I received the following in a missionary prayer letter and thought it was powerful food for thought, so I requested permission to post it on my blog. Due to the dangerous mission field in which the missionary is serving, he asked to remain semi-anonymous, posting only his first name.
Often, I receive many emails forwarded from friends, and have numerous internet articles, published by believers, sent to me warning of how Muslims are coming for me and my children. This material is either detailing the bloody history of Islam, or ranting on the extreme wickedness in which Muslims are engaged. These communications often suggest, or outright state, that Muslims are God’s vehicle for punishment upon all nations. The authors try to convince us how these diabolical fiends are plotting various and sundry ways to remove my head from my shoulders and display it for the world to see. They attempt to show that the “Islamic Beast” is rising and in a few short years from now, every nation will be under sharia law; that the American government is in cahoots with them to take over America and then the world. These people seem to suggest that Muslims are hiding behind every tree and rock just waiting for an opportunity to use their RPGs. Then, there are the feeble attempts to demonstrate how the Bible compares with the Qur’an; how Jesus compares with Mohammed; and how Allah cannot possibly be the true God.
Please understand, I am not so naive as to ignore world history. I realize that a great deal of evil in our world has been caused by the religion of Islam. But there has been much wickedness perpetuated in the name of “Christianity” and the other thousands of religions down through time.
Most often, we become stirred up about the fruit of a matter when we should concern ourselves with the root. We must deal with the root, which is, that man is “dead in trespasses and sins,” and he will stop at nothing to carry out the unfathomable evil which is in all of our hearts. For sinful man, there are no depths too low and no wickedness too great.
To whatever degree any of the above is true, it is due to abject failure of God’s people to be obedient to the command of Christ. The evil lies, not with the lost sinners around the world, but at the doorstep of those who claim to be true believers and yet will not extend kindness to the Muslims in their neighborhood. One of the greatest evils imaginable is the disobedience of God’s children. We say we have the truth, and yet, to our shame, do so little with It. The plight of our world can be laid at the doorstep of those who have the greatest truth in all the world and yet hide their candle under a basket.
It just may be that we spend too much time and energy combating the seemingly overwhelming tide of wickedness, when we should be busy simply lifting up the name of Jesus. There is no comparison between the Bible and the Qur’an and there is no comparison between Jesus and Mohammed. If I may be so bold as to say this, it is my conviction if true believers spent as much time proclaiming the Gospel to Muslims as is spent on “warning” against the dangers of Islam; and, if believers spent as much time proclaiming the Gospel as is spent on getting people out to vote or to attend a protest, our world would be a very different place. One should not be afforded the right to speak out against the evils of Islam unless he is obedient in taking the Gospel to these precious ones caught in the throes of false religion.
While my heart breaks to hear of the horrific events taking place around the world, I know that true believers have the Cure. We forget that before we met Jesus, we, too, were in that same horrible pit of sin and at enmity with a righteous God. Without His mercy and grace, we, too, would be engaged in every evil imaginable. The Cure is Jesus.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7). Fear is not of God; it is an effective tool of Satan to cause us to withdraw from those after whom we are to be pursuing with the heart of God. When we properly fear God, He removes all the lesser fears of life. The reason we fear them is because we do not fear Him the way we ought. We are the messengers of God, Who desires all men to be reconciled to Him. Our work is lifting Him up (John 12:32). Please pray that God will give us His boldness as we are obedient to Him in our responsibility of giving the Gospel.