If the Goal is to wipe out Islam, then it will fail.
Because we are not commanded to go after Armies but people individually.
It is how the Gospel has always being preached and the goal should be to reach the heart of the man ,not the heart of an army of crazies.
Shalom
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
I didn't read it all Mr.Pirk but from what I seen of the article it was the same kind of teaching I recieved at my college. I see myself as a Missionary School teacher as well. We are all called to be missionaities.
C7
Good article ..unless I missed something.[8D]
PS From the reply of Alex I must hae missd something. Sorry.
"Some Christians have said to us, 'They have their own faith; why do you need to reach them?'" says Brent McHugh, the evangelist bound for Turkey. "But if you lean your ladder against the wrong wall and you spend your life climbing up that ladder, when you get to the top, you'll find there's nothing there."
So true!
Matt.28:18-20
[18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
[20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
Mark, I read your article . . .I did'nt study it tho. My first impression has me agreeing with Alex in that our focus should be adding to Gods Kingdom rather than wiping out Islam. . . . .This type of thinking, at least to me , makes me wonder if Uncle Sam may be using missions for its own agenda . . .but then again I'm the suspicious type.
I believe that the article pointed out that in some situations missionaries did more harm than good, and I agree that this is true. Zealousness can often have well meaning folk doing inappropiate things. It's my opinion that missionaries have needs to be full of the Holy Spirit to serve on these firing lines where lives hang in a more precarious balance than what many westerners are accustomed to.
I believe Paul said that he would be all things to all people . . .or something to that affect, but I could only go so far as to try and blend in with these folk, and have another reason for being in their country. I would not profess to be a follower of their religion, prostrate myself in prayer to their God with them, or deny Christ.
Also, another point the article brought out was that often the missionary would be simply deported, while the converts would be killed. Missionaries, I think should consider this, using wisdom and discretion when possible. But the plain fact of the matter is that this is no game and in these countries, christians will give their lives to martydom for the gospel.
One other point in my mind . . .information is good . . . schooling is good . . . .neither is enough if one doesn't have the calling . . .maybe even the calling is not enough if one isn't walking in the Spirit.
__________________ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Leaf River Mac, I too agree with Alex, up to a point.
The reason these folks target the Islamic faith is because it is of such great hindrance to spreading to word.
They are the only major religion that is instructed to kill people when they convert to any faith other than Islam.
They are also the only faith that is instructed to kill (at one end of the scale) or jail and then deport (the other end of the scale) anyone caught spreading the word to Muslims.
This is what I found so disturbing about the article:
"It is common for mission agencies to be expelled from countries awash with persecution," reports an internal study by the Southern Baptist Convention based on 300 interviews in 45 countries. "Virtually overnight, local believers are left destitute and exposed." The study cites Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as particularly repressive. In one East African community, it reports, converts were "systematically hunted down and martyred by adherents to Islam. Other believers are displaced; they live in refugee camps; they reside in adjacent countries, or in the West."
" In another country unnamed in the report, "significant numbers of Muslim-background believers were arrested and tortured due to their relationship to the expatriate missionary."
When I asked about this, I was told that the problem wasn"™t the murdering of the converts (Although I had received instruction on a different thread that these murders weren"™t being done in the proper Islamic way), the problem was the fact that these Missionaries (who were providing free food and betterment to the host countries) had spoken to Muslims about Jesus.
BTW, the proper Islamic method of handing such matters is to confine the convert for 30 days of intense Islamic teachings and there by allow them the chance to denounce their new found faith in Jesus. If at the end of the 30 days a denouncement isn"™t made. It is up to a council, made up of local elders, to decide if the convert is to be put to death(normally by beheading), or allowed to live ostracized. If the convert is allowed to live, they are instructed that if they are caught trying to spread the word of Jesus, then most likely they will be killed. Often times by beheading.
If anyone wants a real eye opener, take Tazman"™s advice and, spend sometime on an international Islamic message board. The ones mostly populated by first world countries arepretty mild compared to those populated by 3rd world countries and Arabs.
All I can say is that I am glad many of them are not Devout in following all their teachings.
Thank
mr-pirk
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A proud owner of a Flying Vee. Bestowed by the fine Gentleman VC1111 himself.
Good Grief, I need some sanity
