Chapter 4

INTENSIVE SEARCH, BRILLIANT DISCOVERY

He decided to attend a different church every Sunday where he performed every ritual and observance required. He lit candles, burned incense, said prayers, fasted and bowed to the saints. He longed to live a pure life like theirs. And he gave alms to the poor. One Sunday he decided to go while still fasting to a church in the village of Alemdag on the Asiatic side of Istanbul. He took another seeker with him. After walking for five hours they arrived only to find that the church was locked. Nearby they found a woman washing clothes. She opened the church, and from her they obtained fire to burn their incense. So, all by themselves, they prayed and attended to their religious rituals.

Vahram had hoped that after this performance peace would come flowing into his heart. But sadly, the burden weighed like the heaviest stone on his heart. "What is left for me to do?" he asked himself. "I've prayed to every saint I know and I've presented my requests in all sincerity. Why haven't they given me peace? Why doesn't the Holy Spirit come to me?" The weight of his sin increased from day to day. Finally he asked himself, "If a godly life full of peace is so difficult to obtain, how can God require it of me? Is God mocking with man? Why doesn't He lift this heavy burden?"

The first glimmer of freedom shone upon him when one day he came across a Bible. He started reading it earnestly. He followed with interest the lives of the Old Testament prophets. All of them had sinned. Abraham, Moses, Job, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah — the lives of all of them served as a mirror for Vahram, reflecting his own condition. The more he read the Bible, the more clearly did he see the extent of his sin. His mind went back to Sungurlu. "In Anatolia," he mused, "whenever I sensed spirituality in anyone, I would immediately approach him and ask how he had arrived at such genuine peace. But to this day not a single person has been able to answer my question. As for me, in my own search for spiritual peace, I'm worn out under the weight of my burden."

Sometimes he would remember a dream in which God had appeared to him as a searing and burning fire about to consume him. He had cried out, "Have mercy! Don't swallow me up," and he had woken from the dream in a cold sweat. But the memory of that terrible moment had not left him. That was the time when he had come to the realisation that man is totally sinful before the holy God, who is a consuming fire. From then on the most important theological question to occupy his mind was, how can man who is essentially unrighteous attain righteousness? What could be the significance of God providing a ram the very moment Abraham was about to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice? At this point let Vahram speak for himself:

"How could I, a sinner, get right with God? This question wearied me for months. I continued my religious observances, but still inside me was that old dead-weight! At length, on the basis of knowledge gleaned from the Bible, I formulated a prayer in my heart quite different from any I had prayed before, 'Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, there is just one thing I need. What it is and where it will come from I cannot tell. But you know very well what it is. Please grant me what I am looking for!' However, I soon forgot this sincere prayer.

"One day I visited one of the many churches I frequented. Before me I saw Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Blood flowed from his brow, hands and feet. As I stood reverently before Him, I heard His voice: 'Come to me; I will save you.' I sensed my need more deeply than ever. Bowing before Him, I said, 'Oh Lord, you have promised not to turn away anyone who comes to you. Look, I have come; just as I am, sinful, unclean. I cry to you, save me!'

"Immediately I sensed the response to my cry. 'Your sins are forgiven. No one can snatch you out of my hand.' Oh, what peace, what certainty, what sweetness! Could there be a sensation on this planet as sweet as the forgiveness of the sinner? Thinking back, I realised that Abraham's joy on seeing the sacrificial lamb had become my joy. This profound truth, graphically prefigured in the old patriarch's experience filled my soul with light and delight. God the Father had sent His only begotten Son, the Messiah, for Me!

'Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free;

I rose, went forth, and followed thee.'

The Lord Jesus Christ's assurance of salvation was given me once for all time. All my sins were washed away and eternity was assured for me. That happy day was Sunday, the fourteenth of October, 1928. My constant fasting, lighting of candles, burning of incense and walking from church to church had failed to achieve that which the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, accomplished through His grace in an instant. It was done!

"A few days later I seemed to hear an ugly voice saying, 'What lasting significance could just one decision possibly have? How could the sins of a lifetime be got rid of by just one promise?' Immediately the Holy Spirit revealed to me the source of this ugly voice. It belonged to Satan, the one who always resists the cleansing and saving of souls. There was only one answer, stated in the Word of God, 'He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him' (John 3:36).

"For a while Satan stopped troubling me. But a few months later, I heard that voice again: 'Don't bother any more; Christ has abandoned you. From now on you're a lost soul.' Again, with confidence and courage drawn from the Holy Scriptures I replied, 'I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand' (John 10:28).

"I was beginning to learn Satan's tricks. He would attack again. And this is how he did: 'You have set yourself such a difficult life-style, you will never be able to keep it up.' This time I replied to Satan, 'He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it' (I Thessalonians 5:24).

