present band ministries as well as the message of the gospel in this great church here. I get excited every time I come to the pulpit or have the opportunity to preach the word of God in any local New Testament local church. It's just honor and privilege that I don't deserve. It's just God's grace. Today in the Sunday school I talked about band ministries but I went five minutes over and I did not give a chance to any of you to ask questions. Tonight after I finish giving just a lesson about Chaldeans in Stoneman Heights or in Michigan and their roots, their history, their mindset. I would like to give some time for you to ask questions about reaching out to Chaldeans as well as about Ben ministries. So that in case some of you have questions and want to understand more the ministries of Ben in the Middle East. So I would like to start with a word of prayer and then we can go on. So let us pray. Father thank you for this day, this day that you made. We rejoice in it because you are at the center of our hearts and our lives. It is written that Jesus is the the way, the truth, and the life. And no one can go to the Father except through Jesus. We honor Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We praise His name for everything He has done for us. We love Jesus, Lord, and we are grateful for the gift of salvation, gift of eternal life, and the gift of the Church. Thank You for this Church. Help us, Lord, to understand Your Word at this time. Help us to be encouraged to share the Gospel with people. Help me to be zealous, diligent, committed to share the Gospel with people. Help these faithful members of this church to continue to be faithful to share the Gospel in the neighborhoods, in Sterling Heights, in Warren, other cities, to give the Gospel out. We are thankful for this precious Gospel. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Would you please open your Bible to the book of Acts, specifically chapter 1. I'm not going to preach from Acts, but I would like to just Quote some verses. Intentionally, I want to tie it with what I'm going to talk about, Chaldeans and reaching out to Chaldeans and Arabs. As I go on deputation, I hear many people ask me questions. How can we reach out to Arabs? How can we share the gospel to Muslim people? And my simple answer, there is no magic button that you push to reach out to Chaldeans or Muslims. We have to be obedient to the commandments and the scriptures on how to live the Christian life and ultimately how to share the gospel with people. Because it's the same principles that have been existed for 2000 years. So I would like to just share a couple of verses from Acts chapter 1. The first account I composed Syphilis about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day when he was taken up to heaven. After he had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these he also presented himself alive after suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the father had promised, which he had said, you heard of from me. For John baptized with water, but he will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Not many days from now. So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? There is a question here. Is it at this time that you will restore the kingdom to Israel? And notice Jesus' answer. He said to them, it's not for you to know times or epochs which the father has fixed by his own authority. It's not for you to know. This is not the right question and it's not for you to know. But he directs them. He said, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the end of the parts of the earth. In this chapter, just a few comments I want to touch on it. Jesus is ascending to heaven. He is going to the Father. While he is doing that, he is giving them the great commission, the promise of the Holy Spirit and the commandment to share the gospel, to witness. We are witnesses. We are witnesses. Notice with me verse 8. He said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will receive the power from the Holy Spirit to witness when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. The word power is mentioned in Acts about 10 times. Sometimes it refers to the power of miraculous gifts and signs and wonders. And here it's the power to share the gospel or to witness to others about the gospel. And then he says, you shall be my witnesses. So two key words that catch my attention. It's the word power and witnesses. You shall be witnesses, my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea. The word witnesses has an Old Testament roots. And it's mentioned, I think, 13 times in Acts, because Acts is all about sharing the Gospel, doing evangelism, discipleship. It is the book about the birth of the Church and spread of the Gospel. One of the themes of Acts is the spread of the Gospel and the formation of the New Testament Church. The spread of the Gospel, as the seed of the Gospel is being planted, the Church is also being planted and growing. I believe that one of the dominant themes of Acts is the birth and the growth of the church. The birth and the growth of the church. That's in chapter 1. And verse 8 is the dominant key or verse that is the structure of the whole book. So we see the spread of the Gospel in Jerusalem from chapter 1 to 6, and then Samaria, then Judea to chapter 7, 8, 9, and 10, and then chapter 11 to the end of the book, we see the spread of the Gospel to the end