Sunday, February 12, 2012

Be always ready to share the word

Be always ready  to share the word in season and out of season.

 Few days ago, a friend and work mate of mine who is devout Muslim started talking to me about God in the context of his religion. Not trying to be obvious, he began by putting it  in generally terms. Need less to mention that the last time we had a talk about religion, he was slightly offended and we resolved not go that way, seeing work laws forbids such issues.

I noticed that as we was talking he boosted of being the best in his religion (Muslim) and belittled Christianity and Jesus. He would go on and mock the idea of salvation and not to mention quoting the scriptures out of context just to qualify his ideas. He boasted of having gone through the bible and Koran several times. In his theory he put    Abraham, Jesus, Mohammad, Moses and Elijah in the same category of great prophets. He said as Muslims they respect Jesus and Mary but to say that Jesus is God is mockery. He denounced the virgin birth, denounced the Trinity, spoke high of the old testament but denied the new testament.  He did this for about fifteen minutes while I waited for him patiently to finish
After he was done I respectfully asked him  test a question, I said "So what do you think is the right religion in your opinion? He said that is not a fair question. I said you seem to be going around researching and digging the truths, so tell me straight up which religion is best. This question however warmed him up  and he continued confidently but he could not answer me directly even though he continued misquoting some Bible verses again and again. In all this I am listening to my spirit.
He finally gave me a chance to speak. I said to him If you want to know more about what I believe or what my religion is, please go and read in the scriptures about what Jesus claimed to be, and what people said he is since you read the Bible so much! I said if you do that you will know exactly what my faith, religion  and belief is. He said to me bluntly, "Jesus never claimed to be anything" I said OK I have seen that you quote the Bible out of context. I said Jesus said "I and my father are one" he said "I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but by me"

I said John 3-16 says For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternally life. Roma 10-17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. I quoted Eph 2 v 8-9. For by grace ye have been saved through faith and that not of your selves lest any man should boost. Roman 3v23-25 For all have sinned , and came short of the glory of God, (24)being justified by faith freely through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (25) Whom God sent forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, throughout the forbearance of God.

I further broke it down to that salvation is a free gift which cannot be earned or deserved. All one need to do is accept Jesus in their heart. I told him that without accepting Jesus human kind is lost. Jesus is the saviour. For the first time the second ranking person in the greater Indianapolis had nothing to say.

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