From Samaritan to Muslim - All May Come to the Foot of the Cross
John 10: 16: I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Christianity is not a private social club. It was not meant to be "us four and no more." There is a world out there that desperately needs Jesus as much as we did when He reached down and saved us. I say that because I receive an inordinate amount of hate email designed to appear "Christian." Messages of division that degrade people who simply do not believe what we do. Messages of self-righteousness offering up someone to hate in the name of Christ. That is not why our Lord and Savior went to the cross beloved. Here are the instructions we received from God:
And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15 (NLT)
This does not tell us to preach
the Good News only to those who look like us, or talk like us, or dress like
us, or are the same color as us. It says " all the
world" not just the areas we feel comfortable with that have people we have
pre-judged to be acceptable. Jesus says to preach this Good News to "everyone"
not just the people we think are worthy. It means the lowly, the unrefined, and
yes, even the Muslim. There are powers that be in this
world that wish to pit the Christian against the Muslim. I get email after
email telling me why I should hate the Muslim and not try to save them for God.
But no matter how many fine-sounding arguments I hear I never seem to be able
to find the verse that tells me to hate them. I find plenty of verses that
remind me that my forerunners were the Muslims of their day. They were the
outsiders looking in on the God of the chosen people,
If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Romans 11: 17-21
Read these verses very carefully the next time you think you might be better than someone else. The grace and mercy God has given to us does not make us better than anyone. But there remains an arrogant streak throughout western Christianity that seeks to pass judgment on people who are walking in the same darkness we all used to walk in. There is a lack of fear as these verses indicate. We were only grafted in beloved and praise God we were! But how does God say we should approach this opportunity?
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, - Philippians 2: 12
