The Race, Issue 65
Farida’s debts
I plopped my grocery bags down with a thud and
gratefully took a seat in a small, family-run diner I frequented. The weather
was hot and humid and shoppers at the market were hastily purchasing their
meats and vegetables for the evening meal. Taxi drivers’ patience was worn
thin as the unseasonably warm temperatures augmented the suffocating
effects of the downtown pollution.
I had come to know Farida
through several afternoons of sharing coffee and sodas at the restaurant
she and her husband owned and operated. Everyday she served her faithful
customers steaks, fries, and pizzas, taking a day off only on Fridays, the
religious day of rest. From the first day we met, I had a standing
invitation to sit with her during her afternoon coffee breaks and share
about our families, our interests, the news, and whatever came to mind.
Often times, we amicably discussed religion.
It was only seconds after we’d greeted each other with a
kiss on the cheek that Farida popped open an
ice-cold bottle of orange soda, stuck a straw in it, and set it in front of
me. It was the first week of Ramadan. Farida knew
I was a Christian and wasn’t fasting like everyone else. I appreciatively
sipped just enough drops to wet my parched throat and gave the bottle to my
daughter to finish off. I experienced this often during Ramadan; being
invited to someone’s home or workplace during the fasting hours and being
offered a drink while the person that offered it to me drank nothing.
Usually, I declined the offer, but this day was especially hot and I
couldn’t resist the soda’s refreshing appeal.
I asked Farida if she was
adapting all right to the first days of Ramadan, knowing what a challenge
it is to fast, especially in hot weather.
Farida immediately began explaining to me
why Muslims fast and the “rules” of fasting. Persons can be exempt of
fasting for various reasons, including pregnancy, nursing a baby,
menstruation cycles, sickness, and travel. She told me that she had several
weeks of “debt” to pay from past Ramadans when
she was sick and could not fast. She would be fasting an extra 20 days this
year. She said that all Muslims who are exempt from fasting must make up
their debt at a later time if they are able. If they have an acceptable
reason to not make it up, such as old age or a chronic illness, they are
excused.
As I heard Farida say she must
pay off her debts, I immediately thought of the chorus that sings, “He paid
a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to
wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand-new song, amazing grace all day
long. He paid a debt that I could never pay.”
My heart is heavy for Farida. She
repeats “forgive me, God” 100 times a day to ensure that all the sins she’s
committed to that point have been forgiven. I pray that one day she’ll
experience the liberation of being “debt free” before God, to have all of
her debts, both past and present, paid for by Jesus Christ himself.
It is by grace they can be saved, not by works, so that
no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9
The RACE – Issue 64
“Too much” television can be good for your spiritual
health!
Who of you became
Christians through the direct witness of a family member, Bible teacher or
a friend? Many Christians come to know Christ through a face-to-face
relationship with another believer and they grow in their understanding of
their new faith through personal interaction with fellow believers.
What if you lived in a
place in which you knew of no other Christians, no churches or no Bibles?
What if you were the first person in your town that chose to follow Christ?
In several countries
around the world, men and women are learning about the hope of Jesus Christ
through their television screens. About 60% of all Arabs own satellite
dishes and it is through these satellite dishes that they are discovering
the person of Jesus. Arab Vision
is a powerful evangelical media ministry broadcasting Christian television
programs throughout the Arab world. Every week they receive at least a
couple of testimonies from Arabs, who have become believers in Jesus Christ
through their programs.
An Algerian recently
wrote:
“Four months ago, I
became a believer in Christ through your broadcasts. What can I say except
that my joy is indescribable? I have never felt so much joy and peace. I
operate a repair shop. I have placed a television in the shop and I invite
my friends to watch your programs. My workshop has become a place for
discussions.”
Another Algerian young
man who watched Christian programming by satellite for three years
contacted the program and found a Christian brother to help answer his
questions. After several conversations with this new Christian friend, Ali
gave his life to Christ. Within that month, he shared his decision with his
closest friends and three of them became Christians!
Will you join us in
praying for these new evangelists, and for the many others, who will become
followers of Jesus through these Christian programs? Also pray for the
millions who see the program to begin questioning their hearts about the
true meaning of life. Here’s a prayer exercise to try this week: Choose not
to watch a 30 minute TV program and use the time to remember those watching
Christian shows in Algeria.
Augustine: An Algerian to Remember
Very few men have had
such an influence on history, civilization, and Christianity as St. Augustine (354-430). During his formative years, no one
could have imagined that this rebellious youth born in a small village in
North Africa would become one of the foundations of doctrine and practice
of the Christian Church. Augustine’s mother, Monica, was a strong Christian
woman who prayed tirelessly for her son. She brought him up to know the
Bible and to love the Church. But,
the more his education progressed and the brighter his intellectual
brilliance shone, the further he went from the Lord. Thankfully, he had
Christian friends whose simple, holy life and plain counsel challenged him.
As a student
in Carthage, Augustine became adept in rhetoric. During his
youth, he adapted Manichaeism, belief in a dark god of earthly power
opposed to the god of light. Augustine accepted a position in Rome teaching
rhetoric and later moved to Milan. His years at Milan were the critical
period of his life. Having renounced Manichaeism after a deep study in Neoplatonism and skepticism, Augustine was greatly
drawn by the eloquent fervor of St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan. After two
years of great doubt and mental disquietude, Augustine gave himself to God
with many tears of grief and love. He was baptized on Easter in 387 at the
age of 32.
Augustine returned
to his homeland, was called to the priesthood and became bishop of Hippo
(present-day Annaba, Algeria). Hippo was the second city of importance after
Carthage (present-day Tunis), its diocese covering 60 km. He became the
champion of unity during the 35 years of his bishopric. His call to unity
was: "one flock under one shepherd who is Jesus Christ".
Augustine’s
influence on Christianity is thought by many to be second only to that of
Paul, and theologians, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, look upon him as
one of the founders of Western theology. His Confessions is
considered a classic of Christian autobiography. This work (c. 400), the
prime source for Augustine’s life, is a beautifully written apology for the
Christian convert. After Confessions his best-known work is the City
of God, a mammoth defense of Christianity against its pagan critics,
and famous especially for the uniquely Christian view of history elaborated
in its pages. Augustine’s devotional and theological writings continue to
challenge and inspire millions around the
world.
Will there be
another “Augustine” to rise out of North Africa in this present day of suffering, hopelessness,
and opposition? Let us pray for modern-day “Augustines”,
the Christian young men and women of Algeria. May they be diligent in their studies of the
Word and be strong Christian leaders in the face of persecution.
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