Participants: Bruce Moyer
Series Code: AIM
Program Code: AIM000397
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00:00 [OPENING MUSIC]
00:22 HELLO AND WELCOME TO "ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS" 00:25 BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOSPEL OUTREACH. 00:27 ADDRESS YOU CAN SEE THE DETAILS OF OUR WEB SITE AND PHONE NUMBER ON THE SCREEN FOR BOTH THE 00:36 WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE WITH US TONIGHT. 00:39 OUR GUEST TODAY IS GABY WHO HAS LIVED AND WORKED IN THE MIDDLE EAST 00:44 AND CENTRAL ASIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. 00:47 GABY, WELCOME TO "ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS." 00:49 THANK YOU. 00:51 TELL ME, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MUSLIM WORLD TODAY? 00:55 THAT'S QUITE A BIG QUESTION. 00:58 BEFORE I ANSWER THAT I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF I TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO THANK THE SUPPORTERS 01:05 OF GOSPEL OUTREACH WHO OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN PART OF THE MINISTRY OF GOSPEL OUTREACH. 01:13 THEY HAVE BEEN A VERY KEY STRATEGIC COMPONENT IN TAKING THE GOSPEL 01:18 TO UNENTERED AREAS OF THE 10/40 WINDOW. 01:21 OVER THE YEARS I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH SOME OF THESE WORKERS, 01:27 AND I HAVE SENSED A LEVEL OF COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION THAT HAS BEEN VERY INSPIRING. 01:32 MORE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE NOTED THAT THE WORK OF GOSPEL OUTREACH HAS BEEN CRUCIAL IN ONE 01:34 AREA-DEVELOPING LOCAL LEADERSHIP. 01:38 THIS IS VERY CRUCIAL AS WE CONTINUE IN THE PROGRAM TODAY BECAUSE WHEN THERE ARE TIMES 01:45 WHEN WE CAN'T GO TO CERTAIN AREAS BECAUSE OF LIMITATIONS OF VISA OR NATIONALITY, 01:54 THESE GOSPEL WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINE ARE TAKING THE GOSPEL TO PLACES WHERE WE CAN'T GO. 01:59 SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK THE VIEWERS WHO OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING THE WORK OF 02:05 GOSPEL OUTREACH. 02:06 I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE DOING THIS AS THE TIME PROGRESSES. 02:12 THANK YOU. 02:14 TELL ME, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE MUSLIM WORLD? 02:16 WELL BRUCE, THAT'S A VERY BIG QUESTION BECAUSE THE MUSLIM WORLD RIGHT NOW IS IN TURMOIL. 02:23 THERE ARE A LOT OF CHANGES, REDEFINITION OF IDENTITY. 02:26 THERE IS A LOT OF RETHINKING OF ITSELF. 02:29 ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU IS THEY ARE FRACTURED. 02:33 SO IF YOU WILL ALLOW ME I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE HEART OF THE MUSLIM WORLD IN THE 10/40 WINDOW 02:40 WHICH IS THE ARAB WORLD. 02:42 I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES DESCRIBING WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES. 02:48 PLEASE. 02:50 YOU MAY RECALL A YEAR AGO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE 02:54 FOR US TO FORESEE WHAT WE CAN SAY TODAY. 02:57 IN EGYPT MUBARAK HAS BEEN DEPOSED. 03:01 YOU HAVE IN TUNISIA A NEW GOVERNMENT AND THEY HAVE DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS. 03:06 YOU HAVE CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT IN YEMEN . 03:08 YOU HAVE A NATION TO THE POINT OF CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA . 