Jeff Chamblee Hello, I'm Jeff Chamblee. Did you know that this show is listener supported? Without people like you, this show would not exist. That's why we need you. A, generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio, specifically this show, as we reach thousands of people each week with biblical truth. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give.
Coming up today, pastor and author Dave Furman will join us from his home in Dubai to describe how the Gospel is going forth to the nations. We'll also explore his new book, the Surprising Savior. He'll explain how the unique message of Jesus birth continues to inspire and open hearts to the good news of Christ.
Dave Furman This first coming of Jesus points to the second coming of Jesus. And so if you're like Zechariah and Elizabeth, if you're in the season of waiting, for I pray that the Lord would provide in this life. But if not, if you're a follower of Christ, he will provide abundantly in the next life, in eternity. We will be with believers from all times and all places gathered around the throne of God forever and ever and ever. And that's a beautiful thought.
Jeff Chamblee it's the weekend of November 7th and 8th. I'm Jeff Chamblee and this is the Stand Radio. We are just three weeks away from the first Sunday of Advent coming up on November 29th. And it reminds us that Christmas is a celebration of God coming to us and becoming one of us. The anticipation and preparation that leads up to Christmas every year is only a taste of what happened 2,000 years ago to those who were waiting for the Messiah. My guest is Dave Furman. He has written a new devotional guide to help families celebrate the Advent season with a look at the remarkable people and details of that first appearing. He is the author of the book the Surprising 25 Advent Devotions from Luke's Gospel. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai and he is joining me from his home in Dubai. Pastor Furman, welcome to the Stand Radio.
Dave Furman Jeff. So good to be with you and great to be able to talk with you halfway around the world.
Jeff Chamblee Yes, I was looking forward to this. And, before we get into the devotional book, just tell us what it is like doing ministry in a country like Dubai.
Dave Furman It's certainly an interesting place. And I mean to get here we took a couple flights, but you take us about a 15 or 16 hour flight just about halfway around the globe. We, are in the city of Dubai, which is the largest city in the country of the United Arab Emirates, right on the Arabian Peninsula, the heart of the Middle East. And it's a very diverse place. So one of the unique things about our city and about the ministry is while we're in the Middle east, the nations have gathered here. So, we helped start Redeemer Church of Dubai. Now I serve, on the leadership team of the Gulf Theological Seminary, our training school, here. And we did some demographics. We know in our church we have about 60 or 70 different nationalities in our seminary, 44 different nationalities studying. And so every time we gather for worship on a Sunday morning, it's like a little taste of heaven because you look around and you just see the nations. So we're 85 to 90% easterners, maybe 10 to 50% westerners. And so just one unique thing is the nations have gathered. It's a little, little taste of heaven. And it is a joy to get to be able to know and meet and get into the lives of people from places like India and the Philippines and Ethiopia and, all over the place. And so unique situation. When we came, there was no church in downtown Dubai, in the heart of Dubai. And so that's, that's what quickly became Redeemer Church of Dubai in 2012 and 10. And now we find ourselves 16 and a half years later and the Lord is continuing the work he started.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. What a great story. And, we are so excited about the work that is going on there. how has living in Dubai affected the way that you communicate the Christmas message to such a diverse crowd as that?
Dave Furman Great question. So, thankfully, in a way, the Bible kind of transcends culture and is an amazing and beautiful story that hopefully we can all relate to, to the fascinating thing about serving the Middle east and serving to mostly in Eastern contexts and honor and shame culture. Jesus came as a man, Emmanuel, like you said, the God, man, fully God, fully man. He came, to a Middle Eastern family right in the heart of the Middle East. And so in many ways I can preach the Christmas story. And there are ways, I think, that people from the east and people here in this context will readily understand the story, maybe even more easily than some of us do in terms of. Some of the honor and shame of like, wow, what shame Mary dealt with in terms of being pregnant pre marriage and what that must have meant for the community. And then Joseph's response. And then, just there's so much in the story that really unfolds when we think about, the context of the first Christmas story that I think people in our context here really get it. And so as I preach Christmas, I certainly, preach the text faithfully and clearly, Lord willing. And people seem to really be able to get it here.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah. Do you find that there's a different kind of openness to the gospel in Dubai, other than what we would expect in the United States?
Dave Furman I think around the world, God is at work in many contexts. In the United States, we're kind of moving a bit towards not a post Christian culture per se, maybe in that direction a little bit. Whereas we have seen that people wear religion on their sleeves, really, even literally here, people are dressed according to their culture, according to their religion, which is so intertwined. And so to have a spiritual conversation, to have a religious conversation here in the Middle east is very easy to do because it's who you are, it's at the very heart of your identity. Are you a Muslim, are you a Hindu, or you're a Christian? And so very easily, whether it's in a taxi or whether it's just as you go about your day, it's very easy to get to know people. It's very easy to ask questions, very easy to ask, what do you believe about God, who do you follow? And to get into a conversation, people are very, eager to do so.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, I think the, Advent season is a great example of the kind of message that we can share with people, of the waiting and anticipation. So let's get into that just a little bit. What led you as a pastor for 19 years in Dubai, to write an Advent devotional?
Dave Furman Jeff? I think several things. One is Christmas is such a great time in the life of our church. It is our big outreach. It is. People are willing to come on a holiday. And so when we invite people to come Christmas Eve night in particular, we do a very special, special gathering. And so many people, I think twice as many people that would come on a normal Sunday come to Christmas Eve and get to hear the message. And it's just this beautiful night that we, we sing together. And for many people from many cultures, it is the first time they've ever heard singing in terms of religious singing, corporate singing, congregational singing. They've not heard Joy to the World belted out by 2,000 people before. And so getting to celebrate Christmas Eve has just been a highlight of our church calendar and our personal calendar, each year. And so that's kind of always been there and then just really enjoyed preaching every year while I was pastor. So 18 months ago, we transitioned to the seminary. So we have a new pastor, Pastor TJ now, who gets that privilege. But for 15 years, I had the privilege of preaching Christmas Eve, and it was just a joy to unpack and open up the, scriptures and to get to talk about the surprising savior that we really have.
