When the Calvinist Becomes a Practical Arminian

I have found it interesting throughout my journey as a follower of Jesus and specifically, a Calvinist, the ways in which I have found my own "kind" sounding and acting more like the Arminian, than what our doctrines shouldcall us to be. There are two ways I have found this to be true most blatantly in my Calvinistic brothers (and much in myself): Theological Discussion and Evangelism.

Even more specifically in these discussions is the glaring difficulty the Calvinist seems to have with our own doctrine of God's sovereignty. I believe we need to repent and start acting like good Calvinists. We love to say that Calvinism leads one to complete humility, but to be honest, I see more pride in Calvinistic people, than humility. The reason that Calvinism SHOULD drive us to humility is the understanding of man's condition and understanding that God is so sovereign that he doesn't need our wisdom or works, but has decided to work through them, spefically preaching, to bring the sinner to Jesus.

But, why doesn't this Calvinistic orthodoxy actually follow in our Calvinistic orthopraxy? Here is what I mean.

This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
Titus 3:8-11

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

In our dealings with other cultures and peoples in evangelism and gospel living, we shouldn't feel as though we have to have every answer, nor should we feel as though we have to give every available answer to the hearer/discusser all at once. We should rest in the fact that God is sovereign and that his Spirit is truly at work. We should truly be humble with the sinner, knowing how to engage them where they are and how much to engage them with. As a Calvinist, we should be able to give some truth, not all at once, depending on the situation and the true urging of the Spirit, not the urging of our self glorifying pride. We should allow the Spirit to engage each person where THEY are, not where WE WANT them to eventually be.

This doesn't mean to purposely hold back for the sake of holding back, but we need to know when to lay off of our fire hose of orthodoxy and allow God to work on their heart, instead of acting like we are both the scalpel and the surgeon on the sinner's heart. We need to remember that we are merely the axe (Isaiah 10:15) and must allow God to be the one that receives all the credit instead of our own intellect or source of timing of giving the sinner knowledge of his Maker. We should allow God to decide when to strike the wood and when to lay the axe aside. While in conversation, don't feel like you have to correct every error made by the other's involved, but act like you actually believe in God's sovereignty and have real conversations in love.

Not only this, but remember that God is at work on Christians as well. We need to remember Phil 1:6 and act like we believe it. When speaking to those who do not agree with Calvinistic doctrines, it makes more sense to show them (live them out) our doctrines than beat them over the head with them, which shows zero understanding of humility or God's sovereignty. When we do this, we act like we are God's sanctification expert, sent to correct those other dumb people. When you get into debates, where you try and correct every error, you sound really dumb. First, these debates have been happening for centuries, and you think you are the new Martin Luther attacking the Wittenburg door of the Arminian. There is so much pride just within those kinds of debates, that you will drive the Arminian away instead of pressing them into Jesus. We should strive to press everyone into Jesus, including ourselves, knowing he is the one full of truth, full of wisdom, full of God and full of rest and sanctifying power. Why do you feel it is your job to sanctify the Arminian? You aren't being a peacemaker, nor are you being one who exudes Christlikeness, but you end up looking like a prideful ass, who looks like they hate their "enemy" instead of loving them.

I just ask my Calvinist brothers to please start living out what we believe to be truth.

Be humble. Trust Jesus. Be ready to speak. Be ready to listen. Let Jesus sanctify. Side note...you're not Jesus.

I'll leave it at that, and trust that Jesus will speak to some through this post and start sanctifying us all to his side for his glory.

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DJ Official: Entermission

I received the latest CD from Reach Records in the mail about a week ago. I wasn't sure what to expect, but figured that with 18 different tracks and over 20 artists featured, it would be hard to be disappointed. The CD is called "Entermission" by DJ Official. DJ Official is the deejay for the Reach family and this compilation shows off his skills in putting together tracks for all sorts of talents and genres. What I found was that, for the most part, I was very impressed with some of the tracks laid down by the "lesser known" guys in the world of Christian hip hop. What the listener will realize right off the bat is that you get all kinds of tracks when listening to the album. Which, because of this, some will really enjoy some tracks while wondering how others made the album at all. This is not to say that the tracks are weak, but just so different stylistically that it could be of less interest to some while more interest to others. But, this shouldn't be a surprise with an album that has a compilation of artists. Also know, this isn't an album with a bunch of remixes. From what I know of these tracks, most (besides one) are completely new.

Here is the list of tracks, including their artists, on the CD:

1. Enter The Mission - Dr. Eric Mason, DJ Official, R-Swift
2. Show Off - Lecrae & Flame
3. Use Me - Tedashii
4. Streets of New York - J.A.Z. & Magellen
5. Get Busy - Trip Lee
6. Go - H.G.A. & Tedashii
7. Not My Own - Stephen The Levite, Phanatik, Evangel
8. Love Fallen - Gems, Jahaziel, Benjah, Dillavou
9. Nothing Without You - JR & Lecrae
10. Chaos - Sho Baraka
11. Chisel Me - Thi'sl, Json, K-Drama, Tedashii
12. On My 116 - Lecrae, Tedashii, Sho Baraka, Trip Lee
13. Streets of Philadelphia - Mac The Doulos, Young Joshua, Ackdavis, R-Swift
14. Missio Dei - God's Servant
15. Forward Me - Cam
16. Outro (Thank You)
17. (bonus) For My Breakers
18. (bonus) Eyes Open Remix - Trip Lee & Sho Baraka

I will say that two tracks stuck out to me, and honestly believe, that if it wasn't for the biblical content, could be on mainstream radio right now. One is Streets of New York featuring J.A.Z. & Magellen, which DJ Official mixes in some great stringed instruments. The other has an R&B feel with Nothing Without You featuring JR & Lecrae. These two, by far, are my favorite tracks on the album.

One will also notice something completely different from Sho Baraka on track 10 with his song called Chaos. I had no clue it was Sho, and was shocked to find it was. It was more rough around the edges, and one that I ended up enjoying after the befuddled look left my face.

I think overall that the album is definitely a win and one that brings Reach's background man, DJ Official, to the forefront. Not only that, but the album exposes some other talents that might be less known to some. If you are a Reach Records fan, this album will not disappoint. Be ready to hear many different styles, including a raggae feel from track 8 titled, Love Fallen, featuring Gems, Jahaziel, Benjah, & Dillavou.

Not only were the tracks well laid out by DJ Official, but the lyrics follow the lead of the title of the CD so that the listener hears throughout what it means to truly Enter Mission.