of the world, including Rome, which was the center of the Roman Empire at that time. Then in chapter 2, There is a question, this is at the beginning of the church chapter 2 verse 8, and now is that we each hear them in our own language, to which were you born? In chapter 2 we see the birth of the church, and simply I just want to, I don't want to ecstatically preach on it or teach it, I'm sure Pastor Dwight can do a much greater job than I do. We all know, I assume everybody knows that the birth of the church is found in Acts chapter 2. But there were about 15, at least 15 ethnic groups in this chapter, in this event, were attending. And they were praising the name of God Almighty. And notice with me verse 9. Parts of these 15 ethnic groups or nations, people from different nations, Parthians, Amidas, and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia. And then verse 10 he says, verse 11 he says, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God. So two words are here, residents of Mesopotamia and Arabs, verse 11. In Stirling Heights, Warren, Madison Heights, in these surrounding cities, there is a huge community of Chaldeans, as well as there are some people who are not Chaldeans, they are Arabs, they are Muslims. So today I would like to talk simply about the mindset of Chaldean, and many of the things I'm going to mention applies to Arabs. There are some differences, and I will talk about it. From Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2, we can notice that God's will for these nations and ethnic groups is to hear the gospel and to accept it. We see later in Acts 2 that there are 3,000 people getting saved and the birth of New Testament church. Two significant groups are Arabs and residents of Mesopotamia. During the first three centuries, Christianity populated the Middle East. Countries like Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan. However, after the coming of Islam, after the invasion of Islam, Christians were defeated. And many of them fled to other countries, while others were forced to convert to Islam. So Chaldeans are the ethnic group of people who lived in the south of Babylon with first reference of Chaldeans found in Genesis 11-28, Ur of Chaldeans, Abraham was called from the Ur of Chaldeans and then the term Chaldean has been used as a synonym with Babylon because Chaldeans were popular during the dynasty of Chaldean in Babylon. It is the land of Mesopotamia or the land between the two rivers, namely modern Iraq. I grew up in Iraq, I was saved in Iraq. I lived 18 years of my life in Iraq. I finished high school in Iraq. This is the land between the two rivers. Now, beyond the rivers, there are some areas that are part of Iraq. To define Chaldeans, to refer as a group living in the U.S., I would say that Chaldeans are a Catholic ethnic group originating primarily from Iraq. The same definition can be applied to Assyrians, who mostly have lived in Iraq. I have a lot of time, so I want to quote a long quotation from a tract on Chaldeans in the US. And I found this tract is very helpful. So bear with me. And if it's too long, I want to ask you to forgive me. It's a quotation about the history of Chaldeans. Here's a quote. The name Chaldean stems from one of the ancient groups which inhabited the land presently known as Iraq. In ancient times, this area was called Mesopotamia, the land between two rivers. Many tribes desired this fertile presence since the time of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans. It's been a land of many first and enormous contributions to civilization. This is where Sargon, the great of Akkad, organized the world's first empire, where the Gilgamesh epic unfolded, where the towers of Babylon were constructed, where Abraham originated in the Ur of Chaldees, where Hammurabi developed the first code of laws, and where Chaldean's king, Nebuchadnezzar, built the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Other contributions included the discovery of the wheel, use of bronze weapons, horse-drawn chariots, highly developed irrigation systems, and adequates long before the Roman Empire, a sophisticated culture in art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature, an advanced math system using zeros and dismal systems, time instruments, I don't know about math, I'm not good at math, but that includes most of Chaldean. And calendar, astronomy, medicine, and the world's first libraries and hospitals, commerce, and record-keeping system, and an alphabet language, Aramaic, which became the lingua franca of the ancient world, end of quote. So we understand now a little bit of the history of Chaldean. I want to, I want, I plan to share a story. Years ago, I went to McDonald's here on 40 Mile next to Gardner White, and I had to pick up something to drive through. One lady who worked there gave me a gospel tract. And I told her, well, thank you for your care. Thank you for this. I will take it. But I'm a Christian. I wonder what church you go to. and she told me 1st Baptist and I can't remember whether 1st Baptist of Stirling Heights or 1st Baptist of Troy but I am thankful that there are some people who have the burden and the zeal to give the gospel to others so I appreciate it if this person is here I am thankful now sharing the gospel with Chaldeans is important it's important I want to talk about three things Location, language, and religion of Chaldeans and some of the