A Story to Repeat
Sami Dagher is one of the main characters in a story I never grow tired of hearing. Ravi Zacharias tells of a time when he was traveling through a tense and volatile land in a van that "moved more by prayer than mechanical ability." Through a territory often hostile to Christianity, Dagher drove cheerfully, his van's bumper bearing a sticker that read: "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." As they continued along the dusty, winding roads, they approached an intimidating group of soldiers who immediately motioned them to stop. Through the van's lowered windows, a soldier rested the barrel of his gun. Looking at the driver with steeled eyes, the soldier asked blankly, "Are you carrying explosives?" To Ravi's utter horror, Dagher replied, "Yes, this van is full of explosives." Rummaging under a canvas, as the soldier stared intently, Sami pulled out a New Testament. Placing it in his hands, he said, "This is the dynamite. But it’s not the kind that will hurt."
Reverend Sami Dagher is a man who thoroughly lives the apostle Paul's directive, "Never be lacking in zeal." Ravi describes him as a man who pours more enthusiasm into his "good morning" than most people do in an entire conversation. He is the picture of zealousness. He is also a man who lives out Paul's instruction in its entirety: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:9-14).
Dagher is overseer of the Christian and Missionary Alliance churches in Lebanon, founder of a growing church in Iraq, and director of a humanitarian center that provides aid and medical care to Lebanese and Palestinian refugees. It is the same clinic that was in the news in recent years after one of its volunteer nurses was shot in the head by a militant after answering a knock at the door. Threats have not been uncommon to those who serve Christ beside Reverend Dagher; Christian persecution is a reality of which they are always aware. Yet, after this murder, when many insisted the danger was too much for their doors to remain open, Dagher simply replied, "We provide medical and educational services to a large number of people in addition to a range of spiritual services. Let them come to us and say what mistake we have made. We do not force anyone to come here. As for me, this is my city and I am ready to wash their feet."
The church in Iraq has also been the target of violent threats and vandalism. It began as a small underground gathering with five families holding Bible studies and prayer meetings in different homes. Despite persecution, the church has grown dramatically, and they now meet in a large two-story building, topped by a lit cross. A sign on the building boldly proclaims, "Jesus is the light of the world." Despite daunting shadows or darkened days, with all that is in him, Sami Dagher believes in this hope: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). The light of Christ is real; the story must be told. "If they want to kill us all," he proclaims, "we are ready to die. But we are not going to close either the clinic or the church."
C.S. Lewis once said that miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story that is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. The faith of men and women in areas that require sacrifice and suffering, the conviction of those who live among a world that would destroy zeal and hope, is a miracle that shouts of the story we can take for granted: Christ died; Christ rose; Christ is coming again. "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Might our lives reflect the same story that Christ has written across history. For some stories cry out for repeating.
Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
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