03:13 YOU HAVE A DIVIDED NATION IN SUDAN . 03:17 RADICAL CHANGE IS TAKING PLACE IN THE POLITICAL ARENA IN PLACES LIKE JORDAN . 03:21 THERE IS SUPPRESSION OF CIVIL LIBERTY IN PLACES LIKE BAHRAIN . 03:26 THE WHOLE HEART OF THE ARAB WORLD IS REALLY IN TURMOIL. 03:33 THE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING INTO REDEFINING THE FUTURE. 03:36 WHAT HAS CAUSED THIS TURMOIL? 03:39 WHAT BROUGHT THIS ABOUT? 03:41 THERE ARE MANY REASONS. 03:43 WE KNOW THE THING THAT TRIGGERED THESE WHICH HAVE NOW BEEN CALLED THE "ARAB REVOLUTION", 03:49 THE "ARAB SPRING" WAS IN DECEMBER, A YOUNG MAN FROM TUNISIA, 03:55 A SIMPLE STREET VENDOR OF FRUITS, 03:59 WHO SET HIMSELF ALIGHT AND BURNED HIMSELF AS AN ACT OF PROTEST. 04:04 BUT DEEP INSIDE THERE WAS A DEEP SENSE OF ANGER, INDIGNATION, 04:07 BEING ROBBED OF THEIR HONOR OF LIVELIHOOD. 04:11 I FEEL THAT IN A WAY HIS ACT OF DESPERATION IS ECHOING THE HEART OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO 04:20 ARE FEELING THAT WE DON'T CARE ABOUT PAN-ARABISM . 04:23 WE WERE NOT BORN IN THE ERA OF NASSER . 04:26 WE HAVEN'T LIVED THOSE GLORIES THAT WERE PROMISED TO US. 04:29 THEY HAVEN'T LIVED AFTER '67 EITHER WHEN THERE WAS A TIME OF THE MORE RADICAL FORMS OF ISLAM 04:37 AND THE NEW IDEOLOGIES OF ISLAM. 04:39 THIS IS A NEW FACELESS GENERATION. 04:42 MORE THAN FIFTY PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE OF THE ARAB REGION ARE UNDER 25 YEARS OLD. 04:50 SO THIS NEW GENERATION IS SAYING, "HOW CAN WE BE ARABS, MUSLIMS BUT ALSO CITIZENS OF THE 04:57 21ST CENTURY." 04:59 DO THEY WANT TO BE AT ALL WESTERN? 05:01 NO. 05:03 AND THIS IS PERHAPS WHERE WE HAVE MISREAD THE CURRENT EVENTS. 05:07 WE THINK THAT THIS IS THE NEW PERESTROIKA IN WHICH COMMUNISM IS FALLING AND THE NEW COMMUNISM 05:12 IS ISLAM-- NOT AT ALL. 05:15 WHAT THESE PEOPLE WANT IS TO FIND AN ISLAMIC IDENTITY THAT WILL BE IN TUNE WITH THE 21ST 05:22 CENTURY IN WHICH THERE WILL BE FREEDOM, THERE WILL BE CIVIL RIGHTS AND THEIR FAITH WILL 05:28 SHAPE THEIR CULTURE AND THEIR POLICY. 05:32 SO THIS IS WHY MANY PEOPLE TODAY ARE LOOKING AT MODELS LIKE TURKEY. 05:41 A GOVERNMENT THAT IS MODERN, IS DEMOCRATIC, IS SEMI-SECULAR COMPARED TO OTHER GOVERNMENTS. 05:50 BUT IN ANOTHER WAY IT IS RELIGIOUS BECAUSE 05:52 THEY WANT THEIR FAITH TO SHAPE THEIR POLICIES. 05:57 IN THIS MIX YOU HAVE MANY VOICES COMPETING RIGHT NOW. 06:02 YOU CANNOT REALLY SAY THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE IN THE MIDDLE AST WANTS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YOU HAVE 06:07 SALAFIS WHO ARE AN EXPRESSION OF ISLAM WHO WILL BE KIND OF A PHARISAICAL EXPRESSION 06:15 IF WE COULD PUT AN EQUIVALENT TO TODAY. 06:17 THESE ARE SORT OF THE HARDLINE? 06:18 YES, THESE ARE THE HARD LINE. 06:21 THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE STUDIED IN THE MADRASSAS PAID BY THE SAUDI MONEY. 06:26 THESE SALAFIS ARE A VERY STRONG AND RADICAL EXPRESSION OF ISLAM. 06:31 NOT NECESSARILY VIOLENT AS WE HAVE SEEN IN AL-QAEDA, BUT THESE ARE PART OF THE POPULATION. 06:39 THERE ARE THOSE WHO WANT A MORE SECULAR EXPRESSION, WHICH ARE IN MINORITY. 06:45 THE GREAT MAJORITY, I WOULD SAY, IS MOVING TOWARDS CONSERVATISM, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THEY WANT 06:51 THEIR VERSION OF DEMOCRACY. 06:54 NOW ONE IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF THIS "ARAB SPRING" 06:58 IS IN A WAY THE DEATH OF RADICALS LIKE AL-QAEDA . 