traits of Chaldeans, of their character, to understand their mindset. Now, location. After Islam took over, many Chaldeans and Assyrians, who used to live in the south of Iraq and in Baghdad, immigrated to the north of Iraq to escape the Islamic persecution. This is why many Chaldeans have come from north of Iraq. My dad from the city of Nineveh. My mom is from the city of Duhok, which is north of Iraq, very close to Turkey, bordered with Turkey. So when Islam came, Muslims forced people to become Muslim, to follow Muhammad. If you don't, then you have to pay a high tax. You can't afford paying a high tax. Then the third option, you will be executed. So three options. You either convert to Islam, or pay a high tax, or to be put to death. And you choose what you want. Okay? Some Christians, fled to the north of Iraq because they don't want to be Muslims, they want to be converted to Islam, they don't want to be put to death. They don't want to see their wives are taken by Muslims. They don't want to see their children and wives abducted or abused by Muslims. They can't afford paying a high tax. So they decided to immigrate quickly to the north of Iraq. Why north of Iraq? Because north is a mountainous area where Arabs and Muslims cannot go there. It's a good place to hide. And Arabs lived in Arab peninsula. They live in the desert. They are not used to go to the mountainous area. So majority of Calvians, I can say 95% of them, came from the north of Iraq. North side of country served as a good place to hide and to be away from Arabs and their cruelty. Arabs are cruel, but God commands us to give them the gospel. we still have the biblical mandate to give the gospel to them and to send missionaries. Countries like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries, very difficult fields to do ministry. Even Egypt and Iraq. I mentioned earlier that I have a desire to plant a church in Iraq. I don't know if I'll be able to. I've been praying. It's my dream and desire that someday I will be planting a church in Iraq and training nationals in Iraq. Do two ministries at the same time. Planting a church, being a pastor in Iraq, and train nationals at the same time. This is the desire of my heart. So, God commands us to give the Gospel to them. The religion of Chaldeans is Roman Catholicism, while the religion of Catholics in Egypt is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Both dominant churches, the dominant church in Iraq is Catholic, the dominant church in Egypt is Eastern Orthodox, both of them believe that salvation is based on good religious work and keeping the sacraments. The language of Chaldeans. Chaldeans have lived with Arabs in Iraq. All Chaldeans speak Chaldean and they all speak Arabic with some exceptions. However, Arabs cannot speak Chaldeans. They only speak Arabic. The Chaldean language is another form of Aramaic language and only Catholic priests know how to write it and to read it. The classic Aramaic is used in Catholic liturgy while the spoken Chaldean is used in daily life. I was at home before I came to church. I was talking to my parents. I spoke to them in Chaldean. Then I saw my nephew and my niece. I spoke to them half Chaldean, half English. It works, believe me. So Chaldeans speak Chaldean at home and they speak Arabic. wherever they lived in Iraq. Or they can speak Arabic here in America with other Chaldeans or Arabs who speak Arabic. Chaldean language is not a dead language, but it's only taught in churches and Catholic Chaldean churches or Bible colleges. Many Chaldeans are trilingual. They speak Chaldean, Arabic, and English, while other recent immigrants or immigrant Chaldeans are in the process of learning English. And this is becoming a problem. Because some people are too lazy to learn the English language. So bear with them. Some Chaldean people have been born in the US. or they came when they were infants or children, their parents taught them only Chaldean and English, and they can't speak Arabic. This is just to clarify because a lot of people ask me the question, what's the difference between Chaldean and Arabs? Arabs are a different ethnic group who primarily lived in Arab Peninsula, modern Saudi Arabia. I talked about the location and the language, I would like to talk about the religion, and this is going to take most of my time. All Chaldeans are Catholic. Few of them are Eastern Orthodox Christians. How many of you are familiar with Eastern Orthodox Christianity? OK, a few people. Four or five people. OK. There are many minorities in Iraq. There is a small minority called themselves the followers of John the Baptist. I never heard of them. I mean, I lived in Iraq, I heard of them in Iraq, but I never heard that there are some followers of John the Baptist in other countries except Iraq. