One of the primary ways God is drawing Muslims to Himself is through simple Bible studies that highlight passages of scripture from Creation through the Resurrection. The Waha app contains many story sets that have been translated into dozens of languages. Throughout the 30 days we will pray through these story sets that reveal Jesus, the Word made flesh.
As you read these familiar passages, prayerfully imagine what it would be like to read them for the first time – to see the wisdom, power, beauty, and authority of God and to be drawn to trust in Christ and yield your allegiance to Him.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
This passage teaches us that God is content to let His Word speak for itself. In the New Testament, Jesus is asked 180 direct questions, yet He answers only a handful of them directly. Instead, He often answered through parables.
People are prone to justify their actions. Someone once said humans are the best prosecutors when it comes to accusing those who have wronged us and the best defense attorneys when it comes to defending our own actions. Pray for the lost in this place to recognize that they cannot even live up to the standards they set for others — much less God’s standards. Pray for this awareness and conviction to drive them to seek out a Bible or to talk to a Christian.
Rached grew up in a loving family that felt Islam was an important part of their identity but didn’t rule every aspect of their lives. They valued education and encouraged Rached to pursue his dreams of becoming an architect. Eventually Rached would grow up to be a nominal Muslim with a worldview that sounded more agnostic than Muslim. When he would meet with a Christian to discuss the Bible, his skepticism would pour out about all religions. Like many nominal Muslims, he prefers to believe that Islam and Christianity are basically the same thing — some people follow Jesus and some people follow Mohammed. But this passage in Luke 6:27-31 is one Rached, and others like him, can’t get around. Islam has no equivalent to “love your enemies” and “do good to those who hate you.”
Today we will pray Romans 12:9-21 over this land. Ask God to empower Christians from a Muslim background in this place to love one another with brotherly affection and outdo one another in showing honor.
Empower them to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. Give them strength and resources to contribute to the needs of the saints and to practice hospitality.
Strengthen your church to bless those who persecute them, blessing and not cursing. Pray that believers would rejoice with their Muslim neighbors who rejoice at weddings and births. Pray for them to weep with their Muslim neighbors who weep at funerals and times of tragedy.
May Christians in this place live in harmony with one another. May they not be proud, but associate with the lowly. May they repay no one evil for evil, but seek to do what is honorable in the sight of all. And if possible, so far as it depends on them, may they live peaceably with everyone, including family members who persecute them, speak against them, curse them, spit on them, or abuse them. Give them grace to entrust justice to the wrath of God.
And may they find that if their enemy is hungry, they feed him; If he is thirsty, they give him something to drink. We bless believers in this place to not be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good.