30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World | www.30-days.net » bible http://www.30-days.net What Christians should know about Islamic background, history and culture. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000 en hourly 1 Jesus, the Son of God http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/jesus-son-of-god/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/jesus-son-of-god/#comments Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:08:19 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=1004 son-of-god-30-days-net

Muslims almost always object to using the title “Son of God” concerning Jesus. The main reason is that many Muslims believe the phrase “Son of God” implies that God the Father had sexual relations with Mary and that Jesus (the Son) was born of this union. Some understand the Christian Trinity as consisting of the Father, Mary and Jesus. Christians actually do not believe this and like Muslims we find the idea repulsive and blasphemous. Unfortunately this is often the Muslim understanding of the phrase “Son of God.”

The Deity of Christ

The Qur’an does say that Jesus was born of a virgin. Various Muslim traditions ascribe miracles to Jesus such as healing the sick and raising the dead. However, the Qur’an states that He was no more than a human being, a prophet like all other prophets. Islam thinks that Chrisians are trying to elevate Jesus to be God. Yet, the reality is that Jesus is not a man whom we are trying to elevate to be God; rather He is God who humbled Himself to become man.

Islam refuses to ascribe deity to Christ and rejects the doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God.

In Christianity, the title, “Son of God” indicates the majesty, honour and glory of Jesus (2 Peter 1:16-18). The title is tied not only to His divinity but also to His kingship. Nathan’s prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, one of the early prophecies of the Messianic King, speaks of David’s descendant as God’s Son. “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me.” It is certain that the early believers understood Jesus’ role as “Son of God” as being related to kingship: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel” (John 1:49, 11:27, 20:31 and Romans 1:1-5). The messianic king’s appointment was described as begetting a son (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5). You can find a longer article on this subject on our site here “Explaining-Son-Of-God”.

Prayer Starters:

  • May God bring real breakthroughs in this area of Muslim misunderstanding. This subject is one of the most significant hindrances for Muslims coming to Christ. Believers need wisdom in addressing this issue.
  • Pray for Muslims to have a biblical understanding of the phrase “Son of God.” Meditate on and proclaim in prayer the texts cited above.

Special Section: Prayer for the Peoples of Sudan — The Guhayna people

The 1.3 million Guhayna are a largely nomadic people living in Central Sudan. Not much is known about this people group other than that they are Sudanese Arabs who trace their heritage to the Bedouin who wandered the deserts of Saudi Arabia centuries ago.

The Guhayna embrace rigid codes of honour, loyalty and hospitality, the strong role of men in society, the value of children, subservience of women and the five pillars of Islam. To confess Jesus as Lord is not well accepted and has serious consequences. Pray that fear of persecution from Islamic relatives will not hinder the Guhayna as they consider the Gospel. No one is actively reaching this people group.

Pray for missionaries and funds so the Guhayna can hear about Jesus.

Video: Hope Lights

Hope Lights from Salomon on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/jesus-son-of-god/feed/ 415 Statement of Faith http://www.30-days.net/ministry/statement-of-faith/ http://www.30-days.net/ministry/statement-of-faith/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 11:37:56 +0000 TDI http://30-days.net/reveal/statement-of-faith/ The content and services provided by 30-Days International are provided in accordance to our statement of faith. Our national affiliates and coordinators have also agreed to this and accept that the content of our materials, whether in booklet form or electronic form or in other mass media adhere to the following:

This is the proper way Jesus should be introduced. While Steve is a comedian, he speaks 100% truth in this presentation. Do you know this Jesus? If so, how is your introduction?

1. We believe that the Bible, consisting of Old and New Testaments only, is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit, is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the infallible and authoritative Word of God.

2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. We believe that Adam, created in the image of God, was tempted by Satan, the devil, and fell. Because of Adam’s sin, all men have guilt imputed.

4. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

5. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

6. We believe that salvation consists in the remission of sins, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, and the gift of eternal life received by faith alone, apart from works.

7. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

8. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

9. We believe that the Church, the body of Christ, consists only of those who are born again, who are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ at the time of regeneration, for whom He now makes intercession in heaven and for whom He will come again.

10. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

11. We believe that Christ instructed the Church to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every person, baptizing and teaching those who believe.