Highly Recommended

Links to Buy:

Reach Records

iTunes

amazon.com

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Using Hip Hop to Mentor: Celestine

When I first started going to my new church, Harambee, one of the pastors had announced that a hip hop artist named Celestine was going to be coming up from L.A. to partner with our after school program (the after school program gets about 125 youth every day from Renton High School, which is one of the most racially diverse schools in Washington state). I was excited to see what he was going to be doing, but still, when you hear of Christian and Hip Hop together, most of the time it just doesn't work. Not only is the video below top notch, but so is the song. Celestine, and his wife Tara, are still adjusting to life in Seattle and ministering to the youth, but the stories of mentorship are already very exciting. I am very excited to get the chance to possibly help them out by doing some design work and have really enjoyed getting to know them for the past 6 months. If you want to know more about their ministry, check them out at Celestine Rap. (also consider supporting their cause through prayer and financial support)



Here is a quick bio of Celestine off of his website:

Celestine Ezinkwo was born in Africa in 1984. He is a singer and a dancer and spent most of his time singing in the church choir, worked as a hip-hop choreographer and served the oppressed. He lived in Nigeria until he was 19 years old. In 2003 he moved to America to further pursue his musical abilities as a rapper. Since living in America he has discovered his strong passion is to liberate the oppressed through rap music and educating his listeners on how they can be proactive in making a change and helping kids and women around the world. Celestine has been on MTV Asia and worked with different musicians and organizations that are passionate about ending injustices around the world. Celestine’s heart is to CRY OUT for those that can’t cry out for themselves and to make a change partnering with others who have the resources and the passion to free kids and women around the world from the oppression they face on a daily basis. “Speak up for those that can’t speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”(Proverbs 31:8-9)


Expect me to really be doing some major hype for his album that should be coming out sometime in the Spring or Summer of this year.

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9 Mostest Weirdest Stories of the Bible

I figured I would change things up some. I have not been able to have fun on the blog in a while as I have been doing a lot of posts and studies on Muslim/Christian relations. Hardly appropriate to drop funny lines when speaking of that topic. But, being that I like to both study the Bible and write humorously, I am trying to figure out why I haven't done this before. If you are new to this blog, I apologize ahead of time on my humor and writing style as I embark on this odd blog series. If you want to get used to what this might look like, I would tell you to take a look at my blog series called, "10 Steps to Become a Legalist." Which, I have to be honest, was one of my favorite blog series I have ever done. And, oddly, a pastor of a pretty large church in Alabama asked to use those blog posts for a sermon series.

My goals for this series are the following:

1. Have some fun and make you laugh. I am what some would call, an equal opportunity basher. I will make fun you at some point in this series. Please laugh. I will make fun of myself probably more. Please pray for my self-deprecating attitude with my idiosyncrasies.

2. Get people excited about the Old Testament. Let's be honest. Most people don't read the Old Testament unless their Sunday School teacher forces them to study through it to prove something. We all know that these teachers are usually monotone, and seem to take pleasure in picking out the most dry passages in the Old Testament and then taking two years going through them. All the while, feeling like he is more righteous because he gleans so much from these passages as you try and keep your head from bobbing while falling asleep. Probably why the Southern Baptists created the "quarter system" for Sunday School.

3. Get people to worship God and his glory through these passages. Most teachers are clueless on what the Old Testament is really about and how it connects with the overall story of God and His glory. The above mentioned baby sitters, I mean "teachers", love to tell you how to make yourself more like David or less like David, depending on the passage. They love to give you a list to follow so your faith can be like David's, or give you a list to follow so you don't murder a woman's husband after you have sex with her because you are a peeping Tom watching her take a bath. What these teachers miss, is that maybe these stories are telling us more about the glory of God, than how we can better ourselves.

So, these are my thoughts on why I want to go through these passages. Why 9? Because 9 is a strange number with no secret biblical code to unlock. At least I haven't found it to be one of yet with the bible code detector ring from my Rob Bell: You too can have faith like Peter's, Wheaties' box.

I also want to include you, the reader, to help me out. What are some weird stories that you have read in the Bible that you have no idea why they are there and have no idea how they would point to the glory of God. Or, are just plain odd and you think are funny. Because lets be honest...funny brings readers. Readers bring comments. Comments bring...well nothing really because I do this stupid blog for free and have never made a penny doing it. But, comments make me feel important, and might get me a Sunday School gig at your local 4th First Baptist Church.

So, either comment here, hit me up on twitter or Facebook or email me what weird stories you would like to see in this countdown of sorts.

Hopefully this will be a great series that will be enjoyable for everyone involved. And, I hope to make fun of you...a lot. But only so you see your weirdness and look more to Jesus.

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A Deadly Misunderstanding :::UPDATED:::

**After posting my review, Mark Siljander was kind of enough to write me an email and tell me that some others have had some of the same "issues" as I did with the book. Because of this, Mr. Siljander, in the 2nd edition of the book is going to make some changes. He also was kind enough to tell me that this book was written to both the Christian and Mulsim. Because of this, some things can seem more "soft" for the Christian, when not intending to be. I appreciate the humility that is shown by Siljander, one that is not found that often in authors today. We have had a good exchange between each other, and one that I pray will continue. I also hope to be able to get together with him if he makes it up here to Seattle, to hear more of the amazing work that Jesus is doing through him. Again, I highly recommend the book.

A Deadly Misunderstanding by Mark D. Siljander, is challenging and pushes your comforts past where you would like. The full title for the book is, A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide. Not only is this a title of a book, but the title of Mr. Siljander's life. Siljander is one that will surprise you. He is a white, Republican, conservative, Evangelical, from Michigan. He breaks the stereotype fully, when you read his quest. But, he is honest where the quest started, which is one where he used to hate Islam so much, and spoke out against them so profusely, that Yasser Arafat had a hit put out on him. He really started out where the majority of Evangelical Christians find themselves today. I found the opening to the book one that I can personally relate with:

Many years later, after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, when Christian leaders began denouncing Islam and the Qur'an from pulpits and radio stations across America, their litany of vitriol and hysteria was both frightening and yet oddly familiar.

Back in 1984, what I didn't realize was that I was also a hostage, held captive by my own ignorance and fear-much like the fear that has held so much of the world hostage since the events of 9/11. And while I could not have remotely suspected it at the time, that same letter of protest would trigger a series of encounters that would eventually shake me loose from the beliefs that held me there. (p.11)

The book is about the quest of a congressman (mostly as his time as a former congressman) who wasn't content at being ignorant. Siljander took this urge seriously as he spanned the globe meeting up with major leaders in the Islamic world to sit and speak to them about the divide between Muslims and Christians. Not only this, but he would be someone I would call (I doubt he would call himself this) a self trained genius. He so much wanted to truly befriend those from other nations that he learned Spanish, Hebrew, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, French, Italian, Portuguese, and then to specifically speak to those in the Arab and Muslim world, learned Arabic and Aramaic. He learned the former two to aid his quest to study the Qur'an and language that Christ most likely spoke in, Aramaic, to be able to seek out why these two Monotheistic faiths have been at each other's throats for so many years.

In this book, Siljander gives forth not only his life's quest of bridging this divide one relationship at a time, but also through showing some of his findings (exegetically) that break down some major walls between the two faiths. I will say that those he has spoken to in the Muslim world are quite impressive. These stories are amazing to read about, and truthfully should challenge all of us to consider our motives for relationships. Siljander over and over again, quite honestly, shatters any concepts one would have of a conservative Evangelical Republican congressman.

The reader is challenged, both Muslim and Christian (but mostly Christian) on their understanding of the Bible, Qur'an and how they interact, which is more than most think. Reading this book, had me going back and forth. At one point, I would smile and almost yell, "amen!", then I would find myself cringing because I felt a misstep was happening within Siljander's exegesis. And although Siljander does his best to convey this when stating,

What follows in these pages is not some new form of ecumenism or syncretism where Christians, Muslims, or anyone else is expected to give up cherished and long-held beliefs or creeds.

