Is Christianity Willing To Make Peace With Islam?

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Recently I spoke with Pastor Ken Eze from Africa about the question:  Is Christianity willing to make peace with Islam?

Perhaps you too have wondered if it’s possible for believers to make peace with Islam in light of all of the terrorist attacks.

Here I am with Ken Eze last month when he visited here in California.

Because Ken has worked for years in an area with a large Muslim population, I asked him to answer this question. Is Christianity willing to make peace with Islam?

Ken also provided this biography:

My name is Kenneth Eze. Born 62 years ago. I gave my life to Christ in 1974, three years later in 1977 I was called into full time ministry. I got married in 1981 to the love of my life, Grace. We are blessed with two daughters and two grand children.

Called to serve in Northern Africa, where Islamic challenges have been ongoing for as long as I can remember. Only becoming worse with the passage of time. The Lord has helped us over the years and we have used to plant dozens of churches and daughter churches.

By God’s grace, I am the founder and senior pastor of a church with growing daughter and grand daughter churches across  the area.

Please listen to Ken’s excellent answer to this question. To listen just click the play arrow above.

John Stonestreet wrote recently about forgotten persecuted believers in an article titled “Paris Aftermath, No Quick Fix: Where do We Place Our Trust,”

Yet, as Elie Fares, a Lebanese doctor, wrote on his blog “When my people died, no country bothered to light up its landmarks in the colors of their flag . . . When my people died, they did not send the world into mourning. Their death was but an irrelevant fleck along the international news cycle, something that happens in those parts of the world.”

Speaking of “those parts in the world,” The State Department estimated that, worldwide, 33,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks just in 2014. And it might surprise you to learn that the worst offender isn’t ISIS, but it’s Boko Haram, which like its Arabian counterpart, has declared war on its Christian neighbors.

The center of activity for Boko Haram: northern Africa, where Ken lives.

Please listen carefully to what Ken has to say on this podcast. To listen just click the play arrow above.

Consider this verse as you listen: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3 ESV)

To listen via iTunes, click HERE.

You might also want to read my article on “I Love Muslims, But…”

For more help:

• To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord click HERE to learn how.

• To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• The Koran Says to Kill Infidels, the Bible Doesn’t

• 3 Proofs Jews, Muslims and Christians Don’t Worship the Same God

• I Love Muslims But…

• Podcast: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

To learn more about this podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE. 

I Love Muslims, But…

It’s hard not to resent and even despise Islam

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Yesterday there was another mass terror attack by Muslim extremists, this time in Paris, France. It is reported that the body count stands at well over 129 dead, 352 injured with 99 of those critically injured.

In 2005 I was privileged to preach in this church in Pakistan: the banner says “Glory Gospel Assembly of Pakistan”

Around the world there continues to be incredible Muslim atrocities: beheadings, torture, kidnappings, even crucifixions.

What are all these terror attacks about? They are about a religion that teaches horrific violence to subjugate people and enforce domination anywhere in the world. If you think that is an exaggeration, please read the rest of this article.

Where Islam spreads, so does violence and domination. It is hard not to resent and even despise it. 

At the same time, as a Christ follower, I am called to love everyone, even enemies. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44 ESV)

Most Muslims are not violent. Indeed, many are turned off by the actions of extremists. They are easy to like and love. I have had the privilege of traveling to many Muslim dominated countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, and Indonesia. I love Muslim people.

While I love Muslims, here are some of the major problems with Islam and violence:

1. Islam means “submission” NOT “peace.”

There is an urban myth in the USA that Islam means “peace.” 

Actually the word “Islam” means “submission.”

The word “Islam” means “submission.”| CLICK TO TWEET

This submission is frequently enforced by domination: physical, political, cultural and so on.

Make no mistake, the goal of Islam is your submission and the domination of the entire world to the system of Islam.

In the afterlife, the goal of Islam is paradise. Paradise (heaven) for Muslims is a place of sensual pleasures. Here is a description of paradise, from the Koran in Sura 55:

“* They will recline on couches upholstered in brocade while the harvest from both orchards droops nearby; * so which of your Lord’s benefits will both of you deny? *Bashful maidens will be there whom no human being has tampered with previously,nor an sprite. * So which of your Lord’s benefits will both of you deny? They will be like rubies and coral; * so which of your Lord’s benefits will both of you deny?”

Sura 56 in the Koran also describes a paradise of “bright-eyed damsels [chaste] just like treasured pearls, as a reward for what they have been doing.”

Quoting their own sources, the goal of Islam is domination on earth (frequently utilizing terror and torture) in order to achieve a reward of sexual fulfillment in paradise with “bashful maidens.”  

For these reasons, it is hard not to resent and even despise Islam.

2. Islam has been violent throughout its history and always will be.

Throughout his lifetime Mohammed conquered by the sword. He commissioned his followers to do the same, telling them in at least 18 places in the Koran to fight and kill the enemies of Islam.

For example, in Sura 9:123 the Koran says, “Believers, make war on the infidels [that is any who do not follow Islam] who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them. Know that God is with the righteous.”

Currently there are about 1.3 billion Muslims in the world. While only a fraction of Muslims are radical terrorists, that means:

• If only 10% are radical, that equals 130 million.

• If only 1% are radical, that is still 13 million!

