tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46846003103285269862024-02-21T01:48:52.446-08:00Reaching Muslim Men in ContextEd Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-11868396995307647052023-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:002023-06-03T13:26:44.228-07:00Pentecost ignites a Movement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomI2f8KEZax4Vwe14JdPUrKT3KdHIgpafE95qzPkIR3YlNF_SbweX8ponq8qFvRSCB3OQ2OrkBhXKC4t_N_3BQBec0Uukf8x4-qTX6CZH3RMM01ZEXWdFtViajnpLtPuDAzo4kSlBiE60/s1600/Pentecost1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomI2f8KEZax4Vwe14JdPUrKT3KdHIgpafE95qzPkIR3YlNF_SbweX8ponq8qFvRSCB3OQ2OrkBhXKC4t_N_3BQBec0Uukf8x4-qTX6CZH3RMM01ZEXWdFtViajnpLtPuDAzo4kSlBiE60/s200/Pentecost1.jpg" width="120" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, <u>who will never leave you</u>. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth..." </i>John 14:16&17a</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Coming up is Pentecost Sunday. Jesus fulfilled his promise of sending the Holy Spirit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Likely due to current and past excesses Evangelical Churches lag behind in welcoming the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, this has caused boredom for some--it's all too predicable! </span><span style="font-size: medium;">We forget that without Pentecost, we are left with 'the law'. Without the Holy Spirit, God would be more transcendent than imminent--like in the Old Testament. Without his indwelling, we would have to fend for ourselves in representing God on earth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">But the Spirit is here. He blows in wherever He wishes and is coming to our friends from the Muslim world. Abdul, from North Africa has been on a spiritual journey for many years. For a while he contemplated atheism but he couldn't reconcile that with what he inherently knew. Yearning to be close to God, he joined a Sufi movement and was deeply involved with ecstatic worship and left all 'worldly' attachments. Abdul left that group but remains spiritually hungry. It was timely that we ran across </span><a href="http://muhammadanism.com/Gospel/seven_fold_secret.pdf"><i>The Way of the Seven Fold Secret</i></a><i> </i>and gave that to him to learn about Jesus<i>. </i>Lilias Trotter wrote the booklet <span style="font-size: medium;">specifically for searching Sufis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Those uninvolved may think that Muslim ministry is not very fruitful. On the contrary we are amazed at all the signs of the Holy Spirit moving and speaking. We get excited at the smallest sign! For example: we had just about given up on Mohamed and Fatima, a Muslim couple from Africa. There were no </span><span style="font-size: medium;">apparent signs that anything spiritually was happening and then <i>wow</i>, she disclosed that they had been sending their children to a Bible day camp the last few years for two weeks and this year want to do it for a month! Or: after having a Bible study with a Muslim couple on Jonah the man divulged his dad had a big story book on the prophets with drawings and the story of Jonah came back to him. It was his favorite book growing up. It really sounded like a Bible story book. We are also amazed at the hidden secrets that are exposed and come to the Light without prying or questioning. Muslim ministry really has produced a strong belief in the work of the Holy Spirit. He is moving, exposing, speaking, healing, refreshing, transforming, and blessing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Holy Spirit <i><b>is</b></i> active in hearts today. Not just in the past!! Notice our examples are about <i>reaching out</i>. Many Christians trust <i>better </i>arguments to win over Muslims. A few Muslims are persuaded in debates but not so many. Spiritual vitality will return for those who 'let go' and depend on the Holy Spirit to empower them to reach out with the <i>love</i> and <i>truth</i> of Jesus. Not a lot of power is needed for a 'holy huddle'.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuwZ2N2KL0LCQRMEIqNNdBLxp5VBSLsFVhLZVgMDmUKMEoJPZ1xS5gJ5sQaYQiVPZFBTEIvLGL7fxPcvBvEzbKZAojpMsm3mkIMXgO2fMBbONdje9pi8n5l-CXZby6s49j5jcaCU3gIsi/s1600/Praying1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuwZ2N2KL0LCQRMEIqNNdBLxp5VBSLsFVhLZVgMDmUKMEoJPZ1xS5gJ5sQaYQiVPZFBTEIvLGL7fxPcvBvEzbKZAojpMsm3mkIMXgO2fMBbONdje9pi8n5l-CXZby6s49j5jcaCU3gIsi/s200/Praying1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"> The <i>tongues of fire</i> falling on the 120 in the small room in Palestine was the beginning of a very dynamic outward movement--a church growth explosion! Let's join in God's Spirit at work today!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Holy Spirit, You are welcome here! Amen.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">*50 days after Passover/Crucifixion </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-77681238562815691482023-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:002023-04-07T13:23:23.791-07:00Did Jesus Die on the Cross?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"...I(Jesus) am the living one. I died, but look...I am alive forever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and the grave." Revelation 1:18.<br />
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We frequently hear the phrase 'fake news'. Now we are extremely dependent on trustworthy journalists to do the research in a world where there is lightning speed communication.<br />
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There are many reasons why I continue to trust in the New Testament(Injil) accounts of the crucifixion, death on the cross, and resurrection of Jesus. What are some reasons:<br />
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1. Many prophecies about Jesus that were fulfilled in the Easter events. Isaiah 53:7 states "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter..." <i><b>These prophecies about the suffering of Jesus were given 700 years before his birth.</b></i><br />
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But they were fulfilled hundreds of years later in verses like Matthew 27:30-31, written by a follower of Jesus. "They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again...Then they led him away to crucify him..."<br />
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2. During his lifetime Jesus did not have many followers. A Muslim friend told me recently that the number of followers after Jesus left was very small. On the contrary, <i>after his resurrection and ascension the number of followers exploded.</i> On one day we are told that 3000 people were added to the church. Wow. If the death and resurrection was fake news, people would not have taken the risk of great persecution and consequences.<br />
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3. Isa al Masih's students who wrote the Gospels(Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John) were tortured before being killed yet not one of them denied what they had written. It's highly improbably that these men would be willing to be tortured to death to defend a lie! Would you be willing for that? I don't think so. This was one of the deciding factors in Lee Strobel(Case for Christ) coming to faith in Christ.<br />
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4. Non-Christian historians like Josephus and Tacitus wrote about the death of Jesus, thereby confirming the record in the Gospels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FJvcrXOQH-cz9r7cioAiv2AEYRLlAOndLlSIdnUGDVGJHZqsTUfQyecfl7uXw5xaLESH87VmQzxkeWo6rlJbqx_vlIxMi-RSZSXWYfbyqzc5YZb0BrtkbRdamR76C771NTstgVJXJyTA/s1600/iStock-519757946.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FJvcrXOQH-cz9r7cioAiv2AEYRLlAOndLlSIdnUGDVGJHZqsTUfQyecfl7uXw5xaLESH87VmQzxkeWo6rlJbqx_vlIxMi-RSZSXWYfbyqzc5YZb0BrtkbRdamR76C771NTstgVJXJyTA/s320/iStock-519757946.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our former Muslim friend showed us the question mark she put beside Surah 3:55 in the Qur'an. She knew that correctly translated the English should read <i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">“And when Allah said: ‘</span>O ‘Isa! I will cause you to die and then
raise you to Myself<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">…”</span></i><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #001000;">I confirmed this with an Arab friend who knows the meaning of "mutawaffika". The root of this word is "tawaffa". This word means "to die" or "to cause one to die". Never should it be translated, "to take"(to be taken up). This is </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #001000;">confirmed again in 19:33: <i>"...blessed was the day I died, and blessed was the day I was resurrected."</i></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #001000;"><br /></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #001000;">The answer to the question is "Yes, Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected 3 days later." Therein lies the 'Good & True News', my friend. And now Jesus is alive to offer mercy for Christians, Muslims and all of humanity. Receive this gift from God.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #001000;">Dear God, Thank-you for the fulfillment of scripture that a Saviour would be born and would fulfill the requirements of purification by his perfect sacrifice--himself. Amen</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-45093942402256765772022-12-15T18:30:00.000-08:002022-12-15T18:46:12.889-08:00The Real Message<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdW_v9oDpUW4axRibBHSujB8CVlfSNCAcM-fUnIZxqb_ui13Mkoam2Cs2Kkb0O-thV3xuOK_mIcPXGdlfrZJElfpiqKmwykq2y3zluU3XG9Pw84fY6puDvB2FwHv51Q-iyHcYMQXW2J_J/s1600/Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdW_v9oDpUW4axRibBHSujB8CVlfSNCAcM-fUnIZxqb_ui13Mkoam2Cs2Kkb0O-thV3xuOK_mIcPXGdlfrZJElfpiqKmwykq2y3zluU3XG9Pw84fY6puDvB2FwHv51Q-iyHcYMQXW2J_J/s200/Jesus.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We live in a land of many churches. Since Muslims don't understand separation of church and state, most assume the West is 'Christian'. Its confusing for them when Christians identify themselves as 'Baptist', 'Mennonite', etc. etc. Some wonder, "What is the <i>real</i> Christian message?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In <a href="http://www.nabeeljabbour.com/nabeeljabbour_com/media/Documents/Unshackled-Oct-19-2016.pdf">Unshackled and Growing</a> Nabil Jabbour gives an illustration of "What is the Gospel?" It is written with a Muslim audience in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"I...wrapped a tangerine with paper. I taped it and wrote on the paper, “Change my name from a Muslim name to a Christian name.” Then I wrapped another paper around it and wrote on it, “Abandon my Muslim family and join Christianity.” Then on another paper I wrote, “I need to be ready to attack Islam,” and I continued with another one and another one. By the time I finished, the tangerine became almost the size of a volleyball...I went back to the group telling them there was something inside that symbolized the Gospel. I showed them what I had written on the outer sheet and asked, “Is this the Gospel?” They said, “No.”...I kept unwrapping the layers one after the another until there was only one wrapping sheet left. By then, they could see that there was a tangerine inside, and they started laughing. When I got to the last sheet, I asked them, “Is this the Gospel?” and they shouted, “No!” Finally, I unwrapped the last sheet, leaving only the tangerine, and asked, “Is this the Gospel?” They screamed “Yes!” I surprised them by saying, “No.” Then I peeled the tangerine, threw the peelings away, and said, “This is the Gospel.