The problem is that I felt as though, at points, Siljander seemed to just that. The reason is because the centrality of the Christian faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as God's atoning death for us and His glory. This seemed to be very light in the book and within his interactions with the Muslim world. He even, at one point, tries to bring these two faiths together on this point, but I believe he gives up too much in the understanding of orthodoxy within Christendom to make this work. So, at points, I feel as though Siljander sounds very syncretic, even though he starts trying to say he is not doing this. But, I will also say this. The written word can be misleading and very difficult to convey at times, especially on such touchy subjects as this. So, before I would say anything completely negative about Siljander and his path towards reconciliation, I would desire to sit down and ask him questions about these issues and what he has found as he has spoken to those of the Muslim faith.

So, with that in mind, would I recommend this book? Yes. Like any book about faith and dialogue, you must be discerning. Siljander doesn't even say "his way" is how everyone should handle themselves. But, he tells the story of how his journey and where his journey has taken him, both in his study and relationships. This, I highly commend him for sharing. This book will stretch anyone who reads it. There is so much "good" in this book and so much that the reader will realize about their own journey towards truth (if they are honestly trying to learn), that it is well worth the read. If you like where you are currently in your understanding of the world and are enjoying what is portrayed in American media, don't read this book. But, if you want to see what is actually happening elsewhere, what Muslims actually believe, what the Bible actually says in certain points and desire to be stretched, you need to read this book. You will learn much through Siljander's interactions with Muslim leaders and also with his interactions of great study through the Aramaic translation of the New Testament (which is a personal conviction with just that statement). You will learn such things as:

Who is Allah? What does this term have to do with the term "God"? (for an excerpt, click here)
What do Muslims understand of the Christian when we speak of the Son of God, Jesus' death and the Trinity?
What does the Qur'an say about Jesus and the spirit of God?
What is the Aramaic understanding of (this was one of my favorite parts):
- Camel through the eye of the needle (Matt 19:24)
- The Lord's Prayer, specifically on God leading us into temptation
- Jesus telling us to hate our family members (Luke 14:26)
- Heap burning coals on our enemy's head (Romans 12:20), etc.

As you can see, this book is jammed pack with data. It is only 222 pages, and flows in and out with exegesis and personal stories of his travels all over the world. It is very readable and very enjoyable and one that I couldn't put down. I read it in three days. It will have you saying "amen" one second, "no way!" the next and lastly just plain shaking your head in personal shame for your misunderstandings.

I ask you, please read this book and be challenged. Will you agree with everything in this book? Probably not. Will it stretch you more than other books you have read in the past? I would bet it will be in the top 5, if not the top book as far as its' challenges.

I have had a brief conversation with Mr. Siljander and I hope to have some more in the future. I pray that I get the chance to sit down with him and seek out his wisdom on how God continues to challenge him on the path he has been put on. Until then, I pray that my misunderstandings of others, are able to be broken down as I search out the truth in both Jesus and my relationships with others who aren't like myself.

I highly recommend this book.

May God be glorified.

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Contend Earnestly Made Top 50 Christian Blogs

I have never visited this site, but I made the top 50 Christian blogs there. I am thinking it is in reverse order of importance, or intelligence, as I am listed at #4 (it's in no actual order, just in categories). Anyways...pretty cool. Have a great weekend.

Top 50 Evangelical Christian Blogs

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Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? Part II

What Do the Scriptures Teach About Non-Trinitarian Peoples?

Hopefully you have seen what I mean when I say worship (again, not speaking of the term “to know”) and the fact that Allah is described in many of the same ways we would describe him. The one fact remains though: We (Christians and followers of Jesus) worship God, knowing God is triune in nature; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Remember that when seeking to find if Muslims or Jews worship the same God, we are not saying that they know him or are fully worshiping him in the manner that God desires. We even see this in the Old Testament when Isaiah is given the commandment to proclaim to Israel that they were not worshiping God in the way he desired, but this didn’t mean that they were not worshiping God, it just meant that their worship was in vain, or empty.

Then the Lord said,
“Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
Isaiah 29:13

We see that Jesus quotes this same verse from Isaiah in Matthew 15:8, using the term “sebomai” to show forth the idea of “worship or fear” of God. If Jerusalem in the Old Testament wasn’t worshiping the true God, we have some real issues, as it is God himself who is speaking to Jerusalem and telling them “you are worshiping me incorrectly!” What God is not saying is that they are worshiping another god. What is being conveyed, in both the Old and the New, is the importance of worshiping God correctly, so that your mouth and your heart are near God, so that you may know God.

What I want to show is how the terms used for worship are used both of those who are true followers of Jesus and those who don’t know Jesus as God. If I am successful in this, one should be able to see that to say that “Muslims don’t worship the same God as Christians” is at least unhelpful, if not totally false.

Cornelius in Acts 10

When we come to Acts 10, a man named Cornelius is introduced to us. He is described in this way:

a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
Acts 10:2

Understand that Cornelius is a Gentile and knows nothing of Jesus. The term “feared” used here is the term “phobeo” which Peter also uses in 1 Peter 2:17 when he tells believers to “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” As we mentioned above, this term for fear is closely related to the term worship. Not only this, but this passage gets very clear about this Gentile who knows nothing of Jesus Christ. It says in Acts 10:4 that the angel of the Lord that appeared to Cornelius states, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” I don’t know of any scholar, or even nominal Christian, who would say that prayer isn’t a part of worshiping God. What we find here is that a Gentile, who has yet to be converted to Jesus, or taught the triune aspect of God, is, and has been, worshiping the true God.

Cornelius’ total ignorance of what it means to truly worship and know God shows forth when Peter visits him to preach. When Peter approached Cornelius, Cornelius fell down and worshiped Peter!

So, although Cornelius is a Gentile, knowing nothing of Jesus, he worships/fears/prays to God and God hears him.

The First Convert in Europe, Lydia

The second example is found in Acts 16:14 when it states the following:

A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

In this passage, we find a woman in Europe who ended up submitting herself to Jesus. But, before she was surrendered her life, she is called a “worshiper of God.” This is before Paul had spoken the gospel to Lydia, and once she heard, her heart was opened and she responded. The term used here in the Greek is the term “sebomai.” Which, as we noted above, is used both to have a sense of “fear” and also “worship.” This term puts these two expressions in congruence with each other.

One might say at this point, “Yes, they are said to worship God, because once they heard the good news, they then converted to Jesus.” (I think that is quite a weak argument, but nevertheless, I will respond as though it were convincing) While this is true of both of the first two examples, this term “sebomai” is also used of people where we have no proof that they ever converted to be followers of Jesus

Here is a quick list of the verses that use this term “sebomai” in regards to those who are not shown to ever submit to Jesus:

‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:9


‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
Mark 7:7

So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.
Acts 17:17

In every one of these instances, we see that this Greek term “sebomai” is used for those who are worshiping God in ignorance, with no proof that they ever turned to Jesus. On the contrary, we also find the same term used, not only with Lydia, but with others who “feared” or “worshiped” God and then later (also used in the present tense) turned to Jesus.

Some of these could be argued from the text that we don’t even know if some of these people actually submitted to Jesus later, but I will put them in this context to avoid argument.

Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 13:43

But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.
Acts 13:50

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.
Acts 17:4

Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue.
Acts 18:7

saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
Acts 18:13

One can plainly see that throughout the Scriptures, the term “sebomai” which means to worship is used interchangeably with those who know the fullness of God through Jesus Christ, those who eventually come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to those who we never see turning to Jesus. What we never see is the fact, that some would like to charge, that Jesus and the apostles ever told those who are worshiping God in the way they know him as, that they are worshiping another god.

If this term “sebomai” or “worship” or “God-fearers” can be used for those who don’t know Jesus in the New Testament, why can this term not be used in today’s context with Muslims?

Miscellaneous Thoughts on Worshiping God

I want to also point out a couple of other verses that support this understanding, but might not necessarily hold enough weight to convince as the above.

The first is found in Matthew 5:16

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

What we see is a command from Jesus to those who follow him, his disciples. He tells them that they should be light and salt, and to allow their works to be seen by men. Why? So that men will glorify their Father who is in heaven. It interesting because the term “glorify” is closely related to worship (1 to think, suppose, be of opinion. 2 to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate. 3 to honour, do honour to, hold in honour. 4 to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour. 4a to impart glory to something, render it excellent. 4b to make renowned, render illustrious. 4b1 to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged).

You’ll also notice that there is no distinction whether those that will glorify God are followers of Jesus or not. But, the fact remains, whether they love Jesus or not, they can glorify God who is in heaven, without knowing Him. Again, this would seem to show that although one doesn’t know God, they can still glorify and worship God.

The second is found in Acts 13:48 and has been much debate among Calvinists and Arminians, but we can also glean one other theological conclusion here.

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

What you see here is Paul and Barnabas preaching to a group of Jews and Gentiles. The Jews reject the preaching, while it says that all the Gentiles present began to rejoice and glorify the word of the Lord. Again, we see this exact same term “glorify” or “doxazo.” You’ll notice that not all those who were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord then believed; only those who were appointed to believe, believed. That would leave us to understand that there were some who rejoiced and glorified the word, without actually turning to Jesus.

Conclusion

I wrote this to simply ask those who continually say that “Allah” is a demon or that Islam worships another god, to see the reasoning from us who say that this isn’t the case. Although I don’t believe that Islam paints a complete picture of who God is, and what his attributes are, this doesn’t mean that they worship a completely different god altogether. Let me give an example before I conclude.

There were two men (Steve and David) who claimed to know another man (James) who lived in South Africa. As these two met each other in New York at a conference, they began speaking about this man James who lived in South Africa. David began to speak about James, but didn’t know him personally. He only knew a guy who claimed to know James and learned about James through him. Throughout the years, David sent James letters of thankfulness because of all the wisdom he was learning through his other friend. As David began to describe James to Steve, they seemed to be talking of the very same man. They both knew James to be quite funny, he had two sons, his wife had died giving birth to their second son and James, to both of them, was quite the business man. Then David said that James was pretty harsh in business, and disowned his second son after the son refused to get a job when he turned 18. Steve was quite perplexed. Steve told David, I actually live right next to James and I personally have known him for over 20 years. He actually isn’t harsh in business, but quite kind to all of his employees and very forgiving those who have been dishonest in their business dealings. Also, Steve said that James’ oldest son, decided to leave the house at the age of 18 on his own and James has been pursuing a relationship with him ever since. Then Steve asked, “Would you like to know James personally?” David quickly responded, “Yes, in fact I would”. Steve said, “Good, because he is coming to New York tomorrow, and you can start to personally know him.”

I know that this parallel is only helpful to a small degree. But, the understanding I am trying to get across is the one we should have with our Muslim friends. Although they might worship God, as David was sending letters to James, they don’t know God personally as we do, because of Jesus. Our job isn’t to tell the Muslim that they don’t worship another god, as it would have been very odd for Steve to tell David that he didn’t know the real James from South Africa. Our job is to lead them to the fullness of God, only known through Jesus Christ. Our job is to lovingly guide the Muslim to a complete understanding of the grace found in God, through the Messiah.

Remember, incomplete truth isn’t non-truth. It’s like saying, “sugar and flour” are ingredients of a cake. While true, this isn’t the complete ingredient list for a cake. We need to continue with the fullness of wisdom to show which ingredients have been left out, or which ones are wrong.

We should be like Paul at Mars Hill. We should find those things that are similar and then guide them to the fullness of truth. We should not burn those bridges that have already been built between the two faiths, but we should introduce Jesus to them through these bridges. Just as Paul did with the “unknown god” to the Greeks.

Let me remind the reader, that what I am trying to convey is the difference between worship and knowing God. Knowing is a very deep and personal term in both the Hebrew and the Greek. One can think of it this way:

All those who know God will worship God; All those who worship God, don’t necessarily know God.

May we continually seek ways to show all men the greatness of the Messiah, and ask them to seek out who Jesus was, is and will continue to be. May we do this in a constructive way, instead of a detrimental one.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

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Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? Part I

When I first heard this question brought up to me, my thought was a simple, “No.” The reason that I gave was the fact that we, as followers of Jesus, worship the monotheistic, yet triune God of Abraham. If one does not believe that God is triune in nature, how can they worship the same as I, one who is a follower of Jesus? But, I quickly started to think this through. The reason was that Jews would give the same answer as a Muslim in regards to God, yet I would have a harder time to say that God’s chosen nation in Old Testament didn’t worship God, if they didn’t believe Him to be triune. Not only that, but I would have a hard time regarding those in contemporary Judaism as not worshiping the same God as I. Being that both the Muslim and Jew worship God, who is the One and only, if one is cast out as not worshiping God so shall the other. One can see the similarities in the two faiths, in their preeminent proclamation of them:

The Shema for the Jew, taken from Deuteronomy 6:4, states:

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!

When the Muslim is asked what makes one a true Muslim, or one who is submitted to God, they will speak of their Shahada:

There is no god but God

So, as I started to think this through, I said, “If I say that Muslims do not worship the same God as I, then neither does the monotheistic Jew either.” Although this bothered me some, I still, nonetheless, decided to go to the Scriptures to see what it would say about those who did not believe Jesus to be God, and held that believing so, meant that God is more than one and was therefore being blasphemous.

I am going to go through this in steps to show what I am getting to. I will first distinguish between worshiping God and knowing God, then will show what Islam teaches about God or Allah, and then what the Scriptures speak of concerning those who do not know Jesus to be part of the Triune aspect of the Godhead.