But even for the non radical, the goal of Islam is domination and when Islam dominates, it typically rejects freedoms:

• Women are not respected or educated

• Christians and other religions are persecuted

• Family members who convert to other religions are persecuted and/or killed

• Laws discriminate against minority religions

Our government in the USA is inclined to say that we are in a “war on terrorism.” I understand the desire not to inflame. But while it is true, it is only half of the truth. The whole truth is that we are in a “war on Islamic terrorism” which is a central part of the Koran and Islamic teaching.

3. Islam is a “works” religion which cannot offer personal peace.

How does one receive salvation in Islam? Muslims believe that one must follow the five pillars of Islam in order to be saved to avoid hell and attain paradise.

What is the problem with that? It is the same problem as in all other religions except Christianity: you become the god. It is up to you to save yourself by being good.

But how good is good enough? One never knows, never has assurance, never really has peace with God.

Only Christianity says that God is so perfect that we cannot earn our way to His presence: it had to be paid for by God Himself in the form of His Son Jesus Christ, who died in our place for our sins. 

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5 ESV)

Do Christians serve God? Yes of course! But we don’t serve to earn our way to heaven or pay our own price of admission to heaven. We serve out of gratitude. 

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV)

So I love Muslims. I especially love the thought of introducing them to Isa (Jesus), the only One who can bring salvation and true peace!

For more help on this subject, check out these articles I’ve written:

• Six Reasons all Roads DON’T Lead to Heaven

• Five Questions for Those Who Think Many Roads Lead to Heaven

• 4 Great Questions to Ignite Passion for Evangelism in a Lost World

• How to Jump off the Fence and Decide to Support Missions

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

Have You Written Your Own Bible?

Which Bible Version Do You Use? Many Use the “Me Version”

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Recently on Facebook a man responded to my article What the Bible Says About Homosexuality: Uncut, Uncensored and Unedited saying that we had better adjust our Biblical understanding to accommodate changing cultural norms. It was obvious he is looking for a way out of what the Bible says in the light of the Supreme Court ruling on “gay marriage.”

Thanks to Beth Harris and her daughter Christina for this great photo one just for this article!

Instead of following the Word of God, he apparently wanted the “Me Version” – the Bible according to his own preferences.

Far too many people want to rewrite Scripture into a “Me Version.” It’s just a lot more convenient than following the actual Word of God. How about you, have you “written your own Bible?”

There are lots of motivations for doing this:

• Some want to bend the Bible to adjust for societal changes

• Some want to twist it to justify their sinful behavior

• Some think it sounds too “old fashioned”Some want to make it “more appealing” to entice more people to become believers

But the bottom line is that they all think they know better than God.

The Bible says about itself, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

Jesus affirmed Scripture when He said, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” (Matthew 5:18 NLT)

How did we get the Scriptures? God spoke to men who wrote down God’s Word: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21 ESV)

Here is the result: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)

The problem is not with the Bible. The problem is with US! Too often we don’t like how the Word of God “pierces our soul.”

When you have written your own Bible, you’ve said:

• I know better than God

• God made a mistake

• I would certainly be a better god than God!

You may think this is laughable. But it is what many seem to think.

When you’ve written your own Bible, you have thumbed your nose at God, claiming that you are the all-knowing one, and condemn yourself to pay the price of your rebellion.

This is not a new problem. It is as old as the original sin in the Garden of Eden.

The Devil (serpent) questioned in Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say, ‘You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden‘?”

When Eve replied that there was only one tree they couldn’t eat from, the devil denied God’s goodness and said He was just trying to withhold true Knowledge from Adam and Eve.

The serpent convinced them that they knew better than God. This is just like people today who read the clear teaching of Scripture and say, “That’s not really what it says.”

They say:

“The Bible says those without Christ will spend eternity in hell…but that’s not really what it means.”“It says practicing homosexuality is sin, but that’s not really true.”“It says thou shalt not commit adultery, but it depends on the situation.”

Let’s face it: it may seem a lot more convenient to “write your own Bible.”

Who doesn’t want to be Lord of their own universe?Who doesn’t want to justify all their actions?

But is that really a beneficial way to live? NO!

Doing whatever you want to do only leads to eventual unhappiness—now, soon, later or on judgment day. “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23 KJV)

There will be a price to pay for disobedience.

You might evade the law, but you cannot evade the Lord.

You might evade the law, but you cannot evade the Lord. | CLICK TO TWEET

Finally, here is some help for you who have honest questions that tempt you to have “written your own Bible:”

01. Question: But aren’t there so many versions of the Bible that it’s teaching is really unclear?

Answer: The versions of the Bible are simply different ways of saying the same thing. Some are more literal translations of the original languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. Others are more up to date translations or paraphrases that are easier to read. But they all say the same things, just using different wordings.

02. Question: But aren’t there so many churches with so many different beliefs that it is obvious that biblical teaching is unclear?

Answer: Bible believing churches have small differences in their understanding of minor issues, such as the best way to do a baptism: immersion, sprinkling, pouring, dry clean (haha), etc. But they all agree on the basics of the faith: the fundamental doctrines. One classic statement of these is the Apostle’s Creed.

03. Question: But didn’t the Bible get changed over the centuries so that we don’t really know what it said originally?

Answer: Using various methods, we are confident that we have in our Bibles today what was originally written. To learn more about this check out this article by Ken Boa and this one as well.

04. Question: But some of my favorite and very popular spiritual leaders think the Bible can be interpreted differently, so who do I believe?

Answer: Please check out my article Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.

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