How Jesus taught me to love Muslims

This was my first ever conversation with a Muslim—

It started with her asking if she could sit down next to me to say her prayers? Naturally, I said "sure" as I glanced around at all the other empty benches and wondered why here, why me? She starts to pray silently for which I am glad because I had imagined something totally different would take place. I glanced over periodically to see if I could read the prayer coming from her lips. I could not. Then a funny thing happened—I looked over again and she was talking on her phone. 

My thought was, "Muslims are no different than Christians when it comes to interrupting a conversation with God to answer their phones (I hate that about us). My lowered opinion of her piety made me not want to say anything more to her, but my curiosity got the better of me. So I began:

How often do you pray a day? Five times for the ritual prayers and some in-between times for personal needs.

Is it still Ramadan? Yes, for 10 more days. It lasts a month.
And you only eat once a day? You must get hungry. I time my meals to after sunset and before sunrise, so I actually eat two meals with a little water. I thought to myself, "That's just like us Christians always trying to bend the rules."

Then I asked her about those 100 virgins that Muslim suicide bombers claim are awaiting them in heaven. 

Her response surprised me. There are no virgins. We believe that only "virtuous" people will be in heaven. The suicide bombers are being lied to because taking even one innocent life is condemned in the Koran. They won't be in heaven.

Do you think the London fire was set by Muslim extremists? I don't think so because Muslims lived there too. And because many were awake at 1 am in the morning doing their prayers when the fire started. Muslims were able to run door-to-door to alert people of the fire. They helped save many lives. The news media won't tell you that.

Our conversation was interrupted because she had to leave. I had so many more questions I wanted to ask. As she thanked me for letting her sit with me, I had one final question—
Why did you choose this seat? Because when we pray, we have to face east. and you were sitting in the perfect spot. Imagine that?
She then added, You're such a nice person. To which I responded with a smile, "I'm a Christian" (meaning my faith says I should show everyone Christ-like love).
"As-Salaam-Alaikum," I said as we grasped hands. She responded, "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam," conferring peace on each other. If only I had had a few more minutes with her. It's true what they say about Christians— often the only bible some people will ever read is us.

God with us

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.—Psalm 18:6 KJV

It should be a comfort, if you are a Christian, to know that God hears you. The question is—do you have faith enough to believe it? I encounter people all the time who say they are Christians but who are weak in the knees when it comes to believing God for what they need. They don't have confidence to approach God's throne of grace themselves so they ask others to do it for them— "Please pray for me." No question intercessory prayer is a powerful ally, but our personal prayers are what's needed to move God to act on our behalf. The Bible clearly states in James 5:16—

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].—AMP

With that kind of power right at our fingertips, prayer should be automatic in every situation we face. Nevertheless, God is gracious to answer our unspoken prayers as well as the prayers of others for us. Sometimes, when someone experiences an instant or miraculous answer to prayer, you know without a doubt that it came from God. At other times, He may delay the answer or give a partial answer so that we might labor in prayer until the answer comes.

God knows everything about us before we even open our mouths to tell him. He wouldn't be God if He didn't. He's the omniscient, omnipotent (all-knowing, all powerful) God, nothing is hidden from His sight. David wrote in Psalm 139:2—

I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.

So, you ask, why pray if God knows everything? One reason is because God commands us to "pray without ceasing"... because this is the way God wants those who belong to Christ Jesus to live (1 Thessalonians 5:16). The other reason is our prayers unleash God's power into the situation. Angels spring into action at God's command to rescue believing Christians who cry out to Him. That's what prayer does. Here's a simple analogy: You have a car at your disposal to take you anywhere you want to go, at anytime. You have the keys to the car. But if you don't put them in the ignition and start the car, it will never do what it's suppose to do. It's the same with prayer—it works best when you use it.

A final thought, if God is ever present in a believer's life, then the reverse must also be true—the believer is always in God's presence. Now that's reason to rejoice and pray.

Note: If you are unsure of or want a closer relationship with the God of the Bible, you'll find help at Peace with God.

Persecuted Christians winning the battle against their haters

Getty Photos

Jesus said it, so that settles it. Indeed, the Bible predicts that Christians will be persecuted for their faith. Since the time of Christ, followers of Jesus have been killed or threatened with death by anti-Christian extremist groups. And that has not changed. Recent efforts by Islamic extremists, ISIS, Boko Haram and others, to eradicate Christians from places like Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Nigeria will fail like all the attempts before them. 

There are about 50 countries on Open Doors USA's World Watch List  that actively persecute Christians. Sadly, the United States government, once a staunch defender of religious freedom around the world, now sits silently by and does little to help stem the tide of religious persecution against Christians. Some suggest that this country's inaction may be fanning the flames of religious persecution abroad.