12. We believe that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, and that it will be visible and personal.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/ministry/statement-of-faith/feed/ 0 About Isa http://www.30-days.net/ministry/isa/ http://www.30-days.net/ministry/isa/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 11:46:33 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/isa/

About Jesus (Isa)

Jesus was more than just a great man, more than just a prophet. Although he did good things such as feed the hungry and teach about God, he also did many miracles. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind and even raised a man from the dead.

Jesus had a great love for the men and women around him. He blessed little children and wept for the suffering. He forgave his enemies and taught his followers to do good things to others.

Jesus loved people so much, that he didn’t stop at just doing good and blessing people. He even died to save others. As he said himself, “there is no greater act of love then to die for a friend”.

So, Jesus, after just a short life of 33 years, died for his friends. However, he also died for his enemies. He in fact died for you and for me.

His death was not just a symbol, it was the greatest act of love ever. He died to take our sins upon himself so that we do not have to face God with the shame of sin and all the badness in us. Jesus took it all on himself.

And because Jesus did that, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus stayed 3 days and nights in the grave, but God then raised him up or resurrected him.

Today Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of his father, interceding for us. He sent the Holy Spirit to the earth after he went to heaven to comfort us all with the knowledge of himself.

Soon Jesus is coming back to earth. Are you ready to meet him? Are you able to face him without the shame of sin?

If you don’t know Jesus, you can talk to him about your sin and tell him you want to start a new life. You can follow him, talk to him, get his book (the bible) and learn how to do good to others.

Don’t delay, he is waiting to talk to you.

Video: Trinity – explained for Muslims

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/ministry/isa/feed/ 19 God’s Message By Radio – Testimony http://www.30-days.net/testimony/gods-message-by-radio-testimony/ http://www.30-days.net/testimony/gods-message-by-radio-testimony/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 00:04:05 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=1075

Following-up radio listeners in the Middle East

Testimony: I am involved in Christian radio broadcasting to many Muslim countries. Sometimes the audience has the possibility to SMS, phone or write to ask for literature. However, mail packages containing Bibles are often stopped by the religious security authorities in various countries. Recently I phoned two people in remote areas of my country where I was not legally allowed to travel. I invited these two listeners to come to me instead so we wouldn’t be watched.

The meeting with the first person was very short. He was glad to have found me. He took a Bible, however, he was also very nervous and said goodbye almost immediately. We agreed that he will contact me again if he needs additional literature or has questions.

The second person came under the protection of darkness after a four hour bike ride. He spoke enthusiastically about the radio broadcasts. He said that he wanted to study the Christian faith deeply (and honestly it seemed to me), so I gave him not only a Bible and study materials, but also the Jesus Film and other Gospel films. We agreed to stay in touch. A few months after our initial meeting, I met again with the second man. He asked for more books written by believers and videos. I was able to give him these things plus testimonies of Muslims who had encountered the Messiah. Unfortunately we had no time for a personal conversation. Is he a believer or still a seeker? I was unable to find out … this time.

Prayer Starters:

  • May the Holy Spirit guide during telephone conversations and meetings with interested radio listeners. Pray for divine rendezvous (Acts 8:26-31).
  • Pray that interested listeners, despite the watchful eyes of authorities, can receive Bibles, DVDs and other helpful material.
  • Pray with your family for the family members of seekers who could be opposed to listening to Gospel radio and receiving Bible materials.

In Memory of Sergi

Sergi became a follower of Jesus while in prison near Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2002. Upon release from prison he raised up a small group of disciples in an area of Tajikistan with a population of 200,000 but no known believers. The local secret police threatened him and asked him to leave. Local Muslim leaders also threatened him and demanded that he leave. He stayed.

One evening in 2005 while worshiping with his wife and two other believers, armed men arrived and shot him through the window. While the other three lay on the floor and escaped unharmed, Sergi’s body was shot many times. Sergi died worshiping Jesus. He had been a follower of Jesus for three years.

The young men responsible for Sergi’s death were arrested and are now in prison where other believers proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus to them. Pray with the brothers in prison that these who were willing to kill for their religion will become followers of Jesus and learn to forgive and love their enemies.

