I’m Not Dead
To quote Monty Python, “I’m not dead yet.”
The Arab Spring, Syria, and Islam in the Middle East
One of the most profound things that has happened in the world since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 has been the different uprisings across the Middle East which have commonly been called the “Arab Spring.” The implications of it are so profound we will probably be feeling the effects of it for decades. But one thing that has been sorely lacking in all of the reporting of the events is any kind of analysis that leads to action. Both sacred and secular leaders are having a hard time understanding what is happening. Is it good or is it bad? No one knows.
The confusion is equally distributed. Christians don’t seem have an answer for what God is doing in the midst of this any more than the President or any so-called expert. We should be the people who have heard from God and have understanding in this hour, and so often we don’t. That’s what made the following post by Floyd McClung so incredibly helpful. Floyd recently visited Syria and has come back with an extremely helpful report you can read here. I’m going to repost a section of it that deals with the broader context of Arab Spring. My hope is that it moves you to pray and hear from God about what you are supposed to do next. Remember, history belongs to those who pray.
4. I learned on this trip that the Arab Spring began in Indonesia in 1996, not two years ago in Tunisia. The Arab Spring is bigger and has been going on longer than I realized. It began with the fall of Suharto, the world’s longest serving dictator in the world’s largest Muslim country. It was students demonstrating on the streets of Jakarta in massive numbers that forced his resignation. The “Arab Spring” continues to break out around the Muslim world. The Arab Spring is a spiritual shaking from God. It has shaken Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Malaysia, Somalia, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan/South Sudan, Iran, and now Syria. It is as significant as the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
5. The Arab Spring is a spiritual movement and radical terrorism is political response to a spiritual phenomenon. If we see the Middle East through the grid of politics, of what America or the United Nations should or should not do, we will miss what God is up to. We must not think in terms of “radical terrorists” or “extremists” or the “threat to the West…” Much of the Islamic terrorism in the world today is a false-spiritual response to a massive turning of millions of Muslims to Jesus. It is Satan’s way of distracting us, of filling our hearts with fear, anger, and unbelief. We are living in the time of the greatest harvest ever among Muslims coming to faith in Jesus. Of course, Satan is not happy about that – so he is stirring up anger and hatred in the hearts of extremists to act violently, and thus to cause a polarization, a temptation to people in the West to respond in the same spirit. Don’t fall for it! This is a moment in history catalyzed by God to create deep hunger and spiritual crisis in the hearts of people in the Muslim world. It represents a historical turning point in the history of Islam. Respond with prayer, love, and faith, not fear, retaliation or suspicion. See and be impressed with what God is up to, not what the enemy is doing.
6. To be fully understood, the Syrian refugee crisis must be seen in the greater context of the “Arab Spring” and what is happening all over the Muslim world. Though there is a terrible war in Syria with grave injustices on both sides of the conflict, it is happening because God has seen fit to allow the status quo to be unsettled in the Muslim world. Many Muslims are asking why Muslims are killing Muslims? The crisis in Syria is a severe spiritual blow to Islam that represents a split in the heart of Islam, a division between moderate and radical streams of belief. There is a major spiritual conflict/divide taking place within Islam, and this divide represents a unique moment to share the love of Jesus with Muslims.
Please go and read the rest of the article, because it’s incredibly helpful. How about you? Has God given you any insight into the Arab Spring? Feel free to share in the comment section.
Photo Credit: Arab Spring – After Firday Prayers in Amman by Charles Roffey
Discerning the Movements of the Spirit
Short confession: In case you hadn’t noticed it by now, I’m the type of guy people label as a Charismatic. I’m not the persuasive guy that can sell someone any type of car, but I am the Christian who believes the Holy Spirit still works in the life of believers.
Now, I’m not just the “raise-your-hands-during-worship” charismatic, I’m the charismatic they warn you about in Cessationist circles. I actually believe God does things like speak audibly and heal people. I believe at times we are to pray for the dead and see them raised (and I know people who have done it and seen people come back to life). Bottom line: I’ve seen the Holy Spirit do some amazing things that defy rational explanation.
It was in this type of environment that my mom was healed of cancer through a prophetic word. We immediately dedicated our lives to Jesus and joined the fellowship where this took place. That fellowship was highly geared towards experiencing the Spirit and during that decade there was a movement of the Holy Spirit that was very controversial, even among charismatics. This environment forced me to learn a very valuable lesson: We know whether the Holy Spirit is moving not based on what we see with our eyes, but by the fruit it produces.
Here’s the thing: Most people judge by what they see. If they like what they see, they accept it. If they don’t like what they see or don’t understand it, they criticize it. This is a huge problem, because the Holy Spirit has a way of constantly pushing us past our comfort zones. Your comfort or understanding of something is not a good barometer of whether Jesus is involved. Frequently, judging by our comfort or understanding will cause us to reject situations that God is inviting us into.
The reality is Jesus didn’t judge things this way. He actually taught us to judge a person and the ministry that flows from them by the effect that it had. He says in Matthew 7:15-20:“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
The fruit we are looking for is this: Does whatever is happening have the long term positive effect of causing people to follow Jesus? If it does and its not in rebellion to some clear scripture, you are probably dealing with something legitimately from the Spirit. If it doesn’t, then you’re dealing at best with something of the flesh and at worst something demonic. You can then respond accordingly.
This whole process that Jesus describes requires one thing: time. Fruits and weeds don’t grow over night. The effect of a ministry often times is only seen sometimes months down the road. What this has meant for me in our local context is that I’ve had to take a kind of “wait and see” approach with things that aren’t overtly wrong. And to be honest I’ve both put up with some things longer than I should. But I’ve also not shut down people and ministries that needed space to grow into what God called them to be.
The result, at least for me, has been a general growth in our church in regards to moving with the Holy Spirit as well as a growth in discernment among those in our midst. They are learning to judge whether something is of the Spirit and not just wait for a leader to do it.
How do you know if something is from the Holy Spirit? What has helped you and those around you to grow in discernment? Let me know in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Questioned Proposal by Eleaf.
Cluster Map
Pursuing Glory 