Danny Kam commented on my post, “You are asking a Muslim then to choose between a future hell and a hell on earth where they are rejected by their families. Furthermore, where are these muslims to worship? Can they continue to worship in the Mosque, or is the ‘true God’ not found in the mosques? Can they pray in the mosques’ but change out the word Allah for Jesus? What about their cultural Muslim traditions like Ramadan where they will be ostracized by their communities for eating during the time of fasting?”
Danny, you are asking some great questions! Jesus never promised that it would be easy to follow Him. In fact, He said we should count the cost of being a disciple. There will be radical change in our lives when Jesus is our Lord and Savior. All the issues of tradition and culture are not easy. I suppose a Muslim could follow Jesus secretly (like Nicodemas…coming to Jesus at night and keeping his day job) but I would think that would be extremely difficult given the vast differences between Islam and a true, biblical faith.
Where to worship and pray? The woman at the well asked a similar question….and Jesus’ response was “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” So could a Muslim attend a Mosque, and actually worship the One, True God instead of Allah? I suppose that is a matter of the heart. God is not restricted by any physical buildings. But WHY would a true believer in the One, True God go to worship with those who do NOT believe in Him, but in a false god? What gain is there, except for outward acceptance by one’s cultural community?
Jesus told us to expect suffering and persecution. We will experience trials and hardships as a result of our faith. In fact 2 Tim 3:12 says, “Indeed, ALL who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL be persecuted,” and John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. and Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Is there a painful, heart-wrenching choice to be made? Will there be tears? Yes. Will a decisions be made lightly? No. But the Apostle Paul tells us that there is no comparison between our temporary, light “hell on earth” and the eternal joy we will experience with Jesus! I’m banking on Jesus to be with me through whatever I face here, and enjoy HIM forever!
May I suggest another John Piper article? Obstacles to the Eternal Life of Muslims
Filed under: DIG Deeper!, Theology | Tagged: Allah, Bible, conversion, eternal life, God, hell, Jesus vs Mohammed, John Piper, Muslims
Hi Pam,
Your response to my questions is complete and I first wanted to say thank you SO MUCH for not getting angry or upset at me for asking difficult questions. I will be adding you to my reader for future discussions as well…
From what I understand from my (relatively small) amount of research in the subject is that being a Muslim convert to Christianity is not just something where they are persecuted, but an extremely scary and daunting task that most do not finish. Let me quote Ziya Meral, a Turkish Christian, whom my girlfriend heard speak when she studied abroad in Egypt:
For me this is not a debate. I’m not really saying you’re wrong and I’m right, but that both of us live in relatively stable houses (my California home is probably a bit warmer than your Minnesota home). I mostly just wanted to make you aware of this perspective.
I don’t want to speak for Ziya, but he might ask you to come to Turkey and experience this persecution for yourself before you tell him how he missionaries and others should act in Muslim countries. This is not me trying to say I am better than you or that we shouldn’t evangelize, but the question for both of us to consider is quite simple:
What do we really know in America about persecution? The answer? Probably nothing.
Oh Danny, you are SO right! The American church knows nothing of real suffering! I am doing this series on Islam for the Sunday School class I teach for 11-12th graders, and am not an expert in any of this. I know from an aunt who has been a missionary-nurse in some of the hardest areas of the world (Muslim countries near the Red Sea) that conversion poses the most daunting challenges. I have done more reading and research on the persecuted church in China, and how they have sensed God’s purpose in their suffering to be the growing of the Church there for missions. In fact, they feel called by God to GO to the hard places, the Muslim lands, where they may be accepted more easily than us “soft” Americans! (Have you heard of the “Back to Jerusalem” movement?”) These Chinese missionaries feel God has prepared them through what they have faced in China, to spread the Gospel in the harshest places, where they will probably suffer and die for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ!
Thanks for the ongoing conversation!
Pam,
I’m glad that we agree on this. What is the “back to Jerusalem movement?”
It’s funny that you mention China because that is where my girlfriend is now.
Danny
[...] The Cost of Following Jesus Instead of Mohammed Posted on November 12, 2008 by prlarson2 Danny Kam commented on my post, “You are asking a Muslim then to choose between a future hell and a hell on earth where they are rejected by their families. Furthermore, where are these muslims to worship? Can they continue to worship in the Mosque, or is the ‘true God’ not found in the mosques? Can they pray in the mosques’ but change out the word Allah for Jesus? What about their cultural Muslim traditions like Ramadan where they will be ostracized by their communities for eating during the time of fasting?” [...]