Did you ever think that the reason non-extremist Muslims (Refugees) are immigrating to our country is because God wants us to speak to each one of them about the Gospel? We certainly weren’t going to them in great numbers. Perhaps we were afraid. (And rightly so. There’s much to be afraid of in the Middle East. Extremists appear to be in charge there.)
Remember, God knows every man was born into a sin nature. Doesn’t matter his “religious” leanings, he’s a sinner. Muslims believe they merely need to do more good deeds than bad. Tip the scale a little. That will get them into heaven. So we obviously need to get the Good News out to Muslims. But are we doing that?
Despite Christ’s command to evangelize the world, 67% of all humans from AD 30 to the present day have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Of the 140,000 protestant missionaries, 74% work among nominal Christians, 8% among tribal peoples, 6% work with Muslims, 4% are working among non-religious/atheists,3% among Buddhists, 2% Hindus, and 1% Jews. Over 160,000 believers will be martyred this year. Many of the Syrian refugees coming to America have been shunned by their families, disowned, cut off, sent away, because they came to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
We weren’t sending enough missionaries into these regions to preach the Gospel. So, maybe God said, “Well, since you’re not going to them, I’m going to bring them here.” And He did just that.There’s tons of them. Hey, you know why we didn’t go to Heaven the minute we got saved? Because God left us here for the specific purpose of loving others, and leading them to Christ. Sharing God’s love with them. Letting them know what it means to be loved by God. That’s why we’re here. And God equips us to do the work He expects of us. There’s hope, and purpose, and peace and love, and salvation, and that IS the Gospel. That is the Christian message. And it is worth absolutely everything.
So if you have Muslim friends, neighbors or co-workers among you, they need to know. They’re just like the rest of us before we knew the Lord. I was a horrible young man before I turned my will and my life over to Christ. I burned buildings, got high on drugs, drank to excess, stole a car, robbed people, used women for sex, failed to meet my basic obligations as a human being. As a man. As a husband. As a father. I turned my back on God and everyone, and did my own thing for decades, and yet God saved me. He took me back after numerous times of backsliding.
These Muslims who are moving into our neighborhoods, or who get jobs where we work, or have children in our schools, they need hope, they need life, they need purpose, they need meaning, they need love. Don’t be afraid just because they look different or talk different or eat different foods.That is no excuse to hold back from them this type of love. The Gospel cannot truly be held back by anything. The Gospel conquers all.
Let us pray that we are able to meet with and witness to these lost souls, just as Paul, and Peter, and Barnabas, and Timothy, and Titus, and James and all the others who spread the Gospel throughout many peoples and nationalities despite concern for their personal protection. God does not want one soul to perish, no, not one. And that is the Good News.
A Christian, huh? Sad. Apparently, they forgot that the Gospel is for everyone. God does not want anyone to perish. No, not one.
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Yes indeed Steve…a Christian. A friend in fact. Which was good he was a friend because I could pretty much say what I wanted about it.
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Just by being welcoming, non-antagonistic is spreading the gospel. For a long while, many may not read our Holy Book, but they absolutely read our lives… so our lives must be a living witness to the absolute Power of this awesome Gospel!
Blessed to have read a summary of your inspiring testimony in Wally’s comment section… When we’re doing what God calls us to do we will succeed more even accidentally, than we ever could on purpose doing our own thing.
The more I come to know the heart of God, the more I’m so in love with His awesomeness, His absolute brilliance, His mighty power to save and to transform lives, His absolute unfailing and unconditional love. What God is this… I’ve had this song in my heart since yesterday: To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb; be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever.
Our Father is Great!.. beyond human comprehension.
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Good thought Steve. I wonder that often. It’s Jesus that can stop this violence, not all of the government policies in the world. In our little town we have a Muslim fellow who owns a little store. I pop in fairly often. He gets and invitation to church every time. Somebody once asked me why I was inviting “that guy”. A christian asked the that. Sigh. Duh.
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