Waiting

"Are you the Messiah we are expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" Matthew 11:3.

The imprisoned John the Baptist sent followers to confirm that Jesus was truly the Messiah the world had been waiting for. From Genesis 3:15 on, the world was waiting for a Saviour--the one who would defeat Satan. Prophets kept reminding us of this coming Messiah. Some 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the details became more and more specific--his birth, his ministry, and his universal impact.

In scripture we see a steady progression towards the arrival of the Messiah. In the documentary 'The Star of Bethlehem: Unlock the Mystery of the World's Most Famous Star', Rick Larson using computer software makes a case that Venus, Jupiter and the star Regulus intersected so that to the naked eye, they formed one bright star in about 2 B.C. He cites Astrology of the day that considered this to be the announcement that a king was born. At any rate, the bright star in the East brought a group of star gazers to Jerusalem looking for the new king. They journeyed on to Bethlehem where the star hovered over the house where toddler Jesus was living with his parents.  See more on link below.

Many amazing events connected heaven and earth surrounding the birth of Jesus(a.k.a. Messiah). Joseph(Yusef) was assured in a dream that it was ok to take Mary(MaryAm) as his wife even though she was pregnant. And a prophet had written that one of the names of Jesus was going to be Immanel--God with us. The virgin Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel to announce her miraculous pregnancy. On the night of his birth an angel awoke the shepherds in the fields with "...I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem..."  Previous to this, there were 400 'silent years' in which  God didn't send any new revelation. The world was waiting.

The shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem to find baby Jesus tightly wrapped in cloth as was the custom, lying in an improvised bed--a feeding trough for cattle. From the very start, Jesus made a huge impact. Eight days after Jesus' birth, Simeon was led to the temple just when Joseph and Mary dedicated Jesus there as the law required. Simeon had waited a l-o-n-g time for the Messiah. The waiting was over! Anna, an old old widow who lived in the temple overheard the conversation. She told everyone that the Messiah had arrived. This is for real.

Our Jewish neighbors are waiting for the Messiah in spite of the undisputable signs of his coming. Millions of Muslims consider 'this Good News too good be true'. Committed followers of Jesus are still grappling with how the 'kingdom of heaven(God)' and 'kingdom of earth' are merging--like two big hoola hoops already overlapping partially in the present as our pastor aptly demonstrated!

Lord God, thank-you for your message of 'comfort and joy' for all mankind...for the weary world. And that when we follow you, you have our back. Open the hearts and eyes of all the skeptics and those just trying to keep you out. Amen.

The Star of Bethlehem: Unlocking the Mystery of the World's Most Famous Star

A Middle Eastern Perspective on Loving Muslims Part 2

In the previous post, Brother Emad shared about a conference on church planting that revolutionized his mindset:

"A) Friendship Evangelism vs. Argumentative Apologetic Evangelism

Our speaker introduced us to a different approach to Muslims than I grew up witnessing: friendship evangelism. He recognized that Muslims are very hospitable and generous people. So he decided to invest in building relationships rather than confronting them. Though I knew all that about Muslims...I stayed far away from them. After the conference, I started to use every opportunity to invest in building relationships with Muslims. Now I invite Muslims to my own home, share a meal and care for them as newcomers to North America. Since I was once a newcomer, I know how to help settle them in Canada. Nothing brings joy and excitement to my life like meeting the needs of my Muslim friends and sharing Christ with them. 

B) Seeing Muslims from God’s Perspective

The second truth that helped me to move beyond my fear is seeing Muslims from God’s perspective as human beings created in His image. If someone asks: What is the difference between Muslims and us, I can say “nothing but God’s grace.” This is what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1-10 that we were ALL sinners and dead spiritually(vv. 1:1-3). Because of God’s grace we are saved (vv. 4-10). The fact therefore is that if someone does not know Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she is a sinner, regardless of how we label this person whether Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc. Muslims like the rest of God’s creation have fallen short of God’s glory and they need Christ. This biblical perspective of Muslims helped me tremendously to approach Muslims with compassion.

