Undaunted by the slaughter of 21 Christians in Libya, the director of the Bible Society of Egypt saw a golden gospel opportunity.
“We must have a Scripture tract ready to distribute to the nation as soon as possible,” Ramez Atallah told his staff the evening an ISIS-linked group released its gruesome propaganda video. Less than 36 hours later, Two Rows by the Sea was sent to the printer.
One week later, 1.65 million copies have been distributed in the Bible Society’s largest campaign ever. It eclipses even the 1 million tracts distributed after the 2012 death of Shenouda, the Coptic “Pope of the Bible.”
This article is MUST READING, and so exciting – a chance to see Rom 8:28 fleshed out before our eyes, as well as Tertullian’s famous quote about the blood of the martyrs being the seed of the church. May it be so in Egypt!
I’ve shared this widely today.
I’m so thankful for Ramez Atallah (who I got to meet at Lausanne 2010, along with his wife Rebecca) and how the Bible Society was ready and acted on a vision to get this tract out so quickly to shape the response to the martyrdoms, building faith among those Christians in Egypt who are fearful, and also to point the Muslim majority to Christ with love and boldness. Just amazing.
This is a remarkable tribute to the 21 martyrs, using their deaths to witness to the people of Egypt. Those who died calling out the name of Jesus would see this as fitting.