https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christ...ction-story-of-the-church-in-the-middle-east/ Also: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christ...ates-of-hell-the-hope-for-christians-in-iraq/ Like Her Divine Founder, the Church often rises again just when Her enemies say She cannot. Please remember persecuted and martyred Christians in the Middle East, especially those who suffered under ISIS in Iraq and Syria. By the Grace of God, at long last, there is some encouraging news, and emergence of hope for a new future. “Despite all that has happened to us, God cared for us; He didn’t leave us.” –Father Poulos in Iraq in the Middle East A resurrection story of God’s people. You won’t find this account in the Old or New Testament, as first impressions might imply. But the feature protagonist and antagonist are the same. God and Satan are front and center in this narrative. A FIGHT OF A DIFFERENT KIND The church in the Middle East is rising up to be salt and light on the Nineveh Plain. Clearly, the story of how the 2,000-year-old church in the Middle East has risen up after the inhumane brutality of ISIS and ongoing civil war is nothing short of radical. It is a modern-day illustration of the words the Apostle Paul wrote to the persecuted church of Ephesus 2,000 years ago: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). Paul tells us this battle for survival and restoration is not merely physical; it’s also spiritual. Sound familiar? Through ISIS and the trail of destruction the war left, Satan threatened to wipe out the entire Christian population in this region known as the birthplace of Christianity, including 2,000-year-old communities. The resurrection of the church in the Middle East is a tangible expression of a God who has carried His people since day one, a Savior who has already defeated our arch enemy and is more powerful than any group or ruler known to man at any time and place in the world. FROM INVASION TO RESTORATION News headlines throughout the world questioned the future of the church in the Middle East. At the beginning of 2014, the picture looked bleak for believers and the Christian faith in the Middle East, with some news reports questioning, “Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?” Throughout the region, Christians heard the ultimatum: “Convert, leave, or die.” Once controlling 34,000 square miles stretching across Syria and neighboring Iraq, ISIS imposed its violent rule on almost 8 million people. Today, the last Islamic State forces in Syria are currently confined into a tiny area near the Iraqi border—prompting officials to cautiously declare ultimate defeat of the remnant and an imminent end to the Islamic caliphate in the Middle East ... Easter 2018 For the first time in three years, Christians in Iraq and Syria gather in their villages to celebrate Easter—a vivid picture of God’s power to rescue and restore. 1,206 HOUSES RESTORED Local committees coordinating the restoration of the houses in Iraq and the return of the people report that 8,360 Christian families have returned. Today, the Nineveh Plain in Iraq has come back to life. More and more Christians are returning to the birthplace of Christianity. And with your help, 1206 houses have been restored. While some have chosen not to return, three years ago few believers in Iraq and Syria thought they’d ever see their homeland, let alone their home and community, again. The resurrection story continues ... (please read the linked articles for more)