Video: Words of Hope

Radio in East Africa from Words of Hope on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/testimony/gods-message-by-radio-testimony/feed/ 5 What Muslims Believe About The Word From God http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/beliefs-word-of-god/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/beliefs-word-of-god/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 00:14:31 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=1073

The following texts are from the Quran

* The angels said: “Mary! surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of of the world. Mary! remain obedient to your Lord and humble yourself, and bow down with those who bow in worship. The angels said: Mary, surely Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him, whose name is the ‘Messiah, Isa son of Mary,’ held in honour in this world and the hereafter and of those who are near to Allah.” (Al Imran 3:42-43 and 45)

* The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is but the apostle of God and His word, which He cast into Mary and a spirit from Him (The Women, 4:169).

In these two passages Jesus Christ is clearly referred to as the Word of God and as a Word from God (in Arabic: Kalilmat Allah). One would think that the Qur’an is actually echoing the text of John 1:1 in these passages: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” However Islamic scholars have mounted extensive arguments to say that the Qur’anic title given to Jesus and the biblical idea that Jesus is divine are not at all in agreement. While some Muslims know that Jesus is referred to as the Word of God in the Qur’an, the vast majority do not know what it means and even fewer realize that the same title is given to Jesus in the Bible. Some believers have used the “Word of God” texts in the Qur’an as a starting point for proclaiming the Good News of the Messiah to Muslims.

In addition, the Qur’an speaks of Jesus as the Messiah (see 3:45 and 4:169 above, as well as 4.157 and 4.171). Here again the vast majority of Muslims have no idea what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah, because, in the words of one author, “the meaning of the title is almost completely glossed over in Islam.” The word “Messiah” is the same as the word Christ in Greek. It refers to the one who is anointed as king. The term carries with it not just the concept of a good king but also one who is a saviour, a deliverer, who will correct all wrongs and reign in righteousness.

* Pray that Muslims all over the world would be inclined to ask questions and try to understand Jesus’ titles: “the Word of God and the Messiah.” Meditate on the following texts and use them in prayer: John 1:1-4,14 and Mt 16:13-17.

Prayer for the Peoples

Pakistan – The Burig people

Language: Purik, Trade Language: Urdu
Population: 474,000

The Burig and the Baltistani Bhotia (or Balti) are two ethnic groups of Tibetan origin who live in the Karakoram Mountains of northern Pakistan. The only two known Tibetan groups that have converted to Islam, their Tibetan roots can still be seen in their clothing, food, folklore, and language. The Burig depend on glacial runoff to irrigate their crops, and where water is sufficient, they grow barley, wheat, millet, and a wide variety of fruits. Because many Burig live in the northern section of the disputed Kashmir territories of India and Pakistan, their region was closed to foreign travellers for 14 years. Recently, there has been increasing tension between their pre-Islamic traditions and Islam, leaving many torn between the two major elements of their ethnic identity.

* Pray that as the Burig reconnect with their Tibetan heritage that God would open their eyes clearly revealing Himself to them. He desires for them to be before his throne (Rev. 7:9-12).

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/beliefs-word-of-god/feed/ 4 What Muslims Believe About the Cross http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/muslims-and-the-cross/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/muslims-and-the-cross/#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:09:10 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=1045 Most Muslims do not believe that Jesus died on the cross

They said boasting, “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them …. for surely they killed him not. No, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. (Qur’an, Chapter “The Women” 4.157-158)

There are a variety of Muslim opinions concerning the last days of Jesus and His crucifixion and resurrection. Early Islamic scholarship appears to be largely silent about the subject. Indeed the vast Hadith collections (traditions about Mohammed) of the Islamic scholars Burkhari and Muslim say nothing about the crucifixion.

Most Muslims believe that death by crucifixion was not a worthy death for a good prophet like Jesus. Based on the Qur’anic passage cited above, the majority of Muslims in our day say that Jesus never went to the cross. It is commonly thought that He was taken up into heaven without dying and that someone else died on the cross in His place. There are several variations on this theory, but many Muslims say that Judas, the disciple, was actually crucified instead of Jesus. Supposedly he was made to look like Jesus and was crucified as a punishment from God because of his betrayal. Other Muslims believe that Jesus was crucified but He survived and died later or that He survived, then was elevated to heaven and did not die at all.

