Julia Fisher introduces another story from her latest book, 'Future for Israel?'

Julia Fisher

Who'd want to go into Gaza at present? When I went a few years ago, during the intifada, things were not easy...poverty, overcrowding, hopelessness, unemployment, inadequate medical facilities, and that invisible air of tension that became recognisable when you looked into the eyes of the people was there then, so what must it be like today?

But there is one man I know who can't wait to visit Gaza again. His name is Labib Madanat - the Executive Secretary of the Palestinian Bible Society, based in East Jerusalem.

Labib has been out of the country enjoying a sabbatical...but he is about to return to Jerusalem and he told me recently that he couldn't wait to visit his team in Gaza City to encourage them and stand with them.

Because within Gaza, within its Moslem majority, there are some Christians. Can you imagine what a challenge it must be to be a Christian there, with militant members of the terrorist organisation Hamas roaming the streets, armed with guns, and with the heightened state of unrest with Israel since the kidnapping of the young Israeli soldier, Palestinians know that Israel will not go away until their soldier is returned - alive.
So why does Labib, an Arab Christian from a Jordanian family, have such a heart for the Muslim population in Gaza?

I wrote about Labib in my latest book, 'Future for Israel?' in which I told the stories of a number of Arab Christians who love the God of Israel and the Jewish people. Labib is one of those people. He has reached the point in his thinking where he knows he has to love Muslims and Jews equally because God loves everybody equally.

What follows is a brief extract from Labib's story. After studying in Iraq and Jordan, he'd returned to the Old City of Jerusalem and accepted the job with the Bible Society.
"This was a new challenge and quite unexpected. God knew what He had to do within me to prepare my heart and mind for such a job. While I was in Iraq God baptised my heart with love for the Moslem people. It broke my heart when I saw how the Moslems were killing each other on both sides of the war between Iran and Iraq. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands were brutally murdered on both sides in the name of Islam. And then, when I came to Jerusalem, during the first few months here, I encountered many Israeli soldiers and with the little Hebrew that I acquired then I told them about Jesus, Yeshua. As they checked my ID I would talk to them and I found that God gave me what I can only describe as a divine love for the Jewish people; love that is not dependent on whether the person in front of you is worthy of this love or not - that was irrelevant. This love was about loving them as people. I just loved them.

Many people might find that hard to understand because they think that for somebody with a Jordanian or Palestinian background, to love Israeli soldiers is quite unusual. But when we Christians mention the word 'love', it's different from how the world understands this word. For us, love equals the cross of Jesus Christ. For the world outside, love has been confused with too many things. So we need to differentiate and talk about the love that we have received from the Father through Jesus Christ. And I believe there are two aspects to this love. Firstly, the Bible teaches us that God's image is in every human being regardless of how evil they might be. This fact alone means that people are able to love and forgive. Hence, even among non believers you'll see examples of forgiveness, mercy and love whereever there are political or ethnic divides in the world, not only here. That this happens is like a sign of hope from God that He hasn't given up on humanity. But perhaps the second aspect of this love is even more significant; if Christ dwells in my heart then I can love a Jew, a Moslem, a Christian - anybody. This love is unconditional. It means I can love my supposed enemy.

And so my thinking was developing fast. With the changes that were taking place within my heart and mind, I began to see what God was calling me to do in those early days of my new job; I wanted the Moslems to taste Jesus and the Jews to see Him. Whatever it takes Lord, I prayed, whatever it takes to help a Moslem have a taste of how good the Lord is. And they need to taste; they need to have some sort of an experience which requires them to know us as people, as Christians, not only by our words, but by our lives. For Jewish people, it is easier because when I share my testimony with them and tell them quite simply that I am an Arab whose heart has been changed by the blood of Jesus, they can see that I do not hate them and wonder how this can be.

I had to learn the most effective way of letting Moslems 'taste' Jesus and today I can describe it in these two sentences. To live and give. To serve and proclaim the Word of God. You see, you need to come close to people, to live among them. It is not a case of me descending with my religion. It's not a fight between the Bible and the Koran and who will twist the other's arm; that's not the essence of the message of Jesus. The essence of the message of Jesus is that 'God so loved the world.' That is the motivation. The motivation is not anti Koran, anti Islam, or anti Moslem. The motivation is absolute love for a lost human soul wanting that soul to come back to the Father to meet Jesus and rest in His arms. Nothing less. That is the motivation and it has to be pure and for that there is no love more than this, that somebody should lay down his life for his friends. What can I do to bless the Moslems? How do I live in humility? Do I say forgive me when I'm wrong? Do I care for their lives as much as I can? Do I live in honesty among them? And how much do I tell them about the love of Jesus? I must not hide it. It is sharing Christ with them in word and deed.

Arabs in general are fed up with decades of empty promises from many leaders; they are tired of deferred hopes. So giving them words only is not enough. I do believe in the power of the word of God, but we cannot hide behind it and say the word and the Spirit will do the job. We are responsible to live the word and speak the word and be used by the Holy Spirit so Muslims can taste and see how good the Lord is.

And then what about the Jewish people? How can I help them to see their Messiah? It is a unique position for an Arab going to a Jew to talk to him about the Jewish Jesus. I assure you we can get their full attention. So what I am saying is there is extra power and strength when we cross the divide of hostility and animosity, hatred and bitterness, with the message of Jesus. I pray that believers will not miss these opportunities because they are blinded by the political and national problems and challenges, but instead see what God wants us to do in the midst of this horrible situation. God's love transforms us from the position of victims to servants. We've had so many encounters like this! They always end with a sense of blessing and healing.

There is a very real sense that Arab Christians with this perspective really hold a vitally important key in unlocking God's purposes in this part of the world.

To me it is obvious why God allowed both people to be together in the land here. And we need to ask ourselves, what is God's agenda? And even if we differ in our understanding of the Biblical prophecies and the end times and all the arguments surrounding the 'theology' of the land I always say, prophecies are God's to fulfil, commandments are mine to obey. And there are clear commandments for me; love your neighbour like yourself and take the gospel to the whole world starting from Jerusalem.
God is doing so much amongst the Palestinians these days. I am humbled by the depth and the width of openness within Palestinian society for the true gospel of Jesus Christ. In Gaza the Lord is opening so many opportunities both in the refugee camps and in other very, very difficult areas. He's providing partnership for us to work with many local organisations helping women, children and old people.

Finally, I would say to the church in the West, be in tune with the heartbeat of the Father. Do not be distracted by politics. You can never change the heart of God from being a Father's heart. He will always love Arabs and Jews the same. His love will always be the same and He wants the church to carry the same heart so His love can flow freely through the church to both peoples."

An excerpt from 'Future of Israel?' by Julia Fisher, published by Authentic Media.