The Uzbek "I AM"

Uzbekistan lies in Central Asia. Its earliest settlers were nomads which came out of eastern Iran. These peoples established city-kingdoms which became trading centers along the Silk Road.

The Sogdian people were prolific traders; their tongue was the lingua franca of the Silk Road. The Sogdians traveled as far west as the Byzantine Empire and they were found in China, during the time of the Tang Dynasty. Acting as middle men, the Sogdians controlled much of the Silk Road from approximately 2 BC until 900 AD.

The Sogdians were translators and could read and write. Though their language was of Persian origin, its writing system descended from Syriac, a form of Aramaic. Aramaic was applied to the Sogdian tongue around 6-4 BC. (Nicholas Sims-Williams, “Sogdian Language and Its Scripts,” National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian.)

The Sasanian Empire ruled over Sogdia from 260 AD until it fell to Islam in 651 AD. They were a Persian/Iranian empire. The Christian Sasanians belonged to the Church of the East.

Syriac was the liturgical language of the Church of the East, headquartered in Persia.

As a people, the Sogdians did not have a unified religion; some became followers of Jesus through contact with the early church in the Sasanian Empire. This point is significant. As the Sogdians moved goods and ideas from west to east, they also carried the Gospel, sharing it with others along the way. As they went, the written Gospel was translated into other native tongues.(Richard C. Foltz, PhD, “Religions of the Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Exchange from Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century,” University of Florida, New York: St. Martins Press, 1999.)

God will prepare and use a people that travels between nations to transmit the Gospel. The written word of God is necessary to the church. For this reason, literacy is important and the Gospel must be read and shared. Jesus is called, “The Word.” (John 1:1)

Turfan, China: Sogdian liturgical texts were found at the site of a former monastery operated by the Church of the East. This included the Nicene Creed and other translations from Syriac (Aramaic). (Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage)

The Nicene Creed was utilized and taught by the Church of the East from Iran to China, and most likely also in Japan and Korea. The common creed is still the statement of faith among Catholics as well as most Protestants and the Orthodox Church.

The Church of the East recognized the need to unite the church across the continent. This was and still is a foundational desire of the Lord.

Church unity remains essential. In His prayer just before going to the cross, the Lord prayed for unity among believers. It was one of the reasons why Jesus gave up His life.

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11)

Unity of the church demonstrates love and is a witness to the world.

Jesus stated, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

The Nicene Creed is based upon the four Gospels. All believers can give this statement of faith, no matter the branch of the church to which they belong. Jesus is the common source for all. He said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” (John 15:5)

By the 400s, Christianity existed in Samarkand, a major city trading center along the Silk Road, located in present day Uzbekistan. Persian and Sogdian believers lived there. (Nicholas Sims-Williams, “CHRISTIANITY iii. In Central Asia And Chinese Turkestan,” Iranica Online, 2016)

Afrosiab (Samarkand), Uzbekistan: a Sogdian Christian ossuary was found dating to 300-400 AD. (Archaeological Museum of Afrosiab, Livius)

Urgut, Uzbekistan: ruins of a monastery from the Church of the East were identified approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Samarkand. Other Christian artifacts were located on the property as well. (Alexei Savchenko, “Urgut” Encyclopedia Iranica, 2016)

God leaves tangible artifacts of the history of His people for the church’s benefit.

In 499 AD, the church was split, dividing the Church of the East from the West and the Orthodox—it became separated not just from the world church, but also from the Byzantine Empire, which was Christian.

The divisions weakened the church. The Church of the East had no Western support against the encroachment of Islam.

Divisions create loss. At this crucial juncture in church time, leadership decisions created havoc. Denominational divisions altered church history for 1600 years. Whole nations which could have maintained a Christian presence fell. Believers were killed, tortured and taken as slaves. These circumstances continue today. (Jeff Eden, Department of History, St. Mary's College of Maryland, “Slavery in Islamic Central Asia,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia, 2019.)

Church leaders across all denominations must work together to promote biblical unity under the Nicene Creed instead of attempting to have unity with the world.

In 710/711 AD, Samarkand was taken over by Islam.

The Church of the East, once the missionary branch of the church to the Far East, was cut to the quick. The Sogdian language, once the tongue of the Gospel across Asia, became non-existent. (UNESCO)

In 1220 AD, Genghis Khan, a pagan, invaded Samarkand and destroyed the city. (UNESCO)

In 1510, Islamic Turks called “Uzbeks” from Central Asia, conquered the area known today as Uzbekistan. The nation became Sunni Muslim. The language became Uzbek.

About this time, the Silk Road began to die. The spread of contagion (Black Death), political changes in China and the expansion of European shipping by sea, were to blame. New sources of trade were searched out.

