muslim

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14

In my Bible Study groups we have talked occasionally of the need to be educated about major religions so that in speaking with folks about Christ we know their general beliefs and positions of faith. When obeying the commands to love our neighbors and make disciples of all nations we must be aware and sensitive to the distinctions between Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. We’ve talked about missionary failures when believers enter into cultures too aggressively and trample on the very people we are tasked to love

Unfortunately, this history has caused many Christians to be overly cautious — thinking they shouldn’t ”push” their faith on people. The lack of apologetics and addressing the differences in religions in churches only makes this situation worse. If we truly believe in Jesus, if we seek to obey Him and therefore are promised peace and joy, then we must accept as truth His directive.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19

It’s not about just trying to get Jesus’ conversion numbers up for the next quarter so God will be pleased. No, it’s about sharing the truth and glory of Jesus’ message to the world. It’s about wanting so desperately for our friends, neighbors, loved ones, and even strangers to experience the fullness of life for all eternity. It’s about how we view conflict and strife and fear – praying for, yes even our enemies, to come live in peace.

On this Christmas Day, when we celebrate the most significant day in the history of the earth since it was created, we should re-commit ourselves to this mission. Why? Because today the God of all monotheistic religions came down from the heavens and choose to live among us. Not as a prophet, as the Jews, Muslims and Hindus would believe. As God. That should be earthshaking news. It seems so un-god like which is why those religions have a hard time believing it. But God, over and over in the Old Testament and Torah (which both the Jews and Muslims accept as Holy Scripture) shows Himself to be atypical of gods.

He choose the least of us to lead thousands. The sinner is the savior for an army. A woman outsmarts a king to avoid genocide. A farmer stands before a ruler issuing warnings. Musicians defeat a powerful army. A tiny nation is taken under His wings as loved. A baby is crowned a Savior for all people.

Today, a few thousand years ago, God came to tell us the best news we have ever needed. We don’t need to keep striving. We don’t need to give more money or kill a few doves or lambs. We don’t even need to be a “good person.” In fact, He came and pointed a finger at you and said, “Sinner, I love you.” All three other major religions — Judaism, Islam and Hinduism — require you to just work harder. Sacrifice more. And hope that you’ve done enough on one column to make it into heaven (as we lie about what we put on the other column). Their own scriptures tell them it’s impossible on our own. What a terribly hopeless way to live!

"Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17

If we believe in God, no matter the name we put on our faith, then how can we not believe He can do anything? Including coming to earth as both God and a human baby. A baby, not born of kings and queens but of an every day woman. Yet another worldly view that God shatters and turns upside down.

My friends, when we think of believers in other religions we should find common ground first. And then, we reveal the glory and hope of the Lord — through grace alone, through Jesus alone. No other religion offers true hope. Their messiah is really themselves, as in Buddhism. The truth of human history is that we cannot save ourselves. It’s something we are miserable at accomplishing.

Jesus is the only spokesperson for the most beautiful message of God’s love. He holds out His hand to every single person and says, “You can’t, but I can.” So again, today commit or re-commit yourself to His commands. Pray for people who hate each other to turn to Jesus. Pray for people who hate you to accept His love. Pray for knowledge and wisdom. Pray for your neighbors who are devoted to a religion that requires them to run daily on a never ending wheel to earn their way into heaven. And thank God that He came, revealing His light as a child born in Bethlehem.