07:05 LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN. 07:07 FOR TEN YEARS OR MORE PEOPLE LIKE BIN LADEN , AZIZ AWDA AND OTHERS ATTACHED TO THEM HAVE 07:14 BEEN PREACHING THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY WERE GOING TO GET 07:17 PROPER ISLAMIC GOVERNMENT WAS THROUGH VIOLENCE. 07:22 SO YOU ARE DOOMED UNLESS YOU STRAP A BOMB AROUND YOUR WAIST AND BLOW YOURSELF UP. 07:26 THERE IS NO WAY OUT OF THIS SITUATION. 07:29 AND SUDDENLY THE YOUTH HAVE STOOD UP AGAINST THAT IDEOLOGICAL VERSION OF ISLAM 07:35 AND SAID "NO". 07:37 THEY ARE NOT RUNNING OUT AND BUYING BOMBS TO STRAP AROUND THEIR WAIST ANYMORE. 07:40 IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? 07:42 THAT'S RIGHT. 07:44 LOOK HOW THE GOVERNMENTS WERE DEPOSED IN PLACES LIKE TUNISIA OR IN PLACES LIKE EGYPT . 07:48 IT WAS A CIVIL SOCIETY SAYING WE NO LONGER PLAY THE POLITICAL GAMES OF BEING AFRAID. 07:55 WE DEFEAT FEAR AND THE WAY WE DO IT IS WE GO TO THE STREET EVEN IF WE GET KILLED. 08:01 NOW THESE DICTATORSHIPS HAD BEEN KEEPING THEMSELVES IN POWER AND THE BASE WAS FEAR. 08:07 AS LONG AS YOU WERE AFRAID-- I'M GOING TO TORTURE YOU, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, 08:10 I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY AWAY, WHATEVER-- FEAR WAS THE TOOL IN THE HANDS OF THE 08:17 GOVERNMENTS TO KEEP THE PEOPLE IN LINE. 08:20 BUT NOW THESE PEOPLE STEP FORWARD AND SAY WE BELIEVE IN THIS CAUSE, 08:23 WE ARE GOING TO DIE FOR IT. 08:25 THE GOVERNMENT WAS NOT PREPARED SO WHAT DO YOU DO. 08:27 WE CHARGE AGAINST HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS. 08:30 THEY DIE AND MORE KEEP COMING-ANOTHER FAMILY COMES. 08:33 SO THIS IS WHY WE HAVE SEEN TWO GOVERNMENTS TOPPLE IN A NONVIOLENT WAY. 08:41 BUT YOU WOULD TELL ME WELL, WHAT ABOUT PLACES LIKE LIBYA OR SYRIA ? 08:49 WELL, THE MODEL HASN'T WORKED BECAUSE EACH COUNTRY HAS A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC. 08:56 THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. 08:59 THERE IS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CULTURES. 09:01 THAT'S RIGHT. 09:03 SOME COUNTRIES ARE MORE NATION, MEANING THAT EVERYBODY FEELS PART OF LIKE "WE ARE EGYPTIANS." 09:08 BUT SOME COUNTRIES ARE MORE DIVIDED INSIDE OF THE COUNTRY. 09:11 WE HAVE MORE STRONG TRIBAL TIES LIKE YOU SEE IN LIBYA . 09:15 OR YOU HAVE SECTARIAN TIES LIKE YOU MIGHT SEE IN PLACES LIKE SYRIA WITH THE ALAWIS AND YOU 09:22 HAVE SHIA AND YOU HAVE SUNNI . 09:26 SO EACH COUNTRY YOU HAVE TO TREAT SEPARATELY. 09:29 BUT STILL THE VISION OF THE PEOPLE IS NO LONGER, 09:33 ARE WE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE STATE OF FEAR. 09:36 WE WANT A NEW ERA IN THIS REGION 09:38 AND THAT HAS CAUSED A SENSE OF AWAKENING OF THE ARAB CONSCIOUSNESS. 09:43 WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY THAN WE HAVE FOR SOME TIME NOW DON'T WE? 09:54 YES. 09:55 HOW WILL THIS IMPACT OUR PERCEPTION OF HOW WE INTERACT WITH THESE PEOPLE NOW? 10:03 THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION BRUCE BECAUSE NO LONGER THE ARAB WORLD SEES ITSELF AS EITHER VICTIMS OF 10:10 THIS VERY RADICAL VERSION OF ISLAM LIKE AL-QAEDA BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEFEATED, 10:16 HAVE DEPOSED GOVERNMENTS BUT NOT THROUGH VIOLENCE. 10:20 OR NO LONGER DO THEY FEEL THAT THEY DEPEND ON THE WESTERN POWERS TO BE PROTECTED. 