EXPOSITION:

1. This evening’s message is the last of the series "The Blight Of Islam." So I would like to wrap up our series by tying up as many loose ends as I can on our way to addressing the issue of witnessing to Muslims.

2. Now, I realize that this entire series of messages would have little appeal to those who live in the heartland of the United States or Canada, but these sermons are very important to us who live in the big cities, where Muslims are encountered every day.

3. When you get gasoline from a man named Rashid, or the clerk at a store is named Fatima, or when you drive down a boulevard and see a mosque, then you realize that something is going on that you need to pay attention to.

4. In 1974 there was one mosque in all of France, but today there are more than 1,600. In Chicago there are more Muslims than there are Methodists. In Los Angeles there are more than 500,000 Muslims. There are now Muslim chaplains in our nation’s prisons, in our nation’s jail systems, and in our nation’s military establishment.

5. But the greatest problem Christendom has when facing the onslaught of the rising tide of Islam is decisonism. The weakness and anemia of Christendom in Britain and the United States and Canada that results from decisionism makes many so-called Christians vulnerable to Islam.

6. But in China, Malaysia, Nigeria, Indonesia and other countries where there are large Muslim populations and great persecution of Christians, there are huge numbers of Muslims coming to Christ. How is this disparity to be explained?

7. Decisionist Christianity thrives in a benign environment like ours, where there is really no opposition to an empty profession of faith that isn’t a real conversion experience. But when becoming a Christian is a life and death matter then there is deep thought, profound reflection, much soul searching before a sinner comes to Christ.

8. That Christian, the real Christian who counted the cost before coming to Christ, is far more likely to serve God no matter what, because he got really saved, truly converted, in a harsh environment. When someone knows that coming to Christ probably means the death of him, how can someone threaten him with martyrdom after he has come to Christ?

9. That’s what I believe explains the spread of the Gospel in other parts of the world and the anemic brand of Christianity we see here.

10. To show you how very vulnerable a professing Christian is who isn’t really converted, let me read to you two "conversion" testimonies of "Christians" who became Muslims. First the man, then the woman. I took their testimonies from a Muslim web site:

I grew up Baptist, in a family of ministers, in rural Mississippi. I went to college at Morehouse College in Atlanta, so I was exposed to the NOI, but I had the good fortune to become friends with an orthodox Muslim who explained to me the difference between NOI and Islam, and the lack of knowledge most NOI have of true Islam. Later, after I left school and began working, I got an internet account, and started to study some of the religions of the world. I had never really been a particularly religious person, due to my somewhat scientific nature. I always insist on proof. I started to delve deeper into Christianity, and studied it intently on the Web. I was somewhat disdained however by some inconsistencies in the Bible. I principally was troubled by the Trinity, though. I just did not see it. The one passage I saw as being most supportive (1 John 5:7) was partially forged. When I read Mathew 19:16-17, and Jesus (pbuh) says "Why callest thou me good?, it was clear to me that he was saying that he was not good, and only God was. But most of the Christians seemed to think Jesus was being tongue-in-cheek at this point. I found that I would have to be dishonest to accept this.

Then fortune? smiled upon me. I hit a deer in my car. It was out of service for almost a month. During that time, I was unemployed, but had saved money, so I could live (I also have two roommates). I still had my internet account, and I decided to study more. After I had studied the Biblical contradictions, in addition to the inherent idolatry and unscriptural nature of the Trinity, along with other things, I rejected Christianity as a religion. Even Jesus did not seem to teach it, he taught belief in God. I went a time without any religion, thinking maybe it was all a sham. I have a friend who is in the 5% NOI, and I saw how much he hated religion, and I decided that I did not want to be like that. I believe that God kept my mind open and my heart from hardening against Him, and I studied Islam. Everything just seemed to fit: a reasoned faith which was very prayerful to keep us on the straight path, yet did not disdain acquisition of knowledge (the preachers back home loved to rail against education, as if ignorance is preferred by God). Islam seemed to be made for me. A good Muslim was the exact sort of person I aspired to be. After another month of study and prayer, I decided that if Muhammad (pbuh) was not a prophet, then there had never been prophets in the first place. The moment of decision came one night when I was reading the Qur'an and I read 21:30, and I read of God expanding his creation. Now, I almost became an astronomer at one point, and I still am interested, and these verses hit me like a sledgehammer. I became fearful of God, and wanted to worship him better.

My first realization about the Christian idea of salvation came after I was baptized into a Southern Baptist church at a young age. I was taught in Sunday School that "if you aren’t baptized, then you are going to hell".

My own baptism had taken place because I wanted to please people. My mom had come into my room one evening and I asked her about baptism. She encouraged me to do it. So, the next Sunday, I decided to go to the front of the church. During a hymn at the end of the sermon, I walked forward to meet with the youth minister. He had a smile on his face, greeted me, then sat beside me on a pew. He asked a question, "Why do you want to do this?"... I paused, then said, "because I love Jesus and I know that he loves me". After making the statement, the members of the church came up and hugged me... anticipating the ceremonial immersion in water just a few weeks later.

During my early years at church, even in the kindergarten class, I remember being a vocal participant in the Sunday School lessons. Later, in my early adolescent years I was a member of the young girls’ group that gathered at the church for weekly activities and went on annual retreats to a camp. During my youth, I attended a camp with older members of the youth group. Though I hadn’t spent much time with them before, they recognized me as "the daughter of a youth coordinator" or "the girl who plays piano at special occations at church". One evening at this camp a man was speaking about his marriage. He told the story about meeting his wife. He had grown up in the US where dating was normal, but in the girl’s culture, he could only be with her if they had a guardian with them. Since he liked her, he decided to continue seeing her. Another stipulation is that they could not touch each other until she had been given a promise ring. Once he proposed to her, they were allowed to hold hands. - This baffled me, yet held me in awe. It was beautiful to think that such discovery of another person could be saved until a commitment was made. Though I enjoyed the story, I never thought that the same incident could occur again.

A few years later, my parents divorced and the role of religion changed in my life. I had always seen my family through the eyes of a child - they were perfect. My dad was a deacon in the church, well respected, and known by all. My mom was active with youth groups. When my mom left, I took the role of caretaker of my father and two brothers. We continued to go to church, but when visiting my mom on weekends, the visits to churches became more infrequent. When at my dad’s home we would gather at night every night to read Corinthians 1:13 (which talks about love/charity). My brothers, father, and I repeated this so often that I memorized it. It was a source of support for my dad, though I could not understand why.

In a period of three consecutive years, my older brother, younger brother, and I moved to my mom’s house. At that point my mom no longer went to church, so my brothers found church attendance less important. Having moved to my mother’s house during my junior year of high school, I was to discover new friends and a different way of life. The first day of school I met a girl who was very friendly. The second day of school, she invited me to her house for the weekend - to meet her family and visit her church. I was automatically "adopted" into her family as a "good kid" and "good influence" for her. Also, I was surprisingly shocked at the congregation that attended her church. Though I was a stranger, all of the women and men greeted me with hugs and kisses and made me feel welcome.

After continually spending time with the family and attending church on the weekends, they started talking to me about particular beliefs in their Church of Christ. This group went by the New Testament (literal interpretation of Paul's writings). They had no musical instruments in church services - only vocal singing; there were no hired preachers, but elders who would bring sermons each Sunday. Women were not allowed to speak in church. Christmas, Easter, and other holidays were not celebrated, wine and unleavened bread were taken as communion every Sunday, and baptism was seen as immediately necessary at the moment that the sinner decided to become a believer. Though I was already considered a Christian, members of this congregation believed that I was going to hell if I didn't get baptized again - in their church, their way. This was the first major blow to my belief system. Had I grown up in a church where everything had been done wrong? Did I really have to be baptized again?

At one point I had a discussion about faith with my mom. I told her about my confusion and just wanted somebody to clear things up for me. I became critical of sermons at all churches because the preachers would just tell stories and not focus on the Bible. I couldn’t understand: if the Bible was so important, why was it not read (solely) in the church service?

Though I thought about baptism every Sunday for almost two years, I could not walk forward to be baptized. I would pray to God to push me forward if it were the right thing to do - but it never happened.

The next year I went to college and became detached from all churches as a freshman. Some Sundays I would visit churches with friends - only to feel critical of the sermons. I tried to join the baptist student association, but felt that things were wrong there, too. I had come to college thinking that I would find something like the church of christ but it was not to be found. When I would return home to my mom’s house on occassional weekends, I would visit the church to gain the immediate sense of community and welcoming.

In my Sophomore year, I spent Sundays singing at the Wake Forest church in the choir because I earned good money. Though I didn’t support the church beliefs, I endured the sermons to make money. In October of my sophomore year I met a Muslim who lived in my dorm. He was a friendly guy who always seemed to be pondering questions or carrying a deep thought. One evening I spent the entire evening asking him philosophical questions about beliefs and religion. He talked about his beliefs as a Shia’ Ismaili Imami Muslim. Though his thoughts did not fully represent this sect of Islam (since he was also confused and searching for answers), his initial statements made me question my own beliefs: are we born into a religion, therefore making it the right one? Day after day I would meet with him and ask questions - wanting to get on the same level of communication that we had reached at our initial meeting - but he would not longer answer the questions or meet the spiritual needs that I had.

The following summer I worked at a bookstore and grabbed any books that I could find about Islam. I introduced myself to another Muslim on campus and started asking him questions about Islam. Instead of looking to him for answers, I was directed to the Quran. Any time I would have general questions about Islam, he would answer them. I went to the local mosque twice during that year and was happy to feel a sense of community again.

After reading about Islam over the summer, I became more sensitive to statements made about Muslims. While taking an introductory half-semester couse on Islam, I would feel frustrated when the professor would make a comment the was incorrect, but I didn't know how to correct him. Outside of my personal studies and university class, I became an active worker and supporter of our newly rising campus Islam Awareness Organization. As the only female member, I would be identified to others as "the christian in the group". every time a Muslim would say that, I would look at him with puzzlement - because I thought that I was doing all that they had been doing - and that I was a Muslim, too.

