Good morning everyone! It is a great day to be alive and it is exciting to be writing to you all. I hope this post finds everyone enjoying life and loving Jesus more and more.
Today was the last morning of my discussion group on "Muslims, Christians, and Jesus" and I was a little sad. This has been an excellent book to study with the men and I know they have greatly appreciated what they have learned. And a lot they have learned. Their hearts, as they shared this morning, have been changed toward those we tend to have so much fear of in our community and world. I reached a goal I had with the group and I am excited to see how they will impact the world because of what they have learned! God is good and He is doing an amazing thing in these men. I, too, am grateful for the many years of faith they express and how they have shared their great devotion to Jesus Christ. It is remarkable and worth lifting up.
Onto the meat of these last two chapters. These chapters, and even as the men expressed, are two of the best chapters in the entire book. I think Chapter 7 is worth the price of the book itself for what it shares concerning Muslims who follow Jesus.
The whole premise of chapter 7 is helping the average American Christian understand that following Jesus can happen in any culture. Carl Medearis, the author, explains that being in a culture does not make you a follower of a certain religion, it just makes you a member of that culture. Take America for instance. We have an American culture. Those who live in America and abide by that culture are called Americans, just like someone living in other parts of the world would consider themselves members of that country. The problem we do run into though is that although we do have a distinct culture in our country, we don't necessarily have a different name for it. Along with Christianity. We have a Christian culture, and those who abide by this culture could call themselves Christians. However, following after Jesus is what is most important. This is the same in Muslim contexts. They live in a certain country, so they are members of that country. They also are members of a certain Muslim culture, making them culturally Muslim. Then, there are practicing, faithful Muslims. Often what we see are only the cultural stuff; we don't get to the heart. Medearis has us look at this a little deeper. In this chapter, he asks us to examine if being called a member of a culture is what has to define us. He believes, and I wholeheartedly do as well, that you can follow Jesus and still be a member of a culture. I can follow Jesus and live in a Christian culture. A Muslim can follow Jesus and still live in a Christian culture. It can happen. This is the point Medearis is making.
The men really enjoyed this picture laid out by Medearis. It helped them examine who they are as followers of Jesus in this culture, and also, who others can be in their respective cultures. The whole point is about knowing and following Jesus. It's about living as He did and obeying His commands.
In this, we are reminded that no matter what someone calls us, if we are in Christ, ti doesn't matter. Paul said it best in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This is what we stick to and must abide in.
Chapter 8 was Medearis's wrap up chapter that reminded us of all that we had learned in the book so far. Medearis covers all the material from the previous chapters and adds a little more for the readers on how to interact with Muslims. In this chapter, he includes a list of 21 do's and don't's for followers of Jesus to remember as they have interactions. These tips were good for discussion among the men and they enjoyed knowing these. It also tied back to our sermon we heard this past Sunday.
In the sermon, the pastor told a story about Gandhi, who once considered following Christ. He was studying in England and as he went to a church to explore Christianity with a pastor, a deacon denied him access. This turned him away from salvation, and from many others following Jesus.
As I reminded the men of this story, the men realized how important it is that we know some of the do's and don't's to help us with our witness. We have so many doing destructive things toward those they don't understand. Why should we not be trying to change this!?!
And this is how the book ends, with a call to really examine our hearts and how we present Jesus. Jesus is the most important thing about our faith. He is who we must share. He must increase and I must decrease. Medearis calls us to be under the banner of Jesus, not the banner of Christianity. We can live for Him and love Him and show Him to a word so desperately in need of Him.
We all really enjoyed this book, and I think you'd benefit from reading it too. It will really expand your thinking and help you to build very beneficial relationships with Muslims.
God bless you all. Love you.
Brandon
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