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes, Jesus is at the <i>core</i> of our message from God. He demonstrated perfectly what God is like. Leaving the <i>political, cultural and even religious wrappings</i>, Muslims can get a better glimpse of what the Gospel is all about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"One summer, D.L. Moody invited a young English preacher, Henry Moorhouse, to preach at his Chicago church. The young preacher spent the entire week preaching on just one verse--John 3:16: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each night, the auditorium was filled to capacity, and many were saved. D.L. Moody was initially puzzled by the incredible response to Moorhouse's sermons but later confided to a friend, "I never knew up to that time that God loved us so much. This heart of mine began to thaw out; I could not keep back the tears. I just drank it in. So did the crowded congregation. I tell you, there is one thing that draws above everything else in the world, and that is love." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 11 years old, I responded to a message on this very passage. I said 'yes' to Jesus and He began to change my life! </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrBK_vNwU5vfQLjBQve53AqVl9T9VUjwbnwf1APRi9budYjG3bX8bMzvaLYUgZANRnbMWOENXGaEk7vkPuZzhoPJhCIZF1NX3pDi9LhDAO_qy6O3-UbobjSLUs1mEZmuM1iAAko-JX3YG/s1600/behold-i-stand-at-the-door-and-knock-free-christian-message-card-copy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrBK_vNwU5vfQLjBQve53AqVl9T9VUjwbnwf1APRi9budYjG3bX8bMzvaLYUgZANRnbMWOENXGaEk7vkPuZzhoPJhCIZF1NX3pDi9LhDAO_qy6O3-UbobjSLUs1mEZmuM1iAAko-JX3YG/s200/behold-i-stand-at-the-door-and-knock-free-christian-message-card-copy1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My friend Samir was trying to be polite. He didn't want to say <i>anything</i> negative about my faith. I helped him understand terms he knew about Jesus from the Qur'an--<i>Word of God</i>, <i>Messiah</i>, and <i>Jesus had the Spirit of God</i>. I think God used my testimony to help him understand Jesus in a new way. I continue to pray that he and many of my Muslim friends would long for the <i>Jesus</i> we as believers know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Dear God, help me to communicate the 'heart of the Gospel message'. Amen.</i></span><br />
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-18612260470547283972022-12-13T16:35:00.000-08:002023-01-03T07:17:06.608-08:00Alive!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmedSugzYx4OhQacf0gjZIHif2rkK5AhxVux9iOIXbB-yu7622WYyMBpQo08brOTLPxsre9YQgrxwAiR1v4TuWy6_7SH1Qe2vmiPBf5RamkBvbbcAAB9ev8-laXJfy5fRKJBuVcqu7sQe/s1600/Communion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmedSugzYx4OhQacf0gjZIHif2rkK5AhxVux9iOIXbB-yu7622WYyMBpQo08brOTLPxsre9YQgrxwAiR1v4TuWy6_7SH1Qe2vmiPBf5RamkBvbbcAAB9ev8-laXJfy5fRKJBuVcqu7sQe/s1600/Communion.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>"He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs."</i> Acts 1:3</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My Muslim friend Asif sniffed the Communion juice cup he held in his hand. Alcohol?? We had taken Asif to a church service one final time before he would return to his homeland. It happened to be 'Communion Sunday'. With camera in hand he moved over to a seat a distance from us while taking pictures of the music portion of the worship service. When the audience was invited to partake together, he nibbled up the piece of bread, smelled the juice again and then drank it. When Asif returned to the area we were seated in after the service I knew I had some explaining to do. I could read his face that he was puzzled with these miniature portions of juice and bread! It opened an opportunity to explain the truth that Jesus suffered and died and came back to life for us. He left Canada with lots to think about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thomas in the Bible had serious doubts about rumors that Jesus arose till he miraculously showed up. Jesus invited Thomas to thrust his hand into wounds in his hands and side. He now saw for himself and declared "My Lord and my God." Many have doubted the account of Jesus' death and resurrection. Lee Strobel as one of them in his typical fashion, researches the death and resurrection of Jesus in 'The Case for Easter'. He writes "I started my original investigation as a spiritual skeptic but after having thoroughly investigated the evidence for the resurrection, I was coming to a startlingly unexpected verdict...The disciples didn't merely believe in the resurrection; they knew whether it was fact or fiction. Had they known it was a lie, they would never have been willing to sacrifice their lives for it." Stroebel concludes that there is insurmountable evidence of the death and resurrection of Christ. He adds "There is no heaven without a resurrection."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My friend Kamal awoke with a dream when a man touched his forehead and said "Wake up Kamal, it's Easter." He woke up his wife and asked, "Do you know what Easter is?" She didn't know. He turned on the TV but there was no news about it. When he went downstairs and asked people loafing around, he got confusing answers. When Joy visited them, he asked "Do you know anything about Easter?" She gladly explained the message of Easter. Several years later while laid up in a hospital bed with a life threatening illness, he recalled when Jesus came to him in a dream and how he heard about Easter for the first time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most of our Muslim friends haven't been given the opportunity to process this truth. Since the Qur'an states that the Jews did not actually kill Jesus nor crucify him, Muslims are predisposed to reject this wonderful message. Perhaps we can help them to look at this again. You may ask, "When do I talk about the Easter story?" Throughout the year! This is the heart of the gospel message.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4paYncBR2mzfWs4eZcx9GV4aus6ykMW3CUwBanTe8ngtMSQP-oQd19F3oCvpkabFLi2L87-_O6lWvjRsMpCeXQga7hO1fy7rlfdVK6yE9_8vqWaFl1FV76-Hh8jXEmJd1ukvF_Zit-Db/s1600/Scars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4paYncBR2mzfWs4eZcx9GV4aus6ykMW3CUwBanTe8ngtMSQP-oQd19F3oCvpkabFLi2L87-_O6lWvjRsMpCeXQga7hO1fy7rlfdVK6yE9_8vqWaFl1FV76-Hh8jXEmJd1ukvF_Zit-Db/s1600/Scars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4paYncBR2mzfWs4eZcx9GV4aus6ykMW3CUwBanTe8ngtMSQP-oQd19F3oCvpkabFLi2L87-_O6lWvjRsMpCeXQga7hO1fy7rlfdVK6yE9_8vqWaFl1FV76-Hh8jXEmJd1ukvF_Zit-Db/s1600/Scars.JPG" width="200" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dear Jesus, you showed your incredible love by coming to earth to reveal God and in dying as the perfect sacrifice. We rejoice that you demonstrated power over everything, including death. We worship you, our risen Lord. Amen.</span></i><br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-LzYV8rh7V64%2FU0BSjIH3kuI%2FAAAAAAAAAJU%2FClRWl-GDR2Y%2Fs1600%2FScars.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4paYncBR2mzfWs4eZcx9GV4aus6ykMW3CUwBanTe8ngtMSQP-oQd19F3oCvpkabFLi2L87-_O6lWvjRsMpCeXQga7hO1fy7rlfdVK6yE9_8vqWaFl1FV76-Hh8jXEmJd1ukvF_Zit-Db/s1600/Scars.JPG" -->Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-39238137501339011042022-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:002022-11-29T09:49:14.866-08:00Mary<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2ZGKgaWxfUWw9ytezzC9_J-ktAlZGmS8KVLY-uFOUk6ONm1cH7M4_lJRdysF4j1qhzO3vO7LYr9iZTvyFqV9T0M0D18iNWX32XzJCZN3_liyZKQUzSHy4gOk8M48_STO92w4O6LddZ3/s1600/iStock_000014150829XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUD2ZGKgaWxfUWw9ytezzC9_J-ktAlZGmS8KVLY-uFOUk6ONm1cH7M4_lJRdysF4j1qhzO3vO7LYr9iZTvyFqV9T0M0D18iNWX32XzJCZN3_liyZKQUzSHy4gOk8M48_STO92w4O6LddZ3/s320/iStock_000014150829XSmall.jpg" width="213" /></a><i>"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"</i> Luke 1:42(Elizabeth).<br />
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Pastor Joel mentioned that his parents bought a Nativity set. His father had to make one correction before placing them on their lawn. Mary had a halo over her head! So he sawed it off. Catholics and Evangelicals have treated this verse very differently. Evangelicals just kind of ignore the first part. To focus on Mary seems "so catholic".<br />
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Mary comes into Luke's narrative when the angel Gabriel breaks the news to her that she'd become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit with Jesus. Mary's response to this shocking news was "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants..." Luke 1:38. Mary had no idea what the future would hold. She didn't know that Joseph had an earthshaking dream with instructions to marry her in spite of the potential fall-out. He was willing to be the safe umbrella Mary needed and the surrogate father to Jesus.<br />
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In "A Bonhoeffer Advent Reflection: “Mary”, Joel Willistts writes that Bonhoeffer considers Luke 1:46-55 as the oldest Advent hymn. "...It is the most passionate, most vehement, one might say, most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. It is not the gentle, sweet, dreamy Mary that we so often see portrayed in pictures, but the passionate, powerful, proud, enthusiastic Mary, who speaks here. None of the sweet, sugary, or childish tones that we find so often in our Christmas hymns, but a hard, strong, uncompromising song of bringing down rulers from their thrones and humbling the lords of this world, of God’s power and of the powerlessness of men. These are the tones of the prophetic women of the Old Testament: Deborah, Judith, Miriam, coming alive in the mouth of Mary."<br />
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No wonder we have such a strong claim in The Chaldean Creed: "...of Mary the Virgin, the <i>Godbearer</i>, one and same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures..." Mary has a very esteemed role in fulfillment of the OT prophecies. It took a gutsy, spirit-led woman to be willing to give birth, raise and walk with Jesus right <i>to the end</i> of his earthly life.<i> Mary was Jesus' first disciple!</i><br />
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Muslims have a high regard for Maryam(Mary). In fact, she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur'an. Surah 19 is dedicated to Maryam. It too confirms the virgin birth. Even though this Surah is considered by Muslims to be somewhat like Luke 1, <i>it lacks</i> the historical details and the reason behind God's intervention. One of the emphasis is on denying the divine nature of Jesus, the Messiah. It wants the listener to be convinced that Jesus was merely another prophet sent with a book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmBg0fwJrU10HpUT7Q1Dtrp8hp1_hI3RewLbbmLO3okHzydTNtEaDfXJbguf8rY_qlk2wek_5wFLmbwYhMh-YoFGl79z3dOv9tXtNHqKwPvKDF5sukaTmVSlnhphnPhSnEZ5Bjy9Zo9Yk/s1600/Prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmBg0fwJrU10HpUT7Q1Dtrp8hp1_hI3RewLbbmLO3okHzydTNtEaDfXJbguf8rY_qlk2wek_5wFLmbwYhMh-YoFGl79z3dOv9tXtNHqKwPvKDF5sukaTmVSlnhphnPhSnEZ5Bjy9Zo9Yk/s200/Prayer.jpg" width="200" /></a>Pastor Joel summarizes "Why is the virgin birth so important?<br />
1. The virgin birth is a reminder that our salvation is supernatural.<br />
2. If God can work seemingly impossible in the matter of the virgin birth, he is also able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of granting a new birth to sinners.<br />
3. The uniqueness of the virgin birth reveals the character of the Messiah and the nature of the kingdom."<br />
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<i>Dear Lord, birth in me a greater sense of Mary's willingness to be part of your great plan to bring Salvation to Muslims. Amen.</i>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-55707235166045682452022-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:002022-11-06T18:39:03.051-08:00Belonging<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGna9ofqlZsLeJ7vWS3qC6tSZkWXox2eUfBxGnGHbuVze5j3gsYzR-FKJq3RhylxPlj5hl6Hzqkwg9bcUxhewDZNkS3PZddDcpHUhdG4CgLR90Yb3N4mDBjfjjAWCEM_hEoKqxx5b-qjN/s1600/iStock_000013347296Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGna9ofqlZsLeJ7vWS3qC6tSZkWXox2eUfBxGnGHbuVze5j3gsYzR-FKJq3RhylxPlj5hl6Hzqkwg9bcUxhewDZNkS3PZddDcpHUhdG4CgLR90Yb3N4mDBjfjjAWCEM_hEoKqxx5b-qjN/s320/iStock_000013347296Small.jpg" width="212" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Brother Nathan shared about <a href="http://edloewen.blogspot.ca/2014/09/reaching-muslim-neighbors.html">Ministry to Muslims</a> (click) in Great Britain. We came up with some thoughts about a 'Muslim Background Believer'(<b><i>Mbb</i></b>) friendly church.</span><br />