Prayer Starters:

  • Believers in Jesus need to explain Christ’s death and resurrection simply and with much care. Muslims need to understand why the Messiah needed to die and how His resurrection brings us new life.
  • Pray especially that Jesus would be increasingly revealed to Muslims as the victorious one who has overcome our sin and guilt, bondage to evil spirits and the horrors of death to bring us salvation. Pray for Muslims in your region, country and elsewhere according to Luke 24:19-26 and Acts 3:13-16.
Download the Crucifixion PDF, an in-depth look at the subject, history and consequences of the cross, death and resurrection of Christ. A must for those who wish to discuss the subject with Muslims. Crucifixion.PDF

Special Prayer Emphasis – Pakistan’s Western Baluch people

The 1.2 million Western Baluch of Pakistan are part of a larger Baluch community of more than 8 million people whose homeland straddles the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

The Baluch have overcome the obstacles of living in an extremely harsh, arid climate. They make their living as farmers (their chief crop is wheat) and as semi-nomadic sheperds (raising sheep, cattle and goats). Basically self sufficient, they rely on their own skills to build homes and develop the tools necessary for daily life.

Prior to the coming of Islam, the Baluch were probably followers of Zoroaster, but today they are Sunni Muslims. Their societies are organized into clans and tribes ruled by male elders and ultimately chiefs.

  • Pray for the heads of clans and families to come to Jesus.
  • Ask for teams / workers doing relief and development.
  • Pray for other Baluch believers to share their faith with these Western Baluch.
  • Pray for the Scriptures to soon be available in Western Baluchi.
  • We have a number of articles about Pakistan beginning here …>>

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/muslims-and-the-cross/feed/ 5 How Muslims understand Man and Sin http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howsin/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howsin/#comments Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:47:19 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/howsin/ In Islam the purpose of mankind is not to know God and to be conformed to His character, but rather to understand Allah’s will and become more obedient to His commands. For Muslims, man is the high point of God’s creation. He is a type of viceroy (khalifa) on the earth. However, man’s most basic relation to God is that of a slave or servant. Man is to serve God the Master, fulfilling His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions. Man is not made in the image of God.

Knowledge

Mankind is seen as being innately religious, and this natural state can be encouraged or discouraged through education. Muslims believe that man’s most basic problem is ignorance. Man is good but imperfect. Muslims think that man was created as a weak and inconsistent being. Man is forgetful and needs to be reminded about his religious duties. Therefore mankind needs more knowledge of religious law to please God. Man does not need to be born again, but to live in conformity to Islamic rules.

Religious Activity

Religious activity such as ritual prayer, pilgrimages, alms giving, fasting and reciting the Muslim confession of faith are at the heart of Islamic religious experience. People should always do what is religiously obligatory and shun what is forbidden. Because of the view that man is weak, forgetful and ignorant, sin is therefore seen more as a mistake and not moral corruption in the Christian sense. Muslims believe that they earn merit with God based on their religious practices. Often, Muslims are more concerned about losing face by getting caught not practising religion than with actually breaking moral law. This shame mentality is found in almost all Muslim societies.

Christian Beliefs

Christians believe that man is made in the image of God. God Himself encourages men to reason, to make wise decisions and to rejoice in God and the things which He has made. In the Christian view man was originally created good but became morally corrupt through sin. Therefore, for Christians, sin is not simply a matter of making mistakes, but rather of living in opposition to Godly character. Through the new covenant God wants to transform our very being, bringing us back into conformity with His nature and character (Rom 12:1-3).

The Cross

Muslims do not easily understand the reason for the cross of Christ partly because they do not understand man and sin. Missionaries and Christians in general need real wisdom, courage and perseverance to explain clearly to Muslims God’s role for man and to clarify the nature of sin.

Prayer Points

* Thank God that He has made us in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26). God has renewed His image in us through Christ and we are to be His imitators (Eph 4:31-5:2). God’s design is for us to be His children (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:16, 21; 1 John 3:1-2, 10).

* Pray for Muslims to have a revelation of real sinfulness through the Holy Spirit (John 16:8).