Jeff Chamblee Tell us why you chose that title, the Surprising Savior.
Dave Furman So two reasons, I think. Personally, I love surprises. So if surprising someone and being surprised where I love language, that would be mine. I love them. Anytime I can surprise someone on their birthday or any day, I take advantage of it. I even worked for weeks on a surprise engagement for my wife Gloria, all those years ago. That's another story for another time. But I love surprises. I also love Christmas, and our whole family does. So we put up our Christmas trees. Ah, plural, because they're several of them. There are actually four of them. And we. We put them up every October. So we're getting ready to put them up here in this next couple days. And I. You know, in the Middle east, we don't have seasons. We therefore completely ignore the American rule that says you have to wait until Thanksgiving to put up the Christmas tree. We love Christmas. We love surprises. So those two, are both there. And it turns out there are so many surprises, Jeff, that are wrapped up in the story of Christmas that maybe we've missed. So one surprise we may forget is just how lowly Jesus came. And we remember that the people of Jesus Day were expecting a military victor to free them from Roman oppression. Instead, they got the exact opposite. Jesus was born as a baby, truly human, yet truly God, the Savior of the world was a newborn, then an infant, then a toddler, then a tween, then a teen and an adult. He lived as a human on this earth. And that's incredibly surprising. We know that Jesus humbled himself in dying on the cross for the sins of his people and rose from the dead. But we must not forget that he humbled himself to the point of birth as well. Now, that is astounding. And when you consider the religions of the world and what I get to on a regular basis here and sets a melting pot here in the Middle east, when you consider the religions of the world, that is astounding because it is the opposite of every other Messiah, every other savior, every other God, and every other religion that says, basically, they are so omniscient, so omnipotent, so big, you must work your way up to them. You must do good works to get to them, to achieve salvation. Instead, Christianity Totally different. And it's a religion, it's a relationship more than that, that no one could have ever made up. Because what it has in store for us instead is that God himself, that the Savior actually lowered himself and came to us. and that is Jeff. That is utterly surprising. So, so many surprises in the devotional and the Christmas story, but that is the biggest one.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, that is a great point. That just about everything in terms of the Bible storyline and certainly the Gospel message has got to be so counterintuitive for someone who is unfamiliar with Christianity. So what an opportunity when share that story. I understand that the book is written from the perspective of Luke, the Gospel writer. What sort of perspective does Luke bring to the Advent story that maybe we don't get in the other gospels?
Dave Furman Luke is fantastic. So it actually gives us, I think, the most full account. So John and Mark don't really look at the infancy material. Matthew and Luke would be the normal places we would go and Matthew would be, does a great job. It begins with the genealogy and kind of traces kind of Jesus's lineage, which is wonderful. It talks about the purpose of Jesus coming to save his people from their sins. But what Luke does, Luke gives us this really full account. I mean those first couple chapters of Luke are long and filled with details and filled with a number of surprises. And so as I was reading Luke myself, just realizing you're introduced in Luke's Gospel to a, ah, number of surprising themes, you're introduced to a number of surprising people, you're introduced to. just that theme just seems like it is a thread throughout Luke chapter one and Luke chapter two, in a way that is just brilliant. And so I would encourage anyone in preparation for, for Advent and for Christmas to really spend time in Luke's Gospel and kind of uncover some of the surprises for yourself. Obviously this, devotional can help you do that.
Jeff Chamblee We're speaking with Dave Furman. He's the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai. He is joining us from Dubai today and we're so glad to have him. as we look at some of the people that you just mentioned that Luke mentions, Zechariah and Elizabeth come to mind. They were in particular a couple that experienced the difficulties of waiting and answered prayer. How does that relate to us today when we consider our own selves? Waiting and maybe our prayers not being answered as quickly as we'd like?
Dave Furman Waiting seems to be one of the themes of scripture and one of the themes of our lives. So for over many thousands of years, people were waiting for the Messiah to come. You even had the 400 years before Jesus came, this intertestamental period, period where God wasn't even speaking through his prophets. And so people were, were waiting, waiting and waiting. you have this couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Seems like a wonderful couple. They, are now much older, they're past childbearing age, and they've given up, in a sense, praying even for a child, and desperately wanted a child. The years go on. They waited beyond what they had ever expected. But when all seemed lost, when Luke's gospel tells us they were in for the surprise of their life, Elizabeth, way past childbearing age, she was pregnant. And the Lord answered their prayers and more, their son would be the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. And so a couple things I would say to that story, Jeff. One is the Lord answers our prayers. The Lord hears our prayers. So we believe that God is sovereign and in control over all things. But underneath that, he's ordained us to pray, and he's ordained that he would sovereignly moved through our prayers. He had moved through the prayers of his people. So prayers do work. God does. Listen, Jesus is interceding for us. The Holy Spirit within us is speaking through us. And so we pray. Now, that doesn't mean that this side of eternity, God will always answer our prayers the way we would like. So, you know, there's so many people, and you may be listening to this today, there's so many people who have prayed to have a child who've never been able to have children. Now, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, I think should encourage us to never stop praying, to realize that while we may not know what tomorrow holds, our God holds tomorrow in his hands and is in control over all things and can do all things. It can still work miracles today. It should also encourage us, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, that even when God doesn't seem like he's answering our prayers, he's always doing a million things behind the scenes that we can't see in the moment that we can trust Him. And so if you're listening to this, today, and there's just something that you're waiting on, I can't promise you some prosperity message that'll say if you pray or if you do this or you do that or you say this or you do this action, that it'll come true. I can't promise that we don't know this side of eternity. And I struggle with a disability in both of my arms and face chronic pain. We've been praying for 21 years for healing, and God has not provided healing yet. We keep praying for that. And if you're hoping for a child or you're hoping for healing, or maybe there's a relationship that needs to be restored in your life, there's friction in your family, there's a friend at church who you aren't talking to right now, and you're just waiting. Friend. I want to encourage you. Keep praying, keep praying, keep praying. And also to realize that this side of eternity, as a result of the fall, there are going to be consequences for sin. And there is going to be, at times, not a consequence of your sin, but just, we live in a fallen world, and so things just are not the way they're supposed to be. And the hope is that God is going to, one day they undo all of that. And so Jesus came, as a child once. He's going to come again, the second coming. He's going to make all wrong things right. He's going to wipe away every tear from our eyes. This first coming of Jesus points to the second coming of Jesus. And so if you're like Zechariah and Elizabeth, if you're in the season of waiting, I pray that the Lord would provide in this life. But if not, if you're a follower of Christ, he will provide abundantly in the next life, in eternity. And it will marvel us, and we will be with believers from all times and all places gathered around the throne of God forever and ever and ever. And that's a beautiful thought.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for that. One of the other people, that Luke mentions, it's an amazing account, is Mary. Her response to the announcement from Gabriel has always been a fascinating part of that. What aspect of Mary's response stands out to you?