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Once the news gets out that Ahmed, a former Muslim is following Christ and has been baptized, it's 'game-over' for his connections to the wider 'ummah'. <i>He will no longer be invited to Muslim community events like weddings or Eid parties</i>. Ahmed can't even take part in a funeral. His own family will likely desert him because of the unforgiveable shame he has brought on them.<br />
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As a result, believers like Ahmed <i><b>need to belong</b></i> to a body of 'Christ followers'. Otherwise they will be like spiritual orphans and are left vulnerable.<br />
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When Ahmed steps into church, he is crossing huge personal barriers. During his whole life he was told Islam is superior to Christianity. Now he embraces the Good News but wonders if <i>we </i>will accept him. We as believers need to be there to <i><b>welcome him</b></i>--the more the merrier. My single Turkish believer friend Eyad has tried visiting churches. When no-one greeted him after a few tries, he gave up. In any fellowship, people who have cultural sensitivity are as good as gold. Like <i>'attentive waiters'</i> in a restaurant, they anticipate the needs of the Mbb newcomer or a seeker in church and do something about it.<br />
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It's helpful if the pastor understands Ahmed's mindset and needs. We normally give our pastor a heads up if a Muslim or a new believer plans to come to church for the first time. Lately, our pastor prepared abbreviated sermon notes. It's easier to guide the visitor to the right passage so he can follow along. We also like to introduce our guest to the pastor. It makes the guest feel special. Mbb's generally look up to a pastor and will very quickly trust one that cares for him. We also sense <i><b>teamwork</b></i> between us and the pastor.<br />
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I smiled at a line on a resume of a 'not-yet-follower of Christ' who was volunteering at a Salvation Army's food program and described his responsibility there as 'community missionary'! If we apply this to church...it goes a long way to include an Mbb in the community life of the church after it becomes obvious that he is settling there. Once he feels secure, his voice will be heard in sharing times. Ahmed has a new identity now--he is one of us...a child of God. We call him our <b><i>brother.</i></b><br />
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My believer friend Qureshi from conservative Pakistan visited 'America' in the summertime. When his host took him to church, he was seated next to a young lady with a very short skirt. The poor guy, he didn't know where to look! As an <i>'attentive waiter'</i>, I'll try to lead Ahmed to a group that normally dresses modestly.<br />
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Other <i><b>distractions</b></i> include loud music, Bibles lying on the floor or a service being very casual including humor. These are some shocking adjustments the new believer has to make. When we sense that something is going over his head in church, we take the time to explain and <i><b>fill in the gaps</b></i>. We try to lead the way for Ahmed to feel at home in the family of God and grow in Christ.<br />
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<i>Dear Jesus, thank-you for the opportunity to serve by welcoming new believers. Their presence enriches us. Amen.</i>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-73623827518017756272022-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:002022-10-01T07:58:21.563-07:00Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjgQXGol5rWrK74YeZAfRXMAZZiFDwwNEzeC-oZMt28KqlLlAiXVQ7Rdg0wqK3wbKakRlngXocqUhvBukTzQNtmxl8upEdY9e5Jk9g7u3bJYSSQ3_pDjjYhZ7CflRUURDQC8FFmw4s0fz/s1600/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjgQXGol5rWrK74YeZAfRXMAZZiFDwwNEzeC-oZMt28KqlLlAiXVQ7Rdg0wqK3wbKakRlngXocqUhvBukTzQNtmxl8upEdY9e5Jk9g7u3bJYSSQ3_pDjjYhZ7CflRUURDQC8FFmw4s0fz/s320/Happy+Thanksgiving.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits..."</i> Psalm 103:2.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">At Thanksgiving it's natural to ask our Muslim friends, "What are you thankful for?" It can open up interesting conversations. I like to do this in my English Conversation groups. Because of how it was birthed, we have a wonderful opportunity to give praise to God. "On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Parliament of Canada made a proclamation stating: <i>"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed--to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I love this </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KYPKDPNX">Thanksgiving chair</a> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(click) video clip. I don't want to spoil the story line but briefly it's about a man who was reminded throughout a day that he still has much to be thankful for.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">It was fun trying this on the All Nations Sports Club boys. We had a 15-20 minute 'God talk' half time. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They formed a semicircle in the gym around the whiteboard that doubled as our projection screen. This time I placed a chair in front of the group with a Happy Thanksgiving helium balloon attached. We watched the video clip and then I explained: “Now, we’ll each take a turn, sit on the chair, and talk about one thing you are thankful for, stuff you really mean. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">They were animated. We started </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">with Fristen(junior leader from Congo). He very nicely shared about being thankful for his parents, a peaceful country, and that he can go to school. Amazing that each boy including the leaders eagerly took a turn with sitting on the ‘Thanksgiving chair’. Some shared about being thankful for the club and good snacks. Iman gets on the chair and says he is thankful for legs…the others burst out laughing. I intervened…”LISTEN.” So he went on to explain how he gets together with a group of young soccer players at a park near his home. And he continued how he is thankful for his mom, etc. He didn’t want to get off the chair! After he went back to his chair I shared a story of a Chinese university student who stayed with us for a while many years ago. She grew up as a communist and wondered who to thank for good things that happened to her. After she got to Canada she heard about God and how generous he is. Soon she became a follower of Jesus.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujipD3Hm7-3O2CNoaKqsD_tAfF53GF9bUhmRr2efdN23nJhGVIxrArJkt4WUKnqBldWUD41Ft-qDdZO0ZeUjlDHnmbDiJ4eTCCYiYGQyzlbZAgGRsFgTCPBv2ylsIbe__oxkrx6Jd1KZG/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujipD3Hm7-3O2CNoaKqsD_tAfF53GF9bUhmRr2efdN23nJhGVIxrArJkt4WUKnqBldWUD41Ft-qDdZO0ZeUjlDHnmbDiJ4eTCCYiYGQyzlbZAgGRsFgTCPBv2ylsIbe__oxkrx6Jd1KZG/s200/IMG_1741.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I love the harvest when the hum of combines can be heard late into the evening, bringing in the "bountiful harvest". We have much to be thankful for, don't we? Comparing my life to scenes on the evening news, I don't deserve this more than anyone else. But God has allowed me to enjoy them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">My refugee friend, a believer from Sudan drove this thought home. He had come from a camp where conditions were very bad. But the cold weather during a Canadian winter got to him. One day as he was shivering and waiting for the bus he heard the cheerful chirp of a bird sitting on the power lines. He began thinking--"If that bird can sing in the middle of winter, why should I feel sorry for myself?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>Dear God, thank-you for your numerous good gifts. You are a loving and generous Heavenly Father. Amen. </i></span><br />
<br />Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-53683582503252222422022-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:002022-09-17T13:08:20.701-07:00Addressing Slaves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVjrcxrmbjXzw4FwYnYGusNYWUysP-LOU2q82H7IxUnUVEDvkfN1w7vDvJrdebzeahlt7bURpqTP6NPx9SHn-1jW4gzpL4jjUQqYOsm_t5NZ7BaieGWq0jJLhQu_8q4r_Vkwat-nZx0oW/s1600/ManonBeach1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVjrcxrmbjXzw4FwYnYGusNYWUysP-LOU2q82H7IxUnUVEDvkfN1w7vDvJrdebzeahlt7bURpqTP6NPx9SHn-1jW4gzpL4jjUQqYOsm_t5NZ7BaieGWq0jJLhQu_8q4r_Vkwat-nZx0oW/s320/ManonBeach1.jpg" width="320" /></a>From a famous and radical sermon: "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." Martin Luther King Jr., I have a Dream. <br />
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Slavery in the USA was finished with Abraham Lincoln's emancipation bill but segregation between whites and blacks had not been realized fully even in a 100 years. Praise God much progress has been made since this speech.<br />
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Sermons at the mosque are usually predicable. First there are readings from the Qur'an in Arabic. Then what often follows are admonitions to be better Muslims.<br />
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The format is something like this: The preacher stands by the niche in the front of the mosque which also indicates the correct direction for Islamic prayer. He gives his 'Salam' followed by the prayer call. The preacher then gives readings or recitations from the Qur'an in Arabic followed by the first part of his sermon and ends it with a prayer from the Qur'an. The sermon is divided into two parts. The second half of the sermon starts with praise to God and 'Salam' to Mohamed. It ends with a prayer from the Qur'an.<br />
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I recently took a group of Bible college students for a visit to Friday prayers. This time there was a visiting scholar who addressed the faithful as 'slaves of Allah'. His message was that God is love but with conditions. The speaker claimed that God shows love to the believers <u>if</u> they 1) obey Mohamed 2) follow the rules of Islam and 3) show love to fellow Muslims. Then he went on to say that suffering or testing is a sign of God's love. It's an opportunity to work off sins. He emphasized that we all sin. Even catching a cold is an opportunity to pay for sins. He said the backslidden are not tested as much by Allah. If a Muslim passes the test of suffering he has a better chance at entering heaven.<br />
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A Muslim 'slave' is obligated to follow all the rules of Islam. He has no rights and can't question God, his master. What is decreed for him will come to pass. He is a slave of God until he dies.<br />
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The radical message of the New Testament is that we have the right to become sons and daughters of God. We are given assurance of sins forgiven and a place in heaven if we accept his offer of salvation and covenant(permanent) relationship.<br />
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The words <i>"bondservant or slave and servant"</i> used as metaphors in the New Testament indicate absolute devotion to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter and Jude all describe themselves as <i>"bondservants of Christ"</i>. This was their response to Jesus.<br />
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Jesus said "my burden is light"(Matthew 11:30). We receive immense benefits when we go Jesus way. We receive freedom in Christ. I too want to respond --"here's my life, take and use it."<br />
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My Muslim friend welcomed input from non-Muslims when he arrived. Sadly, as he becomes more settled into the Muslim community, he has become rigid in his thinking. Halal and haram are now very important words to him.<br />
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<i>Dear God, I pray for my Muslim friends who are holding on to the only identity they know. I pray that they would seek freedom. Amen.</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br />
