Monday, 20 December 2021

Come, let's share God's Love

Forward this to your friends if you like this 😊

🙋‍♂️Hallo Friend, I want to Share God's Love to you.
Do you know a God that cares about you and loves you dearly?💓 May to experience Him during this year end time as well as during this time when we celebrate the Child that was born in Bethlehem, our Messiah Jesus Christ!👉✝️

Read more about this God in the Bible. 

(You can Download your own Online Bible here and even select it in your own language)
https://www.qrownn.com/eng/index.html


Friday, 10 December 2021

Welcome to read the Book on the Blog:

 Welcome to read the Book on the Blog: 

GOD & ISLAM - FACTS & MYTHS

at the link https://god-islam-facts.blogspot.com/

Best to read the Book is to start with the HOME BUTTON where you will get the explanation of how the Blog-Book works as well as seeing the CONTEXTS of the whole Book. 

By clicking on any of the TOPICS there, the specific CHAPTER that you selected will open up for reading.

You are also welcome to join the WHATSAPP GROUP connected to the Book for chats, questions and comments.

Join here... https://chat.whatsapp.com/LZLt87fKvFC2dtMBMjG4qy

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

New Facebook Group: Come, let's share God's Love to Muslims

New Facebook GROUP: Come, let's share God's Love to Muslims.

Please read this letter that I sent after an invitation from a "Love Muslims Together" Network from Canada. Welcome to take your own action in respond to the contents.
Especially look to the last Paragraph where you are invited and are able to join our Local Initiative - a Private Facebook Group "Come, Lets share the Love of God to Muslims"
****************************************************
Thanks for sharing your Love Muslims Together Network for Canada.
We would love to take hands with you especially to learn more from your way of doing things..
(I include their Website address as I want you as our partners on our side to study it yourself - https://lovingmuslimstogether.outreach.ca/ )
May I introduce myself:
I am an Afrikaans speaking South African, retired missionary pastor, part of a ministry CCM (Christian Concern for Muslims), but this ministry is not functioning well at this stage.
During the last few years we try several initiatives to reach out to Muslims. Here are various smaller initiatives going on but we are not really succeeding in much with bad networking seeming our biggest problem.
I am very interested in your Love Muslims Network for Canada. I think we can learn a lot from you and even copy your network in our country. We will definitely like to learn from you and use whatever training material is available from your side.
I call our ministry KoFie.Project (Koninkryksfokus Internet Evangelisasie, Afrikaans for Kingdom Focus Internet Evangelism).
Just to give you an idea of what we tried to do up till now:
We started with two Facebook Pages:
1) Conversations with Muslims: https://www.facebook.com/GodAlsoLovesMuslims
2) Know and Understand Islam: https://www.facebook.com/KnowInsideIslam/
3) Then we have a Facebook Group with the same Name: Conversations with Muslims:
Both Pages grew in followers (together more than 16,000), but the numbers are of small importance and do not help much in our efforts.
4) Lately, during the time of Covid, I did some research and study to bring together all material I can lay my hands on in a Book on a Blog: [God & Islam - Facts & Myths] with a link that I post on Social Media as well as sharing it in handouts in personal contacts with Muslims.
Note: This link is blocked by Facebook; To get the link of the Blog-Book, please register on the WhatsApp Group God-Islam-Facts https://chat.whatsapp.com/GuUPU9CfLPG7ii6RBtL1PD
(Oh! this is Not Facebook here; So I can share the Link here..

