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After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was my opportunity and blessing to enter many of the countries of the former USSR  and sit at the feet of many believers, while listening to their stories of faith which were often surrounded by seasons of severe persecution. It was as if my Bible was exploding in present active tense. I was interviewing, in my lifetime, Daniel in the lion’s den and Ezekiel defying and defeating the wicked Queen. I was being introduced to a faith which believed what God has always done, He is still doing!

I had interviewed a very godly, older gentleman. This pastor had been imprisoned and tortured. His beloved wife died while he was incarcerated. He talked about God’s sustaining power in the midst of persecution and suffering-yet he sternly suggested that no one should desire persecution but simply accept whatever God sends their way.

The next day I was in another home interviewing a brother in Christ whose father was severely tortured in prison. At 7 am, over breakfast he was telling me his Bible-like journey with Jesus. Before we could finish breakfast, the door opened and the older pastor from the day before entered the house. I was interviewing this 2^nd pastor in the home of workers from America. They were very gracious in hosting me and in the setting up of many godly interviews. I greeted the older pastor, asking him what his agenda was for today. He replied he was off to a new area, of his central European country, to evangelize and attempt to plant a church. He further told me he had come to the house to pick up someone to help him. I certainly expected him to leave the house with the man from the West or the man and his wife. I was shocked by whom he was taking with him.

He was taking the 13-year-old son of this family from America. His parents were too busy to go.

I interviewed the 2^nd believing brother until late in the evening. Almost at dark time the front door opened and in came the old pastor with a dirt-stained, scratched and bleeding, 13-year-old boy from the West. Without hesitation this boy exclaimed to his mother and father,

“You won’t believe what happened! I went with pastor today to a new area and he asked me to share my testimony. After we talked some of the people got so angry they threw stones at us and one of them hit me on the head and caused me to bleed a little bit. But after these hateful people left, and many of these villagers saw how we loved even those who cursed, beat and stoned us, many of them gave their lives to Jesus, they were baptized, and we started a church today!”

And suddenly I realized what real discipleship entails. Real discipleship is taking us, our children, other people’s children (when the adults are unable and unwilling to go) and extending the kingdom of God in the toughest of places. What this older pastor gave to the 13-year-old American boy on this day was a genealogy of faith which he, himself can reproduce for generation after generation. The 13-year-old can now lead his friends, possibly his parents, and, someday his own children on this exciting journey called faith in Jesus. He learned from that persecuted older pastor some hard lessons; faith comes with a price. He learned from a godly, former imprisoned pastor the price which has to be paid to see scores of people and multiple families come into the kingdom of God. He learned the joy of suffering with the end result of churches being planted in the homes of others.

This 13-year-old boy had modeled for him that day a faith which is bigger than a mob and more enduring than a rock to his head. I wished he could have learned these lessons and blessings from his own father. I wish it had been his parents who had introduced him to the challenges which come by walking with this Savior. Yet this old man knew who to take with him, who was willing to be discipled, and whose heart was tender enough to forgive even those who attempted to stone him. This old man learned from Jesus and these were lessons too hard-earned not to pass them on to the next generation.

2 Tim 2:1-7 “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything.” RSV

We were really proud of Southern Baptists. In Transkei, South Africa we had asked for and received $10,000 to help believers develop their own style of Bible study and Sunday Schools throughout the country. My wife and I, along with our 3 small boys, traveled to the mountains of Transkei to spend the weekend with a very small country church. They were so isolated from the rest of the churches in Transkei that we spent a lot of time simply sharing information from many of the other churches to the one we were now visiting. Almost without thinking, near the close of the time I had to share about what God was doing within the other churches, I mentioned to this small congregation the gift of $10,000 their brothers and sisters had sent them from America.

Unlike anything we had ever seen, a spontaneous love offering exploded inside this mountainous, country church! 

