The Call for Muslim Evangelism

Who Qualifies as a True Prophet of God?

(from criteria revealed by the Scriptures)

“Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

We would all agree with Amos that God uses prophets to fulfill His purposes on earth. At times other individuals are used to prophesy a specific event. The office of a prophet, however, is a specific task given only to certain chosen men. Many of us know the names of the more famous prophets: Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Yahya, and so on… Muslims add to the list of prophets another name, Muhammad, whom they believe to be the final and greatest of all prophets. But how is it that men have come to have the office of prophet? What gives them the authority for calling themselves “prophet”? If we follow the message of a prophet, it is important that we ensure the validity of his calling as well as the truthfulness of his message. In the Scriptures we find God’s three qualifications for the office of a true prophet. Let us now examine these qualifications.

Click here to examine the 3 qualifications of a true prophet.

The true nature of any religious system is exemplified through the life of its founder. Have you ever wondered why Muslims believe what they believe, and why they are so adamant about defending it? To understand their actions we must look at the teachings of the one with whom it all originated. The following links will provide you with information on the life and message of Islam’s prophet.

From Muslim Website –

http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/Muhammad_Bible.HTM 

From Christian Websites - http://debate.org.uk/topics/trtracts/t02.htm

http://debate.org.uk/topics/trtracts/t03.htm 

http://debate.org.uk/topics/trtracts/t04.htm

http://debate.org.uk/topics/trtracts/t05.htm

http://www.answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/muhammad.html

http://www.answering-islam.org/Green/test.htm

Digging Deeper!!!

http://debate.org.uk/topics/theo/muhammad.htm

Before criticizing any book, one should read it and get to know it. However, the Qur’an is not an easy book to understand.
A Topical Study of the Qur’an is a helpful starting point to get an overview on its major topics.

Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 5:00 p.m

For our session in January we will use “Battle for the Hearts - Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam”

Small group time will be available to practice responding to questions such as:

Why did Mohammad move toMedina?

Why does Mohammad fail the two Biblical standards of a true Prophet?

How does the life of Jesus compare to the life of Mohammad? 

Location:  Vision Baptist Church, Alpharetta, GA

Visit the vision news blog

While being a Muslim in the late 1980’s, and seeking the truth within Islam, I was faced with a number of challenges as I tried to reach out and invite Christians to the truth of the Quran and Islam. One such challenge was the belief that Jesus Christ, or Isa of the Quran, was God Incarnate (God in the flesh). The Quran claims Isa was a Messenger, none the less one of the greatest Prophets. Since this came from the Quran, I believed this as fact. Beyond being a messenger and prophet, I believed the divine claims by Christians were simply excesses that the church leaders in general and Paul in particular popularized. Since this belief was a foundational aspect of Christianity, I started studying it with the intent to prove to the Christians that Isa was neither God in the flesh, nor a Son of God, but rather a great Prophet. In this context I wanted to provide evidence to them from the Quran, Hadith and from their own Bible, specifically the Gospel accounts and history, that this belief of Isa being God to be a foreign concept and the explanation by Christians of the Trinity weak and unsupportable. My goal was for the Christians in my life to accept Islam as the true and final religion and the Quran as the eternal guide for their life.

I therefore spent much time studying this topic, armed primarily with the Quran, the Bible and other supporting works by Muslims and some non-Muslims. I was clear about some very basic assertions of Islamic teaching regarding the oneness of Allah. After the Fatiha (Surah 1), which is the main prayer for guidance for a Muslim, the Surah Ikhlas (Surah 112) that I learnt and recited more than any other is that of Allah’s unity.

Click here to read this article in it its entirety.

In Acts 17:22–31 the apostle Paul built on areas of “common ground” as he prepared his listeners for the good news of the gospel. Even though he was addressing Gentiles whose beliefs were erroneous, he didn’t rebuke them for having a doctrine of devils— “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Neither did he present the great truth that Jesus of Nazareth was Almighty God manifest in human form. This may have initially offended his hearers and closed the door to the particular knowledge he wanted to convey. Instead, he built on what they already knew. He first established that there is a Creator who made all things. He then exposed their sin of transgression of the First and Second of the Ten Commandments. Then he preached future punishment for sin.

There are three main areas of common ground upon which Christians may stand with Muslims. First, that there is one God—the Creator of all things. The second area is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet of God. The Bible makes this clear: “And He shall send Jesus Christ,…For Moses truly said to the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you of your brethren, like to me; him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say to you” (Acts 3:20–22). The Qur’an (Koran) says: “Behold! The angel said ‘O Mary! Allah giveth you Glad Tidings of a word from Him. His name will be (Christ Jesus) the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah’” (Surah 3:45). In Surah 19:19, the angel said to Mary, “I am only a messenger of thy Lord to announce to you a gift of a holy son.” Surah 3:55 says, “Allah said: ‘O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself.” It is because of these and other references to Jesus in the Qur’an that a Muslim will not object when you establish that Jesus was a prophet from God.

This brings us to the third area of common ground. Muslims also respect Moses as a prophet of God. Therefore, there should be little contention when Christians speak of God (as Creator), Jesus the prophet, and the Law of the prophet Moses. Most Muslims do have some knowledge of their sinfulness, but few see sin in its true light. It is therefore essential to take them through the spiritual nature of the Ten Commandments. While it is true that the Law of Moses begins with, “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before Me,” it may be unwise to tell a Muslim, at that point, that Allah is a false god. Such talk may close the door before you are able to speak to his conscience. It is wise rather to present the Law in a similar order in which Jesus gave it in Luke 18:20. He addressed the man’s sins of the flesh. He spoke directly to sins that have to do with his fellow man.

