city is essentially of inhabitants who look to Jerusalem as their centerpiece for existence. They still refer to the other side of the river as “Palestine”. The harsh reality to them that is Israel they still try to suppress.

But there is a vibrant church here.

There are Muslims coming to Christ. Many of them have come to Him as a result of dreams and visions. My friends in Amman hear their stories regularly.

One of my Christian friends here is a former Mullah from the West Bank. He is a giant of a man who once guarded Yassar Arrafat. He came to Christ about 7 years ago as a result of a dream. He is now passionate in his witness and very bold.

Although it is against the law here to spread the gospel, he tells everyone he knows about Christ. I have watched him boldly proclaim the gospel with great enthusiasm in some very hard-core places in Jordan. I am reminded of what one of my mentors once said about a friend we had in common, “He will make heaven some day if he doesn’t overshoot it!”

That is a good description of my former Muslim friend.

He is indicative of the church here in many ways. His family has disowned him and it is difficult for him to make an existence in a culture that ostracizes Christians. Especially the former Muslim variety.

The Christians I have met here have an infectious and unpretentious joy. I suppose if you give up everything to follow Christ it has a kind of cleansing affect on your faith. We have a lot to learn from them in the states.

In our two days in Jordan we have seen the work of Christ in the urban center of Amman, we have traveled north and seen the work of committed believers in the Palestinian refugee camps. There they are working hard to help people find the training they need so that they can get good jobs. We have seen the work that is going on in schools and rural communities.

As we traveled through the ancient Christian city of Madaba on our way to Mount Nebo, I thought of the long witness that has been in this land. Madaba has the longest continuous Christian church in the world. Early Christian pilgrims migrated here in the first century to live in the shadow of Nebo. It has long been seen as a place of healing and health. The symbol you find on top of Nebo is the raised snake staff of Moses that is today the emblem of medicine and healing. There are mosaics here that date back to the third century with Greco-Aramaic lettering. How fascinating to see the ancient forerunner of Arabic culture- and to think of the influence of ancient Greek on early Christianity. Most people don't contemplate that Palestinian Christians trace their lineage back to the early church. One Jewish Rabbi told a friend of mine in Amman, "You Palestinian Christians are more Jew than we are- your family never left Jerusalem, while our family had to flee after the Roman destruction and diaspora."

We should pray for the Arab Christians in the Middle East. They are caught between radical Muslim on the one hand, and the radical Jew on the other. Many Christian cities in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel have now lost the vast majority of their Christian populations.

My friends here are committed to bringing the witness back.

I pray for their continued work and the reemergence of the church.

Lord willing, the church here will rise again.