10:25 THEY ARE TAKING THE REINS IN THEIR OWN HANDS. 10:29 SO NOW AS THEY ARE LOOKING AT THEIR FUTURE THEY ARE REALLY LOOKING 10:36 FOR NEW ANSWERS AND NEW QUESTIONS. 10:39 THIS IS A VERY RICH TIME MISSIOLOGICALLY. 10:42 THERE ARE SPECIFIC CHANGES AND THERE ARE SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES. 10:47 TALK TO ME ABOUT SOME OF THESE. 10:48 THIS IS REALLY WHAT GOSPEL OUTREACH IS DEALING WITH AND THE LEVEL THAT WE OPERATE ON--- 10:55 IDEAS AND ALLEGIANCES WHETHER IT BE TO ONE FAITH OR THE OTHER. 11:00 OKAY. 11:01 WELL, WHAT WE ARE NOTING IS THAT THIS "ARAB SPRING" SEEMS TO BE SHAPING INTO THE HORIZON. 11:06 OF COURSE, I DON'T WANT TO BE CATEGORICAL BECAUSE THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING. 11:12 BUT WHAT THIS SEEMS TO BE SHAPING IS PERHAPS A TREND IN WHICH EVERYTHING THAT IS WESTERN 11:21 IS SEEN WITH SUSPICION. 11:23 THE WESTERN WORLD HAS BEEN EXPOSED AS HYPOCRITICAL, IN THEIR THINKING. 11:29 THEY FEEL THAT IT WAS THE WESTERN WORLD WHO HAS KEPT THEIR GOVERNMENTS ALIVE AND THEREFORE 11:35 THEY REJECT THE WESTERN WORLD. 11:37 AND YOU SAY, OKAY, WELL THAT'S POLITICAL. 11:39 NO. 11:40 IN THE MUSLIM MIND THERE IS NOT SUCH A STRICT SEPARATION, COMPARTMENTALIZATION, 11:45 AS WE DO---THIS IS THE SACRED AND THIS IS THE SECULAR. 11:48 THIS IS ALL ONE PACKAGE. 11:50 THE TWO ARE TOGETHER. 11:51 THAT'S RIGHT. 11:52 INSEPARABLE. 11:53 EXACTLY. 11:54 SO IF I REJECT YOUR WESTERN WORLD VIEW I'M REJECTING YOUR CHRISTIANITY. 11:58 I'M REJECTING YOUR FAITH. 12:00 I'M REJECTING EVERYTHING THAT SMELLS LIKE YOU. 12:02 I WANT TO BE DEFINED BY, I AM NOT LIKE EVERYTHING YOU DO. 12:07 SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT I FEEL THAT THE REGION HAS BECOME MORE RESISTANT TO THE 12:13 TRADITIONAL COURSE OF EVANGELISM AND TRADITIONAL COURSE OF CHRISTIANITY. 12:18 AND SADLY WE ARE SEEING THAT THE CHRISTIANS IN THE REGION SEEM TO BE IMMIGRATING BY THE THOUSANDS. 12:26 IN PLACES LIKE IRAQ OUR CHURCH HAS BEEN DECIMATED. 12:30 I WAS GOING TO RAISE THAT QUESTION. 12:32 I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE VERY FEW CHRISTIANS LEFT IN THE COUNTRY OF IRAQ. 12:36 THAT'S RIGHT. 12:37 THIS IS NOT ONLY HAPPENING IN IRAQ YOU SEE THIS HAPPENING AS A TREND. 12:41 EVEN IN EGYPT THERE IS GROWING SECTARIANISM BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS THAT IS MAKING MANY 12:48 CHRISTIANS CONSIDER LEAVING EGYPT FOR GOOD. 12:52 AND THE EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN THERE. 12:57 THEY ARE SORT OF THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE. 12:58 THEY WERE THERE BEFORE THE MUSLIMS. 12:59 THAT'S RIGHT. 13:00 THEY WERE BEFORE ISLAM. 13:02 IN ONE SENSE THIS IS ONE TREND THAT WE SEE THAT WILL IMPACT THE WAY MISSION IS DONE---A 13:08 REJECTION TOWARDS WESTERN FAITH. 13:10 BUT ON THE OTHER HAND I CAN FORESEE AT LEAST TWO IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS THAT ALSO MAY 13:19 IMPACT MISSION. 13:20 CAN I HOLD THAT JUST FOR A MOMENT? 13:24 YOU JUST MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO THIS IDEA THAT CHRISTIANITY HAS TO HAVE A DIFFERENT FACE. 13:33 MAYBE YOU WERE GOING TO GET INTO THAT JUST NOW, BUT THEY NEED TO SEE CHRISTIANITY AS SOMEHOW IN 13:44 AN ARAB FACE, AN ARAB DRESS? 