God's Love for Muslims

A year or so after 9/11 a missionary family in Pakistan, who had been sent out from our church, was worshiping in a small church. The parents names are Jeff and Cindy. Suddenly several hand grenades where tossed into the service and several people were killed. The missionary wife was seriously wounded as was one of their younger sons. The boy battled for his life in Germany, and after many moths he survived. The wife will always walk with a pronounced limp.

About one year after the attack that family returned to the United States and stood collectively in front of the church and praised God for His grace. They also made public their plans to return to that general area of the world and once again preach the gospel. It was a moving service and one that challenged all of us.

On another note, there is a couple who was sent out from our church who ministers in a Muslim country. (I cannot tell you which one.) They have been there almost a decade and have both risked their lives but have also seen Muslims come to Jesus Christ. The private missionary organization that my best friend and I began have supported them for that long. Their names are Jim and Sharon.

During a missionary week in September 2011 both of these families came back to the church. Jim was asked to share in a Sunday School class. He stood before them and shared his heart of love for the Muslim people, but as he did a spirit of rebellion rose up in that class. The contention was so palpable and the questions and comments were so unpleasant, that at one point a man stood up as if to leave and loudly proclaimed that the Muslims want to kill us and we should not be showing them any grace. A large section of the class agreed with him.

Jim rebuked the man for his unchristian spirit and reminded the class that Jesus loves these people and He gave His life to save them. He poured out his heart and shared how deceived the Muslims are and how they need the gospel. Jim sensed that nationalism in large part was the reason for the hatred. But having lived for 10 years in another country, and having risked their very lives for the salvation of sinners, Jim and Sharron have learned that their true country is in heaven, and that nationalism in the church is a deadly sin that compromises the everlasting gospel.

Now there was another class right beside that one, and in that class, and within ear shot of Jim’s voice, sat Jeff and Cindy, the missionaries from southeast Asia. Jeff could not help but hear Jim and his heart, and in the middle of the class Jeff was so moved by God’s Spirit that he stood up and walked into Jim’s class. Jeff apologized for interrupting, but he asked Jim if he could speak to him publicly? Jim said surely he could, and Jeff asked for forgiveness since he had harbored some ill feelings toward Muslims because of the grenade attack upon his family. He had heard Jim speak and was convicted of the Spirit of some lingering resentment and he wanted to publicly repent. The class was stunned.

Jeff was a missionary and a Christian leader, and he could have waited until the class was over and spoke with Jim privately. He could have even repented privately between him and God. But Jeff felt led to come clean before the entire class.

Rare are these incidents where a believer, much less an ordained man of God, will allow his heart to be convicted by God’s Spirit and then publicly admit to harboring some ill will toward people. And who among us would blame him considering the fact that his family was attacked? But of course God does not allow us to enjoy the fruits of the flesh regardless of how justified they are in the natural.

Our western evangelical churches are full of people who literally hate Muslims. And instead of preachers dealing with that from the pulpit, many of them add to that hatred by their unkind and nationalistic words. Believers have come to see themselves as Americans rather than followers of the Lord Jesus, and in so doing they have made room for unchristlike hatred toward an entire group of people. But Stephen asked God not to lay it to the charge of the very people who were killing him. It is in Stephen’s shoes than men like Jeff walk.

If you harbor any ill feelings toward lost sinners you need to both repent, and to investigate the source of those feelings. Perhaps your love for a country has eclipsed your love for Jesus Christ.