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If you've heard of some people who follow John the Baptist living in Jordan, Lebanon, that would be interesting to know. There are other minorities. There is a small minority of Protestant Christians in Iraq. I mentioned earlier that when I was there, there were only three Bible-believing churches in Iraq 20 years ago. On the other side, Arabs are all Muslims. So you have Chaldeans are Catholic, and Arabs are Muslims. Chaldeans speak Chaldean and Arabic. Arabs speak only Arabic. Chaldeans who live in the US, they speak Chaldean, Arabic, and English. Muslims in Iraq, 60% of them are Shia. There are two major denominations in Islam. One is Sunni, another Shia. Sunni makes up about 85% of all Muslims throughout the world. Shia makes up 15%. However, in Iraq and Iran, the dominant religion, dominant sect is Shia sect, which is different than Sunni, although they both believe in the Quran is the word of God, and Muhammad is the prophet of God. Because of the immersion of Chaldeans in Islamic culture, this will shock you. Because of the immersion of Chaldeans in Islamic culture in Iraq, we see many Chaldeans have gone under an Islamic influence and they've known, they've been taught Quran and Islamic beliefs more than Christian beliefs. For example, many Chaldeans are familiar with the Quran and Islamic verses and traditions more than they know of Christianity. Every student in Iraq had to take at least two classes in public schools of the Islamic religion, alongside of history, which includes and covers Islamic religion. When you study history, you have to know about Islam. Because history, the way it starts in Iraq, it's all about Islam. It's a false history, by the way. We were taught the wrong way. So this is the history of Iraq. I also want to quote a little bit about the religion aspect, the religious aspect, a little bit of history of where Chaldeans came from. This is important to understand why they are Catholic. So I would like to quote a short quotation on the history of religion among Chaldeans. Just a short quotation. Chaldeans belonged to the Chaldean Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. They were converted to Christianity by St. Thomas, the Apostle, and his disciples, Mar Eddy and Mar Mary. Later in the 5th century, they espoused the Nestorian doctrines until they were reunited with Rome in the 16th century. Pope Julius III declared that all converted Nestorians from the region of ancient Babylon would henceforth be called Chaldean, referring to the past origins and entitled their religious leader as the Patriarch of the Babylon of Chaldeans, who now resides in Baghdad, Iraq. The Patriarch in union with the Rome is the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in all its extension throughout the world. So Chaldeans have a strong tie with the Roman Catholic Church. The Chaldean Church is part of the Catholic Church. However, there are some traditions in the Chaldean Catholic Church that don't exist in the Mother Church of the Catholic Church. So some Chaldeans have some religious tradition that American Catholic churches don't have. And this is part of, you know, it's a different culture. Chaldeans have been adapted to American customs and lifestyle. It's sad to say that many Chaldeans have learned from Americans the bad habits wrong and sinful actions instead of good traits and good values. I learned some good values from Americans. But when somebody comes to the US, he wants to learn from the culture. And if someone doesn't have the spirit of God, the spirit of discerning, he will take the bad habits and bad character or bad things from the culture. Chaldeans are very quick to learn new things, whether right or wrong, but mostly they learn the wrong things. They have a huge tendency to adapt to the American culture. Because of the common denominator, namely their religion, many Chaldeans have become Americanized. They act like Americans. I see how young Chaldeans who have been in the U.S. in less than five years And they have all kinds of tattoos and work clothes just like Americans. I'm talking about Americans who do not follow Christ. So less than five years they act just like Americans. The way they talk, the bad words they use, everything. They adapt quickly to the American culture. It's sad to say that, but this is a reality. Some facts about Chaldeans, and especially religious aspects. First, they are ignorant of Christianity. They are ignorant. They do not know their Bible. They do not know God of Christianity. They don't understand the salvation message. The educational system in a typical Catholic Chaldean church is so weak. Therefore, many, many Chaldeans are ignorant of simple facts of the Bible. Years ago, years ago, I was teaching my nephews and nieces. I used to live on 14 mile on Chalfont and I gathered my nephews and nieces when they were like, you know, under 10 year old and I brought them together and I used to give them Bible lessons. So one of the time, I explained to them that there are four Gospels. I gave them the order, the list of names of the New Testament books, specifically the Gospels. And I taught them, and at the end of lesson, I asked them, can you recite for me the names of the books of the New Testament? They said yes. After they were done, I told them that you've learned something new that your parents do not know. And I remember my nephews and nieces, they opened their mouth, they were shocked. They say, my dad doesn't know there are four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I said, yeah. In fact, and I mention this but I want to emphasize it, some Chaldeans talk about religion from Muslim perspective and they think they are talking about Christianity. They are more familiar, number two, with Islam than Christianity. Many Chaldeans have gone to public schools in Iraq and therefore they know Islam better than Christianity. They talk about paradise for example. The concept of paradise, because it's mentioned in the Quran. I know there is one word in Luke about