Beginning in the 1600s, the Uzbek Turks were slave traders, kidnapping Persians (Shia Muslim), Germans (Christian), Armenians (Christian) and Russians (Christian) for market sales. Samarkand became one human trafficking location. The sale of Christians and other peoples continued until the Russian government intervened.

Where freedom and faith once existed, chains and fear took over.

The unified church should seek to redeem people from human trafficking and slavery. It is a priority.

Just as the early church was pushed out of Jerusalem by threats and persecution, the Sogdians had fled their homeland and communities along the trade routes. They assimilated into the cultures around them.

In 1876, Russian influence held sway over Uzbekistan. Later, the country became a part of the USSR, remaining so until the Soviet Union dissolved.

In 1991, Uzbekistan declared its own independence.

Uzbek remains the common language of the land.

Today there are about 300,000 Christians in Uzbekistan. 10,000 of them belong to house churches. (Church in Chains) 5,000 of the total are Catholics. (Persecution.org) The majority are ethnic Russians, belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church. These believers are the spiritual remnant of the early church in Uzbekistan. They speak Uzbek.

Though one nation, culture, religion, and tongue has supplanted another, God prevails. Scriptures state that God has people from every language, even Sogdian, standing before Him in heaven.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)

Above, see the photo from the embroidery of “That’s Me” in Uzbek, “Men shundayman!"bdeclaring that Jesus is the Great I AM in many languages.

Listen to the music in the original Uzbek: Click Here

Hear the Gospel of Luke in Uzbek:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Korean "Jesus"

Korea was a nation along the Silk Route. Many Koreans went to live and work in China, where goods came from the West along the trade routes. (“Silla Korea and the Silk Road,” The Korea Society, p. 36) China influenced Korea in many ways, including with the spread of the Gospel.

Christianity first entered Asia through the Apostle Thomas, who visited China. The faith grew there and was sent forward.

Christian missionaries reached Asia through the Silk Route as linguistic and archaeological evidence clearly demonstrates, through the outreach of the Church of the East. Their monks spread the Gospel and built Christian communities across the continent. (Michael J.L. La Civita, “The Assyrian Church of the East,” Assyrian International News Agency, 2009)

In 2009, an engraved cross over the grave of believers was discovered in the Longmen Grottoes in Henan Province, China. It is a verified marker of the faithful from the Church of the East; it is proof that Christian community existed in China approximately 1,200 years ago. (UCA NEWS)

The Korean Christian Museum of Soongsil University has on permanent display a cross identified as one belonging to the Church of the East. It was located in Korea and now serves as a concrete reminder that the knowledge of Jesus came to the Korean peninsula through the Silk Road.

The location of the found artifact is also important. Christianity existed in the capital of Gyeongju, Korea, where the cross from the Church of the East was found within a temple.

God has left tangible archaeological evidence of the history of Christian communities throughout Asia, specifically along the Silk Road. (UNESCO)

In ancient times, Korea was divided into three kingdoms. Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC) of Korea. It was this port city where the Silk Road entered and trade commenced. Arabs, Chinese and Japanese all came to this center by land and sea routes.

God used trade cities where languages and peoples met to spread the Gospel further.

The Chinese and the Japanese both were influenced by the Church of the East—Korea was their trading partner.

The Church of the East was the first wave of influence in Korea for Jesus, most likely carried home by Koreans themselves.

Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit missionary to China. Around 1603, he gave copies of his own work in Chinese to visiting Korean emissaries. One writing was titled, “The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven.” Spiritual seeds were taken home and planted. (Kevin N. Cawley, "Matteo Ricci and Korea - Korea and Matteo Ricci" published in 'Glimpses of Korea',’ 2013.)

Korea outlawed Christianity in 1787.

Korea’s believers grew in number. 8,000 to 10,000 Christians were martyred in their native land between 1791 and 1866.

God took a small written work in a foreign language and used it to begin a movement for Himself. In a similar manner, God sent the Apostle Paul to Rome’s Mars Hill, where using apologetics, Paul explained that the altar “To an Unknown God” represented, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands…” (Acts 17:22-24)

The Catholic Church was the second wave of influence in Korea for Jesus, transported home by Koreans themselves.

During the late 1800s, Scottish missionaries in Manchuria had heard that a fellow missionary had been martyred in Korea. They began to translate the Scriptures into Korean, then sent them back with Korean traders to their homeland.

One such merchant was a man called Seo Sang-ryun. After bringing the Gospel to Korea, he opened the doors to Korea’s first Protestant house of worship—Sorae Church. (Kang-Hyun Kim and Jun-Ki Chung, Kwangshin University, South Korea, The Educational Ministry of early Korean Colporteurs,” Pharos Journal of Theology ISSN 2414-3324 Volume 105 Themed Issue 3 - 2024.)