* Pray for wisdom, courage and perseverance for missionaries and Christians in general as they seek to explain the Christian understanding of man and sin to Muslims.

Video: DanStevers.com

The Fall from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howsin/feed/ 0 How to Interest Muslims in the Bible http://www.30-days.net/islam/howto/bible/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howto/bible/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:21:22 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/bible/

By Georges Houssney

Here is an approach which has proved useful in showing the value of the Bible to a Muslim.

This activity takes between 15 and 30 minutes. I typically open the Bible to Genesis chapter one and begin by showing the story of the Creation. I take a few moments to point out the wisdom of God in the process of creation and the progression from day to day. I continue by giving them glimpses of the whole book of Genesis. “Look, here is the story of Cain and Abel … Here’s the story of Noah. Did you know that the genealogy of Noah is here in full? Were you aware that all the peoples of the earth today can be traced back to Noah’s three sons? Do you know the details of the events of the flood? Oh, I know that the Qur’an makes a brief reference to it, but here in the Torah is the full story.” (It is good to use the term “Torah” because it is also mentioned in the Qur’an). I go on to Abraham, pointing out the geography and history (use the maps at the back if your Bible has them).

Moving through the Old Testament

As I flip the pages somewhat more quickly through the rest of Genesis, I stop at the story of Joseph and point out a synopsis of his life and journey to Egypt, and how God gave him the strength to stay faithful to Him even in difficult circumstances. “We go now to Moses …” and there I show how God gave Moses the Law and briefly look over the Exodus story. From there I begin to flip through book by book and call out the names of key prophets of God. Psalm 19 is a good choice. I point out that this is the “Zabur” (Psalms) mentioned in the Qur’an. The Bible has the full text of all 150 songs of praise, worship, prophecy, and teaching. Then I jump to Jonah, pointing out that the Qur’an mentions him as the Prophet Younus. Daniel is also mentioned as a prophet in the Qur’an. Then I go on to the New Testament.

New Testament

I show them the genealogy of Jesus and how it covers many centuries and includes several major prophets and kings. “The entire life of Jesus is recorded right here for us.” I then read several texts from the Sermon on the Mount. I go on to describe how Christianity spread in the early years (Acts and the Letters). I point out in Acts 2 how Arabs, Kurds, Egyptians, Libyans, Turks and other peoples from the Middle East were converted. I read a few verses from the Epistles, especially 1 John, emphasising the love of God. Finally, I move on to the book of Revelation and point out that the Bible has prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled. “Here are some of them.” In conclusion, I show how the Bible begins at the beginning and ends with the end.

Practical Points

Finally, here are a couple of practical points. Almost always, the listener attempts to take the Bible out of my hands, but I hang on to it until I have finished my presentation. Muslims need to know that there are treasures within the Bible, but I do not recommend that we only talk about the Bible. Also I do not recommend asking people if they want a Bible: ideally they should ask for it. When they do, it shows that they are serious. I do not want to give a Bible to someone who does not value it as a present, hoping that somehow they will come to value it later. I like to make them hungry and thirsty for God’s word.

Editor’s note:

Our personal sharing with Muslims are dynamic events involving interaction. It is certainly probable that one might not totally finish this presentation or that it might be wise to spend more time on some aspects of it than others.

Video: DanStevers.com

Elijah from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howto/bible/feed/ 3 Explaining the Biblical Term ‘Son(s) of God’ in Muslm Contexts http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/explaining-the-biblical-term-sons-of-god-in-muslm-contexts/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/explaining-the-biblical-term-sons-of-god-in-muslm-contexts/#comments Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:38:12 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/?p=439 Seekers and believers from Muslim backgrounds regularly single out the term ‘Son of God’ as the biggest obstacle to reading the Gospel. Worse yet, many Muslims are so frightened of this term that they refuse to read or listen to any text that asserts it.

Paul rarely uses ‘son of God’, and never in high Christological passages.

Download the PDF, Part 1: Explaining the Biblical Term ‘Son(s) of God’ in Muslm Contexts:

Part 2: by Rick Brown

In part one, “Explaining the Biblical Term ‘Son(s) of God’ in Muslim Contexts,” we saw that the term ‘son(s) of God’ has a broad range of meanings. Experience shows that there is no single measure one can take to resolve this problem. It requires a two-pronged approach. Basically the two prongs are to explain the original term and and what it means and to translate it according to its original meaning or in a way like ‘spiritual son(s) of God’ that blocks the unintended meaning.

