Lesson 07/08/07

Are all Muslims the same?
How old is Islam?
How does the Wahabi sect differ from other Muslims?
Who controls/finances the Wahabi?
What is the difference between Sunnis/Shiias/Kurds?
How do Muslims and Islam differ? Compare to Christians
Who finances building US mosques?
What education do Imams have/who finances?
What is the best way to reach Muslims?
How do N. African Muslims differ from other groups?
Why do Muslims want to wipe out Israel?
Why are we (US) so tolerant of Muslims of they want to kill all infidels?
Why don’t Muslims assimilate with other peoples in Society?
Do their leaders tell them to keep to themselves?
What is the Hadith? How did it come upon the scene?
What is the relationship between Hadith and the Quran? Which carries more weight?
When was the Quran written and by whom?
If the Koran requires Muslims to abstain from friendships with non-muslims, to slay the non-believers, how can Islam co-exist with any other religion?
Would Sharia law conflict with the U.S. Constitution?
Is Allah just another name for God? What is the history of the name ‘Allah’ and how did it materialize?
Are Arabs descendants of Ishmael and Esau?
What is ‘jizya’?
Does the Quran teach tolerance and peace?
Does the Koran contain any commandment to love one another? In any Quranic verse does Allah love anyone or any act by a ‘believer’?
Is there a ‘Quranic’ reason why Iran’s president Maho\moud Amadinejad offered President Bush to convert to Islam as well as the people of the US in his open letter several months ago?

I never really thought about woodpeckers on the Ark, but I have to admit I do wonder how some things made the cut! I have to admit to asking God why He bothered with some of the creatures on my list of “questionables”.

“Why bother?” is one of those questions we’ve heard a lot since we’ve been back in the US. When we share about our Muslim ministry, since 9/11 especially, a lot of people want to know why we care about the thousands of immigrant Muslims in our country today. We hear about them. we see them and there’s a real sense of anger, fear and uncertainty that, sometimes, can be felt when we talke about them.

Our ministry is all about immigrants and aliens. In the last half of 2005 (when government officials could still ask for religious preferences) 65,000 Muslims immigrated into the US. It’s a hot topic these days, so we’re going to talk about ‘aliens’ a little bit. Are there differences between one ‘alien’ and another? What “rights” do they have? How shoud God’s people treat them? We, obviously, are focusing on Muslims when we mention ‘aliens’, but let’s see if we can find out why God “bothers”. What does He have to say about aliens?

Strong’s Lexicon 1616
גֵּר [ger, or (fully), geyr /gare/]
“stranger”, “sojourner”, “guest visitor” , “alien”, “pilgrim”
(each word is from the same root)

Foreigner
Ex. 12:43

From another country
Residing immigrants
Not following the Mosaic Law
Considered outsiders

Stranger/Aliens
Ex. 12:48

From another country
Residing immigrants
Following the Mosaic Law
Considered a resident

Exodus 12:43-49 Standing under the Law
v. 43 - Foreigner – Not living under the Law
An outsider - No religious privileges
v. 49 - Stranger - Living according to the Law
Accorded Passover participation

Leviticus 19: 33-34 Charge to the citizens
Love the ‘stranger’ residing among you as yourselves for you were aliens in Egypt. In other words, treat them the way you would want to be treated.

Deuteronomy 1: 16   Charge to Judges
        Judge righteously between a man and his fellow countrymen or the alien who is with him. Those following the Mosaic Laws were entitled to equal justice.
Joshua 20:9   Equal justice for the sons of Israel and sojourners

Deuteronomy 10: 17-19 God’s provision/Citizen’s responsiblity
v. 18 – God shows His love by giving food and clothing to‘aliens’
v. 19 - Citizen show your love for you were once aliens in Egypt
Jeremiah 22:3 Do not mistreat or do violence to strangers….

Deuteronomy 26:11-12 – Provision according to the Law
A portion of tithe goes to strangers for food & contentment

Matthew 28: 19, 20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Mark 16: 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Luke 24: 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations – beginning from Jerusalem (where you live).

Acts 1: 7, 8 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or dates which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Acts 26: 16 – 18 But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Colossians 1:21, 22
You were alienated, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds but…
Now you are reconciled through Christ – holy, blameless & beyond reproach
Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.
Why should we care? We were no different than the ‘aliens’ we’re discussing, but because of Christ, we are holy and blameless! Jesus, speaking to all of his disciples, said that they/we should share that gift – even with hostile ‘aliens’ when He puts us in the place to do so.

Ephesians 2:12
Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Why should we care? Muslims live in deception and darkness. All they have is an empty ‘hope’. They ‘hope’ they make it to Paradise. They have no promises for the present, a future with Christ, or a place with him for eternity.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Why should we care? Muslims account for a huge percentage of the world’s population. There is no exception to the word ‘all’ in this verse but Jesus’ followers are His tools of choice to bring Muslims into fellowship with Him.

Hebrews 12: 1, 2
Therefore, … and let us run with endurancethe race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Why should we care? Our Savior hung on that cross for the “joy” of having eternal fellowship with His creation… you …me …and those ‘aliens’.

What about the fact that they’re where we were … bound by darkness, but in ways we can’t understand.
And then there’s our God given responsibility to share the Gospel with all those who don’t know Christ.
Jesus considered the joy of personal fellowship with the people of His creation worth an agonizing, humiliating and shameful death on the cross and being covered by our sin in the body of a man, seperated from God the Father.
From a purely ‘human’ perspective, what do you think about Self Defense as a reason ?J Their numbers are growing.. They aren’t all militant. Most are no different than we are. But they are deceived.

Between schools, the Air Force and raising support, we’ve traveled around a lot and I’d like to tell you about a little church in Philadelphia that changed our ministry.

They weren’t great evangelists or notable Bible scholars. Just regular ‘folks’.
But they are faithful! They take what they have and use it for Christ.
They do not teach/live a ‘social gospel’ but keep His word Holy and always claim His presence in their lives.
Because they are so good at what they do, they have been written up in journals and others that claimed to be Godly have come and seen that God has something special going here.
They have been protected and blessed in more ways than we know.

You’ve probably already guessed that this little church wasn’t in Pennsylvania, but in Turkey and because of their faithfulness they were one of two churches that received only praise from Jesus. You can read about them in Revelation 3:7-10.

We’ve been asking the question “Why bother?”, but I wonder if the more important question isn’t “Are we faithful”? Are we using what He has given us the way He want’s us to use it?

We are blessed in this country. “The uttermost parts of the world” are coming to us. We don’t have to leave home to reach them. We have open doors.. .. and we have a choice. God has made it clear that, for us personally, this is the ministry of His heart and we appreciate this opportunity to share what we’ve learned about Muslims and Islam so that you will be better able to relate to the Muslims God will put in your lives.

Will we be faithful to use the little power we have to honor Christ and stand before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach?