As shepherds of a team deployed across the Middle East and North Africa, Aquila and Priscilla carry the weight of ministry. They know names and needs of ministry families in war zones and impoverished places. This means a strong faith in God’s daily, fresh mercy is necessary to face each day. It’s also necessary to have the strong partnership of other leaders.
“Looking around in the guest room I was staying in, suddenly my eyes caught a beautiful old painting. Pierron’s 1840 illustration of the Harbor of Beirut captures the huge gate to the port in the Ottoman era. That open, welcoming gate reminded me of today’s situation: We have free access and a lot of real opportunities to build the kingdom of our Lord and King … I am convinced God has been using the war, the chronic uncertainty, and the social unrest to prepare the ground for solid disciple- and leadership training. The gate is wide open.”
Partnering Together for the Wide Open Gate
This spring, Aquila and Priscilla gathered with other believers from far and near. They declared the ways God is working across the Middle East and North Africa. First, they had the joy of joining “elders, pastors, and mission committee chairs from North American evangelical churches for several days of shared conversation and prayer around the MENA region.”
Priscilla and Aquila appreciated having other leaders to shoulder the load of concern, intercession, praise, and faith for the lands they love, where they have invested so much. “There was genuine curiosity, deep interest, and a clear, expressed desire to walk alongside us as partners. All of us left encouraged,” Aquila said.
“Just as the human body does not expect the eye to do the work of the hand, or the foot to do the work of the ear, God has never expected any of us to carry the full weight of ministry alone.” They shared their hearts with other long seasoned leaders and offered their vision to new, young leaders.
Bound Together in God’s Design
“As missionaries, we do not simply labor next to each other. We are bound to each other in ways that go far deeper than shared camps or shared programs. We believe that the unified body of Jesus followers is God’s design.”
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5)
Training Servants for the Wide Open Gate
The gathering of leaders provided deposits of encouragement for Aquila and Priscilla. They left to train and equip a new cluster of Middle Eastern ministers saying “yes” to God’s call. They gathered in a place removed from the noise of the city where new servants had time to think, to question, and to get to know one another. Teaching centered on themes like: forgiveness, Biblical thinking, and the “corporate promises” of Scripture made to his people.
From far and near, with established leaders and emerging missionaries, the Gospel is on the move in the Middle East and North Africa. “We need each other,” Aquila believes, and as we come together, God works in powerful ways.
Yes, the gate is wide open.
Look here to learn more about Aquila and Priscilla and the movement happening the Middle East and North Africa.