C) Evangelism is a Process

Instead of seeing evangelism as a one time event, I have learnt that evangelism is a process. I am just an instrument in God’s hand. I do not have to be the person who begins and ends the whole process. This means that my role, for example, may be breaking down the negative emotional barriers that Muslims may have towards Christianity. In other circumstances, I can be the person who leads a Muslim to Christ after many people have prayed and planted seeds in the life of this person. The bottom line is that we need to be faithful in whatever way God wants to use us.

Our North American Context

When I moved to North America, I realized that fear also controls the lives of many here...the media is sometimes driven by political agendas and presents a negative picture of Muslims. They are always associated to terrorism, particularly since the September 11th attacks in the USA. Such negative perspective has sadly created feelings of fear and hatred in the hearts of many and pushed them to see both Muslims and Islam as our enemies(those "evil" people who want to invade and take over the West) and consequently led them to avoid any contact with Muslims.

My prayer is that you replace the media perspective with the biblical one...that God will set you free from the grip of fear and help you to see Muslims as human beings created in the image of God who need Christ. May the Holy Spirit pour his love into our hearts so that we can love Muslims and conquer fear that keeps us apart."

A Middle Eastern Perspective on Loving Muslims Part 1

"God's spirit is upon me: he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, "This is God's year to act!" Luke 4:18 & 19 The Message

This week I'll highlight Brother Dr. Emad's story. He had just graduated from Bible College. Even though he saw the command in the New Testament to be a witness to those around him, there were three main factors that kept him from doing so:

"1. Fear. As a Middle Eastern Christian sharing my faith with Muslims was a difficult subject. I was not open to 'loving Muslims'. Fear and prejudice kept Christians far apart from Muslims. A lesson we had learned from history was that we couldn't trust Muslims. When someone suggested that I should share the Gospel with Muslims, I was convinced that this isn't possible. I had been brainwashed that under Islamic law it was illegal to witness to a Muslim. I was told it could even result in being sent to jail! No way did I want to take a chance of being severely harassed, risk persecution and imprisonment.

2. Argumentative Apologetic Approach. It seemed that often when the subject of religion came up between Muslims and Christians, there was a scene or shouting match. I wasn't interested in "fighting about religion". In my country both Christians and Muslims argued "my religion is better than your religion". It was all about someone being a winner and a loser. You were constantly poised to defend your religion and even shoved around if you tried sharing in public. This led to a total impasse between Muslims and Christians. At the end of the day, it left us feeling defeated.

3. Wrong theology. Middle Eastern Christians look at Acts 1:8: "But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." as their guide to witnessing. It clearly states that we are to start in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Christians' thinking was first we will evangelize nominal Christians. Once they are all saved and only then would we witness to Muslims. And once all of the Muslims were saved, we would go to the uttermost part of the earth.

In my first year of ministry, I attended a conference on church planting among Muslims. The speaker spent time explaining 2 Corinthians 4:15 "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." What challenged me was the "More". Who are the "More"? I realized that "The More" are Muslims all around me. The speaker challenged us to reach out to Muslims but with a new approach. He really got my attention. It started me on a journey of rethinking what ministry to Muslims could look like. No one needed to remind me that the old way of doing things wasn't working."

Thank-you Lord for getting Brother Emad's attention and preparing him to reach out to his Muslim neighbors and colleagues. Amen.   

Say Hello

"This letter is from Paul...may grace and peace be yours..." Ephesians 1:1&2. This is Paul's template for all his letters in the New Testament. This greeting is so pastoral. I love it.

On our first day in Pakistan our hosts walked us to church past a guard at a railroad crossing. They instructed us to give the standard Christian greeting 'Salam'(peace). New word for me so what came out of my mouth instead was 'Salami'. We had a good chuckle the rest of the way to church. Next thing I got accustomed to was cheek on cheek hugs with men I felt close to.

