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"Worldview training for all the World" ........ Psalm 50:12 Premier Worldview® Center 800-948-3101 |
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"Worldview training for all the World" ........ Psalm 50:12 Premier Worldview® Center 800-948-3101 |
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Call to ArmsBy: Doug Dahl 02/21/2002 Call to Arms By: Doug Dahl 02/21/2002 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat...After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." -Nehemiah 4:7-9, 14 Global Jihad As paradoxical as it may sound, the terrorist attacks of September 11 have fueled a resurgence of Islamic evangelism all around the globe. This renewed global jihad takes different forms in different places. It bears a violent military face in predominantly Islamic nations such as Indonesia and Pakistan, while presenting itself as a religion of peace in Western nations, especially the United States. But whichever mask it wears there is no doubt what its goal is: world domination and subjugation of all people to the Muslim religion. The global jihad comes at a time when Christianity is ill prepared to confront and defeat it. Western Christians, particularly those in the United States, live in an intellectual and religious Babylonian captivity, having surrendered the civilization to propagators of tolerance, diversity, and multi-culturalism. Christians have been brow-beaten into submission in every public realm, and are rapidly losing their grip on their own churches, even the conservative ones. In its present weakened state, the Church is no match for expansionist Islam. Like Christianity, Islam has always been a dominionist religion. However, unlike Christianity, Islam has not advanced primarily through evangelism, but through military conquest. Once Islam becomes the dominant religion in any nation, it outlaws other religions and brutally suppresses those who profess other faiths, particularly faith in Jesus Christ. Any Muslim converting to Christianity in such a nation is essentially signing a death warrant for himself and his family. Beyond the externals-the distinctive dress, the inflammatory rhetoric, the militaristic intimidation-Islam is an idea, a worldview. It is precisely in the realm of ideas that Christianity, properly presented and defended, exercises its God-ordained dominion. As the apostle Paul put it, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (2 Cor 10:4, 5). To defeat Islam, Christianity does not need guns and bombs, but bold proclamation and defense of the Gospel. Christians will have to break out of the intellectual and religious reservations we've willingly accepted from the humanists who would rule over us, and begin pressing the crown rights of King Jesus in every realm. A Plan for Victory To defeat Islam, or any other non-Biblical worldview, Christians need to employ the weapons of our spiritual warfare. We must bring the power of God to bear against the false religions of angry, violent, and tyrannical men. We must call upon the only true and living God who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth (Psalm 46:9), fighting by His means, and to His glory. Our first weapon is prayer, with fasting. I call upon all faithful Christians to dedicate one evening per week to praying specifically for the final defeat of Islam throughout the world. In this manner we ought to pray, calling upon God to: $ Drive fear and compromise out of His Church, replacing it with a holy boldness that prefers death to denial of the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. $ Bring unity of purpose, peace, and love for the brethren to His entire Church, built upon the foundation of truth in Jesus Christ. $ Protect our Christian brothers and sisters from militant Muslims throughout the world, particularly in Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and other nations where they are under imminent threat of physical assault, exile, and death. $ Stop the enslavement of non-Muslims by Muslims in Africa, particularly in southern Sudan. $ Free American converts to Islam from the deception into which they have fallen, and bring them to a knowledge of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. $ Sow confusion and discord into the ranks of militant and suicidal Muslims, and bring many to embrace the Christian faith they seek to eviscerate. Our second weapon is knowledge-knowledge of our own faith and of the claims of Islam. I encourage Christians to read the Koran so we can see the difference between Jehovah and Allah, and answer those who say Islam is merely a different way to the same God. Our third weapon is apologetic skill. We should invest some time in learning how to answer objections to Christianity, and the myriad false charges brought against Christianity by Muslims (1 Peter 3:15). Our final weapon is confidence in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."(Matt 28:18, 19). Our great commission is to turn men and women from every tongue, tribe, race, and nation under heaven into disciples of Jesus Christ. This commandment includes the self-proclaimed nation of Islam. Like all people who are lost in ignorance and sin, Muslims need to cast themselves solely upon the saving power of Jesus Christ who alone can justify them before the bar of God's judgment. We will not bring Muslims to faith in Jesus Christ with guns and bombs, or with hateful invective, but with prayer and proclamation. God the Holy Spirit is every bit as capable of penetrating the defenses of hardened Muslims as He was of penetrating our own hardened defenses when He brought us to saving faith. The battle belongs to the Lord. We cannot remain neutral in this war. We have to remind ourselves that the propagators of the jihad have a plan for our children, our grandchildren, and all succeeding generations. That plan does not include worshiping and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. We must take our inspiration from Nehemiah: "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." One Family's Commitment This is how our family has committed to engage the new jihad in 2002. We are setting aside Friday evening to fast and pray according to the prayer points above. We are encouraging everyone we know to do something similar. We suggest that two or more families who live in close proximity plan to assemble together that evening for corporate prayer. We are inviting anyone who lives within reach of our home to join us for our Friday evening sessions as often as they can. We will use these sessions to inform participants of new developments and prayer needs, and also as a training class in evangelism and apologetics. We need not cower in the face of the rising jihad. Jesus Christ is the same victorious Lord today as He was yesterday, and as He will be forever. Whether the opposition is Islam, enlightenment humanism, contemporary political correctness, communism, or any other high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, indwelt and empowered by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and wielding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is more than able to conquer the enemy. We, like Muslims, seek nothing less than the total surrender of our enemies to our God. But our God does not enslave those who come to Him; rather, He sets them free. Let us pray together for God to rescue the entire Muslim world, and set the captives of it free. Doug Dahl is a student of Bahnsen Theological Seminary. He is associated with the Church of Christian Liberty in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and is establishing an outreach of CCL's ministry in Central Minnesota. His e-mail address is dougdahl@yahoo.com.
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