The President of the United States as this is written is George W. Bush. A mainline Christian with a Methodist background who states repeatedly that “Islam is a religion of peace” and that “we all worship the same God”, he well represents the mainline’s ignorance of the issues revolving around Islam.
This represents no special discrimination by the mainline on the part of Muslims. Just as we are not quite up to the task of discerning why Muslims may wish to consider the claims of Jesus Christ, we have in general lost the ability to say why anyone should consider the claims of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Since we are not quite up to the task of stating why, perhaps it’s time to listen to Muslim Background Believers in Jesus Christ state why they risk all to follow Jesus Christ. Perhaps in hearing them, we in the mainline will regain our own “reason for being” this Christmas.
Here were their reasons:
“Many mentioned the assurance of salvation. They longed to know that their eternal destiny would be heaven and not hell.
“Another reason was the incomparable Person of Jesus. While Christ and His redemptive work was the clear centerpiece of the newfound faith of each convert, it was the all-together lovely character of Jesus that attracted them in the first place.
“Others discovered that the Bible is a truly holy book. They found the New Testament—its promises and fulfilled prophecies—irresistibly compelling.
“Some mentioned that seeing Christian converts persecuted for righteousness sake motivated them to take a closer look at Christ’s claims. They concluded they would rather be the persecuted than the persecutors.
“A quarter of these former followers of Islam told how the Lord had also given them a complementary dream or vision to get their attention and point them in the right direction. Even as God gave Cornelius a vision to prepare him for Peter’s Gospel preaching, so God, whose purposes will not be thwarted, is graciously intervening in lands where governments ban Christian workers and deny their citizens the right to read the Scriptures.
“For some Muslim-background believers, the reality of a close relationship with God was the strongest apparent factor in their conversion. Muslims see themselves as God’s slaves. To learn that God invites them to become His sons and daughters is a great discovery!
“By far, however, the most compelling reason—which is intertwined with the previous reasons—was the power of the love of God. Nearly half of those interviewed concurred that ‘the greatest of these is love.’ (1 Corinthians 13:13) To these who shifted their allegiance from Islam to Christ, love’s attraction expressed itself in two subcategories. The first category was the practical love, kindness, and compassion shown to them by God’s people. The second was the infinite, amazing love demonstrated by God’s Son who became human to suffer and die in their place.
“Most Muslims perceive God as angry, distant, and unpredictable. While all but two of the Koran’s 114 chapters (suras) begin with ‘In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful,’ those words ring hollow. It is with a stick over their heads that young Muslims learn to recite the Koran, perform ablutions, repeat ritualistic prayers, and observe the fast of Ramadan. No matter how faithfully such obligations are followed, apart from being killed in jihad, Allah offers no guarantee of entrance into paradise. Muslims do not know the God who demonstrated His love to us ‘when we were enemies.’ (Romans 5:10) Many grow up believing that God wants them to hate their enemies. A Muslim in the USA, with whom I have had extensive e-mail correspondence, wrote: ‘The last man who blasphemed the Holy Prophet to my face swallowed both his front teeth about three seconds later. I took great pleasure in the fact that the next time he spoke blasphemy it would be with a lisp.’*
As we enter the Christmas holiday, perhaps these humble new Christians who have risked all to follow Jesus Christ will remind us about what WE should affirm anew as we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into the world… do we remember what it means to delight in the assurance of salvation, in the wonderful Person of Jesus, the beauty of the Holy Scriptures, and, above all the love of God displayed in Jesus Christ.
Some - like Muslim Background Believers - consider these truths worth risking everything for. In the mainline, we need to be renewed in our appreciation of these things ourselves so we can articulate them to others. This Christmas, it’s time to renew our wonder at the grace of God and realize God’s Grace through Jesus Christ is worth risking everything to enjoy.
*Quotes above taken from “The Way of Righteousness” website quoting a Mission Frontiers survey.