Defining Worship, Not Knowing

Worshiping in the New Testament Greek is brought about in the terms “sebomai, proskuneo and latreuo .” These terms have the connotation of both a physical aspect and spiritual one. The physical aspect is brought out in the term, “proskuneo” which can either mean to “prostrate, kiss or bow” but also carries the idea of “deep reverence.” We see this term used in the most profound way when John uses it when quoting Jesus as saying,

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:24

The next term that is translated as worship in the New Testament Greek is “sebomai” and has the idea of “revere, worship or one who is devout.” This term is translated in the NASB by using the terms “God-fearing, devout, worship and worshiper.” A couple of usages in the New Testament are found in Acts 13:50 and Acts 16:14 respectively:

But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

What one will notice is that the connection in these terms is the term, rendered in the English as, reverence. We will connect these further when looking at the Scriptures, but one other term that is very close to these two terms is the term “phobeo”, which means to “fear, to reverence or to be afraid.” So, when the Bible uses the term, “worship” there is some idea that reverential fear is being spoken of. Many times we see in the Scriptures that those who followed God were said, ‘to fear Him”. To give a reference that I will use later, Peter says in 1 Peter 2:17, “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

What I want the reader to know is that I am not saying that all those who “worship” or “fear God” know God fully, or worship him in the way that God desires. Jesus tells us,

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Matthew 11:27

I want to make this distinction, because I don’t want to confuse the reader to think that I am saying that by worshiping God, one then knows God, therefore accessing heaven by a different means than Christ.

What Does Islam Believe About God?

First, this is not some Magnum Opus on the doctrines of the Islamic faith on Allah or God. I understand that most of my readers are Westerners with very little knowledge of the Qur’an, but have only heard Evangelical Polemics against Islam in regards to their understanding of God. My intent here is to show the similarities of the Qur'an with the Torah and New Testament, not to get into a debate about their practical wisdom of the terms they use.

Before we begin, some love to draw a very odd straw man against Islam by saying that “Allah” is a demon and should not be used as a term for calling on God. So much so, that they desire Muslim converts to Jesus to stop calling God, Allah. This is quite simply, very elementary and foolish. Mark D. Siljander, in his book, “A Deadly Understanding” puts the understanding quite well. He states:

What did the Semitic languages have to say about God and Allah? The answer proved fascinating.

In pre-Muhammadan times, Arabs worship a moon god called Hubal, whom they also referred to as “Al-ilah,” and this, goes the claim, was the source of “Allah.” But ilah is simply the Arabic word for “god.” Al-ilah means, “the god.” (The Arabic “al” is equivalent to the English “the.”) In precicely the same generic way, Semitic tribes used this basic term, il or el, to refer to their various gods for thousands of years before Muhammad. El was the chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon; the Canaanite language was closely related to Hebrew. With Abraham and the birth of the great monotheistic faiths, these words were adopted to refer to the one God. The Aramaic form was Alaha, the Hebrew Eloah, which became the Elohim who does the creating in the first chapter of Genesis.

Taking a closer look at our own language, I found precisely the same linguistic process: our word “God” is derived from the proto-German pagan word gott, which denotes a particular water spirit. The Latin Deus, from which we draw our word, “deity,” Spanish its Dios, and French its Dieu, are all descendants of Zeus, the name for the chief god in the Greek pantheon. Yet when modern Christians pray to God, Dios, or Dieu, we don’t accused them of invoking Zeus or a pagan water demon! The Hubal issues was a nonissue: God, Dios, Elohim, Eloah, Alaha – and yes, Allah as well – all refer to the same One Deity of Abrahamic monotheism.

For over five hundred years before the birth of Muhammad, Arab Christians and even some Jews in the Arabian peninsula used the word Allah for God.

Mark J. Siljander, A Deadly Misunderstanding, 46-47

As we continue, remember that the great monotheistic beliefs understand that there is only one God. There is no other God. So, when one says that they are worshiping the one God and then describes that God in many of the same ways we would, it is difficult to come to the conclusion that they are, in fact, worshiping “another” god. Here are some of the descriptions that Islam has for Allah:

God is:
One
Sovereign
Omniscient
Omnipotent
Eternal
Creator of Universe
Revealer of Himself
The Light
Love
Merciful
Compassionate/Beneficent

It is easy to see that the way the Qur’an describes God, is very much how we would describe God. Would they describe God in every way that a follower of Jesus would? No. Would they understand God in every way that a follower of Jesus would? No. But, this shouldn’t negate the fact that Islam is monotheistic and hold to many of the same descriptions that we would hold to.

And these descriptions shouldn’t be too surprising, as Muhammad had much contact with Jews and Christians on the trade routes and the fact that Surah 3:64 states,

Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah ." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."

One can see that there are many similarities between the God of the Bible and Allah of the Qur’an. Even Muhammad, when speaking to “the people of the book (Scripture)” states that we both worship the same God and that none is his equal. The reason is the fact that Muhammad saw that the Jew, the Christian and the Muslim were all worshiping Jehovah, God, Allah – the one true God.

I will continue tomorrow with how the Scriptures describe those people who do not know God to be triune, yet One: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

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What Is Up With All These Posts on Islam? Part I

If you read, or even glance at this blog, you have noticed some major concentrations on Islam lately. You might be asking, "why?" Why has a white dude who grew up in Oklahoma, now in Seattle for the past 20 years, care about Muslims or focus in on them? I want to answer this question, so you can see that this isn't just some sort of "kick" I am on with no real purpose. The point is, there is real purpose for why my focus has been on truly understanding Islam.

What I Used to Believe About Islam

Many have asked what books I have read on Islam. Before a month ago, the list was mostly apologetical books and articles that have dealt with Islam as an evil and terroristic religion that we should fear. Most of these books are written from those in the West, and when I posted book reviews, got a few emails from Muslims saying that they don't believe what the book represents. Being argumentative, I just ignored their plea and hammered them with Qur'anic passages that I felt proved my case on why they "should" believe instead of what they actually believed. Some of the books that aided me in this type of prideful and ignoramus response were:

Islamic Invasion by Robert Morey

A Christian's Pocket Guide to Islam by Patrick Sookhdeo

The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin

and many other books and articles that I can't find links to, or were not formally published.

The one book that was a lot more balanced, but I did not care for because of my hatred for Islam was, Light in the Shadow of Jihad by Ravi Zacharias. Here was my synopsis (dated early 2006):

I thought this was going to take more of a stand against Muslims and Islam. But what I found is really a fight against evil and really against what the "extremists" believe in Islam. If I hadn't read or listened more of Ravi than just this book I would think he was partial to the "peaceful" Muslims. He did talk about the Islamic countries in bits and about their oppression but never really came down on the crux of this religion that, based on their own Koran, they are told to be "killing machines" to all those who are not Muslim, to wait in the bushes to ambush the infidels. So what happened on 9/11 shouldn't have been a shock to those educated on what Islam stands for.

The book was good in parts but left me wanting more arguments for why Christianity is based on love and Islam is based on a vengeful and hateful allah to even his own people. Instead all you get is more generalities and universal arguments from a worldview standpoint instead of a point by point argument or discussion on basically "Why Christianity and Why not Islam" Because truly Christ is the only Light in any shadow.

This embarrassing review is one that I do not hold to now, but gives a good insight to where I used to be. Namely, I hated Islam and believed it to be a religion based on fear and terror, that hated Jesus and everything he stood for.

I held this belief until about a month ago. It has been a whirlwind of a month and study.

What Were Some of the Things That Challenged Me?

