God's Word Has Not Yet Reached Them!

- by Dr. Patricia Depew

Imagine what it would be like never to have heard the words and teachings of Jesus. Words that provide us help and comfort; words that bring guidance and most importantly words that allow us to have a relationship with the living God!

There are millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa who have never read or heard a meaningful passage from the true word, and many tribes who still do not have the Bible translated in their own language. What a tragedy! People are cut off from the usual means of learning about Jesus. They are held back by religion, culture, language, and illiteracy, lack of Bible translations, and serious threats of persecution.

Importance of Language
The Arabs, coming from what is now Saudi Arabia, spread Islam and the Arabic language (the language of the Koran) through conversion and cultural assimilation into the vast areas of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Today, over 250 million inhabitants of these regions are Arabic speakers. Although there are national and regional variations in many dialects, they generally share a standard written version of Arabic, as taught in schools and used over the radio and in the newspapers. In North Africa, primarily in Morocco and Algeria, there are a number of Berber tribes, each speaking their own Tamazight (Berber) language. Smaller ethnic groups in both the Middle East and North Africa speak other non-Arab languages.

Importance of Tribes
Another key factor is tribalism. The pervasive importance of tribes remains one of the most potent forces in the Middle East and North Africa. In many ways, they carry an even stronger social force than Islam. For centuries the social and political organization of many Arabs and Bedouins has centered on the tribe. Socially, tribes are divided into related sub-tribes, which are further divided into clans, and then into extended families. The clans are represented by their own sheikhs who participate in tribal councils for judicial, military and other affairs.

Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iraq all illustrate the significance of tribes. Bear in mind that almost all of these tribes will probably require a separate Bible translation.

In Saudi Arabia, tribes make up over 50 percent of its population. Since the mid-1980s, tribal leaders have represented their clans in Saudi's central government to deal with issues and needs of their people. The tribes carry power and are affiliated also with the House of Sa'ud through marriage ties.

Tribes hold the nation state of Yemen together. Clan sheiks maintain powerful leadership, and they expect to get anything they want from their clan members in the government. In an interview, a Yemeni boy stated, "I would die for my tribe. I serve my tribe in everything they ask. If I'm alone, it means I'm weak. If I'm with the tribe, it means I have some power, I am strong."

Seventy-five percent of Iraq's estimated 26 million people are members of about 150 tribes. These are composed of about 2,000 smaller clans. These tribes are bound together, not by religion or ethnic background, but by ancestry, geography and a strict social code. Some tribes are represented by both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

In July of 2007, approximately 75 tribal sheiks and local leaders gathered at the Iraqi Army Headquarters in Khalis, Iraq, to discuss grievances between tribes, determine solutions for security and services, and unite to defeat al-Qaeda and other foreign terrorist organizations. This shows how important tribal unity is in Iraq.

Why Do Some Peoples Resist God's Word?
The following quote illustrates the hearts of Bedouins and Arab tribal members. "No worse calamity could befall a Bedouin or Arab than the loss of his tribal affiliation, for a tribe-less man is practically helpless. His status is that of an outlaw beyond the pale of protection and safety." When a tribal member goes against the decision of his tribe, he feels lost, abandoned and afraid. Islam is a part of their tribal unity. If a member accepts a different belief, such as becoming a believer in the Bible alone, he risks the loss of the tribal affiliation and identity. Very few would take the risk.

Islam provides another hurdle for those who might embrace the Word of God. Muslims firmly believe the Bible was corrupted long ago and changed many times. The Koran states Jesus is only a prophet and that Jesus is a word from Allah, but not "The Word." Also, Jesus could not be the Son of God because this "blasphemy" reduces God to the level of physical human beings. Even when Muslims are shown strong evidence to prove the Bible is not corrupted or changed, the majority remain resistant and they are not open to God's Word. This has caused the majority of Arabs and Bedouins to live without the peace and love that can be given by Jesus and His teaching in the Gospels.

An absolute requirement to be a Muslim is to recite the Shahadah saying, "I believe that there is no God except Allah and I believe that Mohammad is the Messenger of God." This in turn initiates the person into the "ummah," the worldwide "community" or "nation" of Islam, which can provide some natural benefits. Muslims have internal disagreements, but they often feel the Shahadah unites them. If they leave Islam and the Ummah, there can be serious retribution against them in the form of rejection, isolation, severe physical punishment, and even death.

To counteract this, some followers of Christ have explained to Muslims that God brings believers into a universal fellowship of disciples. This thought of belonging has given comfort to certain Muslims and relieved their fears. They become more open and will begin to read/hear the teaching of Jesus in the Bible. Some become believers and join local fellowships when possible.

It is possible that the ummah may be the key to winning entire clans and extended families to put their faith in Christ. A believer may be able to participate in their Islamic culture and community so long as they don't violate Scriptural mandates. Often these "insiders" have led Muslims to reading or hearing the Bible.

What can happen when Muslims use God's Word to satisfy their spiritual hunger?
Here is a wonderful report from a person working in the Middle East. ". . . a fellow worker of mine shared with me the news of the amazing fruit of a relationship he had with an Imam in the city where we live. The imam asked for a copy of the Bible. Before long, he came back and asked for 10 more copies for some of his colleagues. A month later he returned again, when my friend asked him how many more were needed, he replied, 'Can you give me 90?' Another month passed and another request was made as the imam shared that there were now 300 more of his colleagues who were in need of the Scriptures. This order was fulfilled stretching over a number of months. You may imagine our amazement at his final and most recent request: The Imam apologized for troubling his friend once again, and asked for 3,000 copies of God's Word to distribute among the network of his mosques. It is plain to see that there is a hunger for God's Word in this land! Pray for fruit among these households where the Word is being read and studied."

Efforts to Reach Muslims with God's Word

Wycliffe's "Bible-less Peoples Prayer Project:"
Since 1982, Wycliffe has partnered with national churches, seminaries, and Bible schools, mission agencies and other Bible agencies to provide intercessors and translators to accomplish the task of translating the Bible into all languages. In the Middle East and North Africa, the majority can read or hear the Bible in Arabic. However, there are still dozens of people groups (a majority of which are Muslims) in these areas that remain "Bible-less."

MegaVoice's "Audio Bibles"
Currently there are more than a billion illiterate people in the world, many of whom live in the Middle East and North Africa. MegaVoice has produced a small solar-powered digital audio Bible called the "Ambassador." It can play up to 10 hours of the Bible in any available language. MegaVoice director, Jim Subers stated, "When you give people access to the Word of God, it's not just words, it is the power of God; it is living and active." The response to the already distributed 50,000 "Ambassadors" has been very encouraging. One missionary said, "We're working with groups that used to be unreached. We're reaching them now with the Ambassadors!"

Prayer Points: