An Inside Look at God’s Amazing Work in the Arabian Gulf

If you visit the Arabian Gulf, you’ll find deserts and cities that occupy pockets of these deserts. These cities are rich and affluent, controlling a significant portion of the entire world’s economic assets. 

You’ll also find lots of immigrants from other nations. 

In fact, a majority of the  population of these nations consists of immigrants. Broken English bridges us. This Babel-like experience is magnified by modern towers, which stand as a symbol of prestige for the nations here. 

Amidst all the glamor, it’s easy to forget the spiritual lostness that material prosperity often hides. It’s easy to overlook the thousands of daily wage laborers and their sufferings. And it may be tempting to assume God’s glory and the gospel of Christ haven’t claimed this land, as man builds his city, striving to reach the heavens.

Yet into this unique landscape, heaven has already come down. 

THROUGH SANDSTORMS, HEAT, AND MISSILES 

The many gospel-preaching churches here are a testament to light in the darkness. On Sundays, people from different nations, tribes, and tongues gather for worship in these churches, including the one I attend. 

Our lives do not neatly fit a design palette. We are different in our styles of dress, the foods that remind us of home, and even the cultural standards we are used to. Yet, our greater kingdom allegiances are evident in the way we come and worship. 

Through scorching heat, sandstorms, and even missile alerts, our Sunday worship displays the love we have for Jesus. 

And God is at work. 

He has ransomed many lives from the pits of death and despair through the church— right here in the middle of all of the Sodom-like temptations. Our numbers consist of marvelous testimonies: A former Buddhist agnostic who laid her life down before the cross because of a brother’s faithful but awkward sharing of the gospel. 

A once-atheist man who was saved through a Christian wife’s long-suffering tears. He repented after reading a gospel notebook entry that his wife had unintentionally left on the table. 

A once-lesbian girl who was prayed for by many through her sister’s request, even before she was embraced as a sister by the congregation. There are former fornicators, cult followers, and self-righteous know-it-alls, saved to worship together as one body, equipped by the preached Word. God, in his great plans, brought many to a majority-Muslim country to reveal his glorious self: to show that this is his city, his kingdom. 

THE CITY OF GOD AND THE CITY OF MAN COLLIDE

The city of God reaches down to our worship services, and yet, our spirits waver as the city of man offers false hopes of quick comforts among our own. We are still separated by relational silos, defining our friendships by cultural conformity rather than gospel unity. We are slow to be bold for the gospel. Our tax-collector tendencies to love only those who love us are painfully real (Matthew 5:46–47). 

Even with these challenges, the Word of God continues to produce fruit. If you could zoom out in time to see the life of our church over several years, you would realize that we are growing together slowly. One by one, one simple exhortation after another, the Lord is helping us to take steps toward those who are unlike us. We are slowly embracing a Good Samaritan-like hospitality (Luke 10:25–37). The loving Shepherd is drawing all his flock to himself with cords of love in a Spirit-wrought unity. 

THE ETERNAL CITY AWAITS

This imperfect yet faithful witness is bringing more of God’s wandering flock to join in the journey. One story unites us all: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus continues to be the hope and healing of the nations. And so, we seek to grow together in the Spirit as a church and extend our arms to many more who do not know Jesus. 

We work among the nations so they can also be sons and daughters of our blessed God. 

This kingdom task is not limited by time or space, as we are. We may only hold a temporary residence permit in this city, as our allocated time here invariably counts down to zero. But our labor is marked by a greater hope and confidence. We are people of the eternal city, whose designer and builder is God. And God’s purposes continue here as he calls and strengthens many toward that city. 

A city where we will be a part of “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, cries out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10).