Dave Furman Mary's incredible. We know she was young. This is not some seasoned, adult, who's, you know, been through decades of trial and tribulation. She's young. She, obviously, her and Joseph are not married yet. And yet we see just such a woman of faith. We can learn that from Mary. We can learn that even when our circumstances are uncertain, God is not uncertain. Even when our lives take a surprising turn. I mean, this was a huge surprise for Mary that even when that happens, to us, even when life feels like a mess, because at first it must have felt like, oh, no to Mary, like, how can I. I need to talk to Joseph. About this, what's his reaction going to be? What's the community around me? What's the village? What's everybody going to say? What's everybody going to think? Nobody's going to believe this, but God is with us in those moments. And so what stands out is Mary's faithfulness to do exactly what was told her to do. Her, faithfulness to believe the angel Gabriel and to believe God and to believe, that this was a divine act of God, that the Holy Spirit had, had orchestrated, this. That Jesus, that the Savior was in her womb. Now Mary understood quite a bit. So there's a. There's a song, and I don't have the lyrics, but Mary did, you know. And it might be an okay song, but I don't know that Mary or anybody, until the resurrection maybe understood everything. But Mary did know quite a bit. She was told, quite a bit. And Mary did know, that this was a special anointed child, that the Savior, that Jesus. Jesus names his name means that he saves, that Jesus will save, that he's the Savior. And so, Mary did know quite a bit. And she kept walking by faith each step of the way to follow God's leading. And so, friends, we must be faithful to do the same, knowing God is in control and that he knows best, even when life takes a turn that we don't understand.
Jeff Chamblee One group of people mentioned in the Gospel of Luke that received the announcement of Jesus birth were the shepherds that were tending to their flocks. we're so accustomed to that picture in our mind, and we've seen it on different, maybe television shows and things like that. But it was really unique that God went to them first. Why do you think that he chose to reveal this news to the shepherds rather than going into Jerusalem and making that known to the religious leaders?
Dave Furman Great question. I, don't know for sure, but I think it's the theme that we see in the Scriptures. And it's a theme that I often like to say. Weakness is the way. So God gets all the glory. And we see that God, goes to the lowly, that he goes and uses the weak. And so you can trace that theme really through the whole Scriptures. And so when you think about in the Old Testament that you think about the heroes of the faith, it's not surprising then that he would go to, the shepherds. And so when you think about the Bible, you think about heroes, you think about Joseph. Joseph was thrown in a dungeon, was discarded, and yet he, saves, Israel from famine. You see, Moses was a stutterer, but God used him to deliver his people from slavery. David was the youngest and smallest brother. He defeats Goliath. Joshua defeats Jericho not with strength or a strategic battle plan, but by walking around the city once a day for about a week, then walking a little more war on the last day, blowing some trumpets and screaming. I mean, it must have been the hottest battle plan in all of history. And yet God showed once again that he would deliver his people not through strength, but through weakness. The Apostle Paul, the great church planner, constantly suffered, had chronic pain. Now God uses weak individuals to make it abundantly clear that he's doing the work and the incarnation. He comes to this young, woman and, through the Holy Spirit, and is in her womb. You have, have Jesus, the creator of the world, enters in a womb that he created. And then the theme of weakness and humility continues on in terms of who he reveals himself to. And yet there's a couple great, people we might talk about at the end of Luke chapter two that he appears to as well, but the shepherds. It's the theme of lowliness I think of. It's not a triumphal entry, but it's a humility. And again, this is part of why I am a Christian and part of why I feel so confident in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not a story that any one of us would have made up. Because, Jeff, we would have made up the story that you. That you started with the triumphantry right there in, in Jerusalem, in the big city, in, in the center of it all. And yet that's not how Jesus comes. Jesus comes lowly, and he goes to these, these shepherds. And I think that is really, really sweet and gives us such great confidence. Gospel story.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, it's such an encouragement to know that God chooses the people who don't feel qualified and don't feel ready for the spotlight. And it's a great encouragement that if we feel that way, there's a good chance God may use us if we're dependent upon him and believe his word. What are some of your favorite devotions in this book? There are 25 devotions in the book, the Surprising Savior, which are some of your favorites.
Dave Furman Yeah, I got a couple that I really like that I think are a little unique. One is, December 13th, so about halfway through Advent, and I called it an unlikely worship gathering. And in that devotion we see Elizabeth and Mary. It's the first time they meet up, after they're both pregnant. And so Mary receives the news that she's pregnant. She went quickly to visit Elizabeth, and at this visit, we see. But I think it's one of the most precious scenes in Scripture. Mary arrives. She greets Elizabeth. The baby in Elizabeth's womb, which is John the Baptist, leaps to greet the baby in Mary's womb. John the Baptist jumps. He would have been about six months old, the size of an adult hand. John the Baptist, even as an unborn baby, this is amazing. Perceives by the Holy Spirit that the Messiah has arrived, and he proclaims it to his mother by jumping for joy. And in that exact moment, the Holy Spirit gives Elizabeth understanding. She discerns that Mary is pregnant with the Lord. She bursts out in praise. Now, one surprising and amazing thing in the scene is that John recognizes Jesus. Why is that such a big deal? Because, among many other reasons, think about how long Jesus would have been in Mary's womb at that point. Point Gabriel had remembered. Gabriel just visited Mary, told her that she would become pregnant and be the mother of Jesus. But the scripture tells us she became pregnant either right after that announcement or sometime during their journey. So at most, Jesus is just days and, maybe a couple, couple weeks into gestation. So even this early on, Jesus was a baby. He was a human being even at that young, young age. So John the Baptist, the size of a hand. Jesus, if he. If he was the size of a hand, Jesus is the size of a. Of a little dot, yet he was fully human then. And here Mary's described as the mother of the Lord, while Jesus is only a few days old. And John the Baptist recognizes he's in the presence of royalty, and he jumps. He leaves. John the Baptist is a forerunner, announcing the coming king even then. And that's precisely what he does even from the womb. That's what he's going to do later on as he grows up. So Mary enters the house, and baby John leaps, announces to his mother Elizabeth that they are in the presence of the coming king. Those verses, Jeff, always make me smile and are significant on a number of levels.