First, the person that challenged me was an elder at my new church. I started to attend a new church, Harambee (You can read a post on why my family attends Harambee here), and was starting to really be challenged, especially by this one individual. I kept hearing that he was truly reaching out and becoming friends with Muslims in our area. Not only that, but he was given the opportunity to speak at some of their gatherings. As we spoke more and more, I finally just asked, "What books should I read to understand your position on Islam?" Before this question, I didn't believe that Muslims worshiped the same God, believed they should be terrorists if they obeyed the Qur'an and that Muhammad was a war monger who was also a bit of a sexual deviant. Let's just say things have changed. The elder has been very patient with me and so far, I have read these books:

Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road by Paul Gordon-Chandler

Muslims, Christians and Jesus by Carl Medearis

A Deadly Misunderstanding by Mark D. Siljander

No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan (about half way done)

I have also listened to all of Carl Medearis' talks (found here), read other articles on some of the misunderstandings and had great talks with the elder at Harambee on further issues that he is facing with Christian/Muslim relations. As you can see...it has been a whirlwind month or so.

Some of the things that have really challenged me were the misconceptions I had about Muhammad and Islam in general. I also read the Qur'an in the past, looking for reasons to hate it. So, when doing that, I always trusted the Western apologetical commentaries on it, or trusted militant Islam in their interpretations. What I was challenged on was what Carl Medearis asked in one of his talks. He asked, "Don't you want to be fairly represented when someone is discussing what you believe?" He went on to say that most of us in the West tell Muslims what they believe, and they don't agree. We draw up straw men and don't allow them to tell us what they actually believe. I have brought it up before, but this would be the same if a Muslim believed that we were more like Fred Phelps and represented us in that light to all of the Muslim world. What Fred Phelps is to us, militant Islam is to most of the Muslim world. This struck a cord with me pretty deep.

Not only that, but I read an article about what the Muslim believes we think represents "The Son of God." (click here to read article) To be precise, they only have one Arabic term for "son" and it literally means "one who is brought forth because of sexual relations." Meaning, they think we believe that God had sex with Mary to bring forth Jesus. The Arabic term for "son" isn't even used for an adopted son in the Arabic culture.

One other thing that really hit me was the fact that the interpretations of the Qur'an into English can be quite a bit different. One that struck me quite harshly, that has me desiring to look into other surahs, is the most famous aya ,or verse, about Muslims being allowed to beat their wives.

4:34. ‘Men are in charge of (or overseers of - qawwamuna) women, as Allah has given them more (strength) than the other (sometimes translated as made them superior to the other), and because they spend of their wealth (to provide for them). Therefore women who are virtuous are obedient to God, and guard in (the husband’s) absence what God would have them guard. As for those women on whose part you fear rebellion (nushuz), admonish them and banish them to beds apart, (and last) beat (adribu) them. Then, if they obey you, seek not a way against them. For God is Most High, Great (above you all).

But then, as I was reading "No god but God", Aslan gave a quite different way to interpret this verse from the Arabic to English. Aslan also points out that the way that Muhammad treated his wives, and the way that he highly valued them, would point more towards this second interpretation (other things are given as examples and reasons are given why many Muslim nations adopted the first interpretation):

‘Men shall take full care of women, with the bounties which God has bestowed on them more abundantly than upon the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. The righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy which God has ordained to be guarded. As for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear (on whose part you fear nushuz – disloyalty, rebellion, ill-conduct), talk to them persuasively, then leave them alone in bed (without molesting them) then (adribu) them (ie. either separate from them, or resume sleeping with them when they are willing and seek peace); and if they return to obedience, do not seek an excuse for blaming them: For God is Most High, Great (above you all).

All of the sudden, this surah has no issues within it at all. Because of the above mentioned thoughts, and many other findings, I have changed my views on Islam as a whole. I will go into, with my next post, why I am starting to care about Muslims as a whole and desire for them to know Jesus, not Christianity. I want you, the reader, to know the answer to your many questions to me when you ask, "Why concentrate your 'efforts' with Muslims?" I also want all my readers to understand, I am not saying that Islam leads to heaven. I believe that only those who trust and follow Jesus will be in heaven, and no religion will ever get anyone to heaven, including Christianity. I also have been writing to hopefully aid in a healthier understanding of Islam, through the eyes of people who desire to follow the ways of Jesus, instead of the ways of the West. I want those that follow Jesus to understand Islam instead of ostracizing and hating them. When this happens, we can then take the conversations to Jesus, instead of merely trying to win a stupid debate that gets no one anywhere but pride.

May we all be challenged by ALL of what Jesus did and said, instead of those we deem culturally acceptable.

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Why Do You Fear Me? A Must See Web Event

I will be writing next week on some of the reasons why I have started doing some major study on Islam and also on Islam/Christian relations. I think this post will be needed to give some insight on why this blog has had so many posts on Islam lately. It is very purposeful and if you have been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that I post on what I personally am learning at the time. So, being that I am currently reading two books, have just finished two, read articles and listened to white American followers of Jesus (specifically Carl Medearis) and how they are speaking about Jesus "behind enemy lines", you are seeing a lot of posts on the religion of Islam and how we might be able to reach them for the sake of Jesus.

Anyways...there is a great event coming up called, "Why Do You Fear Me?" with the aforementioned Carl Medearis, prolific author Ted Dekker and David Beasley
former South Carolina governor ('95-'99). They will be answering live questions on Islam and the Muslim people. Below is a video introducing this event and you will also notice the banner on the right side of the blog with a link to the home page. Please consider watching this event and praying for the Muslim people. They are in need of Jesus as much as your family members.

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The Story of the Vile Man Marrying the Beauty: Part II

If you didn't read the story, click here to make sure you read the story. If we were honest with ourselves on what we would desire the father to say to his son-in-law, it would be some sort of punishment. Most likely, if we were the father, we would desire the son to die. If not death, something pretty harsh.

If you haven't noticed already, we are the son-in-law and the wife is a representation of Jesus. I do understand that the Jesus is called the bridegroom and not the bride in the Bible, so please know that this isn't meant to be theologically correct 100% through and through. But, with our culture, it is easier to see and cherish a beautiful wife than a handsome husband, so this is why I chose this. Plus, I am a man, so it is easier to equate it in these terms when making comparisons.

But, the fact is, when we cherish anything over Jesus, we are like a man who leaves the most beautiful gift ever given him to chase after whores, who bring nothing but pain. If we were honest, and it is easier to see it in story form, we deserve a harsh punishment for doing so. The reality though, is that the Father, instead of punishing us, gives us grace if we believe in Him (although punishment by death comes for those who don't believe in Jesus' atoning death and resurrection and don't follow Him). We don't deserve this. We have done nothing but wander from his side and we will continue to do for the rest of our lives.

We are told that Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. We are told that the Just died for the unjust. That he exchanged his perfection, for our vile self serving sin. He continues to ravish us with his grace over and over and merely asks for us to come home and trust in his provision instead of what the world offers, which includes us.

So, although we deserve death, God had his Son die in our place so that we could live. In the story, it would be that the wife would die for the husband's transgressions. Think of that. Think of what your response would have been if the father said, "because of your transgressions, my daughter will die in your place and save your life." What would your response be as the son/husband?

The grace that is given to us is radical. The grace that is given to us is unfair. Because, we should be dying, not the Son of God. The husband in the story should die, not the wife.

May we understand the grace of God more fully as we seek out his glory in this life and the life to come.

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The Story of the Vile Man Marrying the Beauty: Part I

There’s a story about a man who was pursued by the most beautiful, powerful and rich woman in the city. This man, not having much going for him in both money and in physical appearance was overtaken by her pursuit. After a short courting time he asked her father for her hand in marriage. The father, loving his daughter, and loving his future son in law, quickly obliged and very excited for their union.