13:47 YES. 13:49 THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN ORDER TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, 13:56 IN ORDER TO ENDORSE THE ADVENTIST FAITH, NOT NECESSARILY IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE THE 14:02 PICTURE THAT YOU SEE IN THE WESTERN WORLD. 14:06 YOU CAN BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS WEARING A GALABEYA . 14:10 YOU CAN BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS AND KEEP THE SABBATH SITTING ON THE FLOOR. 14:15 SO SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL FORMS THAT WE HAVE ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTIANITY HAVE BEEN REJECTED. 14:22 PERHAPS I SHOULD USE A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE CLEAR. 14:27 BRUCE, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE SEE FOR THE GOSPEL IS NOT THEOLOGICAL. 14:33 AND I KNOW YOU MIGHT QUESTION ME IN THAT, BUT LET ME FINISH WHAT I WANT TO SAY. 14:37 IT'S SOCIOLOGICAL. 14:40 THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT WE ARE FACING TODAY IS THAT THE PEOPLE LOOK AT OUR FAITH AND 14:46 SAY, WE LIKE THESE CERTAIN VALUES, WE LIKE THESE BELIEFS. 14:50 WE MIGHT ENDORSE YOUR WORLD VIEW, BUT WE DON'T LIKE YOUR SOCIETY AND WE DON'T' WANT TO BE 14:57 PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT IT'S NOT OURS. 15:01 WE DON'T WANT TO CHANGE OUR NAMES JUST BECAUSE WE ARE EMBRACING THE SABBATH. 15:05 WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PICTURE WHEN A MUSLIM, SAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, EGYPT, 15:12 WHEN THEY HEAR THE WORD "CHRISTIAN." 15:14 WHAT ARE THE IMAGES THAT IMMEDIATELY COME TO THEIR MIND? 15:17 WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO THEM? 15:18 WELL, THIS IS VERY CRUCIAL BECAUSE FOR ME "CHRISTIAN" IS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. 15:24 BUT THIS IS THE FARTHEST UNDERSTANDING FOR A MUSLIM PERSON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 15:29 WHEN YOU SAY "CHRISTIANITY" THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH PICTURES OF POLYTHEISM . 15:34 THEY BELIEVE THAT WE WORSHIP THREE GODS WHICH IS THE FATHER, MARY AND JESUS, ALSO IMMORALITY, 15:44 A LIFE OF HOLLYWOOD, EATING PORK, WORSHIP IMAGES. 15:48 EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH SOCIETY IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTIANITY. 15:52 SECULAR MATERIALISM, DRINKING ALCOHOL. 15:57 SO MANY NEGATIVE PICTURES IN DIVORCE, BREAKING DOWN OF FAMILY VALUES. 16:03 THEREFORE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHRISTIANITY WE ARE ACTUALLY USING A TERM THAT REFLECTS 16:09 EVERYTHING THEY WANT OUT FROM. 16:11 SO FOR US TO COME AND SAY WE WANT YOU TO BECOME CHRISTIANS THEIR IMMEDIATE REACTION IS, 16:18 GOD FORBID. 16:19 NO THANK YOU. 16:20 EXACTLY. 16:22 IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THIS 16:28 COUNTRY, USING THE WORD "CHRISTIAN" IS NOT THE MOST ACCURATE EXPRESSION. 16:32 THIS IS NOT ABOUT DENYING YOUR FAITH 16:34 BUT IT IS USING LANGUAGE THAT TRULY COMMUNICATES WHO YOU ARE. 16:37 YOU HAVE TO COMMUNICATE ACCORDING TO THEIR PERSPECTIVE 16:40 AND USE WORDS THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND. 16:43 THAT'S RIGHT. 16:44 SO THE WORD "CHRISTIAN" TO THEM IS A VERY NEGATIVE TERM. 16:47 SO WHAT DO WE CALL OURSELVES THEN? 16:50 I OFTEN USE THE WORD "ADVENTIST" BECAUSE IT'S A WORD THAT IS UNKNOWN AND ENABLES ME TO PUT IN 16:57 A PACKAGE THE TERMS THAT I WANT TO BE RELATED TO. 17:01 SO WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHO ARE YOU, I SAY I'M AN ADVENTIST. 