Christian,
live up to your name. After long years of war and persecution,
Christians seldom see Muslims as people whom God loves and for whom
Christ died.
 |
| God loves Muslims (photo by Bill Hunt). |
The
Cross and the Crescent (excerpt continued):
Lack of
love for Muslims
After
long years of war and persecution, Christians seldom see Muslims as
people whom God loves and for whom Christ died. It is clear the
Christians need a new filling of the Holy Spirit to love those who
disagree with them. The greatest expression of love is to share with
them the most precious thing a Christian has, which is the good news
of the salvation of Jesus Christ.
"You
have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your
Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mathew 5:43-45
NKJV).
Lack of
doctrinal knowledge
Most
Christians do not know how to explain their faith to non-believers.
They have received the salvation of Christ, but they cannot defend
their basic creeds. According to the apostle Peter, we should always
be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks us a reason for the
hope that is in us.
Yet,
most Christians could neither answer a Muslim's questions, nor refute
a Muslim's attacks against basic Christian doctrines. They haven't
even got to grips with Muslim vocabulary. How many Christians, for
example, know that Muslims refer to the Holy Spirit as the angel
Jibril (Gabriel)?
“But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a
defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in
you, with meekness and fear” (1Peter 3:15 NKJV).
Lack
of faith in God
Most
Christians simply do not believe that God will save Muslims. Many
Christian ministers in Muslim countries have not seen a single Muslim
come to Christ. At the same time, they have probably seen hundreds of
Christians converting to Islam. Jesus Christ has full authority in
heaven and on earth-and the Christian evangelist should never lose
sight of that fact.
And
Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age." Amen. (Matt 28:18 NKJV).
Lack
of security in a Muslim state
Christians
refuse to witness to Muslims because they fear persecution. Some of
the Muslims who ask Christians to explain Christianity to them are
spies for the police or for fundamentalist Muslim groups. The
reluctance of Christians to welcome new converts makes those converts
more likely to backslide to Islam under pressure from family and
friends, after which the backsliders may report Christian activities
to the authorities.
– Abdul
Hadi
International
Bible scholar,
apologist
and evangelist
Dare to Pray with Faith
Power for the Nations
of the World. “Your
Kingdom come, your Will be
done on Earth as it is in
Heaven.”
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