Cairo Update

I receive occasional updates from my friends in Cairo.  The following one came on Dec 19 from a staff member of the Kasr Dubara Evangelical Church.


I wanted to update you briefly on what is happening in our country and particularly in our church. On Friday last week fighting broke out again between the police/army and the protestors that remain in Tahrir Square. This time there was no gas used, but the military brought men in plain clothes to throw rocks at the protestors from the roof of the parliament building, and also began shooting live ammunition at the protestors and chasing them with crowd control batons and brutally beating hundreds of people. We opened the hospital again and received hundreds of people Friday and Saturday. On Saturday night/early Sunday morning the military tried to enter our church premises to arrest protestors and doctors/volunteers. Thankfully they were unable to enter the locked gates - certainly by the hand of God protecting everyone, as they had cornered a large group of protestors, whom they were arresting and beating unconscious. It was a very grim night for the people volunteering in the church but thankfully God protected every one of them.
We had to close the hospital and the church due to this incident. Today the church leadership met again to pray and discuss whether or not we should open the hospital and we felt at peace to do so if needed. The church itself is closed to meetings. Tonight we held the weekly prayer meeting in the north side of town in another church.
Please pray with us for wisdom and protection. Pray that the Lord would continue his good work in our country. We sense that he is shaking every idol and false god in Egypt, exposing all corruption, the lies and darkness in this country. This not only in the politicians and authorities but also in exposing the spiritual darkness. Isaiah 19:1 ....the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it."
This is what we feel he is doing. We pray that this will lead to true repentance and the fall of the mountain of darkness and deception in Egypt.

Thoughts on "Ekklesia" (the Church) and Its Role in Culture...

John 10:16: "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." Although this passage does imply that there is diversity in the “folds” that belong to Christ, I do not read it as an insistence on the diversity of the folds. I recognize the "other folds" to be other socio-cultural groups. However, I read it primarily as Jesus' insistence on the oneness of the flock. His determination is to bring the other folds into the one flock.


It's a small difference, but an important one to the way we view ourselves and God’s purposes for the church of Christ in the world. I believe and have taught believers in the US that they have much greater commonality with Christ-followers in Pakistan or China than they do with Middle Class Americans who have no use for Jesus. It's very challenging for Americans to live in that reality, but I believe it is the Biblical truth. That's not to deny cultural diversity but it is to insist that all followers of Jesus belong to the "one flock." In the same way, I hope that Egyptian believers realize that they are "one flock" with Korean, European and Latino Jesus-followers.

So while I hope and anticipate the gospel will spread through cultures propagated by believers who remain inside their cultural heritage, I also believe the Kingdom of God calls people out of their culture as "aliens" (1 Peter 1:1, 17; 2:11) to be citizens of a new Kingdom and embrace many values that are counter to our culture--whatever that culture is. So Kingdom culture (if it's right to speak of that) overlays all human culture and calls for ultimate allegiance. So our goal is not to preserve diversity of human cultures although that is naturally a part of what we do, the goal is to bring all human cultures under the Lordship of Christ so that the rich diversity of human cultures will reflect Him who has been given as head of the church--the fullness of him who fills all in all (Eph 1:23).

Egyptian Evangelical Church Responds...

I received the following statement from Pastor Sameh Maurice of the Kasr Dubara Evangelical Church.  The church is located at Tahriir Square in Cairo.  It is the church I attended while living there. 

Dear friends,

We really appreciate your prayers and concern. We've received your messages loaded with love and we know you're hearts are with us. We are safe with our families and friends, and we're ever thankful for that; but our safety is not really our main concern now.

Right now, we stand united with our courageous young people who broke the barrier of fear and started to demand their basic human rights for a dignified life, freedom and social justice. We feel the pain of our nation, our hearts bleed with our people. For generations now, young Egyptians feel betrayed by people in authority and those who are fighting for it. Corruption, excessive and illegal personal gains have caused a wide spread poverty among our people.

If you want to know where we stand from the present events; we refuse to give in to lies and to fear. We do not accept the lie that says accept a repressive and non democratic regime because the alternative is worse. Is our God limited to few options?

The church and the saints in Egypt, for many generations now, have been praying for years for blessings for our nation. We are asking our living God who sees and hears to come and save. We're asking for a new era of freedom and dignity. We are asking for a new system where leaders with integrity and fear of God would tend to the need and the aspiration of Egyptians.

Please pray with us.

Sameh Maurice

Egyptian Christians Respond

I received the following email message from a good friend who is also an evangelical church leader in Cairo.