God trains up a few to reach many. A few apostles. A few missionaries. A few merchants.

The Protestant Church was the third wave of influence in Korea for Jesus, brought in by Koreans themselves.

Nothing can stop the power of the Gospel’s movement.

Each branch of the church sent something to Korea which was was used by God. The message was the same: Jesus is the Lord.

“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

Jesus sits upon the throne. His kingdom is one that shall have no end. He increases His governing over His own people. He governs with peace.

In 1948, following World War II, Korea was officially divided between the former USSR and the United States. North Korea fell under the Soviet Union’s communist guidance, while South Korea became influenced by the West.

In 1973, Reverend Billy Graham spoke in South Korea where millions heard him. The North Koreans noticed and gave a disparaging comment.

In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved. North Korea’s link to the large communist state was no longer its strength.

In the 1990s, a famine occurred in North Korea; citizens went to China looking for relief. There they met believers. The Koreans became Christians and carried the knowledge of Jesus back home. (Global Christian Relief)

God uses natural events to move the Gospel into difficult to reach places.

In 1992, Reverend Billy Graham was invited to North Korea by President Kim il-Sung. In fact, Graham went to North Korea a second time in 1994. He presented Christian literature that he himself wrote and a Bible to the president. Graham also preached at Pyongyang’s Bongsu Church. (CNN)

God opens the door for the Gospel with international events.

Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, was the daughter of missionaries to China. She was familiar with the North and had lived within its boundaries prior to 1948 at a boarding school in Pyongyang. (Ruth Bell Graham)

God uses individuals who have a relationship to the place. His ministers come with peace and in peace.

Though the Gospel had been basically outlawed in North Korea, God made a way for it to be brought in and received publicly by the nation’s top leader. This set a precedent. It planted spiritual seeds.

North Koreans themselves continue to bring in the Gospel to their own people.

“But the word of God is not imprisoned.” (2 Timothy 2:9)

Currently, the North Korean government is carrying out a campaign against the church to eradicate Christianity. (USCIRF) Children are indoctrinated. (Daily Express US) Believers are imprisoned, executed and tortured in North Korea. But eyewitness reports indicate that the church there is growing. (Global Christian Relief)

How can this be when their former President Kim il-Sung welcomed a man of peace and the Word of God?

Kings and presidents come and go, for they are but men. But Jesus is the Son of God. The Scriptures declare that Jesus is “the Ruler of the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:5)

Under the authority of Jesus, a nation will flourish.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:12-15)

In Korea, much respect is given to elders. This is biblical and to be honored. Because President Kim il-Sung welcomed the Gospel into North Korea through a man of peace, the president’s memory should be honored and respected in the same way by his son. In this way, the son may understand the full strength of his father.

The Gospel does not come out of the West, but originated in Bethlehem. After Jesus rose from the dead, His apostles carried the knowledge of Him east, even into China. The Gospel came to Korea through China, North Korea’s ally.

Today, roughly 31% of South Koreans are Christian—both Catholic and Protestant. An estimated 400,000 are possibly believers in North Korea.

Christians of both the South and North Korea are the spiritual and physical descendants of believers from the great moves of God in Korea.

Above, see the photo from the embroidery of “JESUS” in Korean예수라, declaring that Jesus is the Great I AM in many languages.

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Korean:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Hindi "I AM"

The Silk Road ran from China through Persia and into Europe. After Pentecost, the Apostle Thomas took the Good News to Persia, modern day Iran, where he established churches before moving farther east.

India was also a part of the Southern Silk Road. (Peninsula Foundation) Some historians refer to this as the Spice Route.

Kerala is located on the southwest side of India, reached via the Silk Road from China and further abroad to Bactria, connecting the East with the West. (UNESCO)

The Apostle Thomas arrived in the area of modern day Kerala, India in 52 AD.

Muziris was a major Silk Road port on India’s Malabar Coast, located in Kerala, accessible via the Indian Ocean. Tradition holds that this is where Thomas first landed.

In Kerala, Thomas planted seven churches. Tradition maintains that some of the newly baptized believers were Jewish. (TRC) Together, the natives of India with Jewish believers became the “Thomas” Christians.

Christian Indians have written their oral history, in which they have recorded their earliest meetings with Christ via the Apostle Thomas. This includes Thomas’ trip to China with the Gospel and then his return to India. (Fr. Dr. THOMSON ROBI, “HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE ARRIVAL OF APOSTLE ST. THOMAS IN KERALA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE LIFE OF THE ST.THOMAS CHRISTIANS,” BASELIUS COLLEGE, India, 2013.)