Whatever the reason, the result is that Christians are suffering and dying for their faith. Even so, Christians believe that in the end, they will win. Bible prophesy is on their side. All Christians should find strength and courage in this at a time in history when things are likely to get worse before they get better. Jesus forewarned his followers:

They’ll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You’ll end up on the witness stand, called to testify. Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. I’ll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.

You’ll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.  Luke 21:12-19 MSG

Look around, it's happening right now. And although the scenes played out in the media are gruesome and sad to see, Christians should take courage from the greater good your sacrifice will eventually bring about. Meanwhile, every Christian should protest and continue to pray for those persecuted Christians, as well as, for those who are persecuting them. After all, this is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions ---the fact that we are commanded to love our enemies. Good Christians pray for those who persecute them, just as Jesus did for those who crucified him.

Peaceful protests and prayer vigils have been staged by Christian groups in many countries around the world, including Canada, United States, Great Britain, Italy and Australia to name a few. While Christians are not silent on the issue, some Church leaders have been.

Many Christians know the stories about the early Christian martyrs being thrown to the lions in the Roman Coliseum, but today over 100,000 Christians are murdered every year for their faith, and pulpits are strangely silent. This silence, stemming from lack of awareness, or fear of criticism and reprisal, is the very intimidation that the enemies of Christ seek to impose. God has not given His Church a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 

In a letter sent to some 300 Catholic and Protestant church leaders, U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) wrote:

Every day around the world, men and women of faith are imprisoned, beaten, detained, tortured and even killed. . . . Have we in the West ceased to be salt and light? . . . Has our comfort led to complacency?  Can the church in the West be galvanized to act?

And act we must. Christians in the U.S. and other industrialized nations must not only wield their spiritual power, but also their economic power to  put pressure directly or indirectly on those governments that persecute Christians. A well publicized and coordinated boycott by Christians can make a difference. When Christians stop buying goods produced in countries that persecute Christians, the economies of these countries will suffer. Either way, persecuted Christians have nothing to fear. In the end, we win. 

I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

Are Christians responsible for a rise in atheism

"Believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion" --- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2125

Recently, I had a conversation with a person who considers himself an atheist. He was telling me about a bad experience he'd had with a relative who considers herself a Christian. The encounter left him so shaken that he said to me: "If this is what Christians are like, then I want no part of them." While his may be an unfair generalization, it is undeniably true that the bad behavior of some Christians is damaging to the faith. Christians could learn a lot by listening to what atheists have to say about them.

Many nonbelievers are wrongly judging our God by our actions, words, and deeds – and when they see some Christians behaving very badly in their marriages, in their work places, and in their social environments, they will shy away from checking what our faith is really all about. --Michael Bradley, Bible Knowledge.com

Badly behaving Christians often steal the spotlight from the majority of Christians who are true to the faith and diligently follow Christ's example. Unfortunately, perception is often more important than reality to the extent that the actions of a few can have a direct bearing on how Christians are perceived, positively or negatively; and by association, how God is perceived. It only takes being hurt one time by a badly behaving Christian to turn a person away from religion. No doubt some atheists have been hurt by Christians; and so have some Christians who became atheists because of church hurt.

Christians need to start behaving better.  There’s so much misinformation about Christians from non-believers in the media, entertainment industry, etc, that we’ll never be able to combat it.  But we can STOP feeding their perceptions with some of our ugly behavior.  If we truly want to impact the culture for Christ than we need to start acting like disciples and stop acting like Pharisees.  We need to point people – through our word and deeds – to a risen Savior --Author Bill Renje

On his blog, What do Atheists think of Christians, Renje posed this question to atheists: "If Christians would listen, what would you say to them?" Typical among the responses from atheists were that Christians...

• are hypocritical
• are judgmental
• are narrow-minded
• have been brainwashed into believing something that makes
  them intolerant and hateful
• have not read the Bible
• think that moral behavior is impossible without
  belief in God
• hold modern beliefs which aren’t Christ-like
• tell others how to live their lives
• limit their understanding of the whole
  wide universe to the Bible
• think that atheists are ignorant, angry or abused
• fear atheists

Without admitting that I know any Christians who are like this, it goes without saying that if even one of these characterizations is true of anyone who calls himself a Christian that person is a detriment to the faith and the cause of Christ. Instead of becoming defensive, Renje suggests Christians do some soul searching. Ask yourself, "Am I like this? And if so, "What needs to change in the way I treat people to repair this perception?"

As Christians, we must examine ourselves  daily to make sure our walk fits our talk. We can't go around professing to love Jesus and, at the same time, mistreat other people because they don't believe as we do. That's what hypocrites do. It gives atheists another reason to point the finger at us. I'm not saying that they're right, but it's what people in this society tend to do ---that is, ascribe the behavior of one or a few individuals to an entire group. It cuts both ways. Perhaps, I should add "prejudiced" to the list of complaints against Christians?