paradise, but it's an Islamic concept. It's not a Christian concept. We can use words and terms loosely, but the concept of paradise in Islamic studies is different than Biblical studies. It bothers me when I talk to a Chaldean, and I talk to him about the Gospel, and after a few minutes, I find out that he is arguing like a Muslim. He's talking to me like a Muslim. He doesn't know that his belief is similar to Muslims. He has many Islamic concepts and beliefs. And he doesn't recognize that. However, there are about 8, maybe 10 Chaldean churches in Michigan. There is a huge community of Chaldeans in California, but the largest Chaldean community is in Michigan, more than the one in California. I think there is either 8 or 10 Chaldean churches in Michigan. The center church is located in Southfield. It's the cathedral or the center of the Chaldean Catholic Church. It's called the Church of the Mother of God in Southfield. This is the place where the bishop resides. These churches are influential in a negative sense, and they are sort of social centers. They teach, these churches or priests, They teach false form of Christianity. And I say this without apology. They don't like me when I share the Gospel with them. And they think I'm a heretic. And I think they are heretics too. So we're even. So they teach a false form of Christianity. They are powerful, influential among Chaldean communities. They have a lot of money and a lot of power. Chaldean Catholic priests are unfriendly to Evangelical Christians. And when I say Evangelical Christians, I mean us, born-again Christians, Bible followers. They always try to spread fallacies about us and about our beliefs and about our churches. For example, I have four or five examples. Baptist churches or evangelical churches are supportive of Israel. We are a new movement planted by Zionists to divide Roman Catholic Church. When I came to America, I was like 19 years old, I went to a priest, my aunt actually took me to a priest, and I told him I'm born again a Christian. I follow the Evangelical Church and it's believed that the Bible is the authoritative God's word and salvation by grace faith. And I can't forget his answer. He said, this movement is a replacement of Islam because Islam failed. I was like, what? How does Islam fail? Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. How do you think that we are replacing Islam? He said, yeah, this sect of churches and religious people are sourced from Satan. I said, OK. There is a huge misconception about Biblical Christianity among Chaldeans, about our belief among Chaldeans. They say, if you become Baptist, please notice this, if you become Baptist, that's what the Catholic priest would say, then no one will marry you if you are single. If you are a parent, no one will marry your son or your daughter. In fact, I know some Christians, Chaldean Christians, who told me that, or normally Christian, they told me that if they accept Christ, then they will be rejected in their culture, and even abandoned by their own families. And I've experienced that some years ago. Religion is always connected with culture. If you leave your religion, if you become a born-again Christian or Evangelical Christian, then you'll be rejected from your culture. You'll be abandoned from your family. After going on mission trips 8 times to Egypt and Lebanon, and I see the sacrifice of Egyptian Christians. I see the sacrifice of Christians from Muslim backgrounds. I ask myself, what sacrifice have we done to Christ? What sacrifice? We don't even know what persecution is. So you're telling me you're not going to follow Christ because you're afraid that no one will marry your daughter, or no one will marry your son, and if you are single you'll never be married? The God of heaven, the God of the universe, who provides salvation, You think he is unable to provide a wife for your son or a husband to your daughter? Many Catholic priests, Chaldean Catholic, would encourage their people to drink, to be involved in worldly parties, even to play lottery or bingo. Just encourage them to do sin. The only religious mandate is to come to church. Come to church, support the ministry, give more money, continue to be faithful to the sacrament of the church. When I went to Egypt, I met many Christian or Eastern Orthodox Christians. And I've seen their zeal for God and for the Bible. Much better than Chaldeans. Huge difference. between their knowledge of the scripture, their commitment to God, and between Chaldean and Catholic. Although I disagree with the Eastern Orthodox Church, but these people have more commitment than Chaldeans. More knowledge, more commitment. Simply because their churches have a better educational or discipleship program to teach people what God says in his word. On the other hand, Chaldean Catholic priest needs loyalty and commitment of his people. So that people will come to church, will continue to do the business of Christianity in his church. Church for them is a business. There is no strong preaching against sin, or no strong preaching against worldly traits of Chaldeans and bad habits that have been taken from this culture or from back home. Sin is sin, whether in Iraq or in America. Everyone is born as a sinner. In Chaldean Catholic Church, there is no strong biblical preaching against sin. There isn't. People are only encouraged to come to the church, to keep the sacrament and to give money. And