"Would Satan's inventions and ruses never come to an end? Now he threw a completely different provocation at me: I should observe Saturday as the Sabbath according to the practice of the people of Israel in the old Testament. That is to say, I should not work on that day, etc. I responded to this temptation with the following Word: 'He shall cover me with his pinions and under his wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness is my shield and buckler. I shall not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday' (Psalm 91:4-6).

"Satan's games and tricks know no bounds. Next time he put into my mind the need to get married. Young, handsome, owning a business — I must be the man of many a maiden's dreams! After that, he brought before me a number of girls who did not believe in Christ, but had only biological birth. He would suggest, 'This one is just right for you. This one is the most suitable. You won't find this one's equal anywhere,' and so on. My response to this sly temptation was, 'Do not be mis-mated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ' (II Corinthians 6:14).

"God spoke to me with fatherly love and showed me His plan for my life: my desire for marriage would never be realised. Giving thanks to the Lord, I submitted to His declared will. His command must take precedence over my desires."

Chapter 5

OASES IN THE DESERT

After his conversion, Vahram continued to ply his trade as tailor for a while. But his whole ambition was to explain to everyone God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. In those days spiritual life in the churches of Istanbul was at a low ebb. Church people attended meetings, but a dry formalism prevailed. Preaching lacked enthusiasm, liveliness and effectiveness. Prayers lacked impact. Only a few spoke to others about Christ the Savior. Many believers had emigrated to other countries, and a timid, joyless, deadening apathy had settled on those left behind.

New birth and new life about which Vahram spoke were spiritual joys scarcely heard of. For ordinary church people belief in Christ was simply a matter of going to church on Sundays, listening to a sermon, singing hymns, joining in the prayers and then going home again. At this time only a handful had found new birth, the delight of new life and the joy of eternity. A few of these come to mind: Gregorios Moscho the Bible colporteur, Aleksan Batmazian, Hagopos Karakochian, Dr. Kirkor Tekian and the preacher, Garabet Derhovannesian. And there was David Giray, a Jewish Christian born and brought up in Russia. Also, as in the days of Christ's life upon earth, there were a few women among them. This constitutes the short list of true believers in Istanbul at this time. The exemplary conduct, proven testimony and sincere prayers of these Christians gave a foretaste of what was to come later.

Chapter 6

FROM ARCHITECT TO BOOK-SELLER

Among those who shone brightly for the Lord was Gregorios Moscho, born in 1868 of Greek parentage. He graduated from the lycee fluent in Turkish, Greek and French. His ambition was to become an architect and to make his own contribution to the beautiful structures of Constantinople. He successfully completed his studies at the Academy of Advanced Architecture and then threw himself into his work with great enthusiasm, drawing up plans for many buildings. His celebrated skills were much sought after throughout the city. To this day his name can be seen inscribed on one of the buildings in the district known as Yüksek Kaldirim.

Gregorios was an adherent of the orthodox faith. At the turn of the century he started to read the Bible. With the trained eye of a master architect he made a study of the magnificent temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. But God showed him from the same book another temple, Jesus the Savior, the Word made flesh. Moscho was captivated. From childhood he had heard much talk of Jesus Christ in the churches. But he knew nothing about Christ as God's living temple, nothing about Christ as the One who had given His life for Moscho's sins and shed His blood as a ransom — the risen Lord, the everlasting Temple.

A profound peace flooded his soul. He knelt down just where he was and pleaded with the living Christ in heaven to save his soul, to link this designer of attractive buildings to the Master Builder. What he pleaded for on earth was granted in heaven. After receiving Christ as his Savior, he continued as an architect for some time. But Christian witness and prayer were now more important to him than anything else.

In the end, realising that he could not do justice to such a demanding profession while pursuing a call to evangelism, he gave up his employment. From now on whenever he passed by one of his admired buildings he would stand for a moment, offer a prayer and thank the Lord who had called him from building earthly buildings to preparing people for eternity. He would inwardly sing praises that Christ was preparing him an eternal home. "For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10).

Having given up architecture with its ample income Moscho, full of faith, applied himself to the service of the Lord. At that time, the Bible Society — established in Turkey in 1821 — was looking for a colporteur who knew several languages. A colporteur is a man who carries Bibles, New Testaments and Scripture portions in a bag. He visits coffee houses shops and offices, offering his books for sale wherever he goes. Such work is not at all easy, and naturally there are few willing to do it. No one could choose the work for himself; he had to have a special call from God. Moscho had just such a calling. In 1900, at the age of thirty-two, he became a Bible Society colporteur. People could not understand how he could abandon a promising and profitable career in architecture at such a young age to tramp the streets selling Bibles. "The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself judged by no one" (II Corinthians 2:l5).