I am guessing you have never seen such an offering? These Xhosa speaking believers lined up between the simple, rough, wooden benches. Their line trailed all the way out of the crookedly hung back door of this isolated church. They begin to sing, dance, and sway toward the simple wooden altar table down front of the church. As they approached the altar table, these women would dance in harmony, slapping their change back and forth on the altar table all

together-sometimes three or four times. Children would ask for money from the adults, run outside of the church, cross the street – where they would enter a simple store to get the smallest change possible for their money so they could dance repeatedly in the aisle of the church, slapping their offerings together on top of the altar table.

This spontaneous offering went on for over 30 minutes!

All of this joy and offering was in response to a gift given by believers in America whom these African brothers and sisters had never seen. They danced, sang, and praised God as they gave, in joy, their offerings in response to the love offering they had received. We were so caught up in the moment, as we watched our brothers and sisters give their gifts to God, our sons began to ask us for change so they could go and slap their offerings on the altar also. It was one of the most joy filled times of giving we have ever experienced.

Until the old, arthritic woman began to limp down toward the front of the church.

As she stumbled down the aisle of the church, she reached inside of her ragged blouse and pulled out a knotted handkerchief. With her crooked fingers and teeth, she tried for many minutes to undo the knot in her old handkerchief. Finally she was able to untie the knot and inside of it was one over-large, copper coin. As she neared the altar of the church, she took that one copper coin, rubbed it with affection, and then placed it gently on the altar table. Then she slowly walked back to her seat. Curious, because I had not seen such money, I went to the altar table, after the spontaneous offering was finished, and picked up the large copper coin. I took it to one of the leaders and told him what I had seen. He went to the old lady and spoke with her for some time. He returned with tears in his eyes as he told me her story.

What she had given as her offering to God, in response to the $10,000 from America, was a British half-penny. This half-penny represented all of this woman’s money in the world; it was her retirement fund. My heart was broken when the leader of the church informed me this half-penny had been discontinued as “real” money since 1963. It was all she had owned for her retirement and it was useless. I was so broken by this old woman’s offering, her giving all she had to Jesus, that I laid a significant offering on the altar, placing her British half-penny in my pocket. For many years I carried this half-penny wherever we went. Whenever I felt we had given all we had to Jesus and it was time to quit, I would remove this half-penny from my pocket, remember this old, arthritic Mama in the mountains of Transkei, and understand that we had a long way to go before we gave all we have.

Mark 12:41-44 “And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.’” RSV

We returned two weeks ago to America from the Middle East where we live. We had a month of traveling throughout the US and a couple of places overseas. Have you noticed the Middle East is a mess? The other day an opposition politician was killed in Tunisia. The Islamist and the Muslim Brotherhood are considering a partnership in Egypt. Refugees are pouring into Jordan from Syria. Yemen continues to be a challenge, if not an outright disaster, while Somalia shows some flickers of light after more than two decades of civil war and famine. 

It could be argued, in the Middle East and North Africa, that Al Qaeda is becoming their own people group.

Would it be fair to say I am not sure where I want to go with this blog? I am endlessly, eternally optimistic. Yet to classify this time in history as “springtime” in North Africa and the Middle East because of a movement which began when a young man burned himself to death in Tunisia seems to me to be a denial of reality. I think by writing this blog I’m able to put my finger on what bothers me.

The promotion of “Arab Spring” implies this; the solution for the ills of this world is political.

That’s the rub is it not? We clamor for solutions from sources which have never proven they can provide what the world needs. It seems many statements pertaining to local or global solutions begin with, “if we just had enough money,” or “if all the countries of the world had democratic governments,” or “if we were to recognize the truth-all religions are the same, all faiths lead to God,” and the list could go on for a long time. Much of what was just written does have the potential to make life easier, more representative, or at least set a stage for various faiths to talk to one another. But are they or the “Arab Spring” representative of life-changing significance with eternal ramifications? I think not.