that's it. The worship of Mary, keeping the traditions, are both emphasized. I say this and my heart is broken. Just like Paul who said I think in Romans chapter 9. I think in Romans chapter 9 when he said I wish that I am without Christ for my own people. Something like this. I don't know the verse in English. I would say it in Arabic but nobody will understand, right? My heart is broken for my own people. Because they are being deceived, misled. My relatives, my aunts, my uncles, my parents. I've come from a strong Catholic background. Both of my relatives, my mom's family parents and my dad's family parents are very religious. They have been deceived. So what kind of compassion we have to have to share the Gospel with these people? They are misled. They have misconceptions about Christianity. They don't think there are strong, committed Christians in this country. They never heard of Baptist churches. Ten years ago, there was no Baptist church in Baghdad or in Iraq. Nobody heard of it. They don't understand why we have so many denominations under the umbrella of Protestantism. They don't understand. Who is this Methodist Church, Presbyterian, Baptist? They are confused. Chaldeans, generally speaking, love money and themselves. They are sinners. They need God. They are worldly. Addicted to all kinds of addiction. From addiction to sex, to alcohol, to gambling, to marijuana, etc. They have misunderstood the gospel. They need to see real, genuine Christianity. They are confused and misled. Then the question comes, how do we approach them? And how to win them to Christ? I have seven points, but my number one point to reach Chaldeans, I already mentioned it. There is no magic button to push in order to win people to Christ. God opens the hearts of people. As we minister and serve among Chaldeans in this community, God opens their hearts. It's the power of God, it's not our power or our intelligence. I thought before, if I just get a degree from Bible college, I can be more effective witness to Christ and I can win more people to Christ. That didn't happen. God's power is not my knowledge or my skills in evangelism. So how do we win people to Christ? By the way, I didn't mention how I God saved. I grew up in a Chaldean Catholic home. I was a devout Catholic. I was planning to be a priest. I love two things in my life. Two things. I love them equally. First is religion. Second, soccer. Okay? Alright? How many of you love soccer? Okay. Good. Good. Very good. Good church. Now, I wanted to be a soccer player. But my dad did not encourage me. Then I wanted to be a priest, but my dad discouraged me. So I'm thankful to my dad. When I became a teenager, I was tempted to become more worldly, to leave all this devotion that I had, and even to become Muslim. I was tempted to become a Muslim. All my friends in school were Muslims. They told me, you minority, why don't you become a Muslim? Islam is the truth. Islam is the solution. You need to consider to follow Muhammad and to convert to Islam. Many friends, they told me that. They gave me this invitation. And I didn't have any answer to give them. It's just I'm loyal to my parents religion and that's it. This is just something emotional. But I didn't have the knowledge. I didn't have the answer to reply to them. That's why today I am more interested in apologetics to defend the gospel. Somebody invited my sister back in 1993, invited my sister to attend the meeting or the service in Evangelical Church in Baghdad. 20 years ago, that was the only church that preached the gospel. Big church, big facility like this one. It's full of people. Egyptian pastor preached the gospel faithfully. He served as a missionary in Iraq for 35 years. He was 73 years old, faithful to the scripture. And the first service I attended, I realized that. I was looking for the truth at that time, in that summer. It was my last year in high school. I realized that this church has the truth. Just from the music, from the hymns they were singing, the words, the text of the hymns, I realized that there is something unique in this church. My sister didn't go to that church. Her friend invited her. I went instead of my sister. My sister's friend used to teach in Sunday school. We used to go on Sunday school on Fridays, because Friday is the holiday. People don't work on Friday in Islamic countries. So we used to do Sunday school on Fridays. Two weeks later, my sister friend asked me, are you born again a Christian? I said, I don't understand what's born again. I really don't. I've been two weeks in this church. I love it. Good people. Everybody has a Bible, which is, I don't understand why. I thought just the priest should have the Bible. And then, I said, no, I don't. She said, okay. After Sunday school is done, I want to introduce you to one of the leaders. He will talk to you about the second birth. And after the lesson was done, there was an elderly man who is now with the Lord, explained to me the gospel. And I received Christ as a result of his teaching and evangelism or presentation of the gospel to me. Somebody gave me the gospel. People will not get saved through dreams or an angel will appear to them. We have to go to them. If they don't come to this church, we have to go to them. We have to be friendly, kind, gracious. Just like the lady at McDonald's. She gave me a gospel tract. And probably this is against the law or the policies of McDonald's. But she gave