Naturally, I'm exaggerating a bit but here's my point --- if you're a Christian who is giving a bad name to the faith, clean up your act or face eternal consequences down the road. Finally, Christian, be true to who you are. You were called to be a follower and an imitator of Christ. Mind how you represent Him. Christ gave us the greatest gift known to man --- love. That's what the world needs to see in us, even if they don't yet believe in Him.

A former Muslim says Christians and Muslims don't worship the same 'God'

Today, 1.6 billion Muslims trust their eternal destiny to a god that does not exist. Many of these same Muslims assume they worship the same God as Christians -- Emir Caner, a former Muslim

The thought never crossed my mind to even question whether or not Muslims and Christians believe in the same God until I came across an article in Decision Magazine written by former Muslim Emir Caner. Until now, I had only focused on belief in Jesus Christ, God's son, as the main differentiator between religions. Now I know that it also matters who other religions say God is. The God of the Bible is preeminent above all other gods and makes his position very clear:

I am the Lord, and there is no other. There is no God besides Me---Isaiah 45:5

Don't assume, as I once did, that Islam's "Allah" and the "God" of Christianity are one and the same. They're not. In a side-by-side comparison between the Islamic god and the God of the Bible, Caner points out these distinct differences:

• Allah is unknowable (surah 6:103), whereas God invites a personal relationship with you (John 17:3)
• Allah changes as he wills (surah 2:106), whereas God never changes (Malachi 3:6)
• Allah's love is conditional (surah 2:190), whereas God's love is unconditional (1 John 4:10)
• Allah does not forgive sinners (surah 4: 168-169), whereas God promises to always forgive our sins (1 John 1:19)
• Jesus was a prophet and did not die on the cross (surah 4:157-158), whereas Jesus is God's son who was crucified and raised from the dead (Acts 4:10-12)

These are only a few of the distinct doctrinal differences between Islam's god and Christianity's God, Caner points out:

With such confusion innate within Islamic teaching, it is incumbent on Christians to speak clearly about who God is. We must recognize that Islam is a complete repudiation of the essential tenets of Christianity, including the doctrine of God.

Growing up Muslim in Columbus, Ohio, Caner recalls how his father took him to the local Mosque. As a young boy, he lined up with other Muslims facing toward Mecca. Caner says that they would then bow in reverent unison declaring, "Allah Akbar (God is great)" to a god who never spoke back. Never once did Caner question his beliefs. Until one day his eight year old son broke with tradition and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. This opened Caner's eyes. He recalls how his sadness turned to joy during a revival service at a Baptist church in Columbus:

For the first time in my life I heard God speak, and He simply said, "I love you, I died for you." Without doubt, I eagerly repented of my sin and placed my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God says,

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free -- John 8:32 

Islam and other religions will do everything possible to shield its followers from the truth about the God of the Bible, including forbidding contact with Christian believers and threatening death to followers who defect from the faith. Perhaps, what these other religions fear is that their followers will come to know the God of the Bible and be drawn away by his infinite love, mercy and forgiveness. No other god except the God of the Bible can make this claim:

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life -- John 3:16

And what's even more amazing, it carries a lifetime guaranteed that's available to anyone, even a former Muslim like Emir Caner.

Drawing from the well within

I've seen a few dotting the landscape mostly rural communities, but I can't really say that I have ever drank from one---a well, that is. As a city dweller, I'm so used to getting water from a protected, chlorinated supply that is conveniently piped into my home. So glad I don't have to go outside in all kinds of weather to drop a bucket down a hole in the ground. As for which is better--well vs tap-- I've heard that well water tastes better; and may even be better for you. But regardless of where it comes from no one would argue that water is essential to life. Makes me wonder if that's what God had that in mind when he created the seas first and had them cover two-thirds of the earth's surface. And even though he created man from the dust, our bodies are composed of 60 per cent water; some organs, like the brain, are as much as 90 per cent water.

Besides being a necessity for life, water can kill. People have drowned in it. Whole communities like New Orleans, La. and Johnstown, Pa. have been flooded by it. Wars have been fought over it (water rights). The BP oil disaster demonstrated how reckless pollution of our waters can devastate both human and animal species. Our dependence on water for survival is universal for human and animal kind alike. Even if we journey into outer space to explore other life forms, the first thing that astronauts look for is whether there is a sustainable water source on the planet.

Jesus often used water as a metaphor for spiritual things. The Holy Spirit is often referred to as "living water" freely given to those who ask (John 4:10). The Bible speaks of water to illustrate the purifying effect of God's Word in making us holy "by the washing of water through the word (Eph 5:26). By contrast, a church that doesn't preach the Word of God, and a people that won't heed and obey God's Word are a dirty bunch---carnal and undisciplined. Who complains of thirst, and then, when a glass of water is set before him, just stares at it?  In the same way, Jesus offers sinners "living water" but to enjoy its benefits, we must come to the source and drink freely. Are you thirsty?