The Elder Son

            James had a brother. But to talk to him you wouldn’t know it. He never mentions his brother. His brother, in fact, is quite well known. But he’s not well known because of any good characteristics. He is known to many as a killer, a polygamist, and a racist. In fact, people often recognize the surprising similarities between the two and will ask, “Aren’t you two related?” He always replies, “No, and the best thing you could do for this world would be to put a fence around him and his crazy family so they could never get out!” It wouldn’t surprise you that he would respond like that if you only knew all that his brother had put his family through. All that he has ever felt toward his brother has been bitterness and the only action he has ever taken toward his brother has been revenge. You see, many years ago, his brother did his father wrong. He took all that he had been offered by the father; all the love, all the grace, all the sacrifice that any good father would poor out on his children, and he left. He didn’t just leave but he took almost half of his father’s possessions with him. He didn’t just take the possessions but he wasted them as well. He wasted them on riotous living. He bought four women to be his brides and spoiled the rest with evil friends. Every chance he would get he would curse his father and brother. He shamed the father and he shamed the whole family!

Though all this angered James about his brother, the thing that infuriated him was how his father still loved his younger brother. Late at night after he would come home from working in the fields all day he would talk to his father. Often his father was known to say things like, “Tomorrow, instead of going into the field close to the house, I want you to go out into the highways and the hedges and search for your brother.” The first time has father given him this commission he went, yet reluctantly. He traveled through the desert for days on end. Arriving half way to where his brother was known to be living he soon realized that he was spending his OWN money that would be for HIS inheritance and that if he kept this up he may lack something he might want. Immediately he turned around angry determined to disown his brother like any sane person would do…no matter what his crazy father commanded him to do.

A man named Keller described this elder brother  best  in the late 1800’s when he stated, "Christendom accustomed itself ever since the time of the Crusades to look upon Islam as its most bitter foe and not as a prodigal son to be won back to the Father's house."

Today the prevailing sentiment in the heart of the elder brother is anger for the injustices that have been done to him. Yet centuries ago the father commanded us to “Go”.  But have we gone out of love imitating the Father? More than 20% of the world’s population claim to be Muslims. Historically less than 1% of our missions efforts have been directed toward them. We have made excuses like “They are not interested” yet we wouldn’t know because out of the 42 Muslims countries in the world, half do not have a fundamental missionary working to win them to Christ. We haven’t even made it half way!

More Muslims have come home to the Father through Christ in the last 30 years than in all the centuries previous. The Father has responded by running toward the prodigal son with arms outstretched. We must be careful to have the heart of the father and not of the elder son.  Muslims around the world are searching for answers like never before in history. We have more requests for Bibles and Bible study material than we can handle from North Africa alone. Will you run with arms outstretched willing to kill the fatted calf? Will you give your life? Will you give of your possessions?

Applications being accepted today with Project North Africa.

"I feel now, that Arabia could easily be evangelized within the next thirty years if it were not for the wicked selfishness of Christians." – Samuel Zwemer (Missionary to the Muslims of Saudi Arabia)

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