Therefore, ask your hearer if he has ever told a lie. When (if) he admits that he has, ask him what that makes him. Don’t call him a liar. Instead, gently press him to tell you what someone is called who has lied. Try to get him to say that he is a “liar.” Then ask him if he has ever stolen something, even if it’s small. If he has, ask what that makes him (a thief). Then quote from the Prophet Jesus: “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27). Ask if he has ever looked at a woman with lust. If he is reasonable, he will admit that he has sinned in that area. Then gently tell him that, by his own admission, he is a “lying, thieving adulterer-at-heart.” Say, “If God judges you by the Law of Moses on Judgment Day, will you be innocent or guilty?”

At this point, he will more than likely say that he will be innocent, because he confesses his sins to God. However, the Qur’an says: “Every soul that has sinned, if it possessed all that is on earth, would fain give it in ransom” (Surah 10:54). In other words, if he possessed the whole world and offered it to God as a sacrifice for his sins, it wouldn’t be enough to provide atonement for his sins. Imagine that a criminal is facing a 50,000 fine. He is penniless, so he sincerely tells the judge that he is sorry for a crime and vows never to do it again. The judge won’t let him go on the basis of his sorrow, or his vow never to commit the crime again. Of course, he should be sorry for what he has done, and of course, he shouldn’t break the law again. The judge will, however, let him go if someone else pays the fine for him.

Now tell him that Moses gave instructions to Israel to shed the blood of a spotless lamb to provide a temporary atonement for their sin; and that Jesus was the Lamb that God provided to make atonement for the sins of the world. Through faith in Jesus, he can have atonement with God. All his sin can be washed away—once and for all. God can grant him the gift of everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ on the basis of His death and resurrection.

The uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth was that He claimed He had power on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:2–6). No other prophet of any of the great religions made this claim. Only Jesus can provide peace with God. This is why He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

God commands sinners to repent and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, or they will perish. To try to justify himself, your listener may say something like, “The Bible has changed. It has been altered. There are many different versions, but the Koran has never changed.” Explain to him that there are many different versions, printed in different languages and in modern English, to help people understand the Bible, but the content of the Scriptures remains the same. The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that God has preserved the Scriptures.

Tell him that the 100% accurate prophecies of Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 2 Timothy 3 prove that this is the Book of the Creator. Your task is to present the truth of the gospel. It is God who makes it come alive (1 Corinthians 3:6,7). It is God who brings conviction of sin (John 16:7,8). It is God who reveals who Jesus is (Matthew 16:16,17). All God requires is your faithful presentation of the truth (Matthew 25:21).

Answers from the Evidence Bible

The challenge of the unoccupied fields of the world is one to great faith and, therefore to great sacrifice. Our willingness to sacrifice for an enterprise is always in proportion to our faith in that enterprise. Faith has the genius of transforming the barely possible into actuality. Once men are dominated by the conviction that a thing must be done, they will stop at nothing until it is accomplished. We have our “marching orders,” as the Iron Duke {Arthur Wesley, Duke of Wellington} said, and because our Commander-in- Chief is not absent, but with us, the impossible becomes not only practical but imperative. Charles Spurgeon, preaching from the text, “All power is given unto Me. Lo I am with you always,” used these words: “You have a factor here that is absolutely infinite, and what does it matter as to what other factors may be. “I will do as much as I can, says one. Any fool can do that. He that believes in Christ does what he can not do, attempts the impossible and performs it.”

Does it really matter how many die or how much money we spend in opening closed doors, and in occupying the different fields, if we really believe that missions are warfare and that the King’s Glory is at stake? War always means blood and treasure. Our only concern should be to keep the fight aggressive and to win victory regardless of cost or sacrifice. The unoccupied fields of the world must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost. Raymond Lull, the first missionary to the Moslem world, expressed the same thought in medieval language when he wrote: “As a hungry man makes dispatch and takes large morsels on account of his great hunger, so Thy servant feels a great desire to die that he may glorify Thee. He hurries day and night to complete his work in order that he may give up his blood and his tears to be shed for Thee.”

Samuel Zwemer (The Apostle to Islam)

Read on…

Why has the church of Jesus Christ not gone into this neglected field?

Four thousand years ago Abraham cried out to God, “If Only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” This heart-rending plea of a father for his son touched God’s heart, and He replied, “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will Surely bless him…. I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 17:20, 21). Today the spiritual sons of Ishmael are called Muslims—the People of Islam. Over 1 billion Muslims are scattered around the world and they are still outside the Covenant. They have been blessed in a material sense, but they have not been saved. They have submitted to God, but not to His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Little more than 4 percent of the missionary force is endeavoring to reach this vast multitude which comprises 35 percent of all unevangelized peoples of the world. Unplanted fields bear no harvest. Islam is an unplanted field! Instead of being evangelized, Muslims are evangelizing. They are sending out thousands of missionaries to preach the message of their prophet, Muhammad. Saudi Arabia has given millions of dollars to promote Islam in America. Mosques, such as the one in Chicago which cost $15 million, are being built in many major cities. New Mexico is the site of America’s first all-Muslim community, called Dar al Islam. Situated on 1,280 acres, the orthodox Sunni Muslims intend to evangelize America from this center. In England more than 300 closed churches have been converted into mosques. Muslims expect their religion to have the highest number of adherents worldwide because, they say, Islam is “best suited to solve the problems of all areas…if human civilization is to be preserved from destruction, then Islam is the only religion for the world tomorrow…

Why has the church of Jesus Christ not gone into this neglected field?

 ShawnCuthill.com :: SimpleGathering.com