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</span>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-72048873441162475252022-09-04T10:30:00.000-07:002022-09-04T10:44:24.003-07:00Fishers of Men<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF1Atx0Xc_6wPSSj67OjiQjHeSeJ6w0zzwT1KEj5xds3g2Oz8e1XXA2C3QovN-h9FTMbg3wETBZju5IpcYhCV-m8tyUHIVazKTAXLOUuDzQhy4pvpD_hKY1jp3kGSyq_1bKU1Nf1DEsEe/s1600/iStock_12453725_LARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF1Atx0Xc_6wPSSj67OjiQjHeSeJ6w0zzwT1KEj5xds3g2Oz8e1XXA2C3QovN-h9FTMbg3wETBZju5IpcYhCV-m8tyUHIVazKTAXLOUuDzQhy4pvpD_hKY1jp3kGSyq_1bKU1Nf1DEsEe/s320/iStock_12453725_LARGE.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><i>Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will
make you fishers of men.”</i> Matthew 4:19. </span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">In
this metaphor Jesus promises to teach Peter and Andrew the ‘Secrets of Effective
Evangelism.’ </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">So, what are some tested and effective principles? </span></div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Friendliness </span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Fish are drawn into the net or to a lure
that looks like lunch.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">In evangelism, ability to relate to a Muslim is key—to draw them in. Showing a
genuine interest in his life is a
good first step. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">And the only way
connections happen with Muslims apart from programs is by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>us</u></i></b> taking the
initiative.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friendliness gets me in the door.</i></b></span><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Availability </span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">If a person wants to catch fish,
he has to be available on their schedule. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus after dark when he wouldn’t be noticed
by others. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">With Muslim men who are ultra-busy I have to work around their family responsibilities, work, and
community events. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Paul said, “This one thing I do.” Fishing does require focus. Muslim
evangelism flows smoother if this is a priority. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Availability puts me on their schedules or
calendar.</i></b></span><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Wisdom</span></i></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></i></b>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Each kind of fish has their preferred habitat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">It takes time to understand a Muslim man, his needs and where there is a
point of entry into his life. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">With men the conversation often drifts over to
politics and religion</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">. We are more interested in the kingdom of
heaven. At other times, men try to convert me. It’s their obligation. A personal testimony helps shift the focus to 'how God has changed me.'</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">It’s important
for our friends to actually read scripture before they talk about faith a lot. Great
conversations can start from asking about their faith. And then turn
around with having the last word using the Bible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b><i><u><sub><sup><strike><br /></strike></sup></sub></u></i></b></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">There are times when we hear the Spirit
saying, "you’ve done your part". We showed a particular International student love and care numerous times. In the
final end, he rejected the message. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wisdom helps me to understand the
way to a Muslim’s heart.</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">4. <span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Flexibility</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I was fishing with a friend. Nothing seemed to work so I changed bait and
hooks. Finally the fish started biting.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Ironically, this friend I was fishing with is on a
search for purpose and meaning in life and I’ve been trying various ways to
keep the spiritual conversation going. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">We brace ourselves for the tough questions Muslims will ask us. And then
we find out that few of them raise any objections. In fact, I’m meeting
‘Muslim’ atheists and agnostics.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I’ve found that the
approach varies with each person—one method doesn’t fit all. So, flexibility is
important. The Holy Spirit helps me discern if there is spiritual hunger. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flexibility helps me to be relevant. </i><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">God has
called us into action. The <b><i>goal</i></b> in our 'fishing' is in others <i><b>being reconciled
with God and with each other</b></i>. Like fishing for fish, fishing for men—sometimes it seems there is <u>so</u> much wasted time. We don’t easily
give up. We<i><b> </b></i>so badly<i><b> want to deliver the message</b></i> Jesus has for them.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7y5a6nWT-Va9Rh8vGkTLDS1OEYlqra77-7M0RquMZOnb23TCBitzxeLnXY47ZCaNOkpKQYOldWIqW3T-8YmVEB7WVTGj94a_ytP4ou8xCMBY2HHh3Kyt8znlTirgXiBTJa3AO7nBR6j7/s1600/Jesus%252C+the+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="392" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7y5a6nWT-Va9Rh8vGkTLDS1OEYlqra77-7M0RquMZOnb23TCBitzxeLnXY47ZCaNOkpKQYOldWIqW3T-8YmVEB7WVTGj94a_ytP4ou8xCMBY2HHh3Kyt8znlTirgXiBTJa3AO7nBR6j7/s200/Jesus%252C+the+door.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Our Iranian friend drew up a landscape plan for our simple house. He strategically placed trees, bushes and decorative
shrubs to put the focus on the entrance—the door. God sends us to strategic spots
to direct Muslims to <i><b>the Door—to Jesus</b></i>. You and I are
God’s messengers.</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-69545023787521182612022-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:002022-08-09T10:05:24.751-07:00Remember?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ILznJzGkCqmTTP1G1w9dU7JCD19crfB_G9ZPbCbTZ6Ajnvw6MI0IQUvEmquatY0d6WvmllRNuxuG-rQcks1JOGDUlwlb2eJlH2lb2KXThw1cYTQV_RllPL5xuuOnRmlbClbOuDxETBJz/s1600/iStock_000022351908Medium.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ILznJzGkCqmTTP1G1w9dU7JCD19crfB_G9ZPbCbTZ6Ajnvw6MI0IQUvEmquatY0d6WvmllRNuxuG-rQcks1JOGDUlwlb2eJlH2lb2KXThw1cYTQV_RllPL5xuuOnRmlbClbOuDxETBJz/s1600/iStock_000022351908Medium.jpg" width="320" /></a>"Muslim kids 3 or 4 years old in Toronto are being taught about *beheading* on Youtube", stated a friend. We googled the subject and found it. In today's climate, the video clip is ripe for misunderstanding. It took place at a Muslim school where kids re-enacted part of Shia Muslims' history(Ashura) similar to how Christians re-enact the crucifixion of Christ. Ashura falls on Aug. 8th this year.<br />
<br />
We had only been in Pakistan for a week. My wife and I with our 2 year old daughter went for a stroll in the bazaar of the town we made our first home. All was going well until we approached a mosque. The doors flung open, people poured out and men were wailing and beating themselves with chains and ropes until their chests and backs bled. Our instinct was to get out of what appeared to be a <i>dangerous</i> situation. What we didn't know was that on this very day, the 10th of the Islamic month of Muharram(Ashura) Shia Muslims commemorate the brutal martyrdom of Hussain, their first leader.<br />
<br />
In the West, during Muharram Shias gather at their mosques for potlucks and remember the death of Hussain. We asked one of our friends what they do. "We cry". It all happens within the four walls of the mosque. In the West, people on the outside don't know about this event.<br />
<br />
A few years ago I heard a Sunni Muslim give a sermon during Friday prayers at the mosque. According to tradition Muhammed came to Medina and saw Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram(Ashura). They were doing so in memory of the Children of Israel rescued from Pharoah. So Muhammed fasted that day and told Muslims to fast.<br />
<br />
The Sunni-Shia split happened after Muhammed died and there was a dispute over who should be the new leader. Sunnis appointed the new leader(Caliph) but Shias insisted on Hussain, the grandson of Muhammed to be the new leader. There were several battles fought over this issue which ended with Hussain being killed. To this day these two Muslim groups remain distant from each other and sometimes clash. Shias who represent 15% of Muslims focus on their saints. They erect shrines where they go for pilgrimages, believing that the dead saints will intercede to God on their behalf.<br />
<br />
Is there something redemptive we can use for witness to Muslims during Muharram? Don McCurry, in the following quote from 'Healing the Broken Family of Abraham: New Life for Muslims' points to a connection between Christians, Jews, and Shia Muslims:<br />
<br />
"Shias believe Hussain(martyred at Karbala in A.D. 680) died for his people. In other words, there is in Shia Islam an idea of <i>vicarious atonement</i>. The Shias celebrate this martyrdom during the first ten days of the first month of the Muslim calendar(Muharram) with passion plays re-enacting the suffering and martyrdom of Hussain, which reach a climax on the tenth day of Muharram. As pointed out earlier, the tenth of Muharram corresponds to Ashura, the Jewish Day of Atonement(Yum Kippur)."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj1q1uoTpbt3bxmmoYl1KL4s9e7WVP7N1HgV3Ff_1gZmWDShh-trC8He3wBHOb9gKxg_erfKyWVr7Z1L8IvKTXuVxJOytSoiZtKcSbWXbjvJlrJ5CLSx65qBEFAYryk5q1HIK3B5uT04O/s1600/iStock_000010758845Medium.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj1q1uoTpbt3bxmmoYl1KL4s9e7WVP7N1HgV3Ff_1gZmWDShh-trC8He3wBHOb9gKxg_erfKyWVr7Z1L8IvKTXuVxJOytSoiZtKcSbWXbjvJlrJ5CLSx65qBEFAYryk5q1HIK3B5uT04O/s200/iStock_000010758845Medium.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Shia Muslims are responsive to the suffering Messiah. Isaiah 53 is a good starting point for discussions.<br />
<br />
<i>Lord Jesus, we pray that we would be instruments of comfort and hope especially for the Shias around the world who remember their first leader but also suffer from persecution from within their religion. Amen.</i>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-53608737826870974052022-07-06T07:30:00.000-07:002022-07-06T16:34:11.080-07:00The Hajj<i><b>"...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...</b></i> Hebrews 12:2<br />
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Eid al Adha(The Sacrifice) is one of the rituals during the annual Hajj season. Every Muslim needs to complete this pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia at least once in their lifetime. The focus is on seeking Allah's forgiveness. The Hajj involves 5 days of prescribed activities. See <a href="http://www.pray-ap.info/hajj.html"><b>Hajj</b></a> (click).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTyJ7VcmhZRxVyV06BZkzdcGvwyILW5ECvj9uCcyqFz8WBAVIfcOscwHdOu2-oGD-nTIIwub1fOOYRPdwAhcmce-mJfYvJ6vvz0hOG2JmPhUn09p55Q73UsiT3l8OtHvHtI1eHhFExcWL/h120/iStock_000019588925XSmallhajj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="mm-O-x" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTyJ7VcmhZRxVyV06BZkzdcGvwyILW5ECvj9uCcyqFz8WBAVIfcOscwHdOu2-oGD-nTIIwub1fOOYRPdwAhcmce-mJfYvJ6vvz0hOG2JmPhUn09p55Q73UsiT3l8OtHvHtI1eHhFExcWL/h120/iStock_000019588925XSmallhajj.jpg" style="left: 0px; top: 0px;" width="132" /></a>Going on the Hajj is a huge expense for poor Muslims. Rahmat was the foreman of the crew I supervised at a church-run hospital in Pakistan. He saved up all his working years to go on the Hajj. When his application for the pilgrimage was finally accepted based on a quota system, Rahmat prepared diligently with special lessons. Since he never travelled far beyond his village, Rahmat was in for a BIG shock to see busy airports and extravagance. He was left speechless to see masses of people from different nations going through the various stages of the Hajj.<br />
<br />
'Daoud', a troubled Christian young man employed by the hospital, spent hours with a Muslim auditor who came periodically. After one of these visits, the local Imam announced over the mosque's loudspeakers that Daoud had converted to Islam. I asked Daoud what brought him to this decision. He said, "Christianity has no centre like Mecca." I said something like "Christianity's centre is Jesus". Our qibla(direction of prayer) has no earthly co-ordinates.<br />
<br />
Do the maths...just over 2 million people(1/3 from Saudi Arabia) are allowed to go on the Hajj every year. With 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, the vast majority of Muslims will <i>never</i> have a chance to go on the Hajj. Yet this is a key requirement(in Muslim understanding) that increases one's chances of getting into heaven. But they also have a system of sending someone as a proxy to perform the Hajj for another Muslim unable to travel or if ceremonially unclean. There are many desperate Muslims who go on the Hajj. Every year many elderly are injured or even crushed to death by the throngs of people. Numerous Muslims go on an Umra, also called the 'lesser Hajj'. Btw, did you know that Mecca is closed to all non-Muslims?<br />
<br />
Muslims talk about being awestruck when they enter the 'Sacred Mosque' in Mecca built around the Kaaba--the focus of their ritualistic prayers. No doubt there is a ton of synergy. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Muslims on the Hajj would have a vision of Jesus?<br />
<br />
Sadly, most Muslims are unaware or cannot accept the fact that all the Hajj rituals predated Islam--they were adopted from paganism! Most Muslims haven't heard or understood that only through Jesus' sacrifice can our sins be forgiven and through him we have hope of entering heaven. Jesus' followers are called 'children of God'--far better than being called 'hajji' after completion of the Hajj. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIF3A-rYH_8_l4LeJBeObVtVdSyiu3nxwrvOu6y_otRTdMsNyH7-3fRaIV8OmdhTL-VAtT1kbfo5lk4UKLVJ28CvAOTTy-KqPnGGkiGYtVwe4NKRLO5KADGQDPNs7IN8uQosoB7GsEnIP/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIF3A-rYH_8_l4LeJBeObVtVdSyiu3nxwrvOu6y_otRTdMsNyH7-3fRaIV8OmdhTL-VAtT1kbfo5lk4UKLVJ28CvAOTTy-KqPnGGkiGYtVwe4NKRLO5KADGQDPNs7IN8uQosoB7GsEnIP/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" width="133" /></a>We too are on a pilgrimage. "This world is not my home, I'm justa' passin' through..." we used to sing. The focus of our pilgrimage is Jesus. In heaven we'll worship and celebrate forever in the presence of God. This is the very best news mankind can ever receive. And the invitation to join in this pilgrimage is open to <i>everyone</i>!<br />
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<i>Oh Lord Jesus, have mercy on Muslims who perform the hajj this year. Please meet them, even at the Kaaba and show them the way to God. Amen.</i><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-79643491508679338892022-05-01T14:30:00.001-07:002022-05-01T14:53:02.949-07:00Eid al Fitr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuz4bRZEb2Dnbhn3usszTDv3g6sT4fs_9TrtRIYIj15_VvJdHrAgwOehp3s6nAQnBPo_NmCTbZuofufNVtVjJxzHwKCh0XH-IQyx1Zp_rJJj8cu0lO8h1RFFRVykhKEIX3QHlc6V8nC81/s1600/Mosqueblog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuz4bRZEb2Dnbhn3usszTDv3g6sT4fs_9TrtRIYIj15_VvJdHrAgwOehp3s6nAQnBPo_NmCTbZuofufNVtVjJxzHwKCh0XH-IQyx1Zp_rJJj8cu0lO8h1RFFRVykhKEIX3QHlc6V8nC81/s320/Mosqueblog.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">See </span></i><b><u><a href="http://www.30daysprayer.com/"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Praying for the Muslim world</span></i></a></u></b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"> (click) for a daily prayer guide.</span></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"...imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one...'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it--that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."</i> Luke 15:10 The Message<br />
<i><br /></i>Ahmed said "The last ones to see the <i>new moon</i> are sometimes the first to see the <i>crescent moon</i>." In other words, there is a reluctance to fast so you avoid it or finish ASAP.<br />
<br />
For Muslims who <i><b>fast</b></i> Ramadan it's been an arduous month of discipline and sheer determination to follow the rules. Some read through the entire Qur'an and abstain from anything that they would consider to contaminate the soul. They are relieved that it's over again although some are saddened by it coming to a close. Once the moon appears again 29 or 30 days later, Muslims prepare for a party, their Eid celebration. <br />
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On Eid day Muslims get up in the morning, take a shower/bath and get dressed in new clothes or their best clothes. The first step is to go to the mosque for Eid prayers. If there isn't enough space then a bigger venue is rented to accommodate the crowd. There is no prayer call for the Eid prayers even in Muslim countries. Over there it's common for the mosque crowd to spill over onto the street, blocking the traffic. You just got to wait until they are done.<br />
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Following the Eid prayers, they go around congratulating each other and hugging. Now they are free to eat or drink all day. All grudges are to be forgiven. Its a new start of broken relationships or a renewal of friendships. I remember some of the invitations we used to get for Eid celebrations. We knew our hosts wanted to go and visit their Muslim friends so we had just a limited amount of time to chat with them and eat the special foods they had prepared. In Muslim majority countries this is normally a 3 or 4 day holiday.<br />
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Parents or other relatives often give their kids gifts during Eid to buy candy or toys. It is common for the religious to make extra donations during the month of Ramadan to assist the poor or underprivileged. Some years ago Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Al Waleed donated a jaw dropping $32 billion "to foster cultural understanding, empower women, and provide vital disaster relief, among other things."<br />
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What response should we make when Eid arrives? When practicing Muslims go around to congratulate one another with 'Eid Mubarak' they really do view this as an accomplishment and during Eid prayers pray that God would accept these religious deeds and reward them. It's very much a 'Muslim event'. So Muslim friends don't normally invite us to Eid celebrations. We prefer waiting for a few days and then be in touch with them and ask "How was your Eid?" or "How did you celebrate?" rather than congratulating them. Muslims assimilated into western society don't celebrate like their older relatives. Some don't want to take extra time off and just keep the celebrations simple.<br />
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<i>Dear God, now that Ramadan is coming to a close help me to re-engage with my Muslim friends and continue sharing the Good News that can make the whole year blessed. Amen.</i><br />
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-1560281717796966552022-04-02T15:00:00.000-07:002022-04-02T16:00:54.115-07:00Ramadan Conflicts<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWtTwS08601MzZ3oGtLcoSXZGxZ5M-pVp7muIb57BeQpOJtza0qmjcG8AiYeBAB_miJt4-bMgYJSL6im7f4TAuDFh4yg6ryKyT2RhYLC-n4R4Dc4VXjIcJWKmptE3hNhHNWPbyu9wl_B0/s1600/Ramadan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWtTwS08601MzZ3oGtLcoSXZGxZ5M-pVp7muIb57BeQpOJtza0qmjcG8AiYeBAB_miJt4-bMgYJSL6im7f4TAuDFh4yg6ryKyT2RhYLC-n4R4Dc4VXjIcJWKmptE3hNhHNWPbyu9wl_B0/s1600/Ramadan.JPG" width="214" /></a><i>"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people...plead for God's mercy upon them..." </i>1 Timothy 2:1</div>
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<u></u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>We've been telling our Muslim friends that we are <a href="http://www.30daysprayer.com/"><b>praying for Muslims every day during </b></a></i><i><a href="http://www.30daysprayer.com/"><b>Ramadan</b></a>(click)...that God would speak to them.</i></span><br />
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"I am worried about my family in Yemen." said a distraught friend. We feel for her. Millions of lives are being effected by war. Moments like these are opportunities of promising to pray or to offer a short prayer in their presence. <br />
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Jihadist groups have left behind a trail of brutality with thousands dead in their wake. Its mostly Muslims destroying Muslims. So much for Muslims saying that <i>Satan retreats from Muslims during Ramadan!</i> As a result, refugees keep pouring across borders, attempting to cross the Mediterranean at great cost and peril. Several years ago we wrote the following in 'Your Muslim Friend': "Muslims are now residing in all major cities and even in rural areas in the West. Some of them have found western nations to be a safe refuge from the trauma of war and displacement. Those fleeing political and religious persecution are breathing new freedom..."<br />
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Once while having a group Bible study we came to Luke 6:27 & 28: <i>"But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you..."</i> With that an Afghan man closed the Bible he was holding and said "If this is the teaching of the Injeel, I don't want to study any more." He wasn't ever going to forgive the Taliban who destroyed his life.<br />
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What does this mean for us? Since the fighting continues even during Ramadan, we can pray that God would bring peace to these troubled lands. How will Muslims forgive and forget all the atrocities committed against their own people? We know that <i><b>only Jesus can change hearts</b></i> and give the strength to forgive. In spite of experiencing shame, injustice and unimaginable cruelty, he prayed <i>"Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." </i>A few years ago our black American brothers and sisters gave an amazing demonstration of what forgiveness looks like following the horrific shooting of 9 of their own at the Charleston, South Carolina church.<br />
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Muslims who have immigrated to the West appreciate the tolerance shown in our society. It causes some to think and <i>dare to ask questions</i>. Why is life easier for us in the West? Why isn't Islam working? Where does all this hate come from? Why do we have to continue to defend Islam as the 'religion of peace'? Sad to say, many Muslims who come to the West are finished with religion and become agnostics and atheists. They are very disillusioned. Its not religion that these dear people need but a relationship with God. He gives comfort, hope, and peace to the ones who are seeking. God has brought Muslims to the West to hear and experience this truth.<br />
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Jesus beckons and promises <i>"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest." </i>Matthew 11:28<br />
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Consider the beautiful words, composed by a friend, in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu3tNLuUoKg"><b><i>Song for Ishmael</i></b></a> (click):<br />
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"...I am still here</div>
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I am listening</div>
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I hear your cry Ishmael</div>
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Don't give up now,</div>
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There is blessing to come.</div>
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God provides for you Ishmael..."