May all honor, glory and power be given to the One True King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

Therefore let us stop 
passing judgment on one 
another. Instead, make 
up your mind not to put 
any stumbling block or 
obstacle in the way of 
a brother or sister. 
Romans 14:10

A prayer to not be judgemental of others

Holy God, we live in a world that judges us on a photo that gets scrolled by in an instant, our decision at the ballot box, the type of car we drive, or even the color of our skin. I am guilty of making snap judgements about the people I encounter throughout my day. But in your world, LORD, we are all equally loved. I have discovered the uniqueness of your message through Jesus – that you are the father, king, counselor, protector of ALL people. You are at work in all of our lives, believer and non-believer. Through the life lessons of Jesus and the prompting of the Holy Spirit I will be the type of person who loves first, rather than judges first. I want to be loved and accepted for who I am uniquely made to be and I will see others in that same light. I pray this in your Son’s name, Amen

Recently, my BSGs were talking about why the world’s major religions continue to reject Jesus. We had a great discussion about the belief systems of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews. It was great to see how knowledgeable the group was from either taking classes or reading up on the topic. What stood out to me is how much more restrictive these other religions truly are and how much work they require of their followers to attain their end goal. And when we start requiring people to work for their salvation it seems to inevitably lead to hierarchies or even caste-type systems.

You, then, why do you judge 
your brother or sister? Or 
why do you treat them with 
contempt? For we will all 
stand before God’s judgment 
seat. 
Galatians 6:10

Jesus swept this type of contempt away. In one painful death, we are all promised salvation through belief in Him. That’s it. No crazy ritual. No particular way we dress. No matter our family background. No matter our wealth or lack thereof. No matter our origin of birth. No need to pray at certain times a day looking in a certain direction. No flowers and incense placed for offering. Just, “I believe Jesus is God and my savior.”

What that one act does is it sets us all on even ground. Because one day, the truth is, we will all die. Our wealth, status, family tree, how many followers we have on Instagram will not matter one bit. Therefore, to God, it doesn’t matter right now. He cares about one thing and one thing only – the salvation of our soul.

So why do we feel the need to judge differently?

^“Stop judging by mere appearances, 
but instead judge correctly.” 
John 7:24

Jesus made this statement in defense of healing people on the Sabbath. The crowd called him “demon-possessed.” He stated that if a boy can be circumcised under the Law on the Sabbath why did they judge Him so harshly for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Jesus wasn’t doing the things the way the crowd demanded they be done so therefore He was a borderline lunatic or heretic.

When I embarked on what I called my “Sparkly New Life” a few years ago I realized my greatest issue at the time was my relentless judging of people based on “The Rules According to Kris.” It’s easy to get angry and frustrated when people don’t obey all your rules of life. The statement, “I hate people who….” Or “I hate it when…” easily rolled off my tongue.

I have noticed this, that when a man is full of the Holy Ghost, he is the very last man to be complaining of other people.
D.L. Moody

The topic of judgement has really got us Christians into hot water over the years. It seems our history of judging harshly while not loving others really turned people away. And now, we have flipped to not using judgement at all. All behavior seems to be accepted at a number of our large denominations. As a regular ole Christian, the topic of judgement has been difficult to define. I know I’m to love others but what does loving someone who is actively sinning against the Word look like?

James has two helpful hints on how to treat people:

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2:1
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. 5:19-20

In other words, treat the rich man and the poor man with the same respect. And when we see a fellow Christian on the wrong tract we are to, with the help of God, try and guide them back to the Word.

Notice there is a distinction between judging the behavior of our fellow Christians and those who don’t know the Word. It’s unkind and unhelpful to expect behaviors from people who either don’t know what they’re doing is wrong or just don’t believe in God and His consequences. But no matter the situation we are to act like Jesus – with lovingkindness. And for us non-perfect people, with the recognition that the log in our eye is our first priority.

I am so thankful for the grace that God affords me and the love He piles on me. The days I leave the house looking like I should never have left my bed. The days I can’t find my smile. For the days when my beat-up VW bug was my only transportation. For the days when I couldn’t afford the coolest jeans. For the days when my child was screaming bloody murder in the store and I couldn’t quiet her. All of it – my good side and my not so great side that I present to the world – God loves me no matter what. I want to be like that for others. A person who sees what God sees in others.

If you want this too, add the prayer to your daily prayer list and watch and see how God works in your life!

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