5) We also add a WhatsApp number on our Pages, and get a lot of messages on WA, with whom one can continue further (Unfortunately Facebook and WhatsApp - the same organisation) - Blocked us every now and then (they also Blocked my WA number and I lost all my contacts built up till then. Now FB Blocked my link for the Book, although we already have 7700 visitors on the Book-Blog (Our aim was 10,000 at December)
But there are ways to again solve the challenges. (I am also busy publishing the Blog-Book on Amazon as a Kindle Book - maybe as a series of more than one)

6) We also formed a few WhatsApp Groups, mainly for prayer supporters, inviting Muslims to study the Bible from a Muslim Perspective, but also with the aim of trying to reach Muslims in conversations (rather than focussing on "debates" )
Information of a Few of the Groups:
-1)Welcome Group: Hallo friend, Welcome @ "Kingdom Focus" 💥As we receive many responses from our WhatsApp buttons on Facebook, we develop a WA-Welcome Group from where positive motivational material can be DOWNLOAD for FREE.
Many more info of our other WhatsApp Groups of Kingdom Focus Projects.
(☺You can easily leave the Group again if you are not satisfied)
To join our Welcome Group click @ https://chat.whatsapp.com/KW729wZ4m1dLiKpIbQT7R0

-2) God-Islam-Facts: All INTERESTED in the new Published Book 💢GOD & ISLAM - FACTS & MYTHS💢, to read for FREE; if you want to ask questions or make any comment, you are welcome to join here... https://chat.whatsapp.com/GuUPU9CfLPG7ii6RBtL1PD

-3) Muslim&Christian Talks: This is an open Group for Conversations between Muslims and Christians, discussing issues that anybody may have with the others. As Christians we only have one purpose: To share the Love of God with others. Yes, He also loves you! (You can read about this in the Bible, John 3;16)
Only one rule: Respect for each other and each other's viewpoints. If you disagree, say why and not play the man instead of the ball.

-4) Muslims encounter God: The testimonies of once dedicated Muslims; Personal stories; Strong and Powerful; Miraculous; Overwhelming.
Many share their stories, like...
"I left Islam because I studied Muhammad's life; I accepted the Gospel because I studied Jesus' life" (Nabeel Qureshi)
That was the truth that set him free!

Our main focus is to share the Gospel via Internet initiatives on Facebook and WhatsApp with advertisements of the posts on Facebook and Google Ads. etc.
We get lots of responses, and have good discussions with those that comment on our posts or message us on WhatsApp.
We have a small group of helpers from our side (mainly as prayer supporters and as Admins on our Pages) while many Christians join us when seeing our posts from all over, people that give amazing support and sometimes give very good feedback in their responses with visitors on our Pages and Groups.
Where you think our material can be of value for your networks (our Book, Facebook Pages and Blogs) please share or use it freely.

Today we also launch this new Facebook GROUP:
Come, let's share God's Love to Muslims.
To join this Private Secure Group... https://fb.me/g/2TpVaGRZs/PybHjkvP (This link will expire within 24 hours. Contact me at forgive70X77@gmail.com if interested afterwards; Then I shall send you a new link or direct invitation)
Our purpose is to be more constructive in planning the way forward together with the willing people that are interested in such a network.
Let's see where God leads us in 2022
For His Glory and Honour alone.
Chris Visser (Forgive More)
Koninkryksfokus - Kingdom Focus
Phone: +27 82 926 9364; WhatsApp +27 76 4285260

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Welcome to read the Book for free: God & Islam - Facts & Myths

Welcome to read the Book for free: God & Islam - Facts & Myths

Even better, share it with your Muslims friends

WHO WILL LIKE TO READ THIS BOOK?


1. This book is for Muslims -
- that seriously serving Allah and are searching for the real truth
- to consider and rethink all the facts about their religion as found
in the most recent research information available ...
- About the origin of Islam and the 'preserved' Quran 
- About the historical timelines of the Quran, the Hadith, prophet
Muhammed and Islam's birthplace Mecca   
2. This book is for Christians -
- That seriously serving God and want to be better equipped to
share the Gospel to All Nations - also to Muslims
 3. This book is for Everybody -
- That has an interest in History, Religion and God's Plan and
Purpose for Mankind - us included

 To read the Book click on the Picture or go to the link 




Sunday, 21 November 2021

A tough question to Christians

"I was raised as a very devout Muslim in the United States. And the fact of the matter was, every time I connected with a Christian, I realized they didn't know why they believed what they believed.
The Christians who were around me wouldn't share the gospel with me, and I never realized why. 
I concluded either they didn't believe the gospel was true, or if they did believe it, they didn't care if I went to hell." ~Nabeel Qureshi

WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN?


Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Open Questions to Muslims: Apostasy in Islam

A Few Open Questions to Muslims:

1) Why are people not allowed to criticize you religion and prophet openly? (Isn't it a sign of "cover up" and that such a religion can't exist on the "open market" )
2) Why is it illegal for Christians to freely share the Gospel openly in Muslim countries, evangelising, sharing Bibles etc and building Church Buildings?

3)Why are Christians, especially missionaries, persecuted, put in jail and always fear for their safety?


4) Why does Islam need Force and Fear to stop their members from leaving the religion?
(Read some of the Many testimonies that all proof that)

WHY ARE MUSLIMS NOT FREE TO LEAVE ISLAM IF THEY WANT?
Why Apostate Laws? (Muslims know that is true, but one sometimes get responds like "Its not true")




Why not read one of the many books available on this subject "Leaving Islam; Apostates speak out"






Thursday, 2 September 2021

Muslim Followers of Jesus?

Muslim Followers of Jesus?

Joseph Cumming

Editor’s Note: This Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper was written by Joseph Cumming as an overview of the topic to be discussed at the related session at the Cape Town 2010 Congress “Islam”. Responses to this paper through the Lausanne Global Conversation were fed back to the author and others to help shape their final presentations at the Congress.

Can one be a Muslim and a follower of Jesus? Is that an oxymoron? How should Bible-believing Christians evaluate this?

In 1979 my best friend decided he saw himself not as a “Christian,” but as a “Messianic Jew.” John came from a secular Jewish background and was actually a practicing Hindu before he met Jesus. Then, for three years he was active in a Bible-believing Christian church. But now John felt called to reconnect with his Jewish roots, join a Messianic synagogue, keep a kosher home and raise his children Jewish. He saw no contradiction between following Jesus as Messiah and identifying – ethnically and religiously – as Jewish.

Like most Christians in the 1970’s, I initially reacted with skepticism, quoting biblical texts I thought rejected kashrut as contrary to our liberty in Christ. I gradually learned that those texts could be understood differently, and came to respect the legitimacy of the fledgling Messianic movement. But not before I hurt my friend by my hostility to his effort to explore his identity as a Jewish follower of Jesus.

The wider Jewish community also reacted negatively. Most saw Messianic Judaism as simply repackaging centuries-old Christian efforts to convert Jews, destroying Jewish identity. To them Messianic Jews were not Jews at all. Recently, however, some Jewish leaders and scholars have cautiously suggested that Messianic Jews who faithfully observe Torah and halakha, who participate constructively in the life of the Jewish community, and who pass on Jewish traditions to their children, are in error but must be recognized as fellow-Jews.

In the 1980’s a similar movement began among Muslims who had come to faith in Christ. These were Muslims who trusted Jesus as Lord and divine Savior, believed Jesus died for their sins and rose again, and insisted this did not make them ex-Muslims or converts to the Christian religion. They wanted to remain within their Muslim community, honoring Jesus in that context.

Reactions in both Muslim and Christian communities have varied widely. On the Muslim side some have been persecuted for their beliefs, while others are cautiously accepted within their communities. On the Christian side defenders see them as “Messianic Muslims” whom we should accept – just as we accept Messianic Jews – as authentic disciples of Jesus. Critics argue that Islam and Judaism are different – that Muslim identity cannot be reconciled with biblical faith.

When Nabil (1) had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus, he remained within the Muslim community, participating in Muslim prayers. As his love for Jesus became known to family and friends, some followed his example, but others actually attempted to murder him. After being imprisoned for his beliefs, he decided he no longer considered himself a Muslim. He saw Islam as the system responsible for persecuting him. Today Nabil considers himself a Christian. But some who followed him in faith still see themselves as Muslims.

