Abdul Rahman and You

A good friend of mine sent this e-mail to me today. It was very stirring and I wanted to share it with you. I will link to the article mentioned below with some excerpts... What would we say to this Afghan man, who has been open with his faith in Jesus Christ; or, at least has not openly denied his faith in Christ? Is he a fool? Or, has he been wise? Surely he is both. He is a fool in the eyes of men, but wise in the eyes of the Lord. We do not know the whole story. Take a moment and read this short article. It will remind you again of the 'real war' we (and all God's children) are in as God's heralds/ambassadors and servant leaders in his Kingdom. This Afghan man represents many in the nations who are daily faced with the question of "openly following Jesus Christ," or "quietly following Jesus in order to sustain their lives and societal peace." This article does not represent all Muslims. That is, some Muslims might suggest this man should not be killed. But, I believe this article shows the nature, character, and rootedness of Islam. Islam is in a crisis, and has been. What will we do in these days? Will we be like the Malaysian government, which is afraid to disagree with the unconstitutinal mandates of the Islamic courts in its country? Will we, and the missionaries we send, be prepared to suffer and equip others to suffer like this man? The people of Islam need to hear and see the love of Christ. That is a love which lays down its life for its enemies. May the Lord help this Afghan man (Acts 7:54-60), whether he lives or dies, in Christ, he belongs to the Lord. Let us consider the "Sermon on the Mount," a great message of the Kingdom life/person: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against falsely on _my account._ Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. _But I say to you_, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven...And when Jesus finished saying these these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. (Mt 5: 1 - 7:29, selections)