Making Jesus Visible to Arab World in Shadow of Conflict
By Rami Al Halaseh
Jesus. The savior of the world, born a Jew.
You might think that’s a hard thing for those in the Arab world to accept, as conflicts rage and polarization increases.
Actually, it’s not.
Amid the headline-grabbing conflicts and troubles that swarm the Middle East and North Africa today, the Arab people are desperate for hope in a parched land. They thirst for the peace and freedom Jesus offers them.
I’m an Arab, born and raised in the Middle East, and living in my native Jordan. I’ve never seen a time like this before, a time when God is moving in the hearts and minds of people across the Arab world, a region that’s more than 97% non-Christian.
On the surface, things might appear the opposite. Hostile governments in Arab nations like Algeria are shutting down churches and persecuting pastors, threatening them with prison. They’re trying to suppress any Christian teaching or expression.
But the more they try to snuff out the light, the brighter the flame burns in the lives of Arab believers, making Jesus visible to all. These followers of Isa, the Arabic name for Jesus, have embraced God’s truth — and the truth has set them free. In a world of shifting sands of uncertainty, they’ve found a rock in Jesus, the Holy One born a Jew.
For millions of Arabs right now, there’s nothing to be hopeful about. The war in the Holy Land and other conflicts in the region have left them with dread and anxiety about tomorrow. Many Arab economies are in dire trouble. Families are fearful, on the edge of giving up.
“Where can we find real hope?” they ask.
Hope the world’s chaos can’t take away
At SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org), the Middle East-based Christian multimedia ministry where I work, we make Jesus visible to viewers across the Arab world. Through live-broadcast, local-language satellite television and social media channels, we reach into virtually every home. We show them that Jesus lives today — and that He lives in us, giving us peace and hope that this world’s chaos cannot take away.
Amid endless conflict, it’s a message of hope for all Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa. Our network’s Arab presenters do not attack or undermine other faiths. They focus on the life and ministry of Jesus.
Jesus was a Jew. He came to show us the way, and that He is the way. When Arab people encounter the real Jesus, as I did, when they see His beauty in His followers, they cannot help but be drawn to his message of reconciliation with the Father who loves them.
Seeing with the eyes of faith
At this moment in the Arab world when everything seems to be falling apart, we must raise our spiritual eyes to see what God is doing, even amid war and conflict. As Christians, we may feel outnumbered, like Elisha’s servant in the Bible, but “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16, NIV). Throughout history, we see that when it is darkest, that’s when God is moving the most. With the eyes of faith, we pray. For unless we believe in the power of prayer, we will not see change.
For better or worse, 2024 is going to be a year of monumental events in the Arab world. But for God’s Kingdom in the Middle East and North Africa, the best is yet to come.
Rami Al Halaseh is the director of Arabic channels for SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org), the first and largest local-language Christian multimedia ministry broadcasting across the Middle East and North Africa.
For those attending NRB — An Association For Christian Communicators Feb. 20-23, 2024, to check on his availability contact Gregg Wooding 972-567-7660 /gwooding@inchristcommunications.com or DeWayne Hamby at (423) 505-0041 (text or phone) or dhamby@inchristcommunications.com.