How Can I Believe in God?
Israel is a small country, and at times we feel as if we are sheep among wolves. But even though we are small, we remain strong because the Lord is with us.
Most people living in Israel, both Jews and Arabs, do not know the Lord. The Arabs especially are far from knowing about His love. But we believers are God’s witnesses, and now is the time to tell them of that love.
There is a saying, “If Mohammed won’t come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed.” It is like that with us, but it is difficult to go to an Arab village and preach the Word of God.
One day some of my Arab neighbors came to my home extremely upset, saying, “How can we receive Bibles when they include the New Testament?”
They were very confused, so I said, “Before you receive the Bible, I will explain it to you, if you wish.”
They agreed and appreciated my help. I then opened my New Testament and told them how to put their faith in the Lord Jesus. The mention of that name surprised them, and they asked, “How can you speak about Jesus? You are a Jew.”
So began a long discussion about faith in the Lord Jesus and the difference between faith by the sword and faith by love. I told these Arabs, “Your faith comes by the sword, and those who do not believe as you do are killed. God has given freedom to every creature. He has said, ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love’” (Jer. 31:3).
One Arab remarked, “God said that only to the people of Israel.”
I quickly turned to John 3:16 to prove that God’s love is available to all nations, including the Arabs. “It is written, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’ (Mk. 12:31). It does not say, ‘Love the Jew, or the American, but not the Arab.’ Loving your neighbor means loving your enemy as well.”
Then they wanted to know how I came to believe on the Lord, since I am a Jew. “How can this be possible?” they asked.
I replied, “Our faith does not come from any propaganda literature or by force, but by God’s mercy and love. What the Lord did for us, He did because of His love. You, as Arabs, came to me, a Jew, and I received you as best friends, even though I suspect that you hate me with all your hearts. But the Lord said that we are to love those who hate us and pray for them because love is of God.”
Still not understanding what I meant, they asked, “Why do you serve in the army if you love your enemies?”
I answered, “I serve because I am a citizen of Israel. Even Jesus said, ‘Render…unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God, the things that are God’s’” (Mt. 22:21).
I then related an incident that occurred during the Six-Day War. I went to the home of a wealthy Arab family and found gold and diamonds worth many thousands of dollars. The owners were afraid that I would take their possessions, but I quieted them, assuring them, “All I am looking for is guns and ammunition. But if a soldier who was not a believer had come to search your home, your possessions would have been taken.” As I finished my story, I explained to my guests, “This is the big difference between people who believe in Jesus and people who do not. And it does not matter if they are Jews, Arabs, or any other nationality on the face of the earth.”
It was hard for them to believe my story, so I offered to call a taxi and take them to the home of this Arab family, so that they could ask them about it themselves. But they finally accepted the fact that even war can’t break our love for our enemy because the love of our Savior is in us.
Please pray for these Arab neighbors and for the thousands of other Arabs in Israel, that they will be reached with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
