I was reading in the Denver Post this morning about a local United Methodist Congregation who helped reunite an Iraqi Muslim with his wife and children. This is a great story about love, dedication and the freedom we try and share, as Americans, with the rest of the world. But, I was disturbed when I read the following:
"On Sunday, the church celebrated the reunion of Hussain; his wife, Rasha; and their children, 4 1/2-year-old Karrar and 2 1/2-year-old Haider. Haider was born the day after terrorists shot his father in the leg, setting in motion Emad Hussain's long interfaith journey. "This church saved my family," Hussain said. "They shared my dream. They shared my suffering." Ray Nelson, the man who first adopted Emad and brought him into the church, said no one has any intention of converting the Hussains. "Emad says we're all good Muslims," Nelson said."
No intention of converting the Hussains? This is what the modern day "Church" is coming to. We should just call ourselves 'ians' because Christ is no longer part of the equation in many churches. Shame on the Methodists for this statement. I guess we should just throw the Great Commission out the door. Let us all gather around and tell all the Christian martyrs throughout history, from the apostles on down, that their sacrifice was in vain. And we would have to say that the proclamation of Jesus that He is "the way, the truth and the life" was religious extremism. And of course there was no need for the Lord to die on the cross because there are apparently more ways to heaven than through Him. It makes me sick to my stomach just to even write these things.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After all, the United Methodist Church has a slogan that would explain why they wouldn't try to convert a Muslim to Jesus Christ. That slogan reads "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." Not to be rude, but maybe one should add "Closed Bibles" to that slogan. Maybe I am being too harsh, but how do I match up what the member of the congregation said about not converting the Muslims with what I read within the pages of Scripture?
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
While it is definitely a loving act to come together in order to reunite a family separated by the violence and mayhem going on in Iraq, it is not a loving act to stop short of telling them that the freedom they now enjoy is nothing compared to the freedom offered in Christ. Perhaps that is because those members of this particular United Methodist denomination don't know Christ themselves. How could they know Jesus when they withhold from this Muslim family the main reason Jesus Christ came to this world? He came to save the lost. But, if you don't know Christ yourself, you cannot possibly share Him with others you encounter. For any Christian who has had a saving encounter with Jesus Christ the first thing you want to do is share Him with others. When you realize the alternative for someone who doesn't know Christ you are compelled to share Him.
I feel that the Muslim family is better off here in the United States than they were in Iraq. However, have we really done them any good when their encounter with a so-called Christian church leaves them seeing no difference between the two faiths? "It's God, love and peace. I believe in God. You believe in God," Hussain said. "What is the problem?" The problem is that you don't know God and God doesn't know you. The god of the Koran and the God of the Bible are not the same God. I am sure many people will point to this story as a perfect example of Christ's love and that we shouldn't focus on those things that divide us. That appeals to the flesh, but is exactly the opposite of what love really entails. It is not an act of love to allow someone to continue on a path of destruction when you claim to have that which will save them.
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
The Muslim family from Iraq already stands condemned by God. In fact, anybody who hasn't accepted Jesus Christ as their savior is already under the wrath of God. The fires of hell await anybody who remains dead in their sins apart from the saving life of Jesus Christ. If we know what we have been saved from as Christians our natural response is to be thankful to God for the love He has expressed towards us. If you truly want to save a family, tell them about true salvation. The reason so many immigrants to this country love it so much is because of the freedom to live and to worship as they please. However, those same immigrants must be made aware of the fact that the freedoms they enjoy were made possible by men and women who sacrificed all they had so they could worship Jesus Christ! They knew that true freedom isn't simply experienced by moving from one country to another. They knew that true freedom comes when we are made alive to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
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