Dave and Bev in bed. What lovely ears!
YWAM Publishes this book, written by Dean Sherman, on Spiritual Warfare. Sherman totally denies the allegation that he is was inspiration for Ned Flanders, and says there is no basis for that theory.
Interesting information on Muslim dreamers -
A Californian magazine published the results of a survey of over 600 ex-Muslims who now follow Jesus. "Although dreams appear to play a minor role in the conversions of Westerners, over a quarter of those interviewed emphatically confirmed that dreams and visions played a vital role in their conversion, and helped them in difficult times."
The recurring white figure
"A follower of Jesus from Guinea tells of a person in white who appeared to him in a dream, calling him with outstretched arms. This sort of dream, in which Christ appears as a figure in white, is a frequent pattern in missionary work among Muslims," according to the report. A Muslim Malay saw her deceased Christian parents in a dream, celebrating in heaven. Jesus, in a white robe, told her "If you want to come to me, come!". She realised that she had been trying to reach God for all her life, without success, and that God had now himself taken the initiative to reach her through Jesus.
Some typical dreams
"Two angels in white clothes were standing on the summit of a mountain. Jesus was standing between the angels, and as I knelt, he laid his hands on my head..." "I dreamt that I was sitting on a chair with my arms bound. Then a man came, who I recognised as Jesus, and touched the bonds, which fell away from me..." "In my dream, Jesus told me to come to him and read the Bible. He would show me the way, the truth and the life..." "I saw Christians waiting in a line leading towards heaven. I tried to join the line, but a very large being blocked my path. I started to cry, because the side I was standing on was truly awful, but the place where the others were standing was unbelievably beautiful..."
An ex-Muslim from the Middle East, who has become a Christian, told me that he was lying in bed with a severe headache. A white figure with a wonderful and peaceful face appeared and laid his hands on his head three times. The following morning, the headache had ceased. A man from western Africa saw a religious Muslim in hell, and a poor Christian, who could not even give alms, in heaven. A voice explained that the decisive point was not the alms, but the faith in Jesus.
Philippines: Muslims dream of Jesus after Ramadan "A missionary working among the Tausugs, the Philippines' largest Muslim people group, reports that a number of faithful Muslims 'saw Jesus' in their dreams following last Ramadan. One man could hardly believe it when he dreamed of Jesus killing a huge dragon in a duel. The following day, he had the same dream again, and became open to hear the Gospel.
A member of the Yakan people in Basilan Province dreamed the the Prophet Mohammed could not look Jesus in the eye. When he told his cousin, a Christian, of the dream, his cousin told him that the dream meant that Jesus is greated than Mohammed."
www.IsaalMasih.net is a Christian web page which offers seeking Muslims a Christian answer, and registers 1.3 million hits per day. Muslims seeking Jesus receive Biblical and culturally sensitive answers to their questions. The reports are extracts from this site.
Source: www.IsaalMasih.net, e-mail mail@IsaalMasih.net
The Angel in the changing room
"When I became a Christian, I worked with three others in one department in the company," writes ex-Muslim Farid (name changed). "We worked shifts. Each person had their own locker, where he could store his tools and clothes. At the end of the month, I put my wages in my locker. At the end of my shift, I forgot to take the money with me when I went home. The following day, I discovered that someone had broken into my locker and stolen the money. My old self rose to the occasion: I wanted revenge! I suspected that one of my colleagues had stolen the money, so decided to break open their lockers and burn the contents. I grabbed a hammer, and prepared to strike - but suddenly felt as though an invisible hand grabbed my wrist, holding me back. Frightened, I sat down. What was wrong with me?"
Forgiveness, not revenge
"Then I heard a gentle voice, full of sympathy and love: 'Don't avenge yourself. Don't give in to Satan.' I replied 'But Lord, my wages are all that I have. Who will take care of my wife and child?' The Lord answered 'Think of what is written: trust in God, he will care for you'. I replied, saying 'Then please put out the flames of anger. Tell me what to do.' The Lord told me to write the following words on a piece of paper: 'To my brother who opened my locker: I am sorry that I have nothing valuable to give you. If you need something particular, let me know. God will take care of it. I will not repair the broken lock, as proof that I mean what I say. I bless you with the peace of God filling your life, and the grace of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' I signed it 'The brother who loves you despite what happened.' I went home full of joy to tell my wife about this great victory."
God provides - this time via the balcony
"Despite my relief and my wife's agreement, I couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning until I finally got up to pray on the balcony. Just as I was about to go back indoors, someone threw a stone onto the balcony. Attached to the stone was a letter from another Christian whom I had not met for months for security reasons. The letter contained the same amount of money as my wages. I was amazed: how faithfully the Lord cares for me!"