Oral history is a type of linguistic evidence, or a proof, that Thomas did indeed travel to India.

Many of the Christians of India carry the surname “Thomas,” this too is linguistic evidence of the apostle’s presence in their land 2,000 years ago. (UNESCO)

These Indian believers are truly an apostolic church, originating in 52 AD with the Apostle Thomas. They are both physical and spiritual descendants of the early Indian church. What they say has deep meaning and their knowledge has been doggedly preserved for 2,000 years.

It was kept in remembrance because it was important.

When Christ comes to a people, especially through one who had been with Jesus, placed his hand in His wounds after resurrection and saw Him later ascend to heaven—this is very very important.

Even the travels and the death of Thomas were remembered. Approximately 20 years after his arrival, Thomas was martyred in India, probably by an enemy with a spear.

Another major Indian port on the Silk Road included Cochin. A fairly large Jewish community existed in the city. Arabs had made their home here as well. (Smithsonian) The Apostle Thomas also visited this area.

God sent the Gospel to city centers where there were a variety of languages spoken and where the knowledge of Christ could be taken elsewhere.

To get to these port cities, a country must grant access. Trade was the catalyst which opened the doors. Spices and silk went east. Gold was paid by the west. Strangers were admitted and even welcomed.

The Silk Road trade with India began between 100-200 BC. (PBS) God went ahead of Thomas and prepared the way for him to reach India. God began this move about 250 years prior to Thomas’ arrival.

The Scripture also states that “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) The opening of the Silk Road trade between continents was created by God for the sake of carrying the light of the Gospel to the nations.

The Scripture states that Jesus is our forerunner. (Hebrews 6:20) He goes before us and prepares the way. This move of God, included Jesus, because Thomas would go in “Jesus’ Name” and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Before Jesus ascended, He commanded that the Gospel be taken into all the world. (Mark 16:15) When God gives a command, He makes its fulfillment possible. Obedience is what is necessary.

After Thomas came missionaries from the Church of the East to India. (Harald Suermann, “The Mission of the Church of the East to South India and Sri Lanka,” 2021)

The Church of the East had come out of Persia via the Silk Road, to India. Early church believers and their descendants from the time of Thomas became joined to this branch of believers.

Natives became church leaders and there was unity across Asia through this branch of the faith.

Church unity is essential. In His prayer just before going to the cross, the Lord prayed for unity among believers. This was one of the reasons He gave up His life.

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11)

Unity of the church demonstrates love and is a witness to the world.

Jesus stated, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

The Church of the East used the Syriac (Aramaic) liturgy for their church services and this continued in India.

The Church of the East remained united in India for hundreds of years until division arrived with the Portuguese. There was a movement to force the Church of the East to implement the liturgical Latin language of the Catholic Church. A split occurred in the body.

This should not have happened. Both Syriac (Aramaic) and Latin are early church languages.

The Scriptures show the faithful singing about the worthiness of the Lord, the Lamb, in heaven:

“…for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9b)

The language one speaks is not important. What is key is that these people are covered with the blood of Jesus and they use their words to praise Him.

This diplomatic issue between the Catholic Church and the Church of the East was partially resolved in 1994 in a meeting between Pope John Paul II and Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV. (Vatican News)

The result was a written document titled Common Christological Declaration. A common ground in Jesus Christ was formally stated. This is biblical.

It is the responsibility of popes, patriarchs, and Protestant leadership to respond to God’s call to Christian unity and to retain this unity. Division should not enter. Pride and sin create division.

God is at work. Just as He prepared the Silk Road, Roman roads, and the spread of the Greek language across many lands, so too is He preparing the way for the unity of the church in this time.

While in jail, Paul told his jailer:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

That jailer was a Philippian, a Gentile.

The church body has many different parts and various purposes, and it is formed from people of all types, tongues and races. Each part is necessary.

There should be no separation of unity within the church across the globe. The Church of the East, the Catholic Church, the Protestants, the Oriental Church and the Orthodox Church essentially all believe that Jesus, the Son of God is the Christ.

The Head of the global church is Jesus. He is the High Priest who continues to intercede for His people. God placed Him in this position by oath and He will not change His mind. (Hebrews 7:20-28)

Today the Indian church is divided into several denominations; though varying liturgical languages are used, each calls Jesus “Lord.” Many speak Hindi.

There are approximately 26 million Christians in India, 3 million in Pakistan (once part of India), and close to 500,000 in Bangladesh (also once part of India).

It is God who has kept His church for 2,000 years. To honor Him and the church in India,  वह मैं हूँ। (That’s me) from John 18:5, the words of Jesus, have been included in this artwork.

Above, see the photo from the embroidery of “I AM,” declaring that Jesus is the Great I AM in many languages.