Jeff Chamblee Once again, we're speaking with Dave Furman, who is joining us from his home in Dubai. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Church there in Dubai. He's also the chancellor of the Gulf Theological Seminary. you acknowledge in your book, the Surprising Savior, that Christmas is a very difficult time for a lot of people. What advice would you give to someone who's listening, who may be struggling to find hope or joy during the Christmas Season,
Dave Furman yeah, it can be hard. So for many of us, we put up the trees, maybe we, maybe we exchange gifts. we enjoy church. We enjoy our church family. We enjoy Advent, maybe we read a devotional. We read the scriptures together, and we celebrate that we have new life in Christ. But for many people, Christmas is a tough time. And it was tough for my family. when I was eight years old, two of my grandparents and a great grandparent all died in the six weeks leading up to Christmas.
Jeff Chamblee And
Dave Furman I still remember that Christmas being a time of tears. Remember my. Both my parents being distraught, each of them having lost a parent, in those two months prior to Christmas. And so that was a sad month. You may be approaching Christmas season right now, and you may be mourning the death. one of our pastors at the church here, his father just passed away unexpectedly halfway around the world, and he just have to pack up and a day later fly. And he's going to have to navigate the funeral now. And that may be what you're facing. Maybe there's chronic pain. Maybe a child is, is hurting or suffering. This is not how life is supposed to be. First thing I want to tell you, if you're suffering and struggling this Christmas season, I just want to say, I am so sorry, friend. I am so sorry. This world, world is broken. And what I'd want to tell you is the world is broken. but I want to point you to Jesus. And I want to point you to Jesus that is coming as part of God's redemption plan to make all wrong things right. And I started to talk about this a little earlier in the, radio program, just that Jesus is going to make all wrong things right. That suffering. I would tell you this, that your suffering today has an expiration date. It will end. It will end if you follow Christ. The day is coming when there will be no more tears, that the king will return once more to take his people with him, will gaze upon his face and will be forever changed. And so, however hopeless today feels, friend, hope is coming. I had a seminary professor who, I might not get the quote exactly right, but he said this. He said, if you're a follower of Christ, every moment of suffering, every pain that you feel, is a little taste, a little type, little slice of the hell that is a believer you will never, ever go through. But every little delight, every great meal, every conversation with a friend, every little, little sweet part of life is just, just but a shadow, but a taste, but a type of the wonder and the amazement of what heaven will be like for the believer. And so, friend, let your pain encourage you that God has spared you eternal suffering. And let every little joy in life this Christmas remind you of eternal joy that will multiply any joy that we can find on this earth today.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor, for sharing that. How can our listeners find out more about you and the ministry that you have and some of the other books that you've written?
Dave Furman Yeah, thanks for. Thanks for asking. So you can find me, Dave Furman on various social media outlets, on Instagram, on X, on Facebook. Ah, our church website, redeemerdubai.com. you can find, us. Yeah, any of those places. You can find other books, either on Amazon. The Surprising Savior is with New Growth Press, and they've done just a fantastic job. So you can find information about that. I've written a couple books on, suffering. One on, how, you as a sufferer can embrace Christ. It's called embracing God in your suffering. And that would just be, hopefully, an encouragement to anybody that is struggling, maybe with some of the things we talked about at the end of the interview. And then I wrote a book for those that are helping those who are suffering. It's really for the rest of us, other Christians. And it's called Being There. And that's a good book to help you consider. Okay. I have a hurting family member or a hurting friend, or we all have hurting church members or people that we know. How do we interact and how do we best care for those who are hurting? And then look out for a book on generosity called the Cheerful Giver, that's coming out in March. And obviously, Jesus is the most cheerful giver who gave his very life, for us. But thanks for asking, Jeff.
Jeff Chamblee Absolutely. Once again, our guest has been Dave Furman, the, founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai and chancellor of Gulf Theological Seminary. The book we've been talking about is the surprising 25 advent devotions from Luke's Gospel. You have time to order that book and get your family into it and be blessed by the examples of patience and waiting and suffering that you read in. In Luke's Gospel. So, Pastor Furman, thank you for being with us today. Thank you for writing this book and encouraging our hearts today and reminding us of the good God that we serve and the riches that are ours in Christ and all that we have to look forward to. Thank you for your time today. Thanks for being with us.
Dave Furman My pleasure, Jeff. This was wonderful.
Jeff Chamblee And coming up next week, we'll meet a young lady who was adopted from a Ukrainian orphanage at age 11 with a traumatic childhood, who went on to become the first person born outside of North America to be crowned Miss Mississippi in 2025 and to place 11th in the Miss America pageant. Annaleah Jolley and her mother, Kelly Jolly, will be with us. Today's program with Dave Furman is available as a [email protected] or on Spotify and itunes, and a free trial subscription to the Stan magazine is [email protected] thanks for listening and join us again next time on the Stand Radio.
Jeff Chamblee Hello, I'm Jeff Chamblee. Did you know that this show is listener supported? Without people like you, this show would not exist. That's why we need you. A, generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio, specifically this show, as we reach thousands of people each week with biblical truth. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.net/give that's afr.net/give.
