The Lord is doing a mighty and miraculous work in Iraq.
To give a background of the church and its environment in Iraq, we must look at how the church existed for centuries and the challenges for its existence. The church in Iraq goes back to the second century. It was a center for learning theology and the preservation of biblical manuscripts. With the Roman Empire’s acceptance of Christianity in the fourth century, the church in Iraq became stagnant and aligned with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. These churches survived the Islamic invasion in the seventh century and exist under Islam’s rule to this day. The church did not shine its light in Iraq because of Islamic law (Shariah) and society’s mockery of Christians.
Most Christians in Iraq have preserved the Aramaic language, which was the language of Jesus. After so many centuries, the Lord remembered Iraq and its church in 2003. Since the fall of President Saddam Hussein, both nominal Christians and Muslims have turned their hearts to the Lord. The Lord has turned a violent and horrible period of Iraq’s history into good for His glory.
Most Christians I encounter in the West ask me what a born-again believer’s life is like in Iraq. It is a good question, considering that all we see and hear about Iraq is jihad, bombs, kidnappings, war, refugees and a country that lies in ruins. There are two kinds of believers in Iraq: those who came from Eastern Orthodoxy and those who came from Muslim faith. They both face similar challenges such as rejection by their families for believing in Christ as the only Way. The convert from Islam to Christianity faces even greater persecution. According to Islamic law, for a Muslim to leave Islam is punishable by death not only by his or her family but any Muslim. He or she could also face insults, mockery and lose his or her job or even his or her life. Since 2003, many believers have lost their lives because they converted from Islam. Their blood has not been forgotten by the Lord and is a testimony to others and strength for those who are following in their footsteps.
Being a believer in Iraq is not just a religious affiliation, church membership and status. It is a way of life. It is a life of commitment to death because Christ challenged believers that if they are not willing to carry their cross and follow after Him, then they are not worthy of Him. They truly understand the cost of being a disciple.
The believer in Iraq has to be careful when he or she speaks and to whom he or she speaks. Because there has been a religious cleansing in Iraq by radical Muslim groups affiliated with al-Qaida to get rid of Christianity, a Christian faces the threat of kidnapping and assassination every time he or she leaves home. When he or she is in church, the church faces the threat of being attacked by al-Qaida and Sunni and Shiite rogue militant groups. Christian women and girls face kidnapping for ransom. There have been many who have suffered such a fate. Such acts of violence have forced many Christians to leave Iraq, and many have suffered emotional trauma. Many, if not all, of the Christians and the rest of the Iraqi population need counseling because of the violence that Iraq has gone through since 1980, when the eight-year Iran-Iraq War began.
Yet believers have constant joy and peace in Christ. They even do outreach to the community to help those in need. They help orphans, those in prison, youth, widows and those who persecute them. They truly walk through the shadow of death without fear, because they know the Lord is with them. Believers in Iraq encourage one another and live as a community taking care of one another.
It is very clear that God is at work in Iraq in mighty and miraculous ways. He is opening the hearts and minds of people we never thought would be open to the gospel. Many Christians from the middle and southern part of Iraq have migrated to the northern part of Iraq to live among the Kurdish people. God also has revealed Himself to the Kurds, and many have received Him as Savior. The church among the Kurds is growing by the witness of Kurdish believers and their Iraqi brothers and sisters who have migrated to the north, reading the Word of God in Kurdish and missions work of Arabs and Westerners.
Iraqi churches caught the vision from the Lord that the Kurds are ready for the gospel, and they responded by planting churches in the Kurdish region.
The Kurds are either Muslims or Yazeedies (devil worshipers). We have met some of these former devil worshipers in northern Iraq who are now ministers of the gospel. There is surely nothing impossible for God. The Lord is pouring out His Spirit on Iraq, and He is using technology such as Christian Internet sites and satellite channels, the “JESUS” film, Bible distribution, dreams and Iraqi Christians.
There is no doubt the Christian work in Iraq is hard and sometimes dangerous. But believers in Iraq say, “We are no longer afraid of the bombs and the violence. We walk with the Lord, and He is our refuge and strength and has called us to reach our people.” What a testimony of God working through His Word and Spirit in the lives of believers in the midst of death and destruction. Surely they are following in the footsteps of our church fathers who persevered to preach the gospel as they walked through the valley of death.
Ministries from Jordan and Lebanon and other partners have been working closely together to help these believers face the challenges. One of these believers’ greatest needs is theological education. Our concern is to help the church in Iraq start with good sound biblical doctrine. To achieve that, there are many steps that we can help them take:
The first step is unity and cooperation among pastors and churches. These days in Iraq, they cannot afford to be competitive and be lone rangers.
Train the leadership and their congregations theologically and missiologically.
Help them to cast a vision for their churches and communities.
Empower them to implement goals to achieve the vision the Lord has given them.
Train pastors’ wives to be leaders and role models for other women.
Advocate for the Iraqi church by partnering with the global body of Christ.
The global church can help the Iraqi church by praying; providing financial support for pastors, ministries, projects and church planting; and supplying tools for evangelism.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Elijah Abraham is the founder and director of Living Oasis Ministries. He is an Iraqi believer who converted to Christianity after being raised a Muslim. Nabeeh Abbassi is the former president of the Jordan Baptist Convention.
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