The man was completely in love, and every conviction that he had, the woman had. Although she was very rich and very beautiful she was also the most spiritual upright person that he had ever met. She was humble, submissive and looked for ways to always show grace and patience to her husband. As the marriage started off, the man did everything in his power to show how much he loved his wife, by ministering to her, buying her gifts, and showing much of his devotion to her both through his words and actions. The marriage, although odd to the outside world, was truly one of great beauty and devotion on both parts, as they both submitted themselves to God in love.

One day, as the man was on his way home, a local woman approached him. She grabbed him by the wrist and asked him to follow her. As he did, he noticed that this woman was taking him to the part of the city that was known for prostitution. He humbly declined, and went home to his wife.

This went on for the next month, but instead of changing routes home, he found himself purposely going the same way so as to come in contact with this woman. Then, temptation overtook his conscience. He gave into her advances and he slept with this prostitute. The man, feeling a deep rooted sorrow, went home to his wife and admitted his transgression to his wife. The wife, still in all her beauty and devotion, took off his coat, showed him the way to the table, fed him, rubbed his shoulders and drew him a warm bath for him to relax in. As she did this, she simply said, “I forgive you, and I love you the same as I did yesterday.”

The next day, the man repeated his offense.

This time, he decided to withhold the information from his beautiful wife, believing she would not find out. As he walked through the door, she again, took his coat, led him to the table, rubbed his shoulders and drew him a bath. As he laid in the bath, she approached him and said, “I know of your repeated offense and I want you to know that I have already forgiven you and I love you.”

Shocked by her love and devotion, the man promised that this would never happen again.

The next day, the man repeated his offense.

As the man entered the house, his wife, lavished him with a huge party in his favor, brought his favorite foods and entertainment, invited his friends and took him aside and said, “I still know that you have not stopped your transgressions, but I love you and I forgive you, please enjoy this party that I have thrown for it is to show you that I will never leave you for the sake of your transgressions. I truly love you deeply”
The man, overcome with guilt, wept bitterly at her feet. But, she would not allow him to be at her feet, so she knelt down, wiped away his tears with her shirt and proceeded to wash his feet so that he could go and enjoy the party with no one knowing of his transgressions.

The next day, the man repeated his offense.

As he approached the house, the woman met him and simply asked him, “What must I do my husband? I am the most powerful, most beautiful and most submissive woman in the city and yet you run around with the whores and have brought home many diseases into our household. I have forgiven you and continue to forgive you and I truly love you. Have I not shown you this through both devotion and tongue?”

Then as she was finishing up, the woman’s father walked in.

As the father stepped forward, the husband asked, “What do you deem should happen to me father? If you desire, take my life for I desire whores instead of your daughter. I desire the freedom of debauchery instead of devotion to your daughter who is most forgiving and loving to me. Your daughter is the most beautiful woman in the city, the most powerful, the most loving, and the most submissive. Yet, I leave our bed for another’s each night. I was known to be the ugliest, poorest and vilest man before marrying your daughter, but now that I have been betrothed to her, people have considered me the richest, most handsome and powerful man in the city. Although given everything from your daughter, I have squandered it all. Make your ruling, and I will concede.”

The father stepped forward, and uttered his ruling.

The question comes…what should the ruling of the father be to his son in law?

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Way to Go Safe Christian, Way to Go: Some Reality from Francis Chan

This video is money...thanks to Josh Reighley for pointing me towards it...

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Too Much Jesus Isn't Good?

Any thoughts on this quote before I give you the person who said it? Thanks to my buddy Pete up in the bustling town of Bellingham. I found the quote to be quite interesting.

“The answer, he believed, was that in their anxiety to present salvation in terms of the person and work of Christ, evangelicals had become unbalanced and tended to forget God the Father. There was a danger of ‘Jesusology’. The worship of God as three Persons must always be remembered. In particular, the emphasis, ‘I believe in God the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth’, needed to be restored – not simply God the Saviour, but before that, God the Creator. He pointed out that modern hymns and choruses had encouraged the tendency which he criticized, a tendency which reached a point at which evangelicals would rather have talks on ‘Personal Work’ than on the character of God.”

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How Should We Label Ourselves? Part 2

The Usage of Christian (Christianos) in the New Testament

Surprisingly, the term is only used 3 times in the New Testament. Also, one needs to note that it never says in the Scriptures that disciples of Christ ever actually called themselves, or labeled themselves as Christians. The Scriptures are silent on who actually labeled them as such and never tells us that Christ’s disciples accepted the term to use as normative for the church as a whole. History tells us that it was a term, not of endearment, but of disparagement and one that the church finally accepted as a label. From there, the term grew to label the whole of the church as a religion called “Christianity.” But, history and tradition are not enough to make something prescriptive and normative for the church for all time, but merely are helps to show how others before us were convicted by the Spirit of God in their context and cultures.

Here are the references:

and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Acts 11:26

Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”
Acts 26:28

but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
1 Peter 4:16

One can see that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, but we are not told by whom they were called this. (I am not saying that this isn’t of historical importance, or that the term should NOT be used. The fact that both Jews and Gentiles were seen as one group and labeled as Christians is tantamount to their new identity seen by those in the secular world. But, this does not make the label prescriptive) King Agrippa, a Gentile, uses the term to describe Paul’s people and then we have Peter who simply says that if one suffers because of the use of this derogatory name of “Christian” to not be ashamed of it and to glorify God in this. Which would be very appropriate after Peter just got done telling the church universal the following:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
1 Peter 4:12

The Usage of Follower (akoloutheo) in the New Testament

So, we have three verses that use the term and no prescriptive case in any of them for the term “Christian.” But what about the term “follower of Jesus.” Is there any Scriptural evidence to the fact that one can call themselves a “follower of Jesus”? I think that we have already proven this fact by the mere understanding of the closeness with the term “disciple” as discussed above, but I still want to drive home the point with every verse that Jesus and the Gospels use to show that those who follow Jesus will inherit eternal life, not those who follow a new found religion.

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 4:20

Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Matthew 4:22

Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Matthew 8:19

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:22

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
Matthew 8:23

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Matthew 9:9

“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:38


Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:21

Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
Matthew 19:27

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 19:28

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Mark 1:18

As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Mark 2:14

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 8:34

John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
Mark 9:38

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Mark 10:21

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”
Mark 10:28


When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
Luke 5:11

After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.”
Luke 5:27
And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.
Luke 5:28

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:23

John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”
Luke 9:49

And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
Luke 9:59

Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.”
Luke 9:61

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Luke 18:22

Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”
Luke 18:28

Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Luke 18:43

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
John 1:40

The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”
John 1:43


Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
John 10:27
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26

Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
John 21:19

Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
John 21:22

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
Revelation 14:4


If this evidence isn’t overwhelming and one believes that we should unashamedly use every term associated with us in the Bible, there is one more thought to look into. It is one more term that is used more times in the Scriptures than “Christian” but is never used today because it stopped being used past the 1st Century, and today is a little known cult headquartered in New Knoxville, Ohio. It is the term “The Way” and is used 5 times in the following verses:

and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:2

But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:9

About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way.
Acts 19:23

“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets;
Acts 24:14

But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”
Acts 24:22

Might have the early converts to Christianity used this term so that they were not culturally offensive? Who knows? We do know that it was a term used by Paul himself to describe the church. If we are to use every term described in the Bible, why not this one? Is it because we should allow those who are disciples of Jesus to ascribe the appropriate, culturally accepted, biblical term to themselves? I say yes. Why should we get angry at a Muslim who decides that a term that was used three times in the New Testament is too offensive to his fellow neighbor, when it has nothing to do with Jesus, but a Western religion?