A 'questionable' life
"When I arrived in the office the next day, one of my colleagues was waiting for me, a religious Muslim. With a trembling voice, he said 'I was the one who broke your locker open. I found your letter yesterday, and was very moved. I have already spent the money I stole on my sick children. I will repay you as soon as I can.' I told him 'The money is yours. I don't need it any more; God has already replaced my loss.' It was almost impossible for him, but he finally accepted. 'Where did you learn to act like that?' he asked. 'I'll tell you some other time,' I replied, hoping that he would forget. I had no idea how he would react if I told him about my conversion. He didn't let up, though, so I finally gave him a New Testament, which he took with shaking hands. One month later, he was ready to follow Jesus. How true are Jesus' words: 'People will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven'!"
Source: 'Farid' in Offene Grenzen 6/03, http://www.offenegrenzen.ch
Dear Muslim,
Assalamu alaikum.
The Gospel of Jesus is Good News. That is what "gospel" means in Greek. It is the good news because Jesus has removed the requirements of keeping the Law in order to obtain salvation and that through Jesus, we can obtain eternal life. Jesus made it possible for people to receive the free and complete gift of salvation by faith.
Our father Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). It was his faith in God that made Abraham righteous before God, not keeping the law, not keeping the commandments.
The Law of God is perfect because God is perfect. The Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because lying is against God's character. It is wrong to steal because stealing is against God's character. That is why the Law tells us what is wrong. God is not arbitrary and neither is His Law. Though the Law is good and perfect, no man can keep it perfectly. No person can keep the Law.
Jesus taught us that to even look on a woman with lust in your heart is to commit adultery with her (Matt. 5:27-28). You see, the Law of God is not simply to govern actions. It is for our hearts and attitudes. Purity of heart is what God wants from us. Purity of heart down to the deepest part of our being. Why? Because God's heart is the Purest and Most Holy of all. And since the Law was spoken by Him and came from Him, the Law is Perfect and Holy. That is the level of perfection you must have when trying to keep the Law.
However, we are not able to keep the Law. We sin. We fail. The Law says do not lie, but shows us where we lie -- in our very hearts. It says do not commit adultery, but shows us where we commit adultery -- in our hearts. The Law of God is perfect. We are not. God is perfect and Holy. We are not. We are not able to keep the Law of God because we are finite, limited, and affected by sin. How can anyone ever hope to please God through keeping the Law? How can anyone ever hope to please God and attain heaven by doing good deeds? It is not ourselves that we must please, but a Holy and Pure God.
The Good News
The Good News is that you do not have to try and keep the Law of God to please Him. You do not have to try and raise yourself to the level of God's Perfection by trying to keep His Holy and Perfect Law. You cannot do that. If you thought you could, then your heart is full of pride. What you can not do, Jesus did do. He kept all the Law perfectly (1 Pet. 2:22).
Jesus said that "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friend," (John 15:13). Jesus laid his life down for his friends. Jesus performed the greatest act of love in the universe. He died for our sins. He paid the penalty of breaking the Law, which is death. If this were not so, there would be no damnation. Jesus took our sins and died on the cross in our place (1 Pet. 2:24). This great act of love is unsurpassed in all the world. It means that you can, like Abraham (Gen. 15:6), be righteous by faith. All you need is faith in Jesus.
Are you tired of trying to keep all the Laws in Islam as you strive to do more good deeds than bad deeds in the hope that on the Day of Judgment your good deeds will outweigh your bad? Because you earn in large part your salvation, you cannot know whether or not you will be saved. If you are tired of trying to be perfect, of trying to obtain Paradise through your works, then you need Jesus. Jesus said, "If any of you are heavy laden, come to me, and I will give you rest," (Matt. 11:28).
Jesus forgave sins in Luke 5:20 and 7:48-49. He walked on water (Matt. 14:25). He rose from the dead (Matt. 28:6). Have you done more than He in keeping the Law or performing miracles? Has even the Prophet Muhammad done more than Jesus?
The Good News is that you, like Abraham, can be made righteous by faith. Do you want the righteousness that is by faith? Or, do you want to earn Paradise through your deeds? Can you earn it? Have you done it so far? Have you been doing enough?
Jesus said:
that He gives eternal life, (John 10:28-30).
that He received all authority in heaven and earth, (Matt. 28:18).
that He was the Way the Truth and The Life, (John 14:6).
that He will resurrect people on the Last Day, (John 6:40, 44, 54).
that the Holy Spirit bears witness of Him, (John 15:26).
Do you want to try and please God through keeping the Law of Allah or by the grace of Christ? Is the greatest act of love to ask you to earn heaven through good deeds or is it to be a sacrifice in order to give to you what you cannot attain yourself? In which is the greatest act of love?
If you want the eternal life that Jesus can give you, then trust what He did on the cross and do not rely on your own works to please God. Trust Jesus by faith. It is not Muhammad who forgives sins. Jesus does that (Luke 5:20; 7:48-49). Jesus said, "Believe in God. Believe also in me," (John 14:1).
Like Abraham, be righteous in God's eyes . . by faith.
More Links - These all work unlike most of the other ones
Isaal Masih - Info on Islam
YWAM endorses this CCC film about Jesus (can be viewed in Hindi, Arabic, etc.!)
YWAM agrees with this view of Jesus!
YWAM has uses CARM as a resource
The Four Pillars (Laws) of Christianity
