Worshiping Jesus in the Mosque
The [rest of the community] have started to think now, and they say, "Lial lial rasul Isa"—"These are the people of the messenger Isa." They'll say, "Who are these people? These people are not Christians. These people are not Muslims. Who are they? Let's go and hear what they are thinking." We explain as much as possible from the Bible. People ask us, "Who is Isa for you?" Our answer is, "He is the Word of Allah." Then we quote from the Qur'an, but explain what the "Word of Allah" means from a biblical perspective.
If the Muslim community thinks the new believers "are not Christians and are not Muslims," what do the new believers themselves think? What is their self-identity?
When they first come to believe in Isa, of course they still think [of themselves] as Muslims. What else could they think? We are not telling them they are now Christians.
But when they understand the gospel more clearly, they don't want to have an Islamic religious identity. Yet they also do not want to let go of their cultural identity as Muslims, which naturally includes forms from their previous way of life and worship.
Where is Jesus in the life of the people in your movement, the People of the Gospel?
When people want to know our faith articles, we can tell them. But when it comes to individual people, we cannot say so easily, because they are not all on the same level. We find some people who say Jesus is God, some who understand that Jesus is the Savior. Others say he is the Word of Allah, without explanation, as they are struggling to understand what that means. Sometimes they understand Isa, other times they don't. So we have to instruct them.
We have to teach them from the things that they already know. For example, some people may not [understand] if I tell them that Jesus died on their behalf. Islam has a different theology of sin; they don't accept that Jesus died on their behalf. It is true that he died on their behalf, but it is not the only benefit [of Christ's death].
When he died on the cross, he defeated death and the one who owned the power of death, Satan. And because God raised Jesus from the dead, he was appointed by God as a judge on the Day of Judgment, and the Savior from the Day of Judgment. The Cross is the answer for every [issue] in life. It is the solution regarding our relation to God, Satan, sin, death, and so on.
It is the evangelist's responsibility to choose which benefit of the Cross is the answer for the spiritual needs a Muslim feels. Then gradually the Holy Spirit will explain the benefit of the Cross as it relates to their sin.
Muslims are afraid of evil spirits; they are afraid of the Day of Judgment. They are afraid of the Devil. I have a message from the kingdom of God that addresses all of these spiritual needs. So we are using the Muslim way of thinking about Isa, even if it is incomplete. If Muslims understand even one of these, they will call to Isa, and the Holy Spirit can lead them to understand more benefits of the Cross.
There are lots of opportunities in Islam; there are also lots of challenges. But the opportunities are bigger than the challenges. We must remember that it is not we who are bringing God to the Muslim people. He was already here.
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Grieving with the Good Friday God
La complejidad hispana: Todo cambió en el 2012
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Hussein wario
... I don’t know what Scripture you quote in justifying your position about your public sins which should be dealt with publicly. Are you claiming you should not be challenged for publishing an article full of misrepresentations about your interviewee’s native country in a leading evangelical magazine? I have Abu Jaz’s position paper, which he has shared publicly. The paper is full of distortions and based on my experience interacting with you would probably claim defamation if I make my response public. Why resort to this tactic?
Hussein wario
Gene Daniels, you are a master at evading questions. You claim that I say “anything” I “can to defame Abu Jaz and cast doubt on him” while my comment had nothing to do with defaming your interviewee but bringing up a question he was asked after he had given a speech in a public setting and his inability to answer it. You have made claims about his movement having “thousands” of members. He was challenged in a public forum and you are complaining again I am being unfair to him. You have not answered any question regarding the misrepresentation of your interviewee’s native country, the state of the church in his native country and now the number of converts which your interview cannot even defend in front of his native people who know him. (By the way, he now denies the content of your interview of him.) How can pointing out distortions of facts in what you have published and in a public speech your interviewee has given rumor mongering? [Continued...]
Gene Daniels
Hussein, As for rumors of "paying converts." I have worked in the Muslim world for many years. These kinds of rumors are a common way for Islamic leaders to explain why people are converting. As long as poor people convert, there will always be suspicion about why they converted. But you and I both already know this, so why are you repeating this stuff? I'll tell you why, you are saying anything you can to defame Abu Jaz and cast doubt on him. This comment is a perfect example. You offer a supposed quote from Abu Jaz, and then try to make it smell corrupted without any intrinsic connection. That is, by definition, rumor-mongering, and my brother it is sin. You need to repent! And furthermore, if you were there to hear his speech in person, why didn't you act according to Scripture and speak to him face to face about your concerns?