God Loves Muslims!
/How would Jesus respond to Muslims? We know how. He would treat them like he treated the Samaritan woman at the well, the Roman centurion who came to Him for help, and the tax collectors and prostitutes. Jesus would treat Muslims like he treated Simon the Zealot – the Zealots were urban terrorists of the day – he would invite him to follow Him! Jesus would treat Muslims like he treats you and me. With love, respect, and huge compassion and amazing grace.
One of the greatest challenges we face as followers of Jesus in today’s world is how to respond to Muslims and violence in the Middle East. Some believers are fearful that Muslims are our enemy and are “out to destroy our way of life.”
Should we circle the wagons in alarm and fear? Should we warn everyone how bad Muslims are and alert people of their plots to “destroy our nation,” as one American believer said to me?
No fear! No hatred! No, none for us who follow Jesus. We have a calling from God to love Muslims. They are not our enemy. The real enemy wants us to see people as our enemy. We should respond in the following ways:
Pray with love – ask God for that love if you don’t have it
Believe God with faith – believe God to reveal Jesus to every sincere seeker and to those who don’t seek!
Give sacrificially – give your life to go and give your finances to help others go
Let’s up the ante, shall we? Let’s call the enemies bluff. He has not power except that which people give him. Let’s meet fear with faith, hatred with love, and cowardice with compassion. Let’s be like Jesus!
A close friend, Carl Medearis, has written one of the best books you will ever read about Islam. It is titled Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships