"If you don't have enemies, you don't have character."
— Actor Paul Newman, 19252008
After a short night of rest, Michael and Pamela awoke to see a wonderful bright day of a clear sky and a reasonable temperature. They missed the prebreakfast prayer meeting, and they were nearly the very last ones in the breakfast line at eight am!
They chat a little while eating breakfast. Eric came over to point out the speaker of the evening service. “The speaker is Bashir alBarad'i. That is a wild name, where is he from?” asked Eric.
The body language from Michael and Pamela indicated their ignorance of any answer to Eric's question. “Well Eric, it looks kind of Middleeastern sort of Arabic, does it not?” asked Pamela.
“Oh, maybe. I guess that just means we definitely need to be at the service this evening, huh?” said Eric.
“You are correct Eric. We will see you there!” said Michael.
The meetings of the day were no great surprises, so the Stay family and friends were prompt to claim their usual spot at the middleleft pews in the chapel. The meeting started and a few hymns were sung. Michael's whole body could feel the Holy Spirit during the hymns. From his head to toe, a feeling he could never 'think' into action. It was the Holy Ghost. The congregation seemed to be very alert and anxious for the speaker to begin.
The Emcee began “The speaker tonight will be Bashir alBarad'i. The meaning of his name is 'a bringer of glad tidings.' Indeed he has good news for us. Brother alBarad'i is an immigrant from Afghanistan and he will tell parts of an autobiography that are a witness of God's power.” As the Emcee directs his hands towards tonight's speaker he says “Brother alBarad'i.”
Bashir alBarad'i walks up to the podium and says “Thank you.”
Brother alBarad'i places a few pages of notes before him on the podium.
“Even after four years of theology school and many, many, many times of doing public speaking, I need your prayers to be with me as I try to speak.” said alBarad'i.
Brother alBarad'i begins his autobiography. “In Afghanistan, I was trying to learn as much English as I could, so sometimes I would follow American soldiers and look for times I could jump in the situation as a 'translator.' So I finally met William Gilbert, a nurse aid at a hospital.“ Bashir takes his first drink of water at the podium.
“Brother Gilbert told me his story. He consumed meth in highschool, and was arrested for selling meth to some fellow students. He was sent to prison. Through Prison Fellowship he is converted to Christ and joins the Army to be a medical technician. He witnessed to me at that time. Brother Gilbert could feel God's power within himself. And as he said those words, I had a feeling I have never had before.”
As Brother alBarad'i extends his hands slightly above the podium, he exclaims “It was a warmth and intensity, that I could not have even imagined. I knew Brother Gilbert was sincere. I knew the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the true God.”
“Brother Gilbert found out that the secular 'rehabilitation' for meth users is less than five percent. But with Christian rehabilitation, the rate of success goes up to eighty percent!”
Bashir then tells the usual Muslim circumstance for a Muslim that converts to another religion is death. “If the exMuslim 'reverts' back to Islam, they can survive. If they don't, they are murdered. Some sects mean to take over the world in that manner. Revert, or you are dead.”
Brother alBarad'i was able to obtain permission from the American Embassy to escape to America. Before Bashir was able to leave for America, Brother Gilbert was able to tell how the forth commandment and how the Catholic Pope changed to Sunday without any Biblical authority, which the Vatican admits!
Brother alBarad'i went from his words about the Vatican. “It seems as though antisemantic words and actions have gone from the Roman Empire in Jesus' time, to the Vatican in the Dark Ages, to Hitler in the 20th Century, and Islam in this age. I was trained from my youth up, to hate America because they were not much better than Israel; there were as many Jews in America as in Israel!”
“But after I saw God's light in Jesus, I knew I had to 'reach out' to Muslims. God is a God of mercy and I have seen Him dozens and dozens of times show mercy to Muslims. To show them His Power. After conversion, I always see how Allah has power in only some things. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has power to split the Red Sea. He raised His Son from the depths of Hell to eternal Life.”
“I want to prepare you to 'reachout' to Muslims too. There are some documents available online at the PersianMinistries.org. First are some 'Does and Don'ts' about a 'reachout' for a Muslim.
Do make it clear you are a follower of Christ, by your loving words and religious lifestyle.
Don’t assume your Muslim friend understands your meaning of “Christian”.
Do take time to build a relationship. Practice hospitality.
Don’t be surprised if you are rejected at first. Offer Muslim friends storebought sweets. Avoid anything with pork or alcohol.
Do approach your encounters as a learner. Ask questions.
Don’t take notes and treat Muslim friends like and academic project.
Do correct their misunderstandings of your beliefs.
Don’t argue. If they want to debate with a Christian, refer them to the website www.debate.org.
Do talk about Jesus. Use His title, Isa Al Masih.
Don’t insult the prophet Muhammad.
“I want to emphasize some things here. The title of Jesus to a Muslim is Isa alMasih. And cuttingdown Muhammad does little but make an enemy for you” said Bashir as he continues the Does and Don'ts of Muslim reachout.