me the gospel tract. And she was like 18, probably 19 years old. Enthusiastic for evangelism. Somebody gave me the gospel and I got saved. So how to approach Chaldeans? Please understand before you even think to reach them. You need to love them. Because they are misled. They are being deceived. Deceived. Heavenly. I mean, extremely, that's the word. They are extremely being deceived by their own teachers. Same thing with Muslims. The only difference between Muslims and Chaldeans and Catholics, I think, is that Muslims have more zeal and desire to know God. Chaldeans? come to America as immigrants, they fled from their own countries, from Iraq, from the persecution. They want to come here, they want to have a better job, bigger house, more money, more freedom to enjoy life, specifically sin, and they don't want to do anything with religion. Okay? Because they think they are already Christians. You ask Chaldean, are you Christian? Yes, I am Chaldean, Catholic Christian. But you need to be saved, you need to become a Christian. No, I am already a Christian. That is what he said. We are using two different terms. So how to reach them? First, we need to be compassionate. Compassionate to them. We need to show them love. That we care about them. Some of them are rude. Many of them are mockers. They don't care about religion. I'm here to make money. Life is all about money, success. I want a better house, better job. I'm here in this country. I'm a good person. I don't need to repent. This is the typical answer you hear even from Americans. We need to be compassionate to them. We need to show Christ to them in our actions. They need to see Christ-like attitude. This is important, important, that our actions will speak louder than our words. You've heard it many times. I've heard it many times. But it's true. Second point, we need to reach those who speak the language. All of you, I assume, obviously, speak English and do not speak Chaldean or Arabic. So if you approach my mom or my dad who's eight years old and doesn't speak English, you can give him the Gospel because there is a language barrier. But there are thousands of people living in Stirling Heights. In fact, years ago I read in the newspaper that Chaldean community is the largest foreign community living in Sterling Heights. Your place is very strategic. Your location as a church is very strategic. I live in Sterling Heights. My aunt lives in Sterling Heights. My brother lives in Sterling Heights. My sister lives in Sterling Heights. Strategic place. So we need to reach to younger generation who speak the language. There are thousands of Chaldeans who were born in America and thousands of them came to America when they were under 10. So they speak English much better than I do. They understand your language and you can reach out to them. So who's going to reach the older generation? There are Christians, Iraqi Christians, living in Michigan, living in Sterling Heights and Warren, can reach out to them. In fact, there are many radio programs and satellite programs which give the Gospel to people. When we give the Gospel to a Roman Catholic person, whether American or Chaldean, we need to focus on two things as we give the Gospel to that person. First, we need to emphasize that the word of God is authoritative. We need to emphasize Christianity must be defined with the limits of the Bible. Christianity is not Roman Catholic. It's not the Evangelical Church. Christianity is in the Bible. Whatever God says, this is what Christianity is. The Bible is authoritative. Why do I say that? Because the Roman Catholic Church believes that the tradition is equally authoritative to the Word of God. Equally. That's why they have seven sacraments, which is not from the Bible. It's part of their tradition. This is the first thing that The second thing we need to emphasize, we need to give them the Gospel. The Gospel is a gift of God through Jesus Christ, through faith in Jesus Christ, and we need to emphasize repentance and commitment to Christ. Please notice with me, when you talk to a Muslim, there is a religious barrier. A Muslim does not believe the Bible is God's Word. A Roman Catholic partially believes the Bible is God's Word. A Muslim does not believe Christ died on the cross. A Chaldean Catholic believes that Christ died on the cross. I never met any Chaldean who does not believe Christ died on the cross. 90% or more of Chaldeans wear crosses or they have tattoos of crosses. They believe that Christ died on the cross. They were programmed and taught in church that Christ died on the cross. The problem is not the death of Christ on the cross. The problem is how to get saved. So we need to emphasize two things and explain it to them and clarify it to them. The Bible is God's revelation. Not the church. Not the priest. The Bible is authoritative. Not the bishop. The bishop can be wrong. The Bible can be wrong. Because it's God's Word. This is very important. I've been working on this lesson to teach my relatives for over 18 years. Since I came to America. A few months ago. I had a conversation with my brother, and I was excited to see my brother. We were talking about something simple, like if a woman loses her husband, if her husband dies, how many days a woman can wear black clothes or uniform? In Chaldean culture, in Arab culture, usually a widow will stay wearing black clothes for a year, for one year. This is something