Last night I had a dream from the Lord.
In the dream, I was in a hallway and I picked up a piece of paper. As I picked it up, I felt an evil spirit coming to oppress me in my sleep. Reality and my dream came together in that moment. I picked up the piece of paper and on in were verses from the Qu’ran, Islam’s holy text. I started reading from the text and the voice of the accuser came to tempt me, questioning me with the possibility that there was a truth from God that had been revealed other than what has been revealed in the Bible. The spirit of deception tried to pull me from my unrelenting adherence to the Bible. He looked into the crevices of my heart which still held unbelief in the singularity of the revelation of God. I confess that they are still there; unbelief I have not yet surrendered to the wisdom of Christ. Yet in this dream, the reading of the text, the voice of the accuser, could not move me. I stood my ground in my heart and woke up saying, “Away from me, you evil one!”
As the day ensued, the Lord started convicting my heart about the Muslims. I felt the deceit that existed in those who read the Qu’ran, propogated and contrived by the Devil. I know in my heart that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to the Father. I know that the Bible is true and breathed out by God. I know in my heart that broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter into it. Many invent ways of going there. Many have signs which say “The Way to Heaven” but no, the way still leads to destruction. So is the way of Islam. For years I confess that I had harbored hatred in my heart towards them because I knew that they were enemies of Christ Jesus and so they were enemies of Christians. God’s missionaries in those countries are being tortured and killed in the name of Allah. But today, something is changing in my heart. Hatred is converting into compassion. For such a thing, only God has done.
Does God want to destroy Muslims? Here is a verse from Ezekial: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Soverign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Eze 18:23). God does not want to destroy the Muslims, but to save them, so that He may be glorified by such a miracle. Does God want me witness to Muslims? Yes and Amen! May I be all things to all men that I might save some!
It dawned upon me as I walked around in the campus for class that, in the upcoming weeks at Loyola, The Muslim Student Association will be holding their annual “Islam Awareness Week.” The posters and fliers for it are everywhere on campus. (There was even one “accidentally” placed over an Agape poster!) I recall participating in one of the sessions as a sophomore, defending the the truth of Christ at an open forum in front of the Muslim population at Loyola. While what I said may have been decent, I confess that I had spoken out of human bravado, and not in the power of the Holy Spirit at the time. Does God want me to move to share the gospel during this time of the year again? I am not sure. I shall pray for discernment.
As I shared this to my small group, Dominic asked me, “How do you witness to Muslims?” I told him that it’s very simple. The revelation and power of Jesus Christ does the witnessing. Not fancy words, not cute presentations, but the power of the Holy Spirit. I told him how Muslims are being converted in Muslim nations to Christ because Jesus Christ revealed himself to them in dreams and preached the gospel to them himself. God doesn’t need missionaries. The work of God finds few hindrances when God blesses it. And so, that’s how we witness to Muslims.
But the Lord started convicting me about the logistics. He wanted me to know about them, about what they believe, about what they do, not so that I can become “pluaralistic” or “inclusive,” but that I may love them and preach Christ to them at their level. What conviction the Lord brings!
Oh Jesus, use and spend me as you will!
