GOD’S HEART FOR MUSLIMS

Hello Steemians! This is your boy qwrist. I have been out for like a week because the esteem for ios was out; I saw the update just today. I cannot draw, create a graphic image and I am not also good at granting investment advice. But there is one thing I know I can do: and that is to write. This is my way of promoting steemit. By creating engagement through my posts. Today I want to talk about the above-mentioned subject matter. So sit back, read and learn something

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INTRODUCTION

It is a sad fact that many Christians are ignorant of God’s purposes for the Muslim world. Rather than having God’s heart for the Muslims, they feel threatened and become hard-hearted towards them. Some see Islam as a threat which can only be conquered by military might.

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They have forgotten that we do not use the weapons of the world ** (2 Corinthians 10:4)** and we are not fighting against flesh and blood.

NOT LIKE JONAH

Dear friends, we should not become like Jonah who was resentful and opposed God’s command to preach the message of salvation to the people of Nineveh. Because of his prejudice, he wanted them to perish in their sins just as many today wish to see all Muslims in the world destroyed. Such a Spirit is not from God. Have we forgotten so soon how Jesus responded to the disciples James and John when they asked him whether he was going to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who rejected even Jesus himself?

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you version bible
The fact that a sect or religious group is opposed to our beliefs does not mean we should hate them and wish to see evil befall them. The spirit of Christ is full of love. Loving when we are hated is what makes christians different.

THE ENMITY BETWEEN JEWS & ARABS

The enmity between Jews and Arabs has its history in the conflict between Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16:4; 6; 21:9-10) and later the struggle between Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 21:8-9) and their decendants (Genesis 25:18). Unfortunately, over the years, it has found its way into the current Muslim-Christian polarization. Today, it has even gone beyond the religious borders into the political arena where the West, emblematic of Christianity, is seen to be at loggerheads with the Middle East or the Arab world. Even up until today, the settlement of peace between Jews and Arabs seems as elusive as ever. In this post, and subsequent post(s), attempts will be made to expose ghe basis of this so-called polarization as being fallacious and an orchestrated lie by the evil one just to keep the Arab world in tight isolation from being reached by the gospel of Jesus Christ. what is even more disturbing is the fact that many christians has fallen victim to this lie abd have become partakers in deepening the gulf between the Christian and the Muslim worlds. This post also seeks to jolt the Christian stereotype mentality about Arabs ( and other Muslims) and present the rightful positive image about these ** "other sheep"** who are currently not part of the flock. This in turn will provide us with the correct perspective and incentive based on God's agape love, to reach out to Arabs and muslims who basically are of the same kindred and must be shown ** the only way to pass through the gate into the sheepfold**.

THE SONS OF ABRAHAM

In Genesis 21:13, God promised Abraham that HE would also make Ishmael into a nation because he was also the offspring of Abraham.
Genesis 25:7-10 clearly demonstrates the fact that on the death of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury him. It is pertinent at this point to ask the question, what can we learn from this verse? I believe sincerely that you will all agree with me that the first identifiable lesson is Love; the love Isaac had for his brother Ishmael. The second lesson to be learnt is the fact that Isaac kept track of his brother Ishmael at any point in time. Therefore when their father died, he didn’t hesitate to inform him for the two to join hands in burying their father, even though Ishmael was not the promised child. God promised.
Despite this biblical evidence, some Christians still argue that Ismael was an illegitimate child (they even use the offensive term, “bastard”) and that his descendants (Arabs and Muslims) are therefore to be regarded as outcasts.

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However, a closer look at the relevant passages will show that they have grossly distorted the truth of God’s word. First we should note that the fact that Hagar was a maidservant did not make Ismael an illegitimate child. We can support this assertion by examining the case of Jacobs 12 children when encapsulated the children of the maidservants of the maidservants of Leah and Rachel.
This argument is further supported by Galatians 4:22 which states that Abraham had two sons. Wait a minute, from Genesis 25:1 we see Abraham that Abraham had 6 other sons with Keturah when Sarah died. However, when Abraham died, only 2 of his sons namely Isaac and Ishmael cane together to bury him. Does the word of God then contradict itself here? No way! for the first chapter of 1 Chronicles contains the genealogy of Abraham and it gives the names of the sons of Abraham as Isaac and Ishmael ( verse 28) but later in verse 32, it also gives the names of the other six sons not as the sons of Abraham but as ** the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine**. Thus as far as the Bible is concerned, Isaac and Ishmael are the only 2 sons of Abraham. If the word of God classifies Ishmael as a legitimate son of Abraham, who are we to consider him and his descendants as outcasts?

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In God’s plan of salvation, further study ofGalatians 4:21-31 Ismael becomes the type of those born in the natural way who are enslaved to the law whereas Isaac represents the children of promise who are born free having been set free from the law by Christ. ** If we Gentile Christians on the basis of Christ Jesus claim to be much as the descendants of Abraham and consider Abraham to be our father, then we must recognize that Ishmael and his descendants have a more direct inheritance from Abraham and as such we must not hesitate to touch them with the good news of Jesus**.

THE OTHER SHEEP

In John 10:16, mention is made of the other sheep which must be brought to join the others. There are 2 schools of thought regarding this. One school of thought points to the gentiles as the other sheep while the other school of thought seeks to argue for something different from the gentiles. In Genesis 25:13-16, we are told that Ismael gave birth to 12 sons who became tribal rulers. Their names were Nebaioth, Kedar, Midirin, Mishmash, Dinah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These 12 sons of Ishmael became the heads of the of the 12 Ishmaelite or Arab tribes. These were included among “the nations” referred to so many times throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 60:6 tell us how Sheba(Present day Yemen) How all her people will come with gifts to praise the Lord. Another instance is found in Isaiah 19:23-25 the word of God says Egypt and Assyria will come and worshiping God to worship. Note that Egypt and Assyria are Arabic nations yet God says they will come and worship in God’s temple.

SO WHAT THEN?

According toIsaiah 60:7,Kedar along with Nebaioth(the first son of Ishmael) will come and offer a sacrifice of rams in God’s glorious temple.
Besides in Isaiah 19:23-25, God calls Egypt His people, Assyria His handiwork along with Israel His Inheritance Thus Israel and Assyria are also God’s people. This is to say that the Bible clearly anticipates a day when the descendants of Ismael and other Muslims will come to worship God and be counted among His people.

Therefore, Christians must remove all barriers to the preaching of the Gospel to the descendants Of Ishmael and Arabs for they are closer to salvation than we think and they occupy an important place in God's heart

SOURCES

Ahmad Agyei, Sharing the Love of Christ with your MuslimNeighbor, 2001
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