Page 322 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

6 NEGLECTED ARABIA

helping them mentally and physically, to help them spiritually. The spiritual
helper or evangelist should possess the following qualifications to enable
him to spread the message of the gospel: he should be well acquainted with
—1. Their language, because the message given in the mother tongue is
more touching and penetrating than if it were given in a foreign language.
2. Their religion, because there are many questions which can be answered
from their own religion. One of the most frequent questions is, "How do
you Christians say that Christ is God?” If the evangelist is versed in the
poems which are used instead of reading, he can easily answer them from
the poem of Jesus, which runs so:

J esus has become my lord;
Without father, and Mary was his mother;
Jesus was from the light of God.
‘
What is Jesus my lord?
Without father, and Mary is his mother;
Jesus is from the light of God.

In these two verses, they openly confess that Jesus is the light of God;
but they do not know what is light and what is God; so it will be very easy
to make them understand that light is God and God is light. 3. Their
customs; because there arc many words that may be spoken and many
things that may be done that, instead of making a Yezidi friendly, will
make him run away from you and hate you. For instance, if you say
She tun, shat, or naala, or eat lettuce, cabbage, or pork, they will never
approach you, listen to you, or be friendly with you. An evangelist should *;<
have precautions not to make them angry, but to win them with love. 4.
How to be a good friend. The Yezidis are very fond of being friends to \
everybody; so by means of friendship you can advise and teach them many
useful lessons, which will touch their spiritual life. 5. Devotion. If the ;
evangelist does not sacrifice his life and his body for Christ, he cannot
spread the light of the gospel among this benighted people. It will be many ’
times necessary to share their sorrows, to visit them iu their dark and dirty g
houses, to eat of their food, which perhaps will cause him the risk of his |
life. If he is not self-sacrificed, he cannot share with those who arc out t-
of the fold the benefits and blessings which can be attained only through £■'
Christ Jesus. In short, he should be a Yezidi. "And unto the Jews l be- P
came a Jew, that 1 might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as £
under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that L
are without law, as without law (being not without law to (and. but under |
the law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without law. To the | ;
weak 1 became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to S?:
all men, that 1 might by all means save some.” If you do not become a ••
Yezidi, you cannot gain Yezidis for Christ; if you do not sacrifice your *:
life, pleasures, and riches, for the One who sacrificed Himself for you, you %'
cannot become His disciple. What will you sacrifice for the Yezidis? i
Whatever you do for one of these poor benighted people, you do for Christ.

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