{Sorry it’s taken me so long to pick back up with this last part of the “Removing Ignorance” posts regarding Muslims. I hope they have been enlightening thus far, and I hope this post is equally as challenging…it challenged me as I wrote…}
Do we as Christians avoid those of other faiths because we are afraid of them? Are we too insecure in our own faith to engage in dialogue with them? It seems that we are afraid that we might find out we are wrong or something. So, we simply choose to stay away from people who are different from us; they “threaten us”, right? I know that many people reading this feel uncomfortable at the mere thought of sitting at a table with a Muslim, listening to what they think/believe about Allah.
Do we not believe that the Gospel is also for Muslims? Can Christ’s blood cover over their sins as well? (If we’re “measuring” things here you’d probably find they have “less sin” than we do…chew on that) Is grace for “them”? If so, then how are we living our lives in such a way to prove that? How many Muslim friends, or friends of another faith do you have? Be they Mormon, Hindu, Muslim, etc. The truth is that most of us are uncomfortable being around those who are different from us. Whether it be moms who choose not to be around other moms who “mother” differently, or guys who are into sports not wanting to be around “nerds” who enjoy building computers, we all seem to migrate towards those who are just like us.
As Christians in America we have chosen our primary method of “reaching the lost” being a weekly church service that we can invite these “other people” to. Guys, when was the last time you know of a Muslim visiting your church? I don’t care what kind of church it is; you can probably not recall such a time. How will the Great Commission be fulfilled, and the nations reached if we expect the nations to come into our churches when it is obvious they will not do so?
Again, I think it’s time we each got out of our bubbles, and made friends with some people who are different from us…
Before my trip to DC a few weeks ago I visited a Mosque here in Vegas, and met some friendly Muslim men from Morocco. It was an interesting experience. They were THRILLED that I was there inquiring about Islam. They even gave me an evangelistic track about Islam. Seriously! It was as if I was the first non-Muslim to ever step foot on their property. They were excited, and desired for me to know about their faith in Allah through the Prophet Muhammad. (It was just as shocking for ME to go the THEIR “church” as it would be for THEM to come to MY “church”) They invited me, and my family back for one of the prayer times later that week. We haven’t gone yet, but probably will very soon.
So much of the experience reminded me of how we do things as Christians…the Mosque was a HUGE and beautifully crafted peace of architecture. People gather to this “sacred” place to worship and pray. (Muslims do seem to get a little better use out of their buildings than us Christians, though. They use it several times/day every day of the week) I was greeted by Muslim men who handed me tracks, and shared how “happy” Islam would make me. I was invited back to a service later in the week. They both seemed uncomfortable sharing what exactly it was that would “make me happy”, & decided it would be easier to hand me the literature & invite me to a service instead. I could go on and on…
Guys, think about it. How often have you visited a mosque, temple, synagogue, etc. if ever? Then what in the name of Jesus makes us think people of other faiths will visit our churches? We must take the Gospel to the world.
I encourage you all to make it a priority to pursue a relationship with someone who is very different from you. You will probably be uncomfortable, but will learn a lot. Watch as the Gospel of Jesus infiltrates that relationship (as you allow it to). You may get to see a life transformed…
