The Missing Link – Relationship

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Understanding Islam and How to Pray for the Muslim World

Introduction

It can be said that followers of Islam are missing something in their relationship with their god—relationship. Because of his character and nature, Allah does not know or understand the concept of relationship. But the essence of the character of the God of the Bible is love, which is expressed in relationship between Him and His followers.

relationship with god is possible

For the most part, the Church has not shown Muslims this relationship possibly out of fear, selfishness, or complacency. As a result of this apathy on the part of some of the Church, Jesus Himself has been standing in the gap. Thousands of Muslims have been having miraculous dreams and visions of a ‘Man in White’ and are turning to Him as their Lord and Savior. So how can we, as Followers of Christ, reach our Muslim neighbors, foreign and domestically, since we are called to make disciples of all nations?

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“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

— 2 Peter 3:9

First, we should be in prayer and always be guided by and rely solely on the Holy Spirit. He is our Counselor, the Giver of Life, and the Spirit of Truth. Without the Holy Spirit preparing a person’s heart to receive God, that person will not become a disciple, a Follower of Jesus. And without prayer, individuals’ hearts will not be prepared. Secondly, it is helpful to be familiar with Muslims’ beliefs and practices. Though we rely on the Holy Spirit, many Muslims respond positively and even feel honored that we took time to learn even a small amount about Islam. They will see that a Follower of Jesus cares enough about them to learn about what they believe.
Thirdly, we should be looking for ways to minister to Muslims’ felt needs. The love of Christ should be shown not just in words but, more importantly, in deeds. The Love of Christ is what brings Muslims to Jesus. For Muslims, Jesus or Isa, is a beloved prophet whom they respect. However, Isa is not the same Jesus of the New Testament. We should pray that the Holy Spirit reveals to Muslims the deity of Jesus, the Messiah, and the love that He has for them. When Muslims are shown the full assurance of salvation that Jesus provides, they will know in their hearts that Jesus wants a relationship with them. At this moment, Muslims will finally have what they have desired for so long—a relationship with the one true living God and full assurance of paradise.

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“So we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

— 1 Thessalonians 2:8

How to pray

Pray that God will, first and foremost, renew your faith and fill you with His Spirit. Only by the Holy Spirit can we represent Jesus and love people well. Consistenly, we need to draw our strength from Him and Him alone, never relying on our knowledge of the scriptures or our beliefs. In many cases, our experiences and belief systems can be stumbling blocks. Today, we need God to open our minds and hearts to Him anew. Secondly, we need to pray that Muslims will realize that God desires relationship with them and that through this realization they will cling to us, Followers of Christ, as demonstrators of this coveted relationship. May they see the relationship we have with our living God, which will move their hearts to jealously desire it too.

PRAYER STARTER

Father, thank you for the love that You have for me. Renew my heart and mind today in the truth and ignite my heart again with the fire like when I first encountered the truth of Jesus and received You as my Lord and Savior. Let this burning passion in me be the driving force to desire Muslims to come to Christ. Let me share in the burden that You care so passionately, desiring that none should perish, but all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus, the Messiah. In the powerful and holy name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Peter 1:21)

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent who has revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Luke 3:22)

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us, in His present rule as Head of the Church, and in His personal return in power and glory. (Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:31)

We believe in the creation of mankind in God’s image, and the fall of man, resulting in universal guilt and total depravity; and the necessity, therefore, of redemption and restoration; that all men and women are lost spiritually and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for regeneration by the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:17)

We believe salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life. (Luke 24:47, John 3:3)

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life in the presence of our Lord, and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. (Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43-48)

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the Church, which has the duty to preach the Gospel to every person. (Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 2:22)

We believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of teaching, preaching, the prophetic, the apostolic, and evangelism. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

We believe in upholding the ordinances of the church of water baptism and holy communion.

The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus, they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47,48, Romans 6:4)

The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements—bread and the fruit of the vine—, is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is enjoined on all believers “till He comes!”