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Hindi:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Japanese "I AM JESUS"

The Silk Road was established before the birth of Jesus. By the Asakusa era, 538 to 710 AD, Japan was a part of this trade network. It received outsiders from Korea.

By 710 to 794 AD, known as the Nara era, the Silk Road had a maritime route which put in to the port of Osaka, Japan. Goods were delivered to the nearby Japanese capital of Nara, the final destination. (UNESCO) Traders to Osaka usually came from nearby China and Korea.

Sent by their government, Japanese individuals also visited China. (Doug Fuqua, “The Japanese missions to Tang China and maritime exchange in East Asia,” 7th-9th centuries,” The Japan Society, 2004.)

It is very probable that the Japanese were aware of the Christian faith. A Chinese Gospel of Matthew was located in Mogao Cave number 17 in China, together with literature from other religions from the Tang Dynasty period (618 to 907 AD).

Dr. Samuel Lee has studied the Japanese language. He maintains that approximately 300 words of Japanese are very similar to Hebrew and Aramaic. (Dr. Samuel Lee, Rediscovering Japan, Rediscovering Christendom: Two-Thousand Years of Christian History in Japan, Langham: University Press of America, 2010.)

Hebrew is the language of the Bible’s Old Testament. Aramaic was the vernacular of the Jews during the time of Jesus on earth. The Church of the East uses a form of Aramaic known as Syriac in its liturgy. Their missionaries traveled from Persia with the Gospel in Syriac, which was given to the Chinese in their own tongue. (Verification of this exists upon the Xi’an Stele.)

The linguistic evidence of the inclusion of Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Japanese language, demonstrates that it is highly probable that the Church of the East reached Japan via China where they were welcomed and built monasteries and Christian communities.

This was the first wave of the Gospel to reach Japan. Christians in Japan at this time were members of the early church. Japanese is an early church language.

In the 1540s, Catholic missionaries arrived in Japan where they were welcomed. With them came a Japanese Christian from abroad.

In 1550, Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit missionary, went to speak with the “daimyo” or ruling feudal lord. Once again, he was welcomed. Christianity and conversion to the faith were allowed. Hundreds came to know the Lord. (Jesuits)

This included members of the aristocracy, such as, Omura Sumitada.

But the tide was turning for believers. In 1597 AD, in the Christian city of Nagasaki, foreign Franciscan priests and Japanese members of the church were martyred by crucifixion. (Cristina Osswald, “On Christian Martyrdom in Japan,” Macau Polytechnic Institute, China, 2021.)

The youngest martyr was a 12-year-old boy.

In 1603, the Tokugawa Shogunate was the military power in Japan. Moving against Christianity by 1610, the faith was banned and foreign missionaries with it. The Japanese church went underground. Martyrdom in Japan continued.

Japan’s hidden Christians became known as Kakure Kirishitan. Churches and crosses were eliminated. Religious and biblical words were morphed and encrypted.

Prayers began to sound like chants of the local religion; however, they retained the untranslated words of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin that had been learned from the foreign priests. With the end of access to the Gospel, this oral practice and Christian traditions have been handed on from generation to generation through families of the Kakure Kirishitan. (Amano Hisaki, “The Hidden Christians of Ikitsukishima: Japanese Islanders Who Kept the Faith,” Nippon, 2024)

Even the rite of baptism was kept.

This was the second wave of the Gospel to take root in Japan.

In 1865, the Catholic Church opened a house of worship in Nagasaki. 20,000 Japanese Christians came. (Britannica)

In 1868, the Meiji emperor returned the rights of Christian Japanese. Also at this time, Orthodox and Protestant churches sent their own missionaries to Japan.

This was the third wave of the Gospel to Japan.

God loves the Japanese, just as He loves all people. (John 3:16) His love keeps sending those with the light and the truth to all who would believe.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1Corinthians 3:6-9)

Each wave of the Gospel to Japan was seeds planted and watered. No matter the branch of the church it arrived with, the wave had one purpose—to speak the Words of of Scripture, “I AM JESUS.”

During periods of Christian suppression, written documents, such as the Gospels and prayers are often destroyed. The Scriptures carry the knowledge of the truth and light of Jesus. They are freedom. They are the Sword of the Spirit. Literacy, education and the Gospel are fundamentally important.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the first wave. Those words stuck firmly in the language.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the second wave, being chanted and prayed in a hidden way.

It is God who gave the growth.

Modern Japanese believers also suffered persecution during World War II. The government still believed that believers were aligned with the West, as during the time of the Jesuit and Franciscan missionary efforts. Some Christians went into hiding. Some of the Kakure Kirishitan remained in hiding.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the third wave, helping them prepare for further persecution during modern days. (Psalm 119:11)

Yes, the West sent missionaries to Japan. But Jesus came out of the Middle East. The first missionaries to Japan, based upon linguistic evidence, were highly likely from Persia’s Church of the East and the Chinese Church of the East.