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</u>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-35227455940929749662022-03-10T09:30:00.000-08:002022-03-10T09:56:35.478-08:00Two Kingdoms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."</i> Matthew 6:10<br />
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Wanting to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Earth, I asked my two Somali friends about their take on the current events in the Middle East. The talk shifted to 9-11.<br />
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"Muslims would never fly planes into buildings", my Somali friend 'Ahmed' said emphatically. "These were cargo planes hijacked by someone." "The twin towers were detonated..." On and on he talked and listed a half dozen 'textbook examples of conspiracy theories'. It's not difficult to find credible answers to counter each of these on the internet. But I want to give rebuttals carefully. It gives me an <i>opportunity to give gracious answers</i>. Remember the old adage "win the battle(or argument) but lose the war(or relationship)"?<br />
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I feel for 'Ahmed'. He comes from an honor and shame paradigm that doesn't allow Muslims or Islam to look bad.<br />
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When we look at events in the Middle East spilling over into the West, it's all about domination. In 'Ahmed's mind the problems of today are caused by superpowers or past colonizers. Yes, the current political climate is related to what happened in history but the future lies with those in power today. That's why 'Ahmed' is here. It's not working.<br />
<br />Jesus preached the Kingdom of Heaven. Hebrews 12:22 reads, "No, you have come...to the <i>heavenly </i>Jerusalem." The focus is on justice, peace, love and proclaiming the Good News...not Real Estate. Its all about reconciliation between God and man and man with man.<div><br /></div><div>My brothers and sisters, we need to revisit what the Kingdom of God(heaven) means in 2021. Could we say the Sermon on the Mount is like the 'constitution of the Kingdom of God'? I shared with my seeker friend 'Farid' how this focus is in the Beatitudes. How much better does it get than "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.."? Matthew 5:7-9. 'Farid' loves these verses. They bring peace to his heart.</div><div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o0VoftJ2cb6_9jFldJere4HPb_kxF6hBu3FGj_G4NBfgVN5pg_tAYRF5CYSwsQ9KqCv-EPvppoFiNYRoZiZWradxOyU9Lsb-IrE-JkG2dfio86FuM08ZJAPVSSz3UTVBbDSArwSQ4uO4/s1600/iStock_000026109274Small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o0VoftJ2cb6_9jFldJere4HPb_kxF6hBu3FGj_G4NBfgVN5pg_tAYRF5CYSwsQ9KqCv-EPvppoFiNYRoZiZWradxOyU9Lsb-IrE-JkG2dfio86FuM08ZJAPVSSz3UTVBbDSArwSQ4uO4/s1600/iStock_000026109274Small.jpg" width="133" /></a>'Ahmed' is processing what he has seen since coming to the West. The process can't be hurried. An Eastern Christian friend met 'Ahmed' and pushed the Gospel Message on him without befriending him. My relationship with 'Ahmed' has never quite been the same.<br />
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It takes time and much prayer to break down cultural and religious barriers to the Good News. It's often like taking off layers of an onion, one at a time. And it usually takes Friendship First! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives it urgency "<i>If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an
irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”</i>
~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. </div><div>
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<i>Dear Heavenly Father, my Muslim friends are worried about world events. Help me to show them that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only hope for the Nations. Amen.</i></div></div>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-63010060074174834852022-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:002022-01-28T09:19:50.492-08:00Empowered, Engaged and Equipping<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD2ydyzmyiR268NqR4GhOzOF4wzKLDWrNJeUyWL-Czoys_W8X9wvr_7jurDbHz_ALmIvUM7oN0NQL3A0waOf_fWoU7OeH87kDU-KvQyWcN9E4kys0cI1dmK_XIvn6hkeWw9TvQ-oRgXwo/s2545/ICMBanner1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2545" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD2ydyzmyiR268NqR4GhOzOF4wzKLDWrNJeUyWL-Czoys_W8X9wvr_7jurDbHz_ALmIvUM7oN0NQL3A0waOf_fWoU7OeH87kDU-KvQyWcN9E4kys0cI1dmK_XIvn6hkeWw9TvQ-oRgXwo/s320/ICMBanner1.jpg" /></a></div>The brochure we developed for <i>In Canada Missions</i> emphasizes Empowered to Serve, Engaged in Outreach and Equipping others. Currently church attendance in our context is limited. We are blessed that a church nearby has a lighted cross for all to see! That is a great testimony. Another uses their signage creatively to give meaningful messages. A few are offering prayer and helpful practical help.<p></p><p>More than ever it is vital that Christians are Empowered to Serve. It was God's idea in the first place <i><b>"go and make disciples...you will receive power from on high."</b></i> We don't need to wait for the church doors to re-open to show love and connect with a neighbor. Home Depot's motto used to be 'You can do it, we can help'. That's being empowered. God's people need to be encouraged to serve--you can do it. We all have a unique assignment from God.</p><p>The second part puts some feet to that encouragement--Engaged in Outreach. The needs have probably never been as great as during the Pandemic. There are many frightened, lonely and hurting people out there. We as God's people can be the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus in fleshing out his love for the nations around us. When we are locked down it may be 'hi' from our driveway, a WhatsAp or Zoom conversation. We have tried to lead by example in doing this regularly, even in lock-down. We have prayed for our Muslim and believer friends virtually. There are limitations. On the other hand there are many opportunities to serve others this way. For example, a few weeks ago a brother from Muslim background needed a car. Travelling to work, medical appointments and shopping was getting increasingly more difficult as winter set in. After numerous consults about Carfax about specific cars, he was able to narrow down his search and purchased a car he is pleased with. At other times we've studied the Word(Bible) over Zoom or prayed for a friend. </p><p>As we age, we want to multiply our efforts--Equipping Others. There are many lessons we've learned along the way in 40 years of ministry to Muslims and believer friends. We love sharing these lessons with God's people. Luke writes <i><b>"The harvest is great, but the workers are few..." </b></i>Very few of our friends are drawn to Christian websites without a friendship with a follower of Jesus. While methods like 'Disciple Making Movement' are great--they start with a friendship and trust and ultimately deepen if there is spiritual hunger and thirst. Where does spiritual hunger and thirst come from? That's where intercessory prayer on the long haul comes in. While we can't spend a lot of time with our Muslim friends these days, we view them as our parish that we care for. This is called Pastoral Evangelism. </p><p>I suggest prayerfully consider who God would want you to give attention and care to. Once they are on your list, it's good to touch base with them regularly. Some days I have what I consider productive spiritual conversations, other days it's just keeping in touch. You never know what will help a friend start a journey to Jesus.</p><p><i>Dear Heavenly Father...please remind my brothers and sisters that they are already empowered to serve and are on assignment from you. Help them to discover this--discovering their 'mission' for life. Amen.</i></p><p> </p>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-1842117887562085812022-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:002022-01-02T10:26:30.364-08:00The End - The Beginning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7FVkW5BA5p6bK8IPS9vjf_ouzZUlHgjwOjGejXevsZqzNkcqmCU2kBKWI6101a5tMbcFEo-KKhKktBU1wImetwKB94acZc8qNoVON3kxtFYTgsE8uhjbE30Mqtn4BNPXDcitEeF15ET9r8hLmyZt3A3h9QBSENChq5Odpz1-LSXheggtFZpwDsjk7Qw=s2121" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="2121" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7FVkW5BA5p6bK8IPS9vjf_ouzZUlHgjwOjGejXevsZqzNkcqmCU2kBKWI6101a5tMbcFEo-KKhKktBU1wImetwKB94acZc8qNoVON3kxtFYTgsE8uhjbE30Mqtn4BNPXDcitEeF15ET9r8hLmyZt3A3h9QBSENChq5Odpz1-LSXheggtFZpwDsjk7Qw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><i>"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."</i> Isaiah 43:19<br />
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We have just passed the threshold again of an old year passing and a new one ushered in. What will the new year hold?<br />
<br />A major event this New Year's is the memorial of Bishop Tutu. What a great man he was who lived by the words of Jesus to forgive those who were behind apartheid. He was a great unifier!<br />
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Asif is gloomy about the new year. He has already heard several reports of major violence in the region of the world he came from. He is bracing himself for more. <br />
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On the other hand, with political changes happening around the world, some wonder if this is signaling the end of the world. Many of my Muslim friends are frightened.<br />
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I've been blessed by the message in 'The Book of Mysteries', that in God's economy the end ushers in a new beginning<i>--"I am doing a new thing..."</i><br />
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"...Tabernacles is the last feast of the sacred year. It's the greatest celebration and it comes at the end...In the world...the greatest things come at the beginning. Everything starts out young, and then gets older and older...But the Feast of Tabernacles reveals the kingdom of God, it's the opposite. The greatest celebration comes at the end. So if you live in God's power, you don't move from life to death, but from death to life." from 'The Book of Mysteries'<br />
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We were reminded this morning that 'Immanuel'--one of the names of the Messiah is composed of 3 Hebrew words. 'Eem' means 'with'. And the word for 'us' is 'anu'. The word for God in Hebrew is 'El'. So now we have 'Eem-anu-El'-'with us is God'. From this we have Immanuel. Isn't that wonderful?<br />
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So Immanuel is with us in 2022. Immanuel(God with us) in good times. Immanuel in hard times. Asif has reason to be gloomy about the end of the world. He doesn't have any assurance that things will end well. His Shia friends talk about the Mahdi will come out of the shadows and make things right in the world while his Sunni friends talk about Jesus returning and destroying pigs and all crosses and forcing everyone to become Muslims. Many hope for the 'Golden era of Islam' to return. When will this happen? No-one knows.<br />
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The assurance the Injeel gives to the world is the message of 'Immanuel'. Asif doesn't yet have the assurance that 'God is with us". When Immanuel is here, all will be fine. Eem-anu-El(God is with us) in the storm.<br />
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Partners in the Gospel, let's move into 2022 with confidence. God is at work in the hearts of Muslims around the world. In 2021 we personally saw God draw Muslims to himself. What a privilege to be there to welcome them into God's kingdom!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX6BxMieisfGv-7Oyz_wbtauY5_Y-o_tv3i8EKHD9WDBsGx5hQrbNzdGLDth5OgMgHWKZka7_M_bGlCaNwQdsUVk1ItTPneSsGRhGOwQKSiKgdeHwAh3XmPPqf7yOd5zYKBR6hqSir8RU/s1600/Friend.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX6BxMieisfGv-7Oyz_wbtauY5_Y-o_tv3i8EKHD9WDBsGx5hQrbNzdGLDth5OgMgHWKZka7_M_bGlCaNwQdsUVk1ItTPneSsGRhGOwQKSiKgdeHwAh3XmPPqf7yOd5zYKBR6hqSir8RU/s200/Friend.jpg" width="200" /></a>The best is yet to come! Happy New Year.<br />
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<i>Lord Jesus, Thank-you for giving us this past year to reflect you in this world. Help me to be even more effective in communicating with Muslim friends and new believers about you. Amen.</i><br />
<br />Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-17394851016969783982021-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:002021-12-15T19:22:49.961-08:00Waiting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"Are you the Messiah we are expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" </i>Matthew 11:3.<br />
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The imprisoned John the Baptist sent followers to confirm that Jesus was truly <u>the</u> 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.<br />
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In scripture we see a steady progression towards the arrival of the Messiah. In the documentary <i><b>'The Star of Bethlehem: Unlock the Mystery of the World's Most Famous Star'</b></i>, 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.<br />