17:04 I'VE NEVER HEARD ABOUT ADVENTIST. 17:06 THEN IT'S EASIER TO COME WITH A CLEAN SLATE THAN TO USE THE WORD "CHRISTIAN" BECAUSE AS YOU WERE 17:12 SAYING, YOU HAVE TO ERASE CENTURIES OF MISUNDERSTANDING THAT STARTED AT THE TIME OF THE 17:17 CRUSADES BEFORE YOU CAN PROVE YOUR BIBLICAL CONTACT AND BY THEN YOU MAY HAVE LOST THE 17:22 INTEREST OF YOUR FRIEND. 17:23 SO THAT'S ONE WAY. 17:27 THIS IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THE NAME "ADVENTIST" HAS ESCHATOLOGICAL CONNOTATIONS. 17:34 THAT IS VERY WELL ACCEPTED AND CREATES A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST. 17:49 I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS A LITTLE BETTER WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE REGION. 17:55 IN ISLAM THERE IS THE IDEA THAT JESUS WILL RETURN. 17:58 THE DETAILS ARE NOT BIBLICAL AND MANY PEOPLE GET LOST ON THAT, BUT I THINK IF WE COULD 18:03 CAPITALIZE ON THE FACT THAT THEY ARE WAITING 18:06 FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT. 18:09 FOR US TO HAVE A NAME THAT REFLECTS THAT WHICH IS ALREADY IN THEIR EXPECTATION, 18:14 IT'S AN IMPORTANT WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY THAT WE COULD USE. 18:17 WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES CAN YOU SEE NOW? 18:22 I WAS TRYING TO POINT THAT I COULD SEE AT LEAST TWO IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE TAKING 18:30 PLACE IN THIS TIME OF CHANGE AND TURMOIL AND TRANSFORMATION. 18:35 NUMBER ONE IS AN AWAKENING TO PROPHECY. 18:39 AND I WOULD SAY AN ESCHATOLOGICAL INTEREST. 18:45 YOU SEE THE PEOPLE ARE ASKING US, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 18:48 ALL THESE CHANGES, ALL THESE GOVERNMENTS FALLING DOWN. 18:51 WHAT IS THIS POINTING TO? 18:53 COULD THIS BE THE COMING OF SOMETHING ELSE. 18:58 HOLD THAT JUST FOR A MOMENT WHILE I ONCE AGAIN LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU'RE WATCHING 19:03 "ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS." 19:05 WE WELCOME YOU TO THIS BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOSPEL OUTREACH. 19:14 WE INVITE YOU TO CORRESPOND WITH US. 19:17 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE WATCHING TONIGHT, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO WRITE TO US AND 19:23 ASK THOSE QUESTION AND WE WILL ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THEM IN SUBSEQUENT PROGRAMS. 19:28 NOW BACK TO WHERE WE WERE. 19:29 EXCUSE ME FOR HAVING TO INTERRUPT YOU. 19:31 THAT'S FINE. 19:32 WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THIS SPECIFIC TIME 19:39 ESPECIALLY THE "FACEBOOK GENERATION." 19:42 THAT IS THE NAME THAT PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE USING TO DEFINE THIS GENERATION. 19:49 THE FAITHFUL GENERATION? 19:50 NO, FACEBOOK. 19:52 REMEMBER THE MEDIA HAD A VERY CRUCIAL ROLE IN ENABLING THESE REVOLUTIONS TO TAKE PLACE. 19:57 SO THIS IS THE "FACEBOOK GENERATION." 19:59 OLDER PEOPLE LOOKING ON ARE SAYING, HOW COULD IT BE THAT A BATCH OF KIDS WITH COMPUTERS 20:05 WOULD EVER ORCHESTRATE SUCH A MASSIVE CHANGE THAT WE COULD NOT DO WITH OUR WEAPONS. 20:11 SO THIS NEW GENERATION IS LOOKING BACK INTO EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PROPHECY. 