While fascinated with the words of the New Testament (content), I am equally fascinated by the context in which the New Testament unfolded. Here’s what we know. Jesus lived all of his life under a Roman, foreign occupation. He never witnessed a democratic government. Soon after His birth His government tried to kill Him. For most of His ministry the leaders of His religious background were in bed with the government, even to the point of partnering in His crucifixion. As far as we know He never owned a house, made car payments, put kids through college, or ever voted in an election.

All he ever did was to die on a cross and then turn the world upside down.

It is our prayer the Arab world will experience some sort of a “Spring.” God knows they need one. Yet it will not be found, ultimately, in the ballot box, some sort of representative government, by the establishment of human and civil rights, or in a market economy.

It will be found outside the doors of an empty tomb.

During the years of the USSR there was a charismatic movement in a particular country within the State Church called the “Army of God.”  It was quite a renewal movement, returning a massive number of people back to God and the Bible, away from hollow religious ritual.  Sadly, as is true in many persecution environments, the established church and the government joined forces to attempt to harass those who wanted to spiritually color outside of the State religion lines.  Many of those in the Army of God were persecuted, with leaders often imprisoned.

But the persecutors made a big mistake. 

They put Constantine in prison for his faith.  They would have been better served to have left him free and away from the creative pressures that persecution often provides as a traveling companion for believers in prison.  The persecutors would have been better off to have left Constantine in his job without the time to reflect upon the kingdom of God, bringing his gifts to bear upon the kingdom.

I met Constantine in a small, one-room, upstairs apartment.  He was in his late 80s and his wife has already made her short trip to eternity with Jesus.  One could still see the remnants of the powerful man Constantine had been during his younger years.  One could hear in the timbre of his voice the power of the songs he was able to produce as the Holy Spirit sang through him during his younger years.  I took in all of the possessions that were his in this tiny apartment, possessions that probably were not worth $500 in any market.

Yet I met a man whose creativity through song and faithfulness was priceless.  The persecutors would have done well to have left him alone.

Fearing his growing influence in the Army of God they arrested him and incarcerated this leader for many years in prison.  In the crucible of persecution Constantine began, as did Paul and Silas in the Acts of the New Testament, to sing.  Beaten-he would sing.  Denied food-he would sing.  Placed in solitary confinement-he would sing.  Whatever pressures the persecutors brought upon this man of God there was always the same result.

He would sing!

Before, for generations the songs sang in formal worship, especially worship established and approved by the State, were songs borrowed, transliterated from the outside, Western world.  They were songs which were suited for orchestras, maestros, and professional singers who were more concerned with the quality of the product sung than its spiritual content.  These State Church songs had become the norm of the church for many generations.  Sung with such frequency, these songs became a distant reminder of a faith which had long passed away more than a faith which powerfully burned with the Spirit of God today.  These were the songs approved by the State, and used by the State, as a weapon to control and emasculate the singing soul of the Body of Christ.

They should have left Constantine alone, untouched, free, and sitting quietly in his pew.  But they made a big mistake when they arrested this man of God, this leader in the Army of God, and placed him in prison.

As a result, Constantine began to sing.

Through the years he was incarcerated he created and committed to memory over 600 hymns and choruses of his HeartSongs to Jesus.  These songs began to escape through the bars, windows, and cracks in the concrete blocks of the prison.  The songs escaped inside of the hearts of those who were released from prison.  Guards fearfully caught themselves singing the songs they heard created inside of the cell and inside of the heart of Constantine.  Various governmental persecutors and church officials sought to suppress the growing influence of the songs multiplying themselves from within the heart and soul of one man, but spreading nationally.  They tried to silence him using any covert and overt persecution they could imagine.

Still Constantine sang.

By the time the global power of the former USSR was reduced to embers, Constantine had created over 600 songs and choruses to Jesus.  By his release, the songs had spread throughout the churches of his country.  Birthed by the adversity of pressure and in the crucible of persecution, these songs reflected the soul of the true church in his Eastern European country.