Do pray out loud with your Muslim friends. Ask if you can pray for their practical needs, healing, and worries. Look for opportunities and pray in Jesus’ name.
Don’t start your prayer with “Our Father…” because Muslims have a misunderstanding about the fatherhood of God (as sexual). Wait until you correct this misunderstanding before using “Father” or “Abba.” At first address you prayer to “Almighty God” or “Lord God.”
Do use your right hand in giving and receiving gifts.
Don’t use your left hand when eating food (especially when learning to eat with your hands). The left hand is for toilet cleaning; the right hand is for eating.
Do treat your Bible with respect. Store it on a high shelf. Some wrap it in a beautiful cloth.
Don’t put you Bible on the floor or in the bathroom as reading material. Many Muslims are superstitious about the bathroom.
Do be gendersensitive: interact man to man, woman to woman.
Don’t allow any compromising situations, even just to protect from a possible rumor. And Arab proverb says, “A man and a woman alone together are three with the devil.”
Do observe body language. Take your shoes off when entering a home or place of prayer (especially if you see shoes at the threshold).
Don’t sit so that the sole of your foot or shoe is facing someone. Women, don’t look men directly in the eye, or at least quickly avert your glance.
Do practice modesty, even among Westernized Muslims. For women this is very important since family honor is tied to their behavior and reputation.
Don’t assume Muslims think the same as you, even if they dress the same.
“Besides the correct actions when you meet a Muslim, you need to pray for Muslims. I will follow with the recommendations from the web site of the Christiananswers.net provides the following helpful suggestions about how to pray for Muslims.”
•Every Muslim is someone whom God loves. Unfortunately, some Christians make the mistake of not praying for Muslims because of their own prejudices or fears.
•Let us begin in prayer by asking God to give us a heart filled with love and compassion towards Muslims.
•We also need to pray in faith and confidence that God will hear us and will move powerfully in answer to our prayers of love and compassion. (John 14:1214)
•Muslims believe in the uniqueness of an all powerful and supreme Allah. Similar to Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that Allah is creative and eternal. Muslims also believe that Allah is unknowable and that it is impossible to ever really know him or have a relationship with him as a personal Savior. According to Islam, Allah holds himself apart from mankind.
•When praying for Muslims, pray that they will have a full revelation of the true God and His loving character. (Hebrews 8:89)
•The Muslim worldview is strongly influenced by an awareness of the supernatural and the presence of good and evil spirits known as jinn. Jinn are greatly feared and are often thought to be responsible for illnesses and misfortune. Superstitions control many aspects of a Muslim's everyday life and often result in them living in constant fear. This fear reveals a heart cry and desperate need that can only be met in the person and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
•Pray against the fear that influences many Muslims. (1 John 4:18)
•Galatians 4:2225 tells us that Ishmael was born as a result of works resulting in slavery. Islam means submission, and a Muslim understands that he is a servant of Allah. While this is also a Biblical aspect of our relationship with God, it is incomplete. As Christians, through Jesus, we know that we move from being servants to becoming sons and daughters.
•Never underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit as you pray for Muslims.
Allow God to teach you how to pray and to share His heart with you concerning them. Vast numbers of Muslims have come to Christ as a result of supernatural encounters. Many have dreams and visions of Jesus. It is only God who can open blind eyes and soften hearts. Only God can bring true conviction of sin and create new life. (Romans 8:26, John 16:8)
“I need to emphasize the power of prayer. Before I left Afghanistan, I had a chance to speak with some underground Christians there. Almost exclusively, it was through the power of the Holy Ghost that all of them were touched by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was the idea that Jesus, Isa alMasih, could be with them personally.” Brother alBarad'i made a lot of emphasis on the last word. “God can be with us, in our hearts and minds, not separate and far away, but with us. And that was what impressed almost all of the Messianic Muslims I met.”
“I want to emphasize the last point. Ultimately, it is the Power of the Holy Ghost which will win a Muslim. The Muslim friend needs to surpass the belief in the Qur'an with the witness of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will not witness of the Qur'an. The Qur'an does not fulfill the message of the Gospel presented by Jesus Christ.”
“If you are familiar with mathematics and a Cartesian plane, God can be thought of at the center of a 3 dimensional Cartesian plane system. God is the point of origin: x=0, y=0 and z=0. He is it. He is the One of All. He is the focus point of all. A saved Christian's life is on a vector that is pointed to the origin of the system. When we sin, we get off target. We miss the mark of our journey.”
“But if we pray, listen to God and let the Holy Ghost complete It's mission, you are back on target. Similarly, the Qur'an is like a hyperbola or parabola that does not intersect with the point of origin. It may come close, but it does not hit the target. A conversion of a Muslim depends on the Power of the Holy Ghost.”
“But with Jesus, accepting Jesus as your Savior is a choice that each person makes for himself. Jesus is not forced on you.” Brother alBarad'i emphasizes those last six words.
Brother alBarad'i caught his breath and sipped the glass of water at the podium. “I will end my talk right now. May God be with you. Amen.”