Although the English greeting 'hello' seems to have no specific meaning, it became the proper way of answering the telephone and beginning a conversation on Alexander Graham Bell's new invention. Today it can be the beginning of a relationship. It reminds me of a Chinese proverb "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

I volunteer as an English Language Partner at University of Winnipeg. When the new term begins the coordinator has a 'Meet and Greet' time for ESL students to meet their volunteers. A few years ago I was paired with Farid from Saudi Arabia. After saying 'hello', etc. Farid informed me that he bought a book two weeks after his arrival about an old man by the name of Bill or Billy, or something like that. I asked, "You mean Billy Graham?" His face lit up and he said "Yes!" Amazing. Normally I don't start on a spiritual conversation in the first 5 minutes of meeting someone but in this case it was the right thing to do. I told him I'd be very happy to help him understand the message of the book!

Often Christian men and women ask us "How do you meet Muslims?" What about at the grocery store, park, gas station, food court, or in the neighborhood? It is completely acceptable to go up to a man or group of men who you know are new immigrants and say 'hello'. Joy and I were at an outdoor social event put on by a housing complex for newcomers. We prayed that the Lord would guide us to the right person or couple to connect with. We wanted the connection to go beyond 'hello'. He answered our prayer when both of us connected with a family from Asia. Their English was pretty good but they needed speaking practise. Nasser and Sameen have become good friends.

If that's a stretch for you, try volunteering with a Christian campus group ministering to International Students. We've helped out with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and International Student Ministry events. Immigrant Centres and ESL schools also need volunteers. These are great places to begin. It is possible that you will become a newcomer's first Christian friend.

So men, go ahead and say 'hello' to a male newcomer. You may be surprised what will happen. It's all part of practising the gift of hospitality. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to nudge you. He will, if you are available.

Dear God, we need you to direct us to the person of your choice, the newcomer you sent here. Give us the courage to take the initiative...to say 'hello'. Amen.     

Victims or Victors?

"God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers...be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven." Matthew 5:11&12a

Growing up I was sometimes bullied by bigger boys. I got over it quickly. Now I consider these my friends!

Nabil and Nasaret complained about their son being teased by kids in his school. We suspect some of it has to do with language ability. Another nominal Muslim family's son has been harassed by other Muslim kids that he is a 'pork eater'. In both cases we advised them--tell your son to play with other kids and not to hang around the group that harasses. If problems continue, incidents should be reported to the school but that also complicates things after school.

The problem is that if the 'victim' card is played too often people tend to ignore the cry. It's like the young shepherd boy crying 'wolf' for fun and then when the real thing happened, people ignored him. The wolf came and consumed the sheep!

Yusef is a young man who had a hard time in his homeland. He soon developed a secrecy about his life. The negative experiences accumulated, to the point where he really wanted to get out of his country and start all over again. He came to the West with a victim mentality. No one could criticize anything he said or did. So when someone mentioned that 'he is a sinner', he vehemently denied it. "No, I'm quite good." was his response.

It's difficult to deal with a person with a victim mentality. In their minds, the whole world is against them. Many Muslims slip into this mindset. Sometimes it's their own doing and at other times it is based on  peoples' reaction to the world news. The cure would be to become friends with one another. Understanding comes when distance between people is reduced.

Anything can happen with people with a victim mentality. They become their own biggest enemy. They quickly blame others for all their problems in life. It's best to walk off from people with an excessive victim mentality. Beware, if empowered the abused can become the abuser. Even kindnesses can be interpreted as bad or suspect.

How different for mature Christians. Recently I received an email about preparing missionaries to pay the ultimate price. "Almost 40 years ago, a veteran worker in North Africa, by the name of Charles Marsh, spoke to young recruits about the challenge of missionary work with Muslims. He related the stories of many in Algeria who had been martyred by family and friends during the first two years of their conversion. He said, "If you have not yet counted the cost, and are not prepared to die for Christ, then you do not have the right to speak to Muslims about Christ being the message you bring them could lead to their being killed for the sake of Christ, should they believe." (Don Little)

Most of us won't suffer to this extent. But ministry to Muslims does come with a price. There is a battle in the heavens for their hearts. We are often caught in the crossfire.