Brother Moscho, as he came to be known among believers, began to sell Bibles in various languages and to introduce people to the matchless salvation of Christ. Especially to Muslims did he declare God's love, grace and forgiveness, and he was constantly interceding for them. Before and after World War I many Muslims had opportunity to consider the Gospel offered to them by Moscho. He witnessed to people in their own languages. Those with an open mind took special delight in listening to him because he communicated spiritual truths as an educated person.

A few years after Moscho's death, a venerable, elderly man visited one of the churches in Istanbul. To those who welcomed him he said, "I heard the Gospel years ago from Moscho. Is that saintly man still alive? I've come from my native city of Trabzon and have to return to Trabzon by today's boat. But I was just longing to see him again." This man appeared to be a believer in Christ. Who knows how many others heard the Good News from Moscho and trusted in Christ for eternal life? It was Moscho's conviction that a faithful witness should explain Christ's glorious redemption to everyone he met.

He never married or established a family, but he had a special interest in children. He was tenderly concerned to lead them to Christ. One of Moscho's excellent qualities was his careful avoidance of all gossip and backbiting. He could never be drawn into a conversation that was damaging to another person's good name. He loved and respected everyone He was never known to adopt an antagonistic attitude towards anybody. It seemed to be a settled principle with him not to speak about other people but only about Jesus Christ.

God abundantly blessed this man's ministry. Some thought it strange for him to give up a brilliant career in architecture, but when God confirmed his master-plan for Moscho, he willingly gave himself to encourage believers and to preach the Gospel to the unconverted. The fact that he was a well-read thinker was beneficial to him in the writing of many books. Other than the Bible, no spiritual literature in Turkish was available, so he wrote books to train believers in their faith. Of these, his book entitled "Emmanuel" (God with Us) is recognised as a theological book.

Moscho was known for his practice of fasting and prayer. He would eat only once a day. He lived in a very simple house in Üsküdar. In the summer months he would retreat to the woods at Kuzgunjuk, carrying his coat and would spend the whole night in prayer. The most delightful hours of his life were those spent alone with God. People could not understand it; but his Lord knew him and he knew his Lord. He lived according to the principle, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). He always reminded believers of the importance of God's glorious provision of salvation through Jesus Christ. Apart from this no union with God could be conceived of. He would say, "The believer must always live in the light of this truth, clothed in holiness, waiting for the glorious coming of Christ."

An anecdote, widely circulated among Moscho's acquaintances, well illustrates his dedication to prayer. A housewife once asked him how he, a bachelor, managed to find time to cook in the midst of all his endeavors. Coolly he said, "My God who sent ravens to feed Elijah will not leave me hungry. Yesterday," he continued, "I decided to boil some fruit. I put it on to cook, but I burnt it." The housewife in great astonishment exclaimed, "Brother Moscho! That's the first time I have ever heard of compote losing all its juice and burning on the stove. How ever did it burn? " Moscho's calm reply was, "If you had something more important to do than stewing fruit, maybe even you could burn it."

After the founding of the Turkish Republic, Ataturk brought out the "Surname Act". Everyone was required to choose a surname and have it entered on the national register. This law applied mainly to ethnic Turks who were generally known by their father's name. Members of the non-Muslim minorities did not need to choose a surname because they already had one, for example, Gregorios Moscho. When the law was announced, Brother Moscho, identity card in hand, hurried along to the registration office. Short in stature, hunchbacked, his round bearded face commanding respect, he stationed himself before the official. "What do you want, sir?" "Young man, I've come to take a surname." "But you already have a surname!" "That doesn't matter. I want to take a new one." "Well, let's see. What name have you chosen?" "Bekleyen" (the Turkish word for 'waiting one'). "Who are you waiting for?" "I'm waiting for Jesus Christ who is going to come from heaven." Everyone in the registration office pricked up their ears when they heard the strange request. They listened to this 'waiting' brother with curiosity to find out how this 'coming' of the awaited one would happen. From that day on, his newly registered name, Gregorios Moscho Bekleyen, proved to be an effective starting-point for a witness about Jesus Christ to people he met. In 1924, Ataturk was issuing one reform after another. At the declaration of the Republic, the week day off was Friday as in all Muslim countries. So Moscho started praying, "Oh Lord, may Friday be changed to Sunday!" A few years passed and Moscho's faith-filled prayer materialised. Ataturk signed into law that Sunday was to be the day off.

In 1929, after twenty-nine years of service as Bible colporteur, Moscho Bekleyen resigned from the Bible Society to devote himself to prayer, visiting people in their homes and to writing. This saintly man fasted and prayed through the years. After the example of aged Simeon in the New Testament (Luke 2:25-35), he was waiting for the Holy Spirit to establish God's spiritual building in Istanbul. And he saw the fruit of his prayers, one of which was Vahram Tatikian. Moscho continued an active witness for Christ until the Lord called him to heaven in 1942. Writing, reading, fasting, praying, worshipping the living God, he left as a monument a life of ministry, passing into eternity fully assured that His glorious Lord was waiting for him.