There is a long history of trying to explain ‘Son(s) of God’ to Muslims, and explanations have usually failed to overcome the entrenched meaning of the phrase. Luke did not “remove” ‘Son of God’; he simply translated the meaning of the original Hebrew phrase into Greek—in three different ways. When Western missionaries hear ‘Son of God’ explained or translated as ‘the Christ’, they sense a loss of content.

SENSE: The standard of commercial translation in the modern world, whether Scriptural or otherwise, is to give priority to expressing the meaning of a passage rather than mimicking its linguistic form in the source language. So the normal approach to translating idiomatic phrases is to translate them according to their original contextual meaning. Sense translation, is the normal way of translating texts between languages. The drawbacks are (1) everyone may not agree on the intended sense of the phrase and (2) sometimes more than one sense is being evoked, especially in the case of metaphors. Is ‘meaning-based’ translation the answer?

For a comprehensive look at this, please download the following PDF: Brown2_SOG.pdf

Rick Brown is a Bible scholar and mission strategist. He has been involved in outreach tot he Muslim world since 1977.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/explaining-the-biblical-term-sons-of-god-in-muslm-contexts/feed/ 6 How Muslims understand Gospel of Barnabas http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howjesus/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howjesus/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:44:26 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/howjesus/ Most Christians are fairly uninformed about Islamic beliefs. In a similar way, many Muslims do not understand or are ignorant of Christian teaching about Jesus. Most Muslims believe that Jesus (whom they call Sidna Isa) was a remarkably good prophet who was sent to the Jews to bring them back to an Israeli form of Islam. Muslims believe that Islam was the religion which was practised by all the prophets (Abraham, David, Moses, Solomon, Jonah and others). Afterwards their followers corrupted the true faith.

Gospel of Barnabas

Muslims think of Jesus as a prophet who is reputed to have done miracles, but most of them have no knowledge of most of His life and ministry. Jesus is highly honoured by Muslims as a holy man, but is not seen to be divine. In recent times many Muslims have pointed to the so-called Gospel of Barnabas as being a source document about the Muslim Jesus. This document portrays a Jesus who is radically Islamic. Many believe that this so-called Gospel was possibly written around the year 1600 by a Muslim living in Spain. It was certainly not written by the disciple Barnabas who was a contemporary of Paul. (For more information about the Gospel of Barnabas, see the websites: (Christian site: www.answering-islam.org/Barnabas , Muslim site: www.islam101.com/barnabas ).) [In a new window]

Ideas and understanding about Jesus (Isa)

Muslims claim that Jesus did not die on the cross – such a death is considered to be unworthy of such a good prophet. They affirm that Jesus was taken up to heaven without dying. Generally they think that Judas Iscariot was crucified in the place of Jesus, and that God supposedly transformed his face to make him look like Jesus. Judas is seen as being a traitor who received just punishment while Jesus escaped.

Muslims equally affirm that Jesus (Isa) will return to earth from heaven sometime before the end of the world to punish the Jews and Christians for their corruption of religious faith and practice. Eventually Jesus will die a natural death and later be resurrected to be judged with all men during the last days. The Muslim idea of Christ is actually significantly different from the Christ of the Bible.

Prayer Points

* Muslims need to understand and recognize Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and to see the glory of the risen Lord. Pray for spiritual blindness to be removed (2nd Corinthians 4:1-7).

* Most Muslims have never even had an opportunity to believe because they have never heard enough of the real Gospel to be saved. Ask God to raise up an abundance of ministries to proclaim Christ in a culturally sensitive manner.

* The “Jesus” film has been an excellent means worldwide of helping Muslims learn about Jesus. Pray for a wider distribution of this film in more languages (Rom. 10:14).

* Most Muslims have needs which can only be answered by Jesus Christ. Pray that Muslims might find themselves in situations where they would be encouraged to call upon and believe the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:8-13). Some remarkable healings and conversions have happened when Muslims call on Jesus as a healer.

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