Coming up today, pastor and author Dave Furman will join us from his home in Dubai to describe how the Gospel is going forth to the nations. We'll also explore his new book, the Surprising Savior. He'll explain how the unique message of Jesus birth continues to inspire and open hearts to the good news of Christ.
Dave Furman This first coming of Jesus points to the second coming of Jesus. And so if you're like Zechariah and Elizabeth, if you're in the season of waiting, for I pray that the Lord would provide in this life. But if not, if you're a follower of Christ, he will provide abundantly in the next life, in eternity. We will be with believers from all times and all places gathered around the throne of God forever and ever and ever. And that's a beautiful thought.
Jeff Chamblee it's the weekend of November 7th and 8th. I'm Jeff Chamblee and this is the Stand Radio. We are just three weeks away from the first Sunday of Advent coming up on November 29th. And it reminds us that Christmas is a celebration of God coming to us and becoming one of us. The anticipation and preparation that leads up to Christmas every year is only a taste of what happened 2,000 years ago to those who were waiting for the Messiah. My guest is Dave Furman. He has written a new devotional guide to help families celebrate the Advent season with a look at the remarkable people and details of that first appearing. He is the author of the book the Surprising 25 Advent Devotions from Luke's Gospel. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai and he is joining me from his home in Dubai. Pastor Furman, welcome to the Stand Radio.
Dave Furman Jeff. So good to be with you and great to be able to talk with you halfway around the world.
Jeff Chamblee Yes, I was looking forward to this. And, before we get into the devotional book, just tell us what it is like doing ministry in a country like Dubai.
Dave Furman It's certainly an interesting place. And I mean to get here we took a couple flights, but you take us about a 15 or 16 hour flight just about halfway around the globe. We, are in the city of Dubai, which is the largest city in the country of the United Arab Emirates, right on the Arabian Peninsula, the heart of the Middle East. And it's a very diverse place. So one of the unique things about our city and about the ministry is while we're in the Middle east, the nations have gathered here. So, we helped start Redeemer Church of Dubai. Now I serve, on the leadership team of the Gulf Theological Seminary, our training school, here. And we did some demographics. We know in our church we have about 60 or 70 different nationalities in our seminary, 44 different nationalities studying. And so every time we gather for worship on a Sunday morning, it's like a little taste of heaven because you look around and you just see the nations. So we're 85 to 90% easterners, maybe 10 to 50% westerners. And so just one unique thing is the nations have gathered. It's a little, little taste of heaven. And it is a joy to get to be able to know and meet and get into the lives of people from places like India and the Philippines and Ethiopia and, all over the place. And so unique situation. When we came, there was no church in downtown Dubai, in the heart of Dubai. And so that's, that's what quickly became Redeemer Church of Dubai in 2012 and 10. And now we find ourselves 16 and a half years later and the Lord is continuing the work he started.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. What a great story. And, we are so excited about the work that is going on there. how has living in Dubai affected the way that you communicate the Christmas message to such a diverse crowd as that?
Dave Furman Great question. So, thankfully, in a way, the Bible kind of transcends culture and is an amazing and beautiful story that hopefully we can all relate to, to the fascinating thing about serving the Middle east and serving to mostly in Eastern contexts and honor and shame culture. Jesus came as a man, Emmanuel, like you said, the God, man, fully God, fully man. He came, to a Middle Eastern family right in the heart of the Middle East. And so in many ways I can preach the Christmas story. And there are ways, I think, that people from the east and people here in this context will readily understand the story, maybe even more easily than some of us do in terms of. Some of the honor and shame of like, wow, what shame Mary dealt with in terms of being pregnant pre marriage and what that must have meant for the community. And then Joseph's response. And then, just there's so much in the story that really unfolds when we think about, the context of the first Christmas story that I think people in our context here really get it. And so as I preach Christmas, I certainly, preach the text faithfully and clearly, Lord willing. And people seem to really be able to get it here.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah. Do you find that there's a different kind of openness to the gospel in Dubai, other than what we would expect in the United States?
Dave Furman I think around the world, God is at work in many contexts. In the United States, we're kind of moving a bit towards not a post Christian culture per se, maybe in that direction a little bit. Whereas we have seen that people wear religion on their sleeves, really, even literally here, people are dressed according to their culture, according to their religion, which is so intertwined. And so to have a spiritual conversation, to have a religious conversation here in the Middle east is very easy to do because it's who you are, it's at the very heart of your identity. Are you a Muslim, are you a Hindu, or you're a Christian? And so very easily, whether it's in a taxi or whether it's just as you go about your day, it's very easy to get to know people. It's very easy to ask questions, very easy to ask, what do you believe about God, who do you follow? And to get into a conversation, people are very, eager to do so.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, I think the, Advent season is a great example of the kind of message that we can share with people, of the waiting and anticipation. So let's get into that just a little bit. What led you as a pastor for 19 years in Dubai, to write an Advent devotional?
Dave Furman Jeff? I think several things. One is Christmas is such a great time in the life of our church. It is our big outreach. It is. People are willing to come on a holiday. And so when we invite people to come Christmas Eve night in particular, we do a very special, special gathering. And so many people, I think twice as many people that would come on a normal Sunday come to Christmas Eve and get to hear the message. And it's just this beautiful night that we, we sing together. And for many people from many cultures, it is the first time they've ever heard singing in terms of religious singing, corporate singing, congregational singing. They've not heard Joy to the World belted out by 2,000 people before. And so getting to celebrate Christmas Eve has just been a highlight of our church calendar and our personal calendar, each year. And so that's kind of always been there and then just really enjoyed preaching every year while I was pastor. So 18 months ago, we transitioned to the seminary. So we have a new pastor, Pastor TJ now, who gets that privilege. But for 15 years, I had the privilege of preaching Christmas Eve, and it was just a joy to unpack and open up the, scriptures and to get to talk about the surprising savior that we really have.
Jeff Chamblee Tell us why you chose that title, the Surprising Savior.
