February 1, 2010

by John M. Lindner, D.Miss.

I want to tell you about two amazing books I have just read.

Look what God is doing!

The first book I want to tell you about is Look What God Is Doing by Dick Eastman, International President of Every Home for Christ (formerly Every Home Crusade and before that, Worldwide Literature Crusade).He is among those who believe there is mainly one end-time sign of Christ’s near coming, and that is described in Matthew 24:14 – “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

As you may know, EHC’s mission is to ensure that every home in the world receives a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that the people of every home will have a chance to hear about Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done, and how they can be part of His redeemed people. They do this in a culturally sensitive way, encourage new believers to attach themselves to a local church, or encourage new believers to become a new church where none exists.

This book was first published in 1997 and revised and abridged in 2009. Eastman tells example after example in country after country where EHC workers go house to house, placing gospel tracts into the hands of someone at every household, or at least at the door of every home. The results of such a simple approach to evangelism are amazing. And most of these workers are usually recent converts through one of their tracts that mysteriously found its way into their hands. They were discipled in a small group, and then started sharing their faith.

Take Daniel Soeharto from Central Java, Indonesia, for example. He trusted in Christ after reading a 12-page gospel booklet. He joined a group of seven believers in his small village and began training as a full-time ECH church planter.

Daniel went house to house, five or six days a week, 48 weeks a year, for 14 years—and kept written records. He visited an average of one village a day. With an average of 300 homes per village, and five persons per home, in those 14 years Daniel made the knowledge of the gospel available to approximately 5,040,000 people living in 1,008,000 homes. With an average response in Indonesia of three percent, Daniel has been instrumental in bringing 30,000 people to a knowledge of Christ. And since each decision card returned can sometimes reflect the decision of more than one person in a household, the number saved through Daniel’s visitation ministry could be even higher.

To accomplish his feat, Daniel traveled an estimated seven miles a day by foot or by bicycle, or a minimum of 35 miles a week. That means he literally walked a calculated 23,520 miles—nearly the circumference of the earth--in 14 years.

Who says the world can’t be reached in our lifetime? All we need are a few thousand more Daniels. I do not disparage the use of satellite TV, the “Jesus” film, audio books, CDs and DVDs, and other technological ways to reach people with the gospel. They all have their role to play. But going house to house is the way the early church turned their world upside down. “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).

God chose to bring Christ into the world “in the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4). Why didn’t He wait till we had the technology to spread His message worldwide? Perhaps He knew that without the knowledge of Christ, civilization would never reach its present development. Perhaps He knew the best way to reach the human race was one by one. Perhaps He wanted to start saving people back then and continue doing it for a couple thousand years.

In any case, reading this book will stir your heart for tract ministry and personal evangelism. It is something every believer can do. I plan personally to explore the options. It is available at Amazon for $11.89 and at ChristianBook.com for $7.99—but they had only four copies in stock as I wrote this yesterday. (www.Christianbook.com).

Three Cups of Tea

This is a totally different kind of book. It is not a religious book—though most of the action takes place in Islamic lands. I don’t think the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned once. The hero is not a religious person. At least he is never depicted as being a believer, though he does learn to pray the Muslim way to accommodate his hosts.

Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber who nearly died following a failed attempt to scale K2 on the Pakistan-China border, the world’s second highest mountain. He became separated from to his porter, lost his way, and stumbled into a Balti village. It happened to be his porter’s home village. His porter soon nursed him back to strength. Before leaving the impoverished village, Mortenson saw the plight of the village children and promised to come back and build them a school.

He didn’t realize that before he built the school he first would have to build a bridge to get the materials there.

Or that building one school would lead to another. And to another.

Photo shows children at Korphe, where Mortenson ended up after descending the mountain. All photos courtesy of Central Asia Institute (www.ikat.org).

Yet before the book ends he builds an astounding 55 schools in some of the most remote places on earth. In the course of time he learned Balti, Urdu, and some Pashtu. He roamed Pakistan’s Karakoram Range and once was even kidnapped by the Taliban. He was in Pakistan when the World Trade Twin Towers were destroyed on 9/11. Immediately after this he set out to consult with a Taliban leader about building a school in their territory.

He began to realize that the real enemy is not the Taliban, nor al Qaeda, but ignorance. If children are given a chance to get a basic education, they can rise above their poverty and begin to think of contributing to humanity, instead of learning to kill.

Mortenson saw clearly that radical Muslims were exploiting the poverty of the region by offering education in their militant madrasses—there were no other schools available. There they would only learn to hate and kill. They were funded with oil profits from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.

Photo shows men carrying roof beams to the first school at Korphe.

For example, in December 2000 a Saudi publication, Ain-Al-Yaqeen, reported that one Wahhabi organization, Al Haramain Foundation, built 1,100 mosques, schools and Islamic centers in Pakistan and other Muslim countries, and employed 3,000 paid proselytizers the previous year. The same newspaper also said that the most active organization, the International Islamic Relief Organization, constructed 3,800 mosques and spent $45 million on “Islamic Education.” It employed some 6,000 teachers, many in Pakistan. The 9/11 Commission later accused the organization of directly supporting the Taliban and Al Qaeda (page 243 of the book).

Mortenson figured if he could build secular schools to offer sound education, the children could go on to higher learning, and make something of themselves—and lift the stature of their villages in the process. You will be amazed at Mortenson’s endurance, and how providence provided.

Some time during 2002 he calculated the U.S. military had already launched 114 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan. Each one cost approximately $840,000—enough to build at least 50 schools. If the entire amount had been spent on building schools, the Taliban might not have had a chance.

But life is never that simple. And human beings, especially government people, don’t usually go for what’s simple. And if U.S. government money were sent, there is no guarantee it would ever reach the remote locations where it was truly needed.

This book is not a quick read. But in it you will learn insights into the Pakistan-Afghanistan situation you will never learn in the mainstream media. You will understand why fighting the war with military might alone will never secure peace.

Photo shows school Mortenson builit 30 miles from Kabul.

The book’s title is taken from a Balti proverb: The first time you have tea with a Balti villager you are a stranger. The next time you are a friend. After the third visit you are family! Mortenson is a highly loved and respected non-Muslim American among the Balti and neighboring tribespeople.

Tom Brokaw said of it, "Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world."

It has become required reading for U.S. senior military commanders, and has been read by General David Petraeus, CENTCOM Commander, as well as by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Learn when he might be speaking in your area and more information at www.threecupsoftea.com. His organization, Central Asia Institute, can be found at www.ikat.org.

Photo shows two schoolgirls with Karakoram Mountain Range in background.

Reading this New York Times best seller helps us understand that part of the world a little better. Amazon.com offers Three Cups of Tea for $7.50, or ask for it at your local library.

I hope this has been an encouragement to you.