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Many <i>amazing </i>events connected <i><b>heaven and earth</b></i> 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 <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">a prophet had written that one of the names of Jesus was going to be <i>Immanel</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>--God with us</i>. <span style="background-color: transparent;">The virgin M</span></span>ary 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>"...I bring you <b>good news</b> that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem..."</i> Previous to this, there were 400 'silent years' in which God didn't send any new revelation. The world was waiting.<br />
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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.<br />
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Our Jewish neighbors are waiting for the Messiah in spite of the undisputable signs of his coming. <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Millions of Muslims consider 'this Good News too good be true'.</span> 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! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLJOAg4jyITs64obZCQI9BddN_ZXG8tbrQd9mPznIZ_HYGlttOksgJrw7GqlYwgd_fmk2S0ZRrlcVn2jr4GavpVRRpjRRA5nKKGqqoSIwkfu4jDxeZiDv5xK3XbGHvFZfEC5lgfGmS2IE/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="566" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLJOAg4jyITs64obZCQI9BddN_ZXG8tbrQd9mPznIZ_HYGlttOksgJrw7GqlYwgd_fmk2S0ZRrlcVn2jr4GavpVRRpjRRA5nKKGqqoSIwkfu4jDxeZiDv5xK3XbGHvFZfEC5lgfGmS2IE/s200/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLJOAg4jyITs64obZCQI9BddN_ZXG8tbrQd9mPznIZ_HYGlttOksgJrw7GqlYwgd_fmk2S0ZRrlcVn2jr4GavpVRRpjRRA5nKKGqqoSIwkfu4jDxeZiDv5xK3XbGHvFZfEC5lgfGmS2IE/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><i>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. </i><i>Amen.</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=oGUlWa2r-bk&app=desktop">The Star of Bethlehem: Unlocking the Mystery of the World's Most Famous Star</a></div>
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-44773665460897601852021-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:002021-11-07T18:45:54.048-08:00A Middle Eastern Perspective on Loving Muslims Part 2<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-line-height-alt: 12.8pt;">
<i>In the previous post, Brother Emad shared about a conference on church planting that revolutionized his mindset:</i></div>
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"A) Friendship Evangelism vs. Argumentative Apologetic Evangelism<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TMX81SKKDRbZDtsDBaJsKOiWgS-X00248kJXTumaSRnQNS94Y_inbaAatGLI7qwqo3QKYH4eFfozFYsS6SUZn_Q7SyWfh1rEb_ujyWfGj9vYWqKa5B7ruSpjf35AAxG1siCWj0pxw_gh/s1600/iStock_MuslimFamily000019176027XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TMX81SKKDRbZDtsDBaJsKOiWgS-X00248kJXTumaSRnQNS94Y_inbaAatGLI7qwqo3QKYH4eFfozFYsS6SUZn_Q7SyWfh1rEb_ujyWfGj9vYWqKa5B7ruSpjf35AAxG1siCWj0pxw_gh/s1600/iStock_MuslimFamily000019176027XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Our speaker introduced us to a
different approach to Muslims than I grew up witnessing</span>:<i> friendship evangelism</i>. 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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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B) Seeing Muslims from God’s Perspective<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">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.</span><br />
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C) Evangelism is a Process<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">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.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u><span lang="EN-US">Our
North American Context</span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r-Moh8GN_oc5t9Rkfs25vvtr7IbMgvYqxImqOqte4uew5pqhpGeWiDXzuUX5wwLfGwkQdSn2tbua-DyedRWc2DTUc2yV-DHYak_v765h0_kPqIee19L7EHO26rU9urZ9RpjCXs-l4t_r/s1600/WELCOMEiStock_000007698104XSmall%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r-Moh8GN_oc5t9Rkfs25vvtr7IbMgvYqxImqOqte4uew5pqhpGeWiDXzuUX5wwLfGwkQdSn2tbua-DyedRWc2DTUc2yV-DHYak_v765h0_kPqIee19L7EHO26rU9urZ9RpjCXs-l4t_r/s1600/WELCOMEiStock_000007698104XSmall%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></a>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. <br />
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<i>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."</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span><br />
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-29894324616783230092021-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:002021-09-26T14:22:27.429-07:00A Middle Eastern Perspective on Loving Muslims Part 1<i>"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!" </i>Luke 4:18 & 19 The Message<br />
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<i>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:</i><br />
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"1. <b>Fear</b>. 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.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mhCJ1_PRVsrOOSx2hHZUBAjyn5PXYPuGMF9PavZUkvoromIu0-rBVb7avc0Zp4ZqL3XYw3CYDhK8H4UnO2MtSCS2aFkLTZYS2rA_OeHh_a9ldF4clPCW7k0A1iljvky_h1tu_dIZBYbd/s1600/iStock_000003523709Medium+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mhCJ1_PRVsrOOSx2hHZUBAjyn5PXYPuGMF9PavZUkvoromIu0-rBVb7avc0Zp4ZqL3XYw3CYDhK8H4UnO2MtSCS2aFkLTZYS2rA_OeHh_a9ldF4clPCW7k0A1iljvky_h1tu_dIZBYbd/s320/iStock_000003523709Medium+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>2. <b>Argumentative Apologetic Approach. </b>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. </div>
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3. <b>Wrong theology. </b>Middle Eastern Christians look at Acts 1:8: <i>"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."</i> 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 <i>only then</i> would we witness to Muslims. And once all of the Muslims were saved, we would go to the uttermost part of the earth.</div>
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In my <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW_Ke7Qt2Iz9XLaUkPeq5QxjZt-MThgttMpb9X5XzO5_Y6GmMu7ZIG_r9yC6ug5Aw2EhWgKXPVcb4xYqXQ0-teqN0BARYcGiCxnmeRmPCbLFCxSAQzyTQs6GjjT7RhSHZm8FpWfBYZSBy/s1600/cross-cultural.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW_Ke7Qt2Iz9XLaUkPeq5QxjZt-MThgttMpb9X5XzO5_Y6GmMu7ZIG_r9yC6ug5Aw2EhWgKXPVcb4xYqXQ0-teqN0BARYcGiCxnmeRmPCbLFCxSAQzyTQs6GjjT7RhSHZm8FpWfBYZSBy/s200/cross-cultural.gif" width="200" /></a>first year of ministry, I attended a conference on church planting among Muslims. The speaker spent time explaining 2 Corinthians 4:15 <i>"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."</i> 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."<br />
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<i>Thank-you Lord for getting Brother Emad's attention and preparing him to reach out to his Muslim neighbors and colleagues. Amen.</i> </div>
Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-79466409594061431462021-08-06T12:30:00.000-07:002021-08-12T13:23:20.884-07:00Say Hello<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YYa0UdYnXlyXp3rHfycxBtU80NzkC0Qqi0zaTLMyNmoxYJYqWnURH1Hok7cvF0TeXIIdDCfLh-TrId0AI9CXlZOiVskpypkT08bpJQ66rS_284DfjzgNOKARpPQMDXx41Jb_ISBp1oPy/s1600/iStock_000013347296Small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YYa0UdYnXlyXp3rHfycxBtU80NzkC0Qqi0zaTLMyNmoxYJYqWnURH1Hok7cvF0TeXIIdDCfLh-TrId0AI9CXlZOiVskpypkT08bpJQ66rS_284DfjzgNOKARpPQMDXx41Jb_ISBp1oPy/s1600/iStock_000013347296Small.JPG" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"This letter is from Paul...may grace and peace be
yours..."</i> Ephesians
1:1&2. This is Paul's template for all his letters in the New Testament.
This greeting is <i>so</i> pastoral. I love it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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 <i>'Salam'</i>(peace). New word for me so what came out of my
mouth instead was <i>'Salami'</i>. 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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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 <i>"a
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I volunteer as an English Language Partner
at University of Winnipeg. When the new term begins the coordinator has
a <i>'Meet and Greet'</i> 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!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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. </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
Growing up I was sometimes bullied by bigger boys. I got over it quickly. Now I consider these my friends! <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xxwncdv45kkPyFq2AbyvGU9IW-NgvbI0Rli-IchOZoFeoZYh8CLlQS-IW_guu_btPhx0WrBNcg4i_-YiJBNIpZNd5gi_JRY9vxSqof0IG_wv-pjob9-9HGWPDp2TMS-XQZRXHgeIoHJ2/s1600/iStock_000003523709Medium+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xxwncdv45kkPyFq2AbyvGU9IW-NgvbI0Rli-IchOZoFeoZYh8CLlQS-IW_guu_btPhx0WrBNcg4i_-YiJBNIpZNd5gi_JRY9vxSqof0IG_wv-pjob9-9HGWPDp2TMS-XQZRXHgeIoHJ2/s200/iStock_000003523709Medium+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a>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 <i>victim mentality</i>. 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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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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)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIaMqC4KCgtZ3hAWiw7l3axoLxUCsOUsJRI6SdqEWNukHa_xr9HMvm-mOH77p9IXfAy6uzca_E2j_JNmRzF4kLTmi7tAoY00mkQKQ_vDgf3BWmsIdg6M8d-KwVlae3eqchwwpdgwupnlc/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIaMqC4KCgtZ3hAWiw7l3axoLxUCsOUsJRI6SdqEWNukHa_xr9HMvm-mOH77p9IXfAy6uzca_E2j_JNmRzF4kLTmi7tAoY00mkQKQ_vDgf3BWmsIdg6M8d-KwVlae3eqchwwpdgwupnlc/s200/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIaMqC4KCgtZ3hAWiw7l3axoLxUCsOUsJRI6SdqEWNukHa_xr9HMvm-mOH77p9IXfAy6uzca_E2j_JNmRzF4kLTmi7tAoY00mkQKQ_vDgf3BWmsIdg6M8d-KwVlae3eqchwwpdgwupnlc/s1600/iStock_000007064803Small.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>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.<br />
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<i>Dear Lord: Thank-you for sustaining and protecting your servants. Please bring spiritual healing to those who view themselves as victims. Amen. </i><br />
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-73061439300398542652021-05-09T17:00:00.000-07:002021-05-09T17:32:10.580-07:00God's Field<i>Excerpt from my recent devotional:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"You are GOD'S field..." </i>1 Corinthians 3:9.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Paul is using 'field' as a metaphor describing where God is at work. For him it was the Corinthian church. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBgv5tCAappnKteyyiKSNeNRXNuh304BiwAZjySE8I1Myz5we_Birx1fRTvjca04U9JR3twK0Nz08Bt2AogEZTTp40Gll0cizVeBMtk64mSA2v4vZcn7yLKkhrI6_4Jy0l-zexn382Dbp/s1600/Farmer+in+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBgv5tCAappnKteyyiKSNeNRXNuh304BiwAZjySE8I1Myz5we_Birx1fRTvjca04U9JR3twK0Nz08Bt2AogEZTTp40Gll0cizVeBMtk64mSA2v4vZcn7yLKkhrI6_4Jy0l-zexn382Dbp/s320/Farmer+in+field.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All believers are <i>on assignment</i> from God. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">W</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">hen God sends us to ‘a
field’(a person), he is at work in that heart. And he helps us <i>keep focused</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We know that God often starts work in hearts by the witness of nature and humans who reflect God’s heart. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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 <i>“He was here
before you came. We know about God.”</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Haroon from </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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 </span>Paul and Apollos worked together. Neither got the credit. God did.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Corinthians were a '</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">field' with <i><b>great</b></i> 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.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It takes resilience to
keep going in outreach to Muslims. Sometimes it takes years of praying,
befriending, reaching out and sharing. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6JMxcHPLefjXMwYEEBwIKHjCVqaWtfS5vROtYSAytN8jRjWq9E-CBnSLZuDOso7-RTESNfc4T2i1LUBBDNZ5A2DOpUOpRBrYml6JRiv7_ezWslo0nwLeKFoRlRTBgX09sSLe6jq9jhTC/s1600/Fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6JMxcHPLefjXMwYEEBwIKHjCVqaWtfS5vROtYSAytN8jRjWq9E-CBnSLZuDOso7-RTESNfc4T2i1LUBBDNZ5A2DOpUOpRBrYml6JRiv7_ezWslo0nwLeKFoRlRTBgX09sSLe6jq9jhTC/s200/Fruit.jpg" width="133" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“When New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin fell</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">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. <i>"Get up, get up! We have to finish!"</i> Agostino said</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">to her. <i>"This is the Olympic Games. We have