Dave Furman So two reasons, I think. Personally, I love surprises. So if surprising someone and being surprised where I love language, that would be mine. I love them. Anytime I can surprise someone on their birthday or any day, I take advantage of it. I even worked for weeks on a surprise engagement for my wife Gloria, all those years ago. That's another story for another time. But I love surprises. I also love Christmas, and our whole family does. So we put up our Christmas trees. Ah, plural, because they're several of them. There are actually four of them. And we. We put them up every October. So we're getting ready to put them up here in this next couple days. And I. You know, in the Middle east, we don't have seasons. We therefore completely ignore the American rule that says you have to wait until Thanksgiving to put up the Christmas tree. We love Christmas. We love surprises. So those two, are both there. And it turns out there are so many surprises, Jeff, that are wrapped up in the story of Christmas that maybe we've missed. So one surprise we may forget is just how lowly Jesus came. And we remember that the people of Jesus Day were expecting a military victor to free them from Roman oppression. Instead, they got the exact opposite. Jesus was born as a baby, truly human, yet truly God, the Savior of the world was a newborn, then an infant, then a toddler, then a tween, then a teen and an adult. He lived as a human on this earth. And that's incredibly surprising. We know that Jesus humbled himself in dying on the cross for the sins of his people and rose from the dead. But we must not forget that he humbled himself to the point of birth as well. Now, that is astounding. And when you consider the religions of the world and what I get to on a regular basis here and sets a melting pot here in the Middle east, when you consider the religions of the world, that is astounding because it is the opposite of every other Messiah, every other savior, every other God, and every other religion that says, basically, they are so omniscient, so omnipotent, so big, you must work your way up to them. You must do good works to get to them, to achieve salvation. Instead, Christianity Totally different. And it's a religion, it's a relationship more than that, that no one could have ever made up. Because what it has in store for us instead is that God himself, that the Savior actually lowered himself and came to us. and that is Jeff. That is utterly surprising. So, so many surprises in the devotional and the Christmas story, but that is the biggest one.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, that is a great point. That just about everything in terms of the Bible storyline and certainly the Gospel message has got to be so counterintuitive for someone who is unfamiliar with Christianity. So what an opportunity when share that story. I understand that the book is written from the perspective of Luke, the Gospel writer. What sort of perspective does Luke bring to the Advent story that maybe we don't get in the other gospels?
Dave Furman Luke is fantastic. So it actually gives us, I think, the most full account. So John and Mark don't really look at the infancy material. Matthew and Luke would be the normal places we would go and Matthew would be, does a great job. It begins with the genealogy and kind of traces kind of Jesus's lineage, which is wonderful. It talks about the purpose of Jesus coming to save his people from their sins. But what Luke does, Luke gives us this really full account. I mean those first couple chapters of Luke are long and filled with details and filled with a number of surprises. And so as I was reading Luke myself, just realizing you're introduced in Luke's Gospel to a, ah, number of surprising themes, you're introduced to a number of surprising people, you're introduced to. just that theme just seems like it is a thread throughout Luke chapter one and Luke chapter two, in a way that is just brilliant. And so I would encourage anyone in preparation for, for Advent and for Christmas to really spend time in Luke's Gospel and kind of uncover some of the surprises for yourself. Obviously this, devotional can help you do that.
Jeff Chamblee We're speaking with Dave Furman. He's the founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai. He is joining us from Dubai today and we're so glad to have him. as we look at some of the people that you just mentioned that Luke mentions, Zechariah and Elizabeth come to mind. They were in particular a couple that experienced the difficulties of waiting and answered prayer. How does that relate to us today when we consider our own selves? Waiting and maybe our prayers not being answered as quickly as we'd like?
Dave Furman Waiting seems to be one of the themes of scripture and one of the themes of our lives. So for over many thousands of years, people were waiting for the Messiah to come. You even had the 400 years before Jesus came, this intertestamental period, period where God wasn't even speaking through his prophets. And so people were, were waiting, waiting and waiting. you have this couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Seems like a wonderful couple. They, are now much older, they're past childbearing age, and they've given up, in a sense, praying even for a child, and desperately wanted a child. The years go on. They waited beyond what they had ever expected. But when all seemed lost, when Luke's gospel tells us they were in for the surprise of their life, Elizabeth, way past childbearing age, she was pregnant. And the Lord answered their prayers and more, their son would be the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. And so a couple things I would say to that story, Jeff. One is the Lord answers our prayers. The Lord hears our prayers. So we believe that God is sovereign and in control over all things. But underneath that, he's ordained us to pray, and he's ordained that he would sovereignly moved through our prayers. He had moved through the prayers of his people. So prayers do work. God does. Listen, Jesus is interceding for us. The Holy Spirit within us is speaking through us. And so we pray. Now, that doesn't mean that this side of eternity, God will always answer our prayers the way we would like. So, you know, there's so many people, and you may be listening to this today, there's so many people who have prayed to have a child who've never been able to have children. Now, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, I think should encourage us to never stop praying, to realize that while we may not know what tomorrow holds, our God holds tomorrow in his hands and is in control over all things and can do all things. It can still work miracles today. It should also encourage us, the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, that even when God doesn't seem like he's answering our prayers, he's always doing a million things behind the scenes that we can't see in the moment that we can trust Him. And so if you're listening to this, today, and there's just something that you're waiting on, I can't promise you some prosperity message that'll say if you pray or if you do this or you do that or you say this or you do this action, that it'll come true. I can't promise that we don't know this side of eternity. And I struggle with a disability in both of my arms and face chronic pain. We've been praying for 21 years for healing, and God has not provided healing yet. We keep praying for that. And if you're hoping for a child or you're hoping for healing, or maybe there's a relationship that needs to be restored in your life, there's friction in your family, there's a friend at church who you aren't talking to right now, and you're just waiting. Friend. I want to encourage you. Keep praying, keep praying, keep praying. And also to realize that this side of eternity, as a result of the fall, there are going to be consequences for sin. And there is going to be, at times, not a consequence of your sin, but just, we live in a fallen world, and so things just are not the way they're supposed to be. And the hope is that God is going to, one day they undo all of that. And so Jesus came, as a child once. He's going to come again, the second coming. He's going to make all wrong things right. He's going to wipe away every tear from our eyes. This first coming of Jesus points to the second coming of Jesus. And so if you're like Zechariah and Elizabeth, if you're in the season of waiting, I pray that the Lord would provide in this life. But if not, if you're a follower of Christ, he will provide abundantly in the next life, in eternity. And it will marvel us, and we will be with believers from all times and all places gathered around the throne of God forever and ever and ever. And that's a beautiful thought.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for that. One of the other people, that Luke mentions, it's an amazing account, is Mary. Her response to the announcement from Gabriel has always been a fascinating part of that. What aspect of Mary's response stands out to you?