20:17 IN SPEAKING WITH SOME OF MY MUSLIM FRIENDS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST THEY POINT OUT THAT THERE 20:23 ARE SOME OLD PROPHECIES THAT HAVE SOME SIGNS OF THE TIME 20:28 THAT SEEM TO COINCIDE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. 20:31 SO IN THEIR MIND THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END BEFORE THE NEW ERA OF PEACE AND JUSTICE 20:38 WILL BE FINALLY ESTABLISHED. 20:40 BUT MORE IMPORTANT, AND THIS IS WHERE WE FIT HERE WITH GOSPEL OUTREACH IN THIS SPECIFIC 20:46 PROGRAM, THERE IS A STARTING OF AN APPARENT INTEREST FOR THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE. 20:52 YOU SEE MUSLIM TRADITION WOULD TELL YOU THAT, YES OUR KORAN POINTS TO THE PREVIOUS 20:57 SCRIPTURES BUT THEY HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED. 20:59 THIS WAS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT BECAME POPULAR 21:02 IN THE 11TH CENTURY AT THE TIME OF THE CRUSADES. 21:06 BEFORE THAT REALLY THERE WAS NOT SUCH ANIMOSITY TOWARDS THE TEXT OF THE BIBLE. 21:12 AND THE KORAN POINTS TO SOME JEWS WHO WILL TWIST THE MEANING OF THE WORDS BUT NOT EXACTLY 21:20 TWISTING THE TEXT ITSELF WHICH IS WHAT IS BELIEVED TODAY. 21:24 SO MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING BACK TO THE KORAN TRYING TO DISCERN THE CURRENT TIMES AND REALIZING THAT 21:31 MAYBE THE KEY THAT IS MISSING IS IN THE BIBLE. 21:34 BECAUSE THE KORAN ITSELF SAYS THAT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS GO AND ASK THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK. 21:40 SO AS A RESULT OF THESE CURRENT CHANGES, 21:44 WE HAVE RECEIVED AN UNPRECEDENTED REQUEST FOR A NUMBER OF BIBLES. 21:49 BIBLES THAT ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED BY LOCAL LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITY IN PLACES WHERE 21:56 YOU AND I CAN'T GO BUT THEY ARE PART OF THAT COMMUNITY AND THEY ARE DISTRIBUTING THESE BIBLES 22:01 THROUGH THEIR SOCIAL NETWORKS. 22:03 THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY PEOPLE WORKING UNDER GOSPEL OUTREACH AND DISTRIBUTING THESE BIBLES IN 22:10 A PLACE WHERE OTHER PEOPLE SIMPLY CANNOT GO. 22:13 THAT'S RIGHT. 22:14 I COULDN'T GET A VISA TO SOME OF THESE PLACES. 22:16 IF I TRIED? 22:17 I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD DO ANY BETTER. 22:21 EVEN A DOCTOR I KNEW COULDN'T GET A VISA. 22:24 SO I WOULDN'T TRY FOR YOU. 22:27 THESE ARE THE TWO BIG MISSION OPPORTUNITIES I CAN POINT TO TODAY. 22:32 RENEWED INTEREST IN PROPHECIES, AND I THINK THE ADVENTIST COMMUNITY 22:36 HAS MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE IN THIS AREA. 22:39 AND A GROWING INTEREST FOR THE TEXT OF THE BIBLE. 22:43 NOW THESE ARE NOT JUST OLD COPIES OF OUR BIBLES THAT YOU WANT US TO GATHER 22:50 AND WE SHIP OVER THERE. 22:52 NO BRUCE. 22:54 THE BIBLES WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, NUMBER ONE, ARE IN LOCAL LANGUAGES AND YOU HAVE MANY 22:59 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. 23:01 SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE NEW TO SOME OF OUR VIEWERS IS, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT BIBLES FOR MUSLIMS 23:07 THERE IS THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE THAT SOUNDS VERY FOREIGN TO THE MUSLIMS. 23:12 STUDIES HAVE POINTED OUT THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF TERMS THAT PASS THEIR HEAD BECAUSE 23:18 THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY MEAN. 23:21 YOU MEAN THIS IS A CHRISTIAN ARABIC? 