Today they still sing the songs of the Holy Spirit which came through the creative mind and voice of Constantine.

I sat with this man of God, a shell of his former self, in an old apartment as aged as Constantine himself.  His voice trembling, his hand shaking-one could still imagine the physical and spiritual presence this man of God had been for decades.  It was a glorious five or six hours to listen to this man of God revel in the retelling of his persecution and how he became such a musical tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit.  He stated confidently he would have never been used of God to create so much of God’s Word through music unless he had been honored with suffering for Christ for those many years.  It was as if I was sitting at the feet of King David writing the Psalms for his Lord and God, songs still sung in churches internationally today.  A little afraid but inspired, I asked Constantine if he would sing one of those songs, perhaps his favorite, which he had composed through the Holy Spirit during those long years in prison.  He looked at me, smiled at the request, and then gave to me a gift for the ages.

 Constantine sang.

A leader in East Africa approached me, asking if we would provide training for about 35 Westerners who desired to share the Gospel with Muslim people.  There was only one problem; none of them had ever met a Muslim before coming to the African continent!  They offered to meet with us for one day so we could orientate them in their efforts to reach out to Muslim peoples.

One day!

My brain was frozen in trying to discern how to reduce all that we knew about ministry and Islam into a one-day drive by shooting teaching opportunity?  I tried to negotiate for more time but was unsuccessful.  Today I would probably refuse to participate in such a small slice of training because, as my father used to say, “They know just enough to get themselves hurt.”

But from somewhere within the spiritual realm, inspiration struck.  I agreed to meet with them for a full day, but instead of instructing them concerning the tenets of Islam and ministry, I engaged the assistance of three brothers who were followers of Jesus from a Muslim background.  I informed those we were teaching that I would simply interview these three brothers on stage concerning their cultural settings of their families, their faith, and their persecution in order that we might use this teaching opportunity to its fullest.

It was a fantastic day as these 35 Westerners listened, often in shock, to the stories of their brothers from Muslim backgrounds that live daily in the grips of persecution and the possibility of being killed for their faith.  It was such a holy time the participants were reluctant to take breaks or to eat lunch, as they wanted to soak up as much knowledge and expertise possible.  These three brothers described faith in environments that can only be described as biblical, mostly Old Testament.  At the end of the day the leader of these 35 foreigners posed a very discerning question.  He asked,

“If you have accurately described what your world is like, what is the role of the Western worker?  What can we possibly do which will aid the development of faith while not causing you to be persecuted simply due to our presence?  What can we do to help?” One of the believers from Muslim background proposed a suggestion that rocked the very core of my being.

He said, “We live with trials and persecution every day.  Here is what I would suggest to you.  If you can come, and walk alongside of us, then come.  If you cannot come, then send someone on your behalf to encourage us.  If you cannot come, nor send anybody in your place, please write us a letter, send us an email which describes your love and support for us.  Write to us possible suggestions on how we should live out our lives in the midst of an Old Testament environment.”

Lightning flashed through my brain as I listened to this brother’s reply.  In a few short sentences he had captured the entire relational ministry of the apostle Paul in the New Testament.  When he could go-he went.  When he could not go himself to visit new believers and churches-he sent someone on the behalf of himself and the Gospel.  When he could not go nor send anyone he would write them letters of encouragement and instruction.

Our brother, a first generation believer from a Muslim background, captured a large portion of the life of Paul in a few sentences.  I will never forget hearing him say,

“If you can come, come.

If you cannot come, send someone to walk with us.

If you cannot come yourself, nor send us someone, then write us a letter of encouragement.” It captures the relationship of one believer with others who also follow Jesus in tough places.

This is not brain surgery.  Any one of us can fulfill these requests.  This is the relational essence of the New Testament and evidence of how the Body of Christ provides care for one another.