traditional. But I liked my brother's answers. He said, is that what the Bible teaches? The Bible doesn't teach you that, right, Waad? I said, no, it doesn't. He said, OK, then it's fine. If a widow doesn't wear black clothes for one year, it's fine. It's nothing wrong. It's not sin. So I like my brother's question. Is it in the Bible? I'm trying to help my relatives, my brothers, my sisters, that we have to go back to the source, to the Bible. This is what Chaldeans need to know. Christianity must be explained from the Bible, not from the church or the priest, because what their churches and priests teaching them is false. Second, salvation is the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ, through faith in Jesus Christ, not faith through Advocates, such as Mary or other saints. We also need to explain what repentance is. What's commitment to Jesus Christ? Faith is not just a mental aspect that you need to believe 1 plus 1 is 2. Jesus died on the cross. If you believe in Him, you have eternal life. You are forgiven, you are justified. You need to explain what repentance is. What's commitment? What faith means? Another point, avoid religious arguments, which kills time. Some people love to talk. Let's talk about religion for two hours. They waste your time, and you will never convince them to come to Christ. Avoid religious arguments, which kills time. But try to explain and clarify your message. People don't understand us. We need to go slow with them. I have a hard time explaining what justification means to a Chaldean Catholic. I have to use simpler words so that he understands. You can reach people in your neighborhood, especially those of you who go to college, community college or public schools. I'm sure you have many Chaldean friends. They need the Gospel. and you may be the only ambassador that can give them the gospel. Be compassionate, explain your words, your message, clarify it to them so that they can understand. Even if people are not willing to listen, at least explain to them that the Bible is God's revelation, not the priest or the church. I think, personally, if I don't want people to Christ, at least I give them The first point, that the Bible is God's revelation. It's not the church, it's not the priest. Even if they don't come to know Christ, at least I win one thing. At least I convince them that the Bible is God's word. One day they will go back to the Bible and read it. Because somebody explained to them. Back to the Bible, they need to hear that. I heard many, many times my aunts, who was very religious, saying, in our churches, meant Chaldean Catholic churches, the Bible has never been explained and taught. In your church, she told me, in your church, in Evangelical churches, the pastor, the preacher does a great job in teaching the Bible. Pray for them. Don't give up. That's my last advice. Pray for them. Don't give up. There are some people who are willing to know the truth and to accept it. There are some people who are willing to hear the truth and to accept it. There are many people in Stirling Heights who are not willing. They are markers. They are practical atheists. Many Chaldeans are like that. They say, I don't care about God. I'm good. But few verses from Acts that I'm going to quote encourage me, energize me. Acts chapter 18 verses 9 and 11. You don't have to turn there. I'll read it for you. He said, And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, Don't be afraid any longer. When I am discouraged from Chaldeans, because they are not willing to hear the gospel. I hear this word or I read this verse and it encourages me. Don't be afraid but go on speaking. Do not be silent. For I am with you and no man will attack you in order to harm you. For I have many people in this city. And he settled, verse 11, he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Paul was afraid. He was discouraged. He thought people are not getting saved. He thought people do not need God. They're not going to come. God told him in a vision, do not be afraid. Go on speaking. Don't be silent. I am with you. No one will hurt you. No one will harm you. for I have many people in this city and I know that when Luke wrote these words he did not mean sterling heights I know that okay but this is a general principle that we should be persistent faithful to share the gospel and don't give up in this city there are people that will hear the word of God and will accept it you have many privileges to reach Chaldeans. First, the location, 14 mile divides, Sterling Heights from Warren, Troy from Madison Heights, and many Chaldeans, thousands of them live from 10 mile all the way to 23 miles. So your location, the church location, is strategic. Second, you can reach second generation Christians or Chaldean They speak your own language. Third advantage we have here, there is no persecution. There is no persecution. No one will harm you. God told Paul, no one will harm you. I am with you. Nobody will harm you. Give the gospel to people. And the fourth advantage, we have the power of God's word. We have the power of God's word. I'm done. I think I've covered everything I need to say. I hope you are encouraged today. Because sometimes I feel discouraged, I myself feel discouraged that, oh, these people don't want to hear the Gospel. They need to hear it. And some of them will accept it, will repent, and will get saved. Amen? 7.15. Keep going? Okay. Time for Q&A.