HOLY LAND - Seeds bearing fruit
27/04/05 - 60 years later, one small gospel seed is now producing Christian leaders throughout the Holy Land.
A small seed, planted in a young girl’s heart in the early 1940s, completely changed the lives of Bishara Awad and hundreds of others throughout the Holy Land. A trip to California, thousands of miles away from his Palestinian home town in Bethlehem, and a chance meeting with a complete stranger some 50 years after the event, gave Bishara a chance to thank the seed-sower in person.
At the time, Bishara was studying theology in America and had gone to the shopping mall with his family. They were speaking Arabic together, when a very old lady hearing them speaking in Arabic, approached them wanting to make contact as she also spoke Arabic. She had been a missionary and school teacher in Jerusalem but had to leave because of the troubles during the 1940s. She went on to describe her great disappointment that no-one had become a believer during her time there.
However, one young girl, Huda, had been in her heart and prayers ever since. This young girl turned out to be Bishara’s mother, Huda, and the teacher had been ‘Miss Brown’ about whom, Huda had often talked, saying she had become a Christian because of Miss Brown.
They were all so excited to see how this one seed planted in a young girl’s heart had born so much fruit and continues to do, through the lives of Huda’s seven children and the many churches throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories who are affected by their ministry.
Bishara is the founder and director of Bethlehem Bible College, which has trained hundreds of young people, most of whom now work in Christian leadership. They are greatly used by God to bring hope, reconciliation and peace to Christians throughout the land.
The college also acts as a focus and light for the besieged and powerless community around Bethlehem. Bishara explains:
“I learned from this, that all we have to do is plant seeds and God will see that they grow. If we don’t see the seeds grow on this earth, we will see them grown in heaven. God is so faithful.
Here I am, an orphan boy, and God has used me to start a Bible college and he has put a special love in my heart for all people: Muslims, Christians and Jews.
That is why we allow people of all faiths to study in the college and learn about the love of God. By the second year, everyone either becomes a true believer or they leave.
We never speak badly against another church, and we have graduates serving in all kinds of denominations. As a result, we are witnessing the start of a small revival in this land. The Lord is working miracles amongst people of all faiths, including Muslims.
“The Muslims we have around Palestine are beautiful.”
Indeed, all the people I encountered in the streets were gentle, kind, welcoming and very friendly. Before I left for my trip to the Holy Land, I asked God what His word for the region might be. I sensed He gave me Mark 4:26–28 – the story of the growing seed. I felt that many people had scattered seeds in this land and, just as in the parable, God was making them grow without the help of a human farmer. In due season, the seeds produced a great harvest. That was a real encouragement to me as I viewed the devastation from many years of fighting and heard so many heartbreaking stories from Christians living in the area.
When I met Bishara in March 2005, his twinkling eyes and kind smile spoke more than words could ever convey of the work of grace that God has accomplished in his life. It is made all the more remarkable given his background. Bishara recalled some of the good seeds that his mother planted in his life and that are bearing fruit today:
“I praise God for my mother,” he said. “In 1948, when I was nine, my father was caught in some crossfire during the Arab/Israeli war and killed. But my mother always taught us to never avenge his death and to show the love of God to all. She has been our model for the Christian life.”
Soon after the death of his father, Bishara’s family were ordered out of their Jerusalem home at gunpoint, by Israeli soldiers. A Muslim family gave them shelter and cared for them.
Bishara’s mother was eventually forced to put him and five of his siblings into an orphanage, where they endured a miserable existence. The bright spot in his life was the monthly visit to his mother, whose faith remained a source of strength to him during this troubled time.
He later managed to get a full scholarship and eventually earned a Master’s degree in education in America.
Bishara describes a life-changing spiritual battle that he won in 1974. He realised that anger and bitterness were subconsciously ruling his life, so he prayed, “Lord, I beg you: forgive me for hating the Jews and for allowing that hatred to control my life.” In that moment, all the hatred was washed away, replaced with an overpowering sense of God’s love.
At the time he was running a boys’ orphanage, and he was able to impart the life-giving message of forgiveness to the hurting and angry boys in his care.
Then, in 1979, Bishara founded Bethlehem Bible College whose work and influence has since spread throughout Israel as its graduates settle in other parts of the region and their theology teachers bring courses to Gaza, Jericho and Jerusalem.
Sadly, he also described the persecution being received from many of the traditional churches in the area, as they see their numbers dwindling as those churches which are led by Bible college graduates increase in size.
Bishara’s full story can be found in Brother Andrew’s book Lightforce, published in November 2004. Brother Andrew is the founder of Open Doors, which this year is commemorating 50 years of ministry to the suffering church around the world. Brother Andrew and Open Doors have been working closely with Bishara since the founding of Bethlehem Bible College.
For further information and to partner with Open Doors in helping the suffering Church in the Holy Land and around the world, phone 01993 885400, email info@opendoorsuk.org or log on to www.opendoorsuk.org
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