Dear Lord: Thank-you for sustaining and protecting your servants. Please bring spiritual healing to those who view themselves as victims. Amen. 

God's Field

Excerpt from my recent devotional:

"You are GOD'S field..." 1 Corinthians 3:9.

Paul is using 'field' as a metaphor describing where God is at work. For him it was the Corinthian church. 

My father’s fields were scattered in 5 locations. When he sent me to work, he didn’t send me to any field but to a specific field. My dad wouldn’t have been thrilled if he would have found me working the neighbor’s field or on a field he hadn’t sent me to.

All believers are on assignment from God. When God sends us to ‘a field’(a person), he is at work in that heart. And he helps us keep focused. 

We know that God often starts work in hearts by the witness of nature and humans who reflect God’s heart. A story is told that a missionary arrived in a country in Africa and announced that he came to introduce God to them. The people said “He was here before you came. We know about God.”

Haroon from China was a student at University and was curious about the Bible. So he joined a student group where he studied the Bible. He was interested in learning about Jewish history. Our friend at the International Centre realized he needed more explanation so she introduced him to us. One of his earlier statements was “the Bible and the Qur’an say the same thing.” So, we showed him that in key areas, they say the opposite and they can’t both be right. He understood that Jesus was calling him to follow him. But it wasn’t until he got back to China that he gave his life to Jesus. Our friend had Bible studies with Haroon and his father. In this situation we were all working together. It wasn’t ‘my field’…’my contact’ but ‘God’s field’. There were at least 3 parties involved in him following Jesus. But God caused the message of the Gospel to take hold of him. Likewise Paul and Apollos worked together. Neither got the credit. God did.

Every farmer knows that other than the seed and rain, the potential in a field is in the topsoil—8-10” of ordinary looking earth. The Corinthians were a 'field' with great potential for growth but it was a weedy field. Sadly, they looked just like society around them. Paul did not despair. He continued giving them ‘milk’—basic discipleship principles to get them grounded spiritually.

It takes resilience to keep going in outreach to Muslims. Sometimes it takes years of praying, befriending, reaching out and sharing. 

“When New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin fell in the women's 5,000-meter run Tuesday morning(Aug. 16/16) American runner Abbey D'Agostino tripped over her and fell to the ground as well. Hamblin lay on the ground until she felt D'Agostino's hand on her shoulder. "Get up, get up! We have to finish!" Agostino said to her. "This is the Olympic Games. We have to finish this."

The two finished last and next to last, but both will advance to Friday's final because they were tripped. Hamblin told reporters, "I am so grateful to Abbey for helping me. That girl was the Olympic spirit right there..." Christians need more of the "Olympic spirit" these days.” (Today's Cultural Commentary)

Dear Lord, Thank-you for sending me to a 'Muslim field'. I anticipate how you will work in his heart. Amen.

"Every Sin, A Black Mark"

          "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.

Muslims say, "Life is a test". In Muslim thought, a person passes the test if he accepts whatever Allah sends. He may qualify for heaven if the good deeds outweigh bad deeds on Allah's scales.

Sakina asked if she is allowed to line-dance and still be a Muslim. Is dancing haram or halal? Sakina wondered how close to the edge can she get. There was no sense of personal holiness--being set apart.

What is sin? It's difficult for a Muslim to understand the biblical concept. For him life is all about keeping Islamic requirements. Since most Muslims do not see themselves as sinners, Vivian Stacey, missionary to Pakistan, suggests an honor/shame paradigm. "Is there anything your hand has done that you would be ashamed about before God? or Is there anything your mouth has said that you'd be ashamed about before God?", etc.

A friend seated next to a Saudi man on an extended flight started with, "You believe Adam was a prophet?" "Of course." "How many rules did God give Adam?" "He gave him one." My friend continues, "He gave Adam one rule and he failed to keep it." "Yes", agreed the Saudi. Even though Adam and Eve regretted it, they lost their place in paradise. When we think about it, Muslims have 130 rules laid out in the Qur'an and the Hadith. So, how can the 'non-prophet' type keep all those rules faithfully when Adam couldn't even keep one??