Dave Furman Mary's incredible. We know she was young. This is not some seasoned, adult, who's, you know, been through decades of trial and tribulation. She's young. She, obviously, her and Joseph are not married yet. And yet we see just such a woman of faith. We can learn that from Mary. We can learn that even when our circumstances are uncertain, God is not uncertain. Even when our lives take a surprising turn. I mean, this was a huge surprise for Mary that even when that happens, to us, even when life feels like a mess, because at first it must have felt like, oh, no to Mary, like, how can I. I need to talk to Joseph. About this, what's his reaction going to be? What's the community around me? What's the village? What's everybody going to say? What's everybody going to think? Nobody's going to believe this, but God is with us in those moments. And so what stands out is Mary's faithfulness to do exactly what was told her to do. Her, faithfulness to believe the angel Gabriel and to believe God and to believe, that this was a divine act of God, that the Holy Spirit had, had orchestrated, this. That Jesus, that the Savior was in her womb. Now Mary understood quite a bit. So there's a. There's a song, and I don't have the lyrics, but Mary did, you know. And it might be an okay song, but I don't know that Mary or anybody, until the resurrection maybe understood everything. But Mary did know quite a bit. She was told, quite a bit. And Mary did know, that this was a special anointed child, that the Savior, that Jesus. Jesus names his name means that he saves, that Jesus will save, that he's the Savior. And so, Mary did know quite a bit. And she kept walking by faith each step of the way to follow God's leading. And so, friends, we must be faithful to do the same, knowing God is in control and that he knows best, even when life takes a turn that we don't understand.
Jeff Chamblee One group of people mentioned in the Gospel of Luke that received the announcement of Jesus birth were the shepherds that were tending to their flocks. we're so accustomed to that picture in our mind, and we've seen it on different, maybe television shows and things like that. But it was really unique that God went to them first. Why do you think that he chose to reveal this news to the shepherds rather than going into Jerusalem and making that known to the religious leaders?
Dave Furman Great question. I, don't know for sure, but I think it's the theme that we see in the Scriptures. And it's a theme that I often like to say. Weakness is the way. So God gets all the glory. And we see that God, goes to the lowly, that he goes and uses the weak. And so you can trace that theme really through the whole Scriptures. And so when you think about in the Old Testament that you think about the heroes of the faith, it's not surprising then that he would go to, the shepherds. And so when you think about the Bible, you think about heroes, you think about Joseph. Joseph was thrown in a dungeon, was discarded, and yet he, saves, Israel from famine. You see, Moses was a stutterer, but God used him to deliver his people from slavery. David was the youngest and smallest brother. He defeats Goliath. Joshua defeats Jericho not with strength or a strategic battle plan, but by walking around the city once a day for about a week, then walking a little more war on the last day, blowing some trumpets and screaming. I mean, it must have been the hottest battle plan in all of history. And yet God showed once again that he would deliver his people not through strength, but through weakness. The Apostle Paul, the great church planner, constantly suffered, had chronic pain. Now God uses weak individuals to make it abundantly clear that he's doing the work and the incarnation. He comes to this young, woman and, through the Holy Spirit, and is in her womb. You have, have Jesus, the creator of the world, enters in a womb that he created. And then the theme of weakness and humility continues on in terms of who he reveals himself to. And yet there's a couple great, people we might talk about at the end of Luke chapter two that he appears to as well, but the shepherds. It's the theme of lowliness I think of. It's not a triumphal entry, but it's a humility. And again, this is part of why I am a Christian and part of why I feel so confident in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not a story that any one of us would have made up. Because, Jeff, we would have made up the story that you. That you started with the triumphantry right there in, in Jerusalem, in the big city, in, in the center of it all. And yet that's not how Jesus comes. Jesus comes lowly, and he goes to these, these shepherds. And I think that is really, really sweet and gives us such great confidence. Gospel story.
Jeff Chamblee Yeah, it's such an encouragement to know that God chooses the people who don't feel qualified and don't feel ready for the spotlight. And it's a great encouragement that if we feel that way, there's a good chance God may use us if we're dependent upon him and believe his word. What are some of your favorite devotions in this book? There are 25 devotions in the book, the Surprising Savior, which are some of your favorites.
Dave Furman Yeah, I got a couple that I really like that I think are a little unique. One is, December 13th, so about halfway through Advent, and I called it an unlikely worship gathering. And in that devotion we see Elizabeth and Mary. It's the first time they meet up, after they're both pregnant. And so Mary receives the news that she's pregnant. She went quickly to visit Elizabeth, and at this visit, we see. But I think it's one of the most precious scenes in Scripture. Mary arrives. She greets Elizabeth. The baby in Elizabeth's womb, which is John the Baptist, leaps to greet the baby in Mary's womb. John the Baptist jumps. He would have been about six months old, the size of an adult hand. John the Baptist, even as an unborn baby, this is amazing. Perceives by the Holy Spirit that the Messiah has arrived, and he proclaims it to his mother by jumping for joy. And in that exact moment, the Holy Spirit gives Elizabeth understanding. She discerns that Mary is pregnant with the Lord. She bursts out in praise. Now, one surprising and amazing thing in the scene is that John recognizes Jesus. Why is that such a big deal? Because, among many other reasons, think about how long Jesus would have been in Mary's womb at that point. Point Gabriel had remembered. Gabriel just visited Mary, told her that she would become pregnant and be the mother of Jesus. But the scripture tells us she became pregnant either right after that announcement or sometime during their journey. So at most, Jesus is just days and, maybe a couple, couple weeks into gestation. So even this early on, Jesus was a baby. He was a human being even at that young, young age. So John the Baptist, the size of a hand. Jesus, if he. If he was the size of a hand, Jesus is the size of a. Of a little dot, yet he was fully human then. And here Mary's described as the mother of the Lord, while Jesus is only a few days old. And John the Baptist recognizes he's in the presence of royalty, and he jumps. He leaves. John the Baptist is a forerunner, announcing the coming king even then. And that's precisely what he does even from the womb. That's what he's going to do later on as he grows up. So Mary enters the house, and baby John leaps, announces to his mother Elizabeth that they are in the presence of the coming king. Those verses, Jeff, always make me smile and are significant on a number of levels.