The Japanese faith today is yet a minority, but they too are mission-oriented, reaching out to their own people. (Kelly Jadon, “Hallelujah Community Church: What God Did,” 2020.) These Japanese believers in Jesus, no matter the denomination of the church, are the spiritual and physical descendants of the early church, the Kakure Kirishitan, the martyrs of Jesus and the persecuted.

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Japanese Church for Jesus for perhaps close to 2,000 years, I have embroidered わたしがイエスです meaning “I AM JESUS” from John 18:5 into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s prayer in Japanese:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Turkish "I AM"

Antakya, Turkey—A BackLook at Antioch

Believers were first called “Christians” in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) It was the location of the first Gentile church. Historically, this city in present day Turkey was a safe haven for those of the church fleeing persecution within the Roman Empire. Jewish believers from Jerusalem went to Antioch, mixing with Gentile Christians.

The church in Antioch grew and Barnabas was sent to investigate. (Acts 11:23) The believers in Antioch were an unusual mixture of people: former pagans who were new converts, Jews who believed Jesus was their Messiah, and Gentiles devoted to Judaism who had completely converted. (Bible Ref)

These differences could cause schism, but Barnabas told them all to be faithful to the Lord.

The church across the globe today is like the church of Antioch. It is Orthodox, Oriental, from the East, Catholic, Protestant and many other denominations, yet they must all be faithful to the Lord who is the Head of the church.

In the Church of Antioch, a potential conflict arose regarding the differences between believers of Jewish background and those from the Gentile world.

“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, 'Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us..’” (Acts 15:7-8)

All believers in Jesus the Savior are given the Holy Spirit. They are sealed as the Lord’s and are each a necessary part of the body of Christ.

Antioch was also a missionary springboard (Paul, Barnabas, and others) for their good news journeys. (47-55 AD) As a result, many churches were founded in Turkey: Colossae, Laodicea, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Tarsus, Cappadocia, Constantinople, among others.

Many of the books of the New Testament were letters written to these churches. Some scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew may have been written in Antioch. (BLB)

The first Seven Ecumenical Councils of the church were held in Turkey. They defined Christianity.

Because Peter and Paul had founded the church in Antioch, the location became one of five important patriarchal city-centers among Christians. By 270 AD, the School of Antioch opened as a place of Christian learning. The church fathers were “influential in theology and ecclesiastical politics.” (Britannica)

Turkey, especially the region called Anatolia, was an area of widespread Christianity. The church there had strength. (Turkish Studies)

At one point, the Holy Spirit warned through a man of Antioch named Agabus, that famine was coming across the Roman Empire.

“One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.” (Acts 11:28-30)

God warns His people. God prepares His people. God uses His church to help other parts of the body. Though many believers had left Jerusalem because of persecution, some Christians remained behind as a witness of Christ.

This is the same today. Persecution has driven many believers from the Middle East to the West for safety, while others have remained on their lands for 2,ooo years as a witness for Jesus.

It is the duty of believers in the West to help the church body in Turkey and the Middle East where few who know the Lord remain.

A part of the Roman Empire, Antioch was the third largest city after Rome and Alexandria. Its location was a crossroads for Italy, Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the East. Caravans traveled to and through Antioch from the East with trade goods. The city flourished with between 100,000-300,000 people.

God uses major city centers of diverse peoples and languages to spread the Gospel.

After enduring a major fire and earthquakes (525-528 AD), Antioch then fell to the Persians, was taken back by the Byzantines (the Eastern Roman Empire), and later became a part of the Arab Caliphate (Islam) in 737 AD.

In 969 AD, the Byzantines reconquered the shrinking metropolis, but lost it to the Seljuk Turks (Islam) in 1084 AD. The Crusaders reclaimed Antioch in 1098 AD. The Mamluks (Islam) completely destroyed what was left in 1268 AD.

From 1517, the city remained a part of the Ottoman Empire (Islam), until its end (at the conclusion of World War 1). Afterward, the French mandated that Antioch become a part of Syria.

In 1939, Antioch was returned to Turkey (Islam), the former Ottoman Empire.

Although Antioch fluctuated between wars over strategic landscape, it also bounced back and forth between Christian and Islamic ownership.

What happened to Antioch’s large Christian community?

It endured natural disasters, regime changes, and persecution. In modern days, genocide specifically against Christian minorities by Turkish government. “Between 1.5 million and 2.5 million people died as a result of the genocide.” (The Thirty Year Genocide, Alex Bellamy, International Affairs, Volume 96, Issue 1, Jan 2020, Pages 247–249, Oxford Academic)

Islam is not a friend of Christians who live within the same nation’s borders. Christians are seen as those aligned with the West or as enemies of Islam. There is nothing new. It is the same situation today in many Islamic countries.