Ibrahim was a well-respected scholar of the Qur’an, a Hafiz. When he decided to follow Jesus, he closely examined the Qur’anic verses commonly understood as denying the Trinity, denying Jesus’ divine Sonship, denying Jesus’ atoning death, and denying the textual integrity of the Bible. He concluded that each of these verses was open to alternate interpretations, and that he could therefore follow Jesus as a Muslim. Soon members of his family and community came to share his faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Ibrahim was also imprisoned for his faith, but unlike Nabil, Ibrahim still wanted to follow Jesus as a Muslim. Nonetheless some whom he led to Jesus no longer see themselves as Muslims. Ibrahim and Nabil are friends and respect each other as brothers, though they disagree about their identity.

As Christians from other cultures meet believers like Nabil and Ibrahim, they have mixed reactions. Phil Parshall and John Travis have, between them, worked more than 60 years among Muslims, and they respectfully disagree with each other. They published a series of articles in missiological journals, setting forth points on which they differ. Numerous articles by others have followed.

In technical terms this is known as the “C4-C5 debate,” drawing on a scale designed by Travis to describe various Christ-centered communities (“C”) with which Muslim-background believers in Jesus (MBBs) identify, and the ways in which they understand their identity:

C1 – MBBs in churches radically different from their own culture, where worship is in a language other than their mother tongue

C2 – Same as C1, but worship is in the MBBs’ mother tongue

C3 – MBBs in culturally indigenous Christian churches which avoid cultural forms seen as “Islamic”

C4 – MBBs in culturally indigenous congregations which retain biblically permissible “Islamic” forms (e.g. prostrating in prayer), investing these with biblical meaning. They may call themselves something other than “Christians” (e.g. “followers of Jesus”), but do not see themselves as Muslims.

C5 – Muslims who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior in fellowships of likeminded believers within the Muslim community, continuing to identify culturally and officially as Muslims

C6 – Secret/underground believers

The most vigorous disagreement is between C4 and C5 advocates. To help readers understand the issues, I’ll set forth here concerns expressed by C1-C4 advocates troubled by C5. Then I’ll summarize responses from C5 defenders. These concerns and responses are in quotation marks to make clear that these are others’ views, not necessarily my own. After these I’ll add my own comments.

C4 concern: “Scripture (e.g. 1Ki 18:21; 2Ki 17:27-41) condemns syncretism. Trying to be both Muslims and followers of Jesus is syncretistic.”

C5 response: “This is not the syncretism Scripture condemns. C5 believers live under the authority of the Bible (e.g. 1Cor 9:19-23; Acts 16:1-3; 21:20-40), reinterpreting or rejecting anything contrary to Scripture.”

Comment: Both sides of this discussion have done serious exegetical work in Scripture which they believe supports their view. It is impossible to do justice to either side in this article. Readers would do well to examine articles in the journals EMQ and IJFM where the biblical issues are set forth.

C4 concern: “Islam and Judaism are different: one cannot compare ‘Messianic Islam’ with Messianic Judaism. The Hebrew Scriptures are recognized by Christians as inspired; the Qur’an is not. The mosque is pregnant with Islamic theology which explicitly denies biblical truths.”

C5 response: “Islam and Judaism are different, but both are monotheistic. Islam recognizes the Torah and New Testament as Scripture alongside the Qur’an. Rabbinic Judaism sees as authoritative not just the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh) but also the Talmud, which, like the Qur’an, contains a mixture of material compatible and incompatible with the New Testament. Traditional synagogue liturgy also seems to repudiate New Testament teachings, but both liturgies can be reinterpreted, and attendance at prayers does not necessarily mean affirming every word of liturgy.”

Comment: The term “Messianic Islam” is unhelpful. For Jews the messiahship of Jesus is a watershed issue, whereas Muslims recognize Jesus as Messiah but raise other objections to Christian beliefs about Jesus. Most Muslims believe the text of the Bible has been corrupted, but some Muslim scholars disagree. C5 believers affirm the Bible as God’s Word. Sacred texts must be examined closely, considering whether proposed interpretations are legitimate and honest.

