Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8462 Plough Quarterly • Winter 2017 spiritual growth. . . . She shares the posts, stories, and subjects . . . to stimulate discussions with her friends. She notices a big difference in her friends’ lives in the midst of all the difficul- ties they are facing in Iraq right now.” Other visitors struggle with loneliness and begin seeking God after having been touched by one of the uplifting stories posted online. A regional coordinator describes connecting with a young man from the Arabian Peninsula: “He contacted us, and now we are speaking with him about his relationship with the Lord. We are encouraging him to keep praying and reading the Bible. He said that he feels safe with us and that we’ve helped him grow spiri- tually and overcome his loneliness.” Through social media, Open Doors is able to connect directly with Christians in closed countries where churches are struggling to give a public witness. Interestingly, Muslims who may be open to Christ are also seemingly at ease communicating anonymously online. One Muslim woman expressed her appreciation for our Facebook page and for the deep questions it raises. She said that many people in her country have questions about difficult religious issues. We suggested she begin reading the Bible and sent her a link to a clip that explains its message. Since then, she has begun to share her questions about the Bible, and we’ve con- tinued our conversation with her. As free encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp continue to grow, so will our opportunities to minister to people’s needs. This is why, in part, Open Doors has launched a seven-year global campaign called Hope for the Middle East. The church in the West dare not stand by while extremism threatens the very existence of the church in the Middle East. A few years ago, in an Islamic country where Christians are persecuted, Brother Andrew baptized twelve men who had con- verted from Islam. Because of the need for discretion, Brother Andrew used a shallow inflatable swimming pool for the occasion. Some of them insisted they wanted to go “all the way under.” As one elderly man who’d suf- fered a stroke six months earlier emerged from the water, he waved his right hand. The stroke had paralyzed his right side; yet in his baptism he was completely healed. Two years later, this man was martyred by extremists because he would not stop teaching the Bible and testify- ing about how Jesus had changed his life. Such experiences of God’s work in closed countries lead me to believe that no threat, no law, and no terror can stifle the Holy Spirit. We must continue to pray, share, speak out, and place ourselves at personal risk on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are suffering. One man who embodies this work is Pastor Edward, a Syrian man who still lives and works in Damascus despite the conflict in his country. For me, his commitment sums up the courage of surrendering one’s whole life to Christ. Asked why he has chosen to stay rather than flee from the violence ripping his homeland apart, Pastor Edward says, “We are representing Christ, his heart, his love for people, and his holiness. There is a spiritual battle going on, and the powers of darkness are spreading. Killing people because ‘they are not like me’ is evil. So, as ambassadors of Christ, we will spread the values of heaven. Instead of revenge, forgiveness. Instead of hatred, love. Instead of killing, giving life. It’s our respon- sibility to express those values even if we must pay a price.”  You can support Open Doors’ work in the Middle East at opendoorsuk.org/SaveME. Open Doors’ Arabic Bible app, showing 1 Thessalonians 2 Image from Wikimedia Commons (public domain)