to finish this."</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i>
<span style="background: white;">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..." </span>
<span style="background: white;">Christians need more of the "Olympic
spirit" these days.” (Today's Cultural Commentary)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Dear Lord, Thank-you for sending me to a 'Muslim field'. I anticipate how you will work in his heart. Amen.</i></span></span>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-54120896088230349822021-03-12T13:00:00.002-08:002021-03-12T14:26:51.528-08:00"Every Sin, A Black Mark"<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y_LhbFqCamSW4mAC1JQOBwiSpWGTS4V2tvGh-guhAJ6jRXKZoHmiEA0pS7_o81QnPIiWUjtNhQotJHntEfexasedkgyHitTF9NNr6UfIIPCILP1eROTYqWL7_uW6mIJZ8i_Jwg2b6xpH/s1600/Sin%2527s+stain.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y_LhbFqCamSW4mAC1JQOBwiSpWGTS4V2tvGh-guhAJ6jRXKZoHmiEA0pS7_o81QnPIiWUjtNhQotJHntEfexasedkgyHitTF9NNr6UfIIPCILP1eROTYqWL7_uW6mIJZ8i_Jwg2b6xpH/s200/Sin%2527s+stain.JPG" width="200" /></a> <span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."</i> Romans 3:23.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Muslims say, "Life is a test". In Muslim thought, a person passes the test if he accepts whatever Allah sends. He <u>may</u> qualify for heaven if the good deeds outweigh bad deeds on Allah's scales.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: small;"><span calibri="Calibri" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" style="font-size: 12pt;" times="Times"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: small;"><span calibri="Calibri" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" style="font-size: 12pt;" times="Times"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small; text-indent: -48px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">From 'Isa and Islam, Religious Dialoque': </span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: small;"><span calibri="Calibri" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" style="font-size: 12pt;" times="Times"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"One main theme that the Quran gives attention to is
the problem of the Day of Judgment" (Commentary Al-Mishbah, M.Q. Shihab, 53). </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Judgment Day</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> is a problem because of man's sin. No matter how
religious someone is, his heart is<b> </b></span><a href="https://www.isaandislam.com/isa-al-masih/are-you-a-muslim-carrying-a-load-of-sin-there-is-help/" shape="rect" style="color: #0e1ac7;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>still sinful</b></span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. Sin must be punished. Punishment will happen on
Judgment Day. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span calibri="Calibri" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" style="font-size: 12pt;" times="Times"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There is a
hadith that says: "When a person sins, a black spot is dripped into his heart"
(HR. at-Tirmidzi).</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If every sin is like a
black spot, then every person's heart is totally black!</span></span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">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." </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5R0uVd9S-rFNYJxw44tiACeik-nkOH_lqNdBidVlZBO1HEUkuag1vLpo1nCcAA_CRDX1sZh9dGYH67JjUYWEy6T4_xTeSaKDrAp7AqUJuxWSXoeEGf7mqHCno55TjscGVcEMxO9Y8uMBG/s1600/iStock_TheCross000015701475XSmall.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5R0uVd9S-rFNYJxw44tiACeik-nkOH_lqNdBidVlZBO1HEUkuag1vLpo1nCcAA_CRDX1sZh9dGYH67JjUYWEy6T4_xTeSaKDrAp7AqUJuxWSXoeEGf7mqHCno55TjscGVcEMxO9Y8uMBG/s200/iStock_TheCross000015701475XSmall.jpg" width="200" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The heart of every man is very black and waits for the Judgement Day.<b> </b><a href="https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Is there a way out?</b></span></a> God(Allah) says: <span style="color: blue;">"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"</span> (Book of the Prophet Isaiah 1:18 NLT)"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">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!</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-29023547955836207982021-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:002021-02-09T12:43:18.999-08:00Love and Relationships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRobtrZiXydVHf7c6vDvVpTJpnDpJYJUnpEBlyi6fQxFhz46c7dVDNTX2_rJ2tRQpNboXDHcrJSUsxGF_v_dA3X9pH-62XVOODezyHv9Pzm4X1_0trQJwTnXrZHyodAi7GzJaUMYuulPc/s1600/1Cor13.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRobtrZiXydVHf7c6vDvVpTJpnDpJYJUnpEBlyi6fQxFhz46c7dVDNTX2_rJ2tRQpNboXDHcrJSUsxGF_v_dA3X9pH-62XVOODezyHv9Pzm4X1_0trQJwTnXrZHyodAi7GzJaUMYuulPc/s200/1Cor13.jpg" width="155" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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!</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Pir, an acquaintance from many years ago, recognized that Love comes from God. He is </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">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!</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">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).</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">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.'</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">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’.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Contract</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I take thee for me. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Covenant</span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I give myself to thee.</span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Contract</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: You had better do it. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Covenant</span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: How may I serve you?</span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Contract</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: What do I get? </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Covenant</span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: What can I give?</span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Contract</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I’ll meet you halfway. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Covenant</span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I’ll give you 100% plus.</span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Contract</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I have to. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Covenant</span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: I want to.</span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">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. B</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">eliever 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.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQM_BE8sgh1z_qvmrVSeOTTgduj_fQM2VzDlUYpjcNRRl-yFYhuQKnfvAAzC_EaRqvnx3Wx9UUJ_NYvF9ogR9NRN98aQxoqOsSchPca2JNCYWj5el_cBeJkETLE9bcZnbKqP-kOMs9Wck/s1600/Rings1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQM_BE8sgh1z_qvmrVSeOTTgduj_fQM2VzDlUYpjcNRRl-yFYhuQKnfvAAzC_EaRqvnx3Wx9UUJ_NYvF9ogR9NRN98aQxoqOsSchPca2JNCYWj5el_cBeJkETLE9bcZnbKqP-kOMs9Wck/s200/Rings1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">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--</span><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"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."</span></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> (from Lorna Dueck)</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Dear Heavenly Father, may our marriage showcase how you are <u>in</u> our marriage. Amen.</i></span></div>
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Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684600310328526986.post-1616700453665832852020-12-12T16:00:00.001-08:002020-12-12T16:37:47.591-08:00Joseph - Called to Protect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"...Joseph, to whom she(Mary) was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."</i> Matthew 1:19.<br />
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We don't know a lot about this Joseph. He was a carpenter from Nazareth--a small town 80 miles north of Bethlehem. He was a 'behind the scenes' type of guy. In the midst of very dramatic events surrounding the birth of Jesus, he is often forgotten. It is kind of like the custodian or the people in charge of facilities where big functions are held--when all goes well, these folks aren't noticed or appreciated. But if something falls apart there is a wild scramble for their help.<br />
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Joseph was an honorable man. He was engaged to Mary when he received the devastating news that she was pregnant. If he ditched her and made it public, she could have been stoned to death for adultery. So, he was planning to quietly break the engagement. Joseph had 3 dreams surrounding the birth of Jesus--when Mary became pregnant, after the visit of the Astrologers before the flight to Egypt, and in Egypt when the coast was clear for Joseph, Mary and Jesus to return to Nazareth. Immediately after he got the 'ok' from God in a dream to marry Mary, he did so.<br />
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Over 2000 years ago everyone in the Roman world was notified to return to the place of their birth for a census. It was compulsory and needed to be done <i>asap</i>. So Joseph had to appear before a government official in Bethlehem. In spite of Mary being in the later stage of her pregnancy, they travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, likely with a caravan of other travellers for safety and companionship. The route they took may have taken as long as 8 or more days. This was truly a scary journey for the young and pregnant Mary.<br />
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Men, put yourselves into Joseph's shoes. His knowledge of pregnancy and midwifery was probably pretty minimal. We don't know the details of the delivery of Jesus other than the birth happened in a place where people don't normally sleep--perhaps a temporary stable for animals of guests attached to a famer's house. The shepherds in the nearby hillside got the news directly from the angels during the night and promptly went to visit Jesus.<br />
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Joseph had a very important role in God's plan of redemption. So much so the genealogy in Matthew and Luke includes Joseph as the stepfather and guardian of Jesus--. We see a lot of emphasis these days on 'plan to protect' the vulnerable sector. God had a plan to protect Mary and Jesus. The stakes were high. The evil one was out to get rid of <i><b>Jesus, the Messiah,</b></i> right from his conception and birth. Joseph took cues from the angel after the Astrologers visited Jesus to "...flee to Egypt" because King Herod went on a rampage to eliminate any challenge to his reign.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc45v2sUX2CYuksbrm98BCwGaRvDBv1SyC1jfTQ9pPpWp9SIvpwkKnF8uZvUJ_LrbUh5FZbG9KwN5jk8F1bgo6-eGE0dsVaYP_TFakBjPAfHl3bRCqZTdh2UUxC3sIg6wj7tq1TBxQzN2/s1600/Prayer.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc45v2sUX2CYuksbrm98BCwGaRvDBv1SyC1jfTQ9pPpWp9SIvpwkKnF8uZvUJ_LrbUh5FZbG9KwN5jk8F1bgo6-eGE0dsVaYP_TFakBjPAfHl3bRCqZTdh2UUxC3sIg6wj7tq1TBxQzN2/s1600/Prayer.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-right: 16px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="243" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc45v2sUX2CYuksbrm98BCwGaRvDBv1SyC1jfTQ9pPpWp9SIvpwkKnF8uZvUJ_LrbUh5FZbG9KwN5jk8F1bgo6-eGE0dsVaYP_TFakBjPAfHl3bRCqZTdh2UUxC3sIg6wj7tq1TBxQzN2/s200/Prayer.jpg" width="200" /></a></span><br />During the covid-19 season, the beginning of the end is in sight with vaccines. In the meantime I want to do my part to protect myself and others from this virus by following health guidelines. We pray that it won't be long before we can focus on face to face meetings with our Muslim friends. We have Good News to deliver that's even greater than the 'warp speed' vaccines!<br />
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<i>Dear God, I want to be a Joseph to whomever you have called me in your 'plan to protect' and 'plan to proclaim' your message to the world. Amen.</i>Ed Loewenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04372805809648012999noreply@blogger.com