From 'Isa and Islam, Religious Dialoque': "One main theme that the Quran gives attention to is the problem of the Day of Judgment" (Commentary Al-Mishbah, M.Q. Shihab, 53). Judgment Day is a problem because of man's sin. No matter how religious someone is, his heart is still sinful. Sin must be punished. Punishment will happen on Judgment Day. There is a hadith that says: "When a person sins, a black spot is dripped into his heart" (HR. at-Tirmidzi). If every sin is like a black spot, then every person's heart is totally black!

Somalis talk about someone having 'bad blood' if involved in crime and fighting. And how do you get rid of bad blood? It takes the blood of Christ to purify an errant Somali's heart. There is actually no sacrifice we can give to cover the stain of sin. If a white cloth has even one small black stain it is worthless.

Even though the Bible has several lists of sins, the bottom line is really 2 laws God gave Moses "...to love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself." repeated by Jesus. If we lack passion and love for God and others--we "fall short of the glory of God."

The heart of every man is very black and waits for the Judgement Day. Is there a way out? God(Allah) says: "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool" (Book of the Prophet Isaiah 1:18 NLT)"

When we accept God's solution to our sins as a FREE gift, our hearts are made right with God and the relationship between God and us is restored. This is the story of Easter. Praise God!

Love and Relationships

For Christmas one of our granddaughters gave us this lovely canvas rendition of 1 Corinthians 13. I hope she was affirming what she sees in our marriage and family. This is an awesome benchmark for humans to aspire to--unachievable every day without divine help!

Pir, an acquaintance from many years ago, recognized that Love comes from God. He is a former Sufi Muslim and shared his testimony with our men’s group in Pakistan. He is from a mystical group of Muslims—a group looked to for spiritual power. Pir was attracted to experiencing God’s love. He was confronted with the truth of the Gospel message and was drawn to it. But he got hung up with the concept of The Trinity. Being philosophical in nature, the Holy Spirit helped him reason it out that if God is Love, there has to be an object of love even before the creation of the world. He saw this clearly in the concept of ‘Beloved’ between God the Father and God the Son and the Holy Spirit. (“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17) This mysterious knowledge convinced him of the truth of the Gospel and has kept Pir going to this day!

God demonstrated his love for and commitment to mankind with covenants. The word “covenant” means “a coming together” and is mentioned in the Bible over 300 times. There are 6 specific ones mentioned--with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and New Covenant(Testament).

Christian marriage is a covenant. We promise each other with God and the audience as our witnesses that we will be true to each other 'for better or worse, rich or poor, in sickness and health, until death.'
  
Our Persian friends showed us their lengthy 'Marriage Contract'. Sometimes these include a clause if unable to have children, the marriage can be annulled. I ran across the ‘Difference between a Contractual and Covenant Marriage’.

Contract: I take thee for me. Covenant: I give myself to thee.

Contract: You had better do it. Covenant: How may I serve you?

Contract: What do I get? Covenant: What can I give?

Contract: I’ll meet you halfway. Covenant: I’ll give you 100% plus.

Contract: I have to. Covenant: I want to.

There is a lot of brokenness in Muslim marriages--some related to an arranged marriage, little sense of teamwork in the home or a threat of taking another wife. Believer friends Ahmed and Karima's marriage was going very bumpy. They didn't yet have a good understanding of marriage from a biblical point of view. Finally, their mentor decided that what they needed was a 'Christian marriage'. In it they made covenant vows that brought them closer to each other.

Recently an Iranian friend took us out for supper. When we left the restaurant I opened the car door for my wife. As I went to the other side, our friend said "He loves you." Hopefully in our relationships there are other signs of love and sacrifice--"putting aside personal pride and choosing common ground in an argument--or working to understand other views over your own when it comes to handling money--or working to show the best love we can...The love we need more of, in this complex world of challenges, is a love that puts the other, before ourself." (from Lorna Dueck)

Dear Heavenly Father, may our marriage showcase how you are in our marriage. Amen.