During the thirty year genocide of Christian minorities within Turkey, few helped. This was wrong. The church in the West must help the church in the East.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:

“But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.” (1Corinthinans 12:24-26)

Schisms arose in Antioch. Divisions came. The church became the Oriental Church, the Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox. (CNEWA, Sister Jean David)

Three major branches are still worshiping separately, yet, they are bound by the same faith and the same blood—that of Jesus’, and are filled with the same Holy Spirit.

Today there are approximately only 180,854 Christians in Turkey. (AA) This is about the size of the population of ancient Antioch. These people are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church, now scattered across the country.

The early church in Turkey spoke Koine Greek. It is still used in Greek Orthodox churches today. They also spoke Aramaic—the language of the Lord from the cross—which is utilized in Syriac churches of Turkey today. Presently, Christians in Turkey also speak the common language of Turkish.

Today’s world is small. It is connected. So can the church be connected as one body today. This is the will of the Lord, who prayed for unity of His people while sweating great drops of blood for His own, in the Garden of Gethsemane. (John 17)

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Turkish church for Jesus among the Romans, Arabs and Turks for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Turkish, İsa, ‹‹Benim›› meaning, Jesus said, “It is I” into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the prayer of Jesus in Turkish:

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More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Kurdish "I AM"

The Medes descended from an ancient kingdom. Jews were resettled in their cities by the Babylonians at one time. (2Kings 17:6) It became linked to Persia and is known as such within the Old Testament. Today, Medes is a part of modern day Iran (Persia).

According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, the Medes were originally six tribes, one of which was called the “Magi,” The Magi were a tribe of Zoroastrian priests. The position as priest was hereditary and they were allowed to serve in Media as well as Persia. The Magi priests were present in royal courts since the time of Darius I.

The Scriptures state that Magi came to see the Baby Jesus:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. (Matthew 2:1-2)

When the Magi returned to their country, they would have taken the knowledge of the King with them—to Persia and Medes.

At Pentecost, those from Medes were present in Jerusalem:

“Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia..’”(Acts 2:5-9)

The Apostle Andrew, the brother of Peter, took the Gospel to the people of Media.

Before the Medes lived in this geographic area, the Kurds were already settled there. The Apostle Andrew went to the Kurds.

By 651 AD, Media belonged to the Sassanid Empire, under which Christianity maintained a presence. Then the Sassanids, that is the Persian empire, fell to Islam, which came out of Arabia.

“At the time of the advent of Islam in the 7th century, central Kurdistan was predominantly Christian.” (Christianity, Kurdistanica)

“Since the Islamic conquest of Kurdistan, Christian Kurds isolated from the Muslim majority then developed better relations with non-Kurdish Christians such as Armenians, Georgians and Arameans.” (Kurdish People Org.)

To preserve themselves, many Kurdish believers became a part of the Church of the East. (Mark Sykes, “The Kurdish Tribes of the Ottoman Empire,” p. 453, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1908.)

The Lord prayed about the need for church unity while in the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before his arrest.

“The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)

A united church was necessary for physical and spiritual preservation. It is the goal of the Lord. His words are eternal. He is the same yesterday and today.

As Jesus was getting ready to go to His death and suffering, He thought of His people, even the church today. How important unity is.

Because 1400 years ago Kurdish Christians joined themselves with other believers, even those from other ethnic backgrounds, they have survived. Yes, they were pushed into other regions to live. Yes, they had to adopt a new church language. Yes, they had to adapt to different ways of doing things within the worship. But, they have survived.

It is vitally important that the church today—every major branch, commit itself to the unity of the Lord, and with one another, rallying together around the Gospel of Jesus.

The Kurds today are a stateless people, residing predominantly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The Kurdish language is related to the Persian tongue, both of which are Indo-European. Some Kurds are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church.

Kurdish was an early church language.

Kurdish is written in both the Latin and the Arabic scripts. The Kurdish Christians have adopted the local tongue of Jesus—Aramaic, because it is the church language of many Middle Eastern believers. (The Kurdish Project)

Remnants of these early church believers yet remain. There is the Bazyan Church, dated to 248-226 BC, during the Sassanid Empire. It was built by Syriac-speaking Christians. Today it is located in Northern Iraq where Kurdish is spoken.

Kurdish Christians number at about 500,000.