I had stopped eating pork and became vegetarian, had never liked alcohol, and had begun fasting for the month of Ramadhan. But, there still was a difference...

At the end of that year (junior year) other changes were made. I decided to start wearing my hair up - concealed from people. Once again, I thought of this as something beautiful and had an idea that only my husband should be able to see my hair. I hadn’t even been told about hijab... since many of the sisters at the mosque did not wear it.

That summer I was sitting at school browsing the internet and looking for sites about Islam. I wanted to find e-mail addresses for Muslims, but couldn’t find a way. I eventually ventured onto a homepage that was a matrimonial link. I read over some advertisements and tried to find some people within my age range to write to about Islam. I prefaced my initial letters with "I am not seeking marriage - I just want to learn about Islam". Within a few days I had received replies from three Muslims- one from Pakistan/India who was studying in the US, one from India but studying in the UK, and one living in the UAE. Each brother was helpful in unique ways - but I started corresponding with the one from the US the most because we were in the same time zone. I would send questions to him and he would reply with thorough, logical answers. By this point I knew that Islam was right - all people were equal regardless of color, age, sex, race, etc; I had received answers to troublesome questions by going to the Qua’an, I could feel a sense of community with Muslims, and I had a strong, overwhelming need to declare the shahada at a mosque. No longer did I have the "christian fear" of denouncing the claim of Jesus as God - I believed that there was only one God and there should be no associations with God. One Thursday night in July 1997 I talked with the brother over the phone. I asked more questions and received many more pertinent, logical answers. I decided that the next day I would go to the mosque.

8. My friends, it is clear to me, as it ought to be clear to you, that the two testimonies I read were the testimonies of two young adults who grew up in rather typical Baptist churches here in the United States, while not being exposed to the essence of Biblical Christianity at all, and without either of them being born again before their conversion to Islam.

9. Their testimonies show how very easy it is for someone who is not born again, and because of that is still blind to spiritual truth, to become confused and enamored with the false religion of Islam. So, because of the rapid growth of Islam in the English speaking countries, there are three undeniable imperatives facing us:

1. The briefest of reviews before brother Isenberger comes and we take up our offering and sing a hymn, after which I will bring my sermon.

2. First, you need to make sure you are truly saved. And if you have felt under Gospel preaching that you were not saved you need to come and talk to me. I may not think you are unsaved. Sometimes a person will think he or she is not saved and I will disagree and say "O, yes, I think you are!" Come and talk to me if there is doubt. We’ll work together to clear things up.

3. As well, if your spouse thinks you are lost come and see me. There are things the person you sleep with can just feel, but may not be able to put into words. Talk to your husband or wife about this, but please do not ask them to betray confidential conversations with me without my permission. It’s not ethical.

4. And then, to get your loved ones saved, or to get a Muslim saved, three things: First, Holy Spirit-given Christian love toward that person. Second, the truth for that person. Third, Church for that person.

5. Now, let’s stand and sing.

INTRODUCTION:

1. Here you are, in Church, but you are not a Christian. There is no way you can convince anyone you are a Christian. You don’t attend Church regularly, no one really knows when you will show up or not, and there is no concern on your part to serve Christ and glorify God with your life.

2. You may or may not be a Muslim. Whether you are or not, there is one thing you need to concern yourself with that no one else will concern themselves with for you.

3. Maybe you have been or maybe you have not been truly loved by a Christian. I don’t think I was, except for the two old ladies who first witnessed to me when I was six or seven, and then again when I was witnessed to as a fifteen year old by my uncle. Other than that, no Christian love for my soul.

4. Neither did anyone ever try to get me in Church. I never resisted attending Church. I was just never invited and didn’t know to go. So, it’s better for you than it was for me.

5. You are here, I can tell you for sure that I love you, and now I want to tell you the truth about something, the truth that will set you free.

CONCLUSION:

1. To review: My friend, you have a terrible problem. It’s sin. And it corrupts and defiles and damns the soul. God hates it. And since God is holy He won’t allow any amount of sin into His heaven. So, sin is a terrible problem, because the only other place to go come eternity is Hell.

2. But Jesus is the solution to the problem. And He’d better be the solution to the sin problem, since there is no other solution. No one else has ever claimed to be the solution to the sin problem, as Jesus has. So, it’s Jesus or Hell, there are no other options.

3. Think about this. Ponder this. Consider it carefully. Weigh it with the deliberation it deserves. And then act, for unless you come to Jesus there is no good for you. Unless you believe on Him, there is no salvation.

4. Many men have died and gone to Hell knowing Jesus is the Savior but never having actually come to Him. More people than you can ever imagine. Please don’t be one of them.

5.Realize that you will never be saved from your sins unless you come to Jesus, for there is no other Savior. And there is no other faith besides Christianity which even promises to answer the sin problem. If you are not a Christian, really born again, let’s you and me sit down and talk about how you can have your sins forgiven by Jesus, the only Savior of sinful men’s souls.