C4 concern: “The C5 approach is deceitful. How would you feel if Muslims showed up at your church claiming to be Christians, then tried to convert your people to Islam?”

C5 response: “It is not deceitful if C5 believers are transparent with the Muslim community about who they are and what they believe. C5 believers honestly see themselves as Muslims, not as ‘Christians pretending to be Muslims.’”

Comment: Remember: Travis’s scale describes how believers born and raised as Muslims see their identity, not how cross-cultural Christian workers see themselves.

C4 concern: “The Muslim community won’t tolerate such aberrant Muslims within their ranks.”

C5 response: “It’s too soon to be certain of that.”

Comment: The Muslim community can speak for themselves. When I have discussed this with Muslim leaders, their primary concern has been whether these people continue to practice the moral and ritual requirements of the Muslim community with which they identify.

C4 concern: “To call oneself ‘Muslim’ is to affirm Muhammad as a true Prophet of God. That is incompatible with the Bible.”

C5 response: “Actually ‘Muslim’ means different things to different Muslims. C5 believers have a variety of views about Muhammad, including: 1) one can be culturally Muslim without any theological affirmation about Muhammad; 2) Muhammad was a prophet, but not always infallible (cf. 1Thes 5:20-21 and Caiaphas in John 11:51); 3) Muhammad was a prophet for Arabs, but not for other peoples; 4) Muhammad was a true Prophet whose words have been misinterpreted; 5) this question is unimportant either way.”

Comment: For the overwhelming majority of Muslims, the Prophethood of Muhammad is non-negotiably essential to Muslim identity. But the word “Muslim” (literal Arabic meaning: “submitted to God”) does mean different things in different contexts. The Qur’an calls Jesus’ first disciples “Muslims” (Q3:52). In some societies “Muslim” and “Christian” refer more to ethnicity than to religious beliefs.

C4 concern: “C5 MBBs retain Muslim identity to avoid persecution for the Cross of Christ.”

C5 response: “That’s unfair judging of motives. The issue is religiocultural identity, not the Cross of Christ, which C5 believers affirm.”

Comment: If C5 believers are trying to avoid persecution, it isn’t working. Many have been terribly persecuted, suffering imprisonment and worse for their convictions.

C4 concern: “What about the Church? Do C5 believers see themselves as part of Christ’s Body?”

C5 response: “C5 believers form Christ-centered fellowships in which they study the Bible, pray, and celebrate baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are ekklesiai in the New Testament sense, though they may look very different from what Christians usually call ‘churches.’”

Comment: Studying and obeying Scripture helps local fellowships be holy and apostolic. But Scripture also calls fellowships to recognize the unity and universality of the worldwide Body of Christ. Some C5 fellowships, and some workers partnering with them, have very negative views or broken relationships toward non-MBB churches. Other C5 fellowships have healthy attitudes toward the wider Church.

C4 concern: “I have heard some C5 groups have sloppy Christology. This alarms me.”

C5 response: “Some C5 believers do have fuzzy Christology, but so do ordinary Christians everywhere. What matters is C5 believers’ direction of movement – toward Jesus Christ. They are praying in his Name, worshiping him as Lord, experiencing his supernatural working in their lives. With each passing day their Christology moves higher.”

Comment: That seems reasonable for new believers. But as this movement grows and its leaders mature, one hopes those leaders will understand sound Christology and articulate it in terms intelligible to their flock. Sensitivity to direction of movement is right, but only with clarity about the ultimate destination of that movement – toward Jesus Christ, not only as Savior and sin-bearing Lamb, but as eternal uncreated Logos, God manifest in human flesh.