To honor the Lord and the witness of Jesus among the Kurds for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Sorani Kurdish, “I’m Him” into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the story of Jesus in Kurdish (Sorani):

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Coptic "I AM"

After Jesus the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, King Herod of Jerusalem sought to kill him. Joseph, the husband of Mary, received a dream, warning him to take his family to Egypt. They left in the night. There they remained until hearing from God that it was safe to return. The Old Testament prophecy of Hosea was fulfilled. (Matthew 2) “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)

God did not forget Egypt; instead, he blessed the nation.

In 61 A.D., Mark, an apostle of the Christian church, took the Gospel to Egypt, where he founded the church in Alexandria. The city became an important Christian center, second only to the Latin Rome.

The first Christian religious institution, the Catechetical School of Alexandria, opened in 106 A.D.; it produced and influenced many early church fathers.

At that time, Egypt was a province of Rome. Latin was the language of government and the military. Greek was the language of commerce and trade. The local tongue was Coptic—a form of Ancient Egyptian.

The Bible began to be translated from Koine Greek into Coptic around 180 A.D.

The Coptic alphabet descends from Greek, as was used in the Gospels, with influences from the Ancient Egyptian script. The purpose of the translation was to take the Gospel to the people of Egypt.

Coptic was an early church language. It continues to be used today by the Coptic Church globally and is now a holy language for liturgical use.

In 451 A.D. the Council of Chalcedon, a meeting of bishops and other heads of the church in Turkey. The result was a major schism within the Christian church, separating the Oriental Orthodox Church (Coptic) from the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Oriental Orthodox Church (Coptic) was not just separated from the world church, but also from the Byzantine Empire, which was Christian.

The divisions weakened the church, allowing for attacks by an outside power —the Persians.

Christian Egyptians themselves became divided between those who agreed with Chalcedon rulings and those who did not, the majority being in the latter camp. Rome took Egypt back under treaty and installed a pro-Chalcedon ruler.

The Coptic Orthodox Church went underground. Persecution from fellow believers who held to Chalcedon arose.

Church unity cannot be found through force.

These events weakened the Christian church in Egypt further. Islam invaded.

Egyptian Christians, be they Orthodox, Catholic or Eastern, are all believers in Jesus, the Son of God, who died, rose again and will return. They are all brothers and sisters of the same body. Forgiveness must be given for sins of the ancient past. A new unity must be forged.

All Egyptian Christians are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church in Alexandria. They are one people.

The Coptic Church prays for unity of Christians.

Those who believe in Jesus are members of his church; they are necessary parts of the body of Christ. Only one condition is necessary: “Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

Unity of the church demonstrates love and is a witness to the world.

Jesus stated, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Divisions and schisms in the church must be rectified and healed with the blood of Jesus. A united house will stand, a divided one continues to fall. (Matthew 12:25)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

May the altar in Egypt remain until the Lord’s return. (Isaiah 19:19)

To honor the Lord and the early and modern Coptic speaking church in Egypt, “I AM” in Coptic from John 18:5 has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Coptic:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Hebrew "I AM"

The early Christian church in Jerusalem was primarily Jewish. They studied and knew the Hebrew Scriptures. When persecution by Saul and those aligned with him came against the Christian Jews, the church fled.

Acts 8:1 states, “And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8:4) The Apostle Philip, one of the 12 disciples, went to the city of Samaria proclaiming Christ.

The Samaritans, a mixed people of Israelite descent, also knew the first five books of the Old Testament—-the Pentateuch. They too had been looking for the Messiah. God had not forgotten them.

Jesus himself passed through Samaria; he spoke with a woman who acknowledged this fact: “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:25-26) Believers in Jesus existed in Samaria prior to Philip’s arrival.

The Jewish early church went out of Jerusalem and became mixed with local populations wherever they settled, including with the Samaritans.

Members of the early church were the spiritual and physical descendants of the Israelites. Abraham was promised this by God.

Paul explained this in a letter: “Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Galatians 3:6-9)

The church is a kingdom of priests, made so by its king—Jesus. (Revelation 1:6) The bloodline is pure, no matter if one is of Jewish descent or Gentile descent—each has been released from his sins by the Savior’s blood. (Revelation 1:5)

The human bloodline no longer matters. It is only the blood of Jesus that is of concern. Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” (Galatians 3:28)

Paul began as Saul, the persecutor of the early church, only to become a key figure used by God to bring both Jew and Gentile into the one faith.

It is the early church which traveled with Jesus and learned all that they could from the Lord before his execution and resurrection. They read and understood the Old Testament Scriptures and were able to pass their knowledge and understanding on to other believers. The early church recorded what they heard and saw for the descendants of Abraham to believe.

Even Mary, a member of the early church, carried the Christ child into the world that all who believe might be saved.

To honor the Lord and the early Hebrew speaking church in the Holy Land, “I AM” from John 18:5 has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025