Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Achieving Genuine Peace
A while back The Reformed Evangelist plugged some materials related to evangelism to Islam.
I love hearing these stories, but I am disappointed that The Reformed Evangelist did not point out the utter importance of this evangelistic effort. There is far more at stake in evangelizing the Islamic world than just the precious souls of those that find Jesus. Our souls too are at stake.
As the insurgency in Iraq demonstrates, the violent strain in Islam is significant in numbers, it is not just a few crazies. And they are highly motivated. They simply will not stop. And with Iran on the verge of the bomb, and Europe less than a generation away from being essentially Islamic, we could find ourselves in a Cold, and perhaps even genuine shooting, war with the forces of Islamism. Bottom line, we cannot kill them all. Something must be done to destory the violent tendencies of this branch of Islam.
Can you think of a better way to do that destruction than to introduce them to Christ? I have no hope that we can convert the terrorists, but the peaceful majority is ripe for the picking. Do you honestly think the average joe in Iraq likes what is going on around him?
But we are going to have to get very serious about our evangelism. This "Jesus loves you just the way you are" stuff appeals to us pampered Americans, but people in the Islamic world need a Jesus less touchy feely and more "tearing through the Temple." Are we prepared to show that side of Christ to them? Do we even know Him?
To do the evangelism that is necessary in this part of the world, we have got to work on ourselves a bit and take our faith far more seriously than we do.
We will save souls, and we will bring genuine peace.
Related Tags: Islam, evangelism, Iraq, Afghanistan, peace
During a recent ministry trip overseas I was presented with some astounding statistics on Muslims coming to Christ. As the sources are involved in restricted access areas, they do not want their names mentioned as sources, neither can I personally confirm the accuracy of these reports. However, for your interest and information: I?ve been informed that there are now over 50,000 believers in Afghanistan. Before the war there were less than 100 Christians in the country. Today there are more than 400 Christian missionaries in Afghanistan, operating in each of the 34 provinces, for the first time in Afghan history. One of the missions involved in Afghanistan claims that there are today over 50,000 Afghan Christians.I have a friend that took a brief mission trip to Afghanistan immediately after we invaded, he can tell some fascinating stories.
Another mission involved in Iraq claims that, in the year before the war in 2003 there were only 3,000 known evangelical Christians in Iraq, and only six evangelical churches. Today there are more than 25,000 Iraqi believers in 25 churches in Baghdad alone. And hundreds of new churches in other areas of Iraq.
I love hearing these stories, but I am disappointed that The Reformed Evangelist did not point out the utter importance of this evangelistic effort. There is far more at stake in evangelizing the Islamic world than just the precious souls of those that find Jesus. Our souls too are at stake.
As the insurgency in Iraq demonstrates, the violent strain in Islam is significant in numbers, it is not just a few crazies. And they are highly motivated. They simply will not stop. And with Iran on the verge of the bomb, and Europe less than a generation away from being essentially Islamic, we could find ourselves in a Cold, and perhaps even genuine shooting, war with the forces of Islamism. Bottom line, we cannot kill them all. Something must be done to destory the violent tendencies of this branch of Islam.
Can you think of a better way to do that destruction than to introduce them to Christ? I have no hope that we can convert the terrorists, but the peaceful majority is ripe for the picking. Do you honestly think the average joe in Iraq likes what is going on around him?
But we are going to have to get very serious about our evangelism. This "Jesus loves you just the way you are" stuff appeals to us pampered Americans, but people in the Islamic world need a Jesus less touchy feely and more "tearing through the Temple." Are we prepared to show that side of Christ to them? Do we even know Him?
To do the evangelism that is necessary in this part of the world, we have got to work on ourselves a bit and take our faith far more seriously than we do.
We will save souls, and we will bring genuine peace.
Related Tags: Islam, evangelism, Iraq, Afghanistan, peace