“For such a time as this”

Over the last few months the Lord has clearly spoken to us many times to prepare ourselves for something to come. For what, we did not know, nor could we ever of imagined the magnitude of this situation! I want to start first with giving thanks to the Lord that though the Church building is located right next to the hottest spot of confrontation between the security forces, the army and the largest demonstrations, the Church building is unharmed. Though two main government buildings only a few meters away from us were on fire and heavily damaged. At the moment we are not able to reach the Church and to meet there.

Our prayer meetings had begun to intensify the last three months, accompanied with forty days of fasting by the end of the year, in which more than one thousand two hundred (1200) people participated. We heard many prophetic messages about what is to come, clear words indicating a huge change is coming in 2011. On New Year’s eve, a clear word from Exodus 34:10 came to us saying, that He is going to things that no one ever heard before in our land. The feeling we had was similar to the feelings of Esther, a time of a great danger mixed with a time of great victory, and how the Lord put her in this position “for such a time as this” Esther 4:14
As I said in the beginning, we could never of imagined this situation! So, while we are going to the streets with our neighbors to protect our homes from the mobs, we are still on our knees in prayer, praying in small groups all over the city. As a leadership team we are trying to form action groups, to organize our efforts to respond to medical needs, to participate in cleaning the city from the huge amount of trash accumulation, and also to coordinate traffic control, since all the police traffic agents have left their positions leaving the streets in total chaos.

Our people are encouraged and courageously active in helping with practical needs, however, we need your prayerful support as the situation is not stable at all.
Pray with us for:
The safety of the church and boldness of our people, (perhaps like Esther, we are here “for such a time like this”) , the new relationships that are being made as our church members are meeting some of their neighbors for the first time. Pray also that each one of us would be a source of peace and hope, as the dominant feelings on the streets are anger and fear.

Egypt...

Egypt: 30 January 2011


It is a delightful irony that I found myself in the presence of old friends from Egypt—men and women who are heavily invested in the Kingdom of God—as, together we watch recent events in Egypt unfold. (We were attending a conference together in a location outside Egypt.) The popular uprising was foreshadowed by a coup in Tunisia, but the ramifications of the Egyptian event, though yet unknown, will far outstrip the Jasmine revolution of Tunisia. Unrest continues to manifest in other Arab and Muslim nations—Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon…

Tomorrow, Egyptians are trying to send 1 million people into Tahrir (Liberty) square to demand an end to the Mubarak regime. Amazing really!

My friends have now made it safely back to Egypt. Our former mission team has managed to board a plane and leave the country. I have been taking in a steady diet of TV and internet media to try to keep pace with the events in Egypt. I almost gave into the temptation to write my political and social analysis of the events. Aren’t you glad I resisted?

But there is something to say about what is happening in the “Kingdom of God” in Egypt and throughout the Arab world. The people want transparency, dignity, freedom from oppression. They are calling out for an end to-top down governance that fails to respond to the real needs of real people.

Egypt is a land of prayer. Egyptian Christians that I know gather for long seasons of prayer. The church our family attended there has recently established an all-night prayer meeting once a week. There is a yearly prayer conference that draws Egyptian Christians from all denominations to the shores of the north coast to seek God’s intervention in their country. That lasts for a week each year. Did you know that Egypt has many Coptic monasteries and the monks keep regular prayer vigils sometimes starting their prayers at ridiculously early morning hours—like 3 a.m.? I know because I’ve watched these prayers personally.

And Egypt is shaking…

The slogans and demands I hear Egyptians making sound like they are hungering for realities that only the Kingdom of Jesus can deliver.

I could not help but notice that the people of Egypt intuitively distinguished between the internal security police and the army. They ransacked the offices of the police and burned their buildings. The army, on the other hand, was rewarded with the affirmation of a grateful people. To me, that means something. It is the internal security police of Egypt who have abused, tortured and imprisoned Muslim background followers of Jesus. It is the internal security police who have interrogated Egypt’s Christians and destroyed their properties. It is the internal security police who have deported a steady stream of expatriate servants of Christ over the past nearly twenty years. And that doesn’t even take into account the untold injustices that Egypt’s Muslims have suffered at the hands of the police. The Psalmist expresses his despair over the Lord’s slowness to enact justice on His enemies and who among us hasn’t asked “how long O Lord?” I thank God for what He is doing in Egypt.

I noticed one placard amidst the demonstrators in Cairo. The young woman’s sign read: “I am Muslim. I am against terrorism. I am against destruction.” I hope that Egypt’s moderate Muslims can join hands with many Christians there and find an expression of government that allows true freedom of conscience and religion along with necessary fiscal and social reform. Let us pray.