I am putting forth that the Muslim who denies calling himself a Christian, but adopts the term “follower of Jesus” is being far more specific and possibly adhering more to biblical principles than the Westerner who calls themselves “Christians.”

We should praise them for teaching us this and not ostracize them or tell them, and others, that they are denying their Christ who bought them. We are being petty and allowing tradition to trump the Scriptures when we do this.

May we, in the West, learn from our brothers and sisters in the East, and follow in their footsteps as they follow in the footsteps of Christ.

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 10:37-39

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How Should We Label Ourselves? Christian? Followers of Jesus? Part I

After watching the video from Christianity Today and The Lausanne Movement entitled, “Following Jesus” I was quite struck by the titles that were used within the video by those who we would call “Christians” in the West. Instead of calling themselves “Christians” it was obvious that they were being purposeful in using the term “followers of Jesus” instead. Now, being a Westerner myself, I first thought to myself that this seemed as though they were trying to hide something. It seemed as though they were being a little dishonest in who they truly were. But, I enjoyed the video and saw that these in the video truly were following Jesus to the best of their ability, but I still had some issue with this denial of the term Christian. It should also be noted that I posted this video on my blog and had some of the same reactions from others. But, others were not so forgiving and went to the extreme to say these “followers of Jesus” were in sin for trying to hide their true identity. The obvious verse that popped up in our conversations was simply this:

“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:53

Those that had issue with the silence on the term “Christian” used this verse to show that the silence was so that they would not be ostracized for the sake of Christ. This, at first, sounded like an interesting view point. So, I did what I always do when something like this is brought up: I went to the Scriptures. Not only this, but I also sought out the reason why the Muslim didn’t use the term “Christian” post conversion. But, even with a logical argument, the practical usage of this verse didn’t make sense, because I don’t know any Americans who would tell their fellow American to forsake (meaning leave and not associate with) their family, country and culture for Jesus, if it wasn’t necessary for their spiritual well being.

Why not use the term Christian as a Muslim?

This was my first question. It was obvious that the silence and abrogation of the term Christian for the sake of “follower of Jesus” was very intentional. But why? After doing some study on the term and what it meant to the Muslim, I could see why the term came with much turmoil. For the Middle Eastern, the term “Christian” does not mean “follower of Jesus” but really means, “a Westerner, a Zionist (protector of Israel), Colonizer and hater/killer of everything Muslim.” Actually, because of this definition, Jesus and the Bible have been put to the side in the Islamic faith even though the Qur’an has much praise for Jesus (mentioned approximately 100 times, all positive ), the people of the book and the Word of God. But, “Christians” have always done things in the name of Jesus to suppress and war against those in the Middle East. So, when a Muslim hears the term “Christian” it has little to do with Jesus and more to do with the politics and religion of the West that is very individual, self focused, prideful and boastful. Whereas, the Muslim is taught to be in community, hospitable and to keep integrity within the group/clan/village/community at large. Very little attention is given to the individual and his individual accomplishments. Instead, the individual is part of a community and his actions either greatly increase the integrity of the community or defame it. So, if one from a clan calls himself a “Christian” that means that he is now a Westerner, in as far as, politics, protection of Israel and colonization of the East into everything that is west. Which, in turn, means the destruction, at whatever the cost, of everything East. I quickly saw the issue that came up for the new convert to Jesus in calling himself/herself a “Christian.”

Is the term “Christian” Prescriptive?

After I had done some research on the subject , I could see how problematic this term was for the Muslim. But, I also wanted to understand whether the term “Christian” was prescriptive. The reason is that if it was prescriptive, then no matter the turmoil it might cause, it must be used. So, I went to the Bible to see what those who were among Christ and who wrote about Christ called themselves. The results were shocking. What I am going to put forth is every verse that puts forth “Christian” and every verse that puts forth some sort of understanding of “following Jesus.” With the term, “follow,” or “akoloutheo” in the Greek, the term has a two fold meaning.

One meaning is simply: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.

I tried to discern these and leave these out. So, when it says in Matthew 4:25 that, “large crowds followed him…” I knew that this was not necessarily speaking of believers, or the elect of God, but merely those who were following Jesus like he was a circus act. I have omitted these types of usage of the verb “akoloutheo” so that we can see the true meaning and usage of the term when speaking of the elect of God.

This brings us to the second type of usage of the verb, which means: to join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple. 2a side with his party.

This meaning struck me right away and put my mind straight on the “Great Commission” when Christ tells us to: make disciples of all the nations. There seemed to be a connection of one who follows Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus. Also note that to “make disciples” is prescriptive and normative for all cultures and all time for those who call themselves followers of Christ. Before I show every instance when “Christian” is used and when the term “akoloutheo” is used, I want to point out other terms that are associated with “followers of Jesus” or “Christians” .

Here is the format: English Term (Greek Term) (amount of times term used to denote one who follow Jesus or is a Christian): Strong’s definition (I left out the definitions of “bride/wife” and “sheep” as they are cross cultural and need no further explanation of their actual definition)

Disciples (mathetes) (269): a learner, pupil, disciple

Church (ekklesia) (114): an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting. 1d2 a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake. 1d3 those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body. 1d4 the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth. 1d5 the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Elect/Chosen (eklektos) (18): chosen by God,. 1a1 to obtain salvation through Christ. 1a1a Christians are called “chosen or elect” of God. 1a2 the Messiah in called “elect”, as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable. 1a3 choice, select, i.e. the best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians.

Sheep (probaton) (17)

Bride/Wife (numphe/gune) (6)

As one can see, with just the above study, there are numerous ways that the “followers of Jesus” labeled themselves. Overwhelming though is this thought of “disciple” which is very closely related to the term “follower” (akoloutheo). Even before we list the times that the terms “follow” and “Christian” is used in the New Testament one should know a pretty interesting fact. The term “Christian” (Christianos), as defined by Strong’s, means: Christian, a follower of Christ. How amazing is that?! If one desires to define what it means when one asks, “What does Christian mean?” They should follow up with the definition that it means to follow Jesus! So, even before we look to each instance, the case is close to closed as to whether using the term “Christian” is prescriptive or if “follow of Jesus” is an allowable description of oneself. But, let’s still take a look, which we'll do fully in the next post.

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Franklin Graham on Islam: Sadly, Most Christians Would Agree

Watched this video that Graham did about Islam. Interesting to hear his insights on Islam. There is much correction needed on his thoughts on Islam as a whole. Again, he describes the 1% of Islam, not the 99% of Islam. I wonder if he would like a Muslim to compare him to "Rev." Fred Phelps of Westboro Bapstist Church? Any thoughts, or questions you have when watching this video?

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