Some thoughts regarding identity: C5 believers like Ibrahim challenge assumptions about what it means to be “Muslim” or “Christian.” We all have more than one identity. For example, most American Christians assume one can be both a patriotic American and a faithful Christian, though they may disagree with some things their government or fellow-citizens do. Believers like Ibrahim seek to be both authentic Muslims and faithful disciples of Jesus, critically evaluating what their fellow-Muslims do and teach in light of the teachings of Christ – sometimes accepting, sometimes reinterpreting, sometimes disagreeing. Do such disagreements require American believers to repudiate American identity or C5 believers to repudiate Muslim identity? How can each best be “critically loyal” to the community of their birth and to their family heritage, respectfully critiquing what is unscriptural, while upholding God’s Commandment to “Honor your father and your mother”?

Ever since the Wesleyan revival and Great Awakening of the 18th century, evangelicals have insisted that what matters most to God is not one’s identity as “being a Christian,” but rather whether one has a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. David Brainerd was expelled from Yale in 1742 for remarking that a certain faculty member (a loyal “Christian”) had “no more grace than this chair,” because he had not experienced personal relationship with Jesus.

Does it follow that it is totally unimportant for believers to call themselves “Christians”? With Messianic Jews, the evangelical community mostly accepts that the label “Christian” is not essential. Is the same true for C5 believers, or is Islam too radically different? If the latter, then what specific differences between the Jewish and Muslim communities prompt us to accept one and reject the other?

Let me close with a plea from my own heart. In recent months this debate has grown acrimonious. Muslim-background believers like Nabil and Ibrahim are mostly unable to participate directly in the discussion, because doing so would expose them to further persecution beyond what they have already suffered. Instead Christians from non-Muslim backgrounds are holding a debate over their heads, anathematizing first Ibrahim, then Nabil. But Nabil and Ibrahim themselves respect each other as brothers and are able to disagree in love.

As for me, remembering how I hurt my Jewish friend in 1979, I want to be very careful about hurtfully rejecting brothers who have already suffered rejection and prison for Jesus. Jesus said: “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

As Nabil and Ibrahim understand their position in the universal Body of Christ, they must listen to counsel from others around the world. But if we understand our position in that same Body, then we must respect their fundamental human right to sort out – under the authority of Scripture – how they express their identity as followers of Christ. It is they whose lives are quite literally on the line. If they can respect each other after suffering prison for Jesus, then surely we can treat them both with respect.

© The Lausanne Movement 2010

  1. Because Nabil and others in this article have faced prison and murder attempts for their beliefs, this article uses pseudonyms for their protection.

Tuesday, 10 August 2021

“A Muslim Shot and Killed My Friend”

I want to share this Post from Shane Bennett in a recent Muslim Connect

"Love Muslims the way Jesus Loves Muslims".

I wrote in a recent Muslim Connect, “If a Muslim shot someone you loved and that made you mad, I get it. Of course it did.”

My friend Kea sent a beautiful response to that comment. Excerpts of her story comprise most of today’s email.

“I’m in the very small percentage of your readers who would check the box ‘Have had a Muslim shoot someone I love,’ (a dear friend serving as a teacher in Iraq) and yes, it would be natural for that to have made me mad and for me to still be bitter nine years later. 

But. . .but Jesus.

. . .but Jesus has suffered on my behalf and as an example for me, teaching me what it looks like to love and pray for my enemies.

. . .but Jesus, knowing I would need a head start to respond graciously, prompted me several years before my friend was murdered to start pleading with Him to enable me to do the impossible task of forgiving whoever was responsible, if and when my friend was killed. When I was reeling from the news, the young murderer was the only one for whom I could pray. The Lord filled me with a deep love for him.

. . .but Jesus used the death of my friend to show me the battle is not between Muslims and Christians, but between Satan and Christ. This tragedy sparked a flame that still burns, prompting me to seek out deep relationships with Muslims around me.

Don't get me wrong if what I wrote above makes it sound like healing was easy, but the Lord's grace is so abundantly present if we're willing to receive it!!”

Kea is willing to be a resource for anyone who may be struggling with fear, anger or bitterness because of wrong done to them or a friend by a Muslim.