I fear the spread of Islam. I really do. We all, as Christians, need to be more equipped to defend our faith against the beliefs of Muslims (which means, learning what they believe as well!) and be ready to share the gospel with them every chance we get!
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Islam spreads because it is simple: a very short book literally dictated by God, each and every word Divine. There is no doubt or question involved, no afterthought. Submit to God, pray five times a day, give alms and fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan, make a pilgrimage to the Holy Cities if you can. Period. A Muslim who rejects Islam rejects God and so is punishable by death. Westerners are always surprised that people actually live their faith even if it is absurd.
I should add that in my experience "sharing the Gospel" with Muslims is futile. Their supposed reverence for Jesus Christ is only as an inferior prophet to Mohammed. They reject the crucifixion since God would never allow even one of His prophets to be treated in such a way. Lastly, what most impressed me about the gulf between Islam and Christianity was when I visited the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. This exquisite building stands over the place where Mohammed was taken up into heaven on his horse. Over the main entrance in gorgeous Persian tiles it says: GOD HAS NO SON.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I beg to differ that sharing the gospel with them is futile. Muslims are coming to faith in Christ all the time. No man, no matter how stern he is, is too hard for the Holy Spirit to turn from a God hater into a God lover.
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out." (John 6:37)
Really? Where are Muslims coming to faith in Christ "all the time?" It is really newsworthy.
Muslims don't "love" God anymore than they love the Sun; rather they submit to God's manifest power and obey the divine commandments of the Kuran. Observant Muslims don't have any spiritual needs to be filled when they are so busy praying daily. "Sharing the Gospel" presupposes an acceptance that the New Testament isn't a pack of lies. Historically there are rare instances of Muslim conversions (that usually ended in martyrdom) but the very rarity underscores the minuscule numbers. Muslims have always lived among subjugated Christian communities and were/are not unaware of Christian beliefs. The fact that Christianity is equated with the Crusades has left yet another mental block. Today in Sweden where Christian churches have been deserted by their former members the sad fact is that these buildings are being converted into mosques. The reality of the matter is that it is the Christians who are converting to Islam at alarming rates. Yes, a Christian must be prepared to confess his faith before anybody including Muslims but it is naive to expect much interest in the latter instance.
Honestly, I don't think it would be a profitable discussion to show you that Muslims are coming to faith in Christ, whether in the masses or in rare instances. My whole point is that Christians need to be ready to share their faith and defend it, as well as trust the Holy Spirit to do his work.
And it is my view that God can change a person's heart, no matter how hard it is. The apostle Paul is a good example.
It seems as though you don't believe the Bible and in turn, don't believe that the Holy Spirit can do what the Bible claims it can. So this probably isn't a useful discussion for me to have with someone who doesn't share the same view. A more profitable discussion would be the inspiration of the Bible, the existence of God, or something along those line. Another discussion for another time, I suppose.
"It seems as though you don't believe the Bible and in turn, don't believe that the Holy Spirit can do what the Bible claims it can."
Where in the Bible, pray tell, does it say that all will be saved? I believe Luke 18:8 is in the Bible as is Luke 12:32. It seems it is you who may lack belief. If you think arguing with Jehovah's Witnesses (who seem to enjoy arguing) is difficult please report about your first encounter with an observant Muslim.
Brothers, I think we are talking past one another. I think we all agree that true conversion can only come from God and the best we can do is just preach the Gospel and allow God to use that to save people even if they are Muslims.
I once read a blip in Discipleship Journal that claimed other countries have been praying for western Christians to face persecution. I think they may be right.
I think persection -- a sifting of the wheat, if you will -- may well be in order. Besides, why should we fear Islam? Greater is Messiah Who is in true believers than the wicked ruler who is in the world! Persecution has ALWAYS strengthened the witness of the Church. Should we fear Islam any more than first century Christians feared Nero?
Very gripping video, nevertheless.
Hey Mike,
I agree with your persecution comment. I think that America has reached the point were we need to stop sending missionaries out, we need to start bringing them in.
My church has recently brought in an associate Pastor from Russia .... he paid a dear price for his faith and it has been very eye opening experience.
We really need to embrace God as savior... even the worst Christian Killing mocker can hear the gospel and believe. It is never a waste of time.
Anonymous,
Suggestion: A great book that deals with how to challenge Muslims with the Gospel is "Paul Versus Muhammad: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection" by New Testament Scholar Mike Licona.
You may want to check it out here:
http://www.risenjesus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=110
Godspeed everyone!
As someone who has spent more than a little bit of time studying Islam, I want to point out that these were "radical" Islamists.
Muhammad and his successors laid down strict rules of warfare.
1) No women or children
2) No killing in places of worship
3) Do not mistreat prisoners
If someone is doing other than that, they are not proper Muslims.
There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. If only 1% are extremists who misinterpret and go against the Qu'ran, that is 16 million fanatics who misinterpret Islam.
I think with your knowledge of Mormonism and JW's - it's not unreasonable to think that 1% of a population could misinterpret their original religion?
On January 1st I am posting my paper on Islam to my blog... I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
Samuel, there are some good arguments put out by many that indicate that the extreme muslims are not necessarily misinterpreting Islam but are instead living it out.
There is no disputing that the "radicals" are a minority. But what there is to dispute is the reprehensible ethical system of many muslim countries, especially the ones that persecute Christians and those who leave the Muslim faith.
answering-islam.org has some good articles that offer support for what i'm saying here. Its not a hill that i'd die on simply because I haven't done a whole lot of research on Islam. But based on what i've seen and read, this seems to be the case.
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