23:24 EXACTLY, IT IS A CHRISTIAN ARABIC. 23:25 SO THERE IS A CHRISTIAN ARABIC AND A MUSLIM ARABIC. 23:28 THAT'S RIGHT. 23:29 AND THEY KNOW THE TWO IMMEDIATELY. 23:32 WITHIN 30 SECONDS THEY CAN SEE WHICH BIBLE IS WHAT. 23:37 IN THE PAST WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED BIBLES WHICH HAVE THE CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE BUT IT HAS SINCE BEEN 23:46 INDICATED THAT THEY SEEM TO HAVE SOME PROBLEM WITH SOME OF THE STORIES AND PASSAGES THAT JUST 23:53 MAKE NO SENSE TO THEM. 23:55 THERE ARE OTHER TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE, WHICH BY THE WAY WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL BIBLE BUT WE 24:02 HAVE THE GOSPELS AND PART OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, 24:07 THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY HAVING MUSLIMS IN MIND. 24:11 IT IS BASICALLY A TRANSLATION THAT USES SOME OF THE TERMS MUSLIMS UNDERSTAND BUT ALSO HAS 24:18 STUDIES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BIBLE THAT ADDRESSES 24:21 SOME OF THE COMMON OBJECTIONS THAT MUSLIMS HAVE TO THE BIBLE. 24:26 THIS ESSENTIALLY MEANS THAT WESTERN BIBLE STUDY GUIDES USUALLY SCRATCH WHERE WESTERN 24:33 PEOPLE ITCH. 24:35 YES. 24:36 WHAT WE NEED ARE BIBLES THAT SCRATCH WHERE MUSLIM PEOPLE ITCH. 24:42 ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS THEIR NEEDS, THEIR CONCERNS, SPEAKING TO THEM IN THEIR LANGUAGE AS 24:49 WELL AS IN THEIR CULTURE. 24:50 THAT'S RIGHT. 24:52 YOU KNOW BRUCE, THIS IS VERY INTERESTING THAT THE GOSPEL IS ACTUALLY A SEMITIC BOOK. 24:57 THE BIBLE IS A SEMITIC BOOK SO WHEN WE RETURN IT TO SIMITIC PEOPLE THEY LOVE IT. 25:02 WE DON'T HAVE TIME BUT I COULD TELL YOU SO MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE ENCOUNTERING THEMSELVES 25:09 AS THEY ENCOUNTER THE TEXT OF THE BIBLE. 25:11 IT SPEAKS VERY POWERFUL WHEN IT IS RELEASED 25:13 IN A WAY THAT RETURNS IT BACK TO IT'S OWN CULTURE. 25:17 EXACTLY. 25:19 GABY, YOUR WEALTH OF INFORMATION FROM LIVING THERE AND WORKING THERE FOR SO MANY YEARS HAS MADE 25:24 YOU AN INVALUABLE PART OF THIS PROGRAM. 25:27 THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US AND SHARING WITH US. 25:30 I WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUR PEOPLE TO TAKE A SERIOUS INTEREST IN THE NEEDS OF THESE BIBLES. 25:36 YOU SAID A NUMBER. 25:37 I THINK THE NUMBER IS ACTUALLY QUITE LARGE, IN THE THOUSANDS, 25:40 AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE. 25:42 SO WE ARE GOING TO NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, YOUR ASSISTANCE, YOUR HELP, 25:46 YOUR PRAYERS NOT ONLY IN GETTING THE BIBLES TO MANY OF THESE COUNTRIES BUT GETTING THEM IN 25:53 AND DISTRIBUTED BECAUSE IN MANY OF THESE COUNTRIES JUST HAVING A BIBLE CAN BE A DEATH DECREE THAT 26:00 CAN BE A FATAL ACCIDENT. 26:03 SO WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO RISK THEIR LIVES. 26:07 ADDRESS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS, TO CONTRIBUTE, TO SHARE YOUR PRAYERS, 26:12 CONTACT GOSPEL OUTREACH, 26:21 YOU CAN SEE OUR URL AND ALL THE REST OF THE INFORMATION ON YOUR SCREEN. 26:26 THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 26:27 TUNE IN AGAIN FOR ANOTHER "ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS" WITH GOSPEL OUTREACH. 26:32 [CLOSING MUSIC] |
Revised 2015-02-06