Jeff Chamblee Once again, we're speaking with Dave Furman, who is joining us from his home in Dubai. He is the founding pastor of Redeemer Church there in Dubai. He's also the chancellor of the Gulf Theological Seminary. you acknowledge in your book, the Surprising Savior, that Christmas is a very difficult time for a lot of people. What advice would you give to someone who's listening, who may be struggling to find hope or joy during the Christmas Season,
Dave Furman yeah, it can be hard. So for many of us, we put up the trees, maybe we, maybe we exchange gifts. we enjoy church. We enjoy our church family. We enjoy Advent, maybe we read a devotional. We read the scriptures together, and we celebrate that we have new life in Christ. But for many people, Christmas is a tough time. And it was tough for my family. when I was eight years old, two of my grandparents and a great grandparent all died in the six weeks leading up to Christmas.
Jeff Chamblee And
Dave Furman I still remember that Christmas being a time of tears. Remember my. Both my parents being distraught, each of them having lost a parent, in those two months prior to Christmas. And so that was a sad month. You may be approaching Christmas season right now, and you may be mourning the death. one of our pastors at the church here, his father just passed away unexpectedly halfway around the world, and he just have to pack up and a day later fly. And he's going to have to navigate the funeral now. And that may be what you're facing. Maybe there's chronic pain. Maybe a child is, is hurting or suffering. This is not how life is supposed to be. First thing I want to tell you, if you're suffering and struggling this Christmas season, I just want to say, I am so sorry, friend. I am so sorry. This world, world is broken. And what I'd want to tell you is the world is broken. but I want to point you to Jesus. And I want to point you to Jesus that is coming as part of God's redemption plan to make all wrong things right. And I started to talk about this a little earlier in the, radio program, just that Jesus is going to make all wrong things right. That suffering. I would tell you this, that your suffering today has an expiration date. It will end. It will end if you follow Christ. The day is coming when there will be no more tears, that the king will return once more to take his people with him, will gaze upon his face and will be forever changed. And so, however hopeless today feels, friend, hope is coming. I had a seminary professor who, I might not get the quote exactly right, but he said this. He said, if you're a follower of Christ, every moment of suffering, every pain that you feel, is a little taste, a little type, little slice of the hell that is a believer you will never, ever go through. But every little delight, every great meal, every conversation with a friend, every little, little sweet part of life is just, just but a shadow, but a taste, but a type of the wonder and the amazement of what heaven will be like for the believer. And so, friend, let your pain encourage you that God has spared you eternal suffering. And let every little joy in life this Christmas remind you of eternal joy that will multiply any joy that we can find on this earth today.
Jeff Chamblee Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor, for sharing that. How can our listeners find out more about you and the ministry that you have and some of the other books that you've written?
Dave Furman Yeah, thanks for. Thanks for asking. So you can find me, Dave Furman on various social media outlets, on Instagram, on X, on Facebook. Ah, our church website, redeemerdubai.com. you can find, us. Yeah, any of those places. You can find other books, either on Amazon. The Surprising Savior is with New Growth Press, and they've done just a fantastic job. So you can find information about that. I've written a couple books on, suffering. One on, how, you as a sufferer can embrace Christ. It's called embracing God in your suffering. And that would just be, hopefully, an encouragement to anybody that is struggling, maybe with some of the things we talked about at the end of the interview. And then I wrote a book for those that are helping those who are suffering. It's really for the rest of us, other Christians. And it's called Being There. And that's a good book to help you consider. Okay. I have a hurting family member or a hurting friend, or we all have hurting church members or people that we know. How do we interact and how do we best care for those who are hurting? And then look out for a book on generosity called the Cheerful Giver, that's coming out in March. And obviously, Jesus is the most cheerful giver who gave his very life, for us. But thanks for asking, Jeff.
Jeff Chamblee Absolutely. Once again, our guest has been Dave Furman, the, founding pastor of Redeemer Church in Dubai and chancellor of Gulf Theological Seminary. The book we've been talking about is the surprising 25 advent devotions from Luke's Gospel. You have time to order that book and get your family into it and be blessed by the examples of patience and waiting and suffering that you read in. In Luke's Gospel. So, Pastor Furman, thank you for being with us today. Thank you for writing this book and encouraging our hearts today and reminding us of the good God that we serve and the riches that are ours in Christ and all that we have to look forward to. Thank you for your time today. Thanks for being with us.
Dave Furman My pleasure, Jeff. This was wonderful.
Jeff Chamblee And coming up next week, we'll meet a young lady who was adopted from a Ukrainian orphanage at age 11 with a traumatic childhood, who went on to become the first person born outside of North America to be crowned Miss Mississippi in 2025 and to place 11th in the Miss America pageant. Annaleah Jolley and her mother, Kelly Jolly, will be with us. Today's program with Dave Furman is available as a [email protected] or on Spotify and itunes, and a free trial subscription to the Stan magazine is [email protected] thanks for listening and join us again next time on the Stand Radio.
Pastor and author Dave Furman joins Jeff Chamblee from Dubai to discuss ministry among a diverse community of nations and his new Advent devotional, The Surprising Savior: 25 Advent Devotions from Luke’s Gospel. Furman reflects on the unexpected humility of Jesus’ birth, the people Luke places at the heart of the Christmas story, and how Advent points beyond Christ’s first coming to his promised return. He also offers compassionate encouragement for anyone facing grief, chronic pain, disappointment, or loneliness during the holidays.
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