It is far too soon to declare victory. Something tells me the struggle for the soul of Egypt is just beginning. Darkness is deeply entrenched and it does a masterful job masquerading as light. The slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood is “Islam is the solution.” That premise is scarcely questioned by the vast majority of Egyptians. Nevertheless I am proud of my second home. I’m proud of the people of Egypt. I am deeply grateful to God for the Egyptian Christians—Evangelicals, Copts and Catholics and I have deep sorrow and pity for Egypt’s Muslim people. May God have mercy.

Release Sherif Hassan

A good friend--Sherif Hassan--has been detained in Egypt.  I would deeply appreciate any intervention on his behalf and certainly your prayers.  Please see the site posted by Sherif's wife, Emma here:  http://www.releasesherif.com/.  You will find the necessary information to update your elected officials as well as any news that might come from Sherif or other friends in Egypt.

Vision from the Vantage Point of the “Other”

I recently read an op-ed from award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. Mr. Friedman writes with penetrating insight as he relates to his reader that many in the Arab world have been influenced by what he calls “the narrative.” Here is his definition of this narrative which has affected much of the Arab and even the Muslim world:

“The Narrative is the cocktail of half-truths, propaganda and outright lies about America that have taken hold in the Arab-Muslim world since 9/11. Propagated by jihadist Web sites, mosque preachers, Arab intellectuals, satellite news stations and books — and tacitly endorsed by some Arab regimes — this narrative posits that America has declared war on Islam, as part of a grand ‘American-Crusader-Zionist conspiracy’ to keep Muslims down.” (Thomas L. Friedman: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/opinion/29friedman.html?_r=2&em)

In reading Mr. Friedman’s essay, I found myself nodding in agreement with his prognosis of this core defect in the Muslim world. This deceptive narrative forms an extensive web that has ensnared many in a self-perpetuating cycle of resentment towards the United States and other Western countries. While living in the Middle East I heard the narrative and I observed its impact in my travels to Muslim countries.

However, there is more to the story. Let’s call it a little lesson in “self-awareness.” Very simply, everyone lives out of some narrative. This is not a defect which is unique to the Muslim world but a reality common to all people and places. Every person on the face of the planet has a way of understanding the world, a worldview, if you will, that governs his or her interpretation of the surrounding world. I certainly do. I became much more aware of my narrative through my interaction with Muslim people. Self-awareness grows as we listen deeply to people with narratives different from our own. We become aware that our narrative has been fed by a wide array of social circumstances, religious convictions and cultural preferences. In fact, I would say that my narrative was a “cocktail of half-truths, propaganda and outright lies.” By intersecting with those whose narrative is vastly different from ours, our own narrative is refined.

Christ-followers should have little difficulty understanding that our narrative has been fed and influenced by false thinking. The pervasive effects of alienation from God (i.e. sin) continue to influence our thinking, feeling and acting. We need look no further than our interactions with those closest to us—family members—to see that we are still plagued by self-centeredness and self-preservation. If we are serious about following Christ, it won’t take long to understand that our narrative needs massive renovation if we are to be “conformed to the image of Christ.”

My plea is that we, as Christ-followers, would lead the way in seeking to understand the narrative of the Muslim peoples of the world. I suggest that rather than attempt to debunk it or critique it we simply listen to it deeply and empathetically. Some will read those lines and assume that I am asking them to “sell out” on their convictions. No. I am asking that we do exactly what Jesus asked the disciples to do in Samaria…to lift up their eyes…to get a new vision.

Yes, Muslim peoples are often (not always) quite suspicious of the intentions of the US to establish democracies in the Middle East or set up free market economies. They suspect that our real motivation is self-interest and a desire to secure our collective national interests. Are there reasons for their suspicion? Are there valid reasons why Muslims would feel that way about the US and the current military interventions in the world? In my opinion, one can honestly ask that question whether one is for or against those military interventions. The only requirement is the humility to attempt to see from the perspective of the other…in a word, to honor the other.

And why should Christ-followers lead the way in this refinement of narrative? Because our vital interests are not in military campaigns or economic systems. Our vital interests are in the Kingdom of Christ. Being conformed to the image of Christ is the transfer of our vital interests from ourselves and our false “saviors” to Him. If we fail to refine our own narrative, we will speak and live out of a false narrative—a self-centered one, the narrative we’ve imbibed from our culture. Seeking a Kingdom narrative requires a tenacious pursuit of Jesus’ motivations and values in a world that is running headlong in the opposite direction.

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3)