Lost Souls, Seeking Muslims, and Responding to Tragedy! - Episode #13 Summary of the episode: In this episode of The E.A.R. Podcast, host Brandon Queen sits down with Timothy Harris to explore chapters 36-38 of Loving Your Muslim Neighbor. These chapters dive deep into the heart of Christian outreach to the Muslim community, highlighting the importance of genuine love and care for lost souls, understanding secret Muslim seekers, and responding to terrorist attacks with grace and compassion. The first segment discusses how being overly forceful in evangelism can push people away. Timothy emphasizes the importance of meeting people with grace and compassion, just as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery. In the second segment, they dive into how Christians can reflect Christ’s love through respect and humility and explore the complexities of addressing difficult political topics like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with compassion. Lastly, the episode tackles the challenge of staying bold in sharing the gospel, with Timothy urging Christians to resist the temptation to remain silent about their faith out of fear of offending others. This episode provides a thought-provoking and compassionate look at evangelism. It encourages listeners to approach Muslim outreach with deep love, biblical truth, and grace in all circumstances. Meet the Guest: Timothy and Miriam speak in churches everywhere to educate, equip, and energize Christians to gain God’s heart for Muslim people and to love them. Key Takeaways: · Caring for the Lost: Drawing from the chapter "You Are Sad Over a Lost Game Than a Lost Soul!" Brandon and Timothy reflect on the biblical call to grieve for those who don’t know Jesus. They discuss passages like Luke 19:41 and Romans 9:1-3, emphasizing how Jesus’ sorrow over Jerusalem reflects God’s heart for the lost today. · Many Muslims Are Secretly Seeking: Timothy sheds light on the hidden reality of Muslim seekers who are curious about Christianity but hesitant to express it publicly. The conversation centers around practical ways Christians can offer a safe space for these seekers and how Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-2) can guide us in these delicate situations. · Responding to Terrorist Attacks: In a world shaken by violence, the chapter "When a Terrorist Attack Happens, How Do You Respond to the News?" urges Christians to embody love even in the face of terror. Brandon and Timothy challenge listeners to follow Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:44-45, praying for enemies and loving our Muslim neighbors even when tensions are high. Chapters: 00:01 - CPC Ad 00:48 - Introduction 02:00 – Sad Over a Lost Game than a Lost Soul 16:48 – Secretly Seeking Muslims 35:15 - A Terrorist Attack, How Do You Respond? 49:00 – Closing Remarks Please listen to Episode #1 of this season to learn more about Timothy and Miriam Harris. Calls to action: Please visit their website, www.lovingyourmuslimneighbor.com. You can also purchase a copy of the book and follow along during this season! To contact Timothy and Miriam Harris, email them at [email protected]. Note: This podcast is part of the Christian Podcast Community. You can click here to access more episodes and similar podcasts. Works Cited: Cover Art: Brandon Queen | Bible Translations – English Standard Version (unless stated/noted in the interview) | Quotes: authentic from the host and guest (unless stated/pointed out during the podcast) | Song: Turkish Beat - Music by: Muzaproduction from Pixabay --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elderqueen/support --- Support this podcast by subscribing to our Patreon page! CLICK HERE --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elderqueen/support
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The Ear, Evangelical and Reformed Christian Podcast. Welcome to The Ear, the Evangelical and Reformed, a Christian podcast that urges you to think deeper and draws you closer to God through faith. Through powerful sermons, teaching segments, and discussions, The Ear hopes to give you a different perspective on secular topics from a Christian worldview. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Please welcome your host, Brandon Queen.
Welcome back to the Ear Podcast. I'm your host, Brandon Queen. And today we have our special guest returning back to the show. Please welcome Timothy Harris. He is the author of Loving Your Muslim Neighbor. Timothy, as always, it is such a blessing and an honor to have you back with us as we dive into the next couple of chapters of your book.
And for the listeners, if you have a copy of this book, it is chapters 36 through 38. These titles are a real eye-opener. And the titles of these chapters are you are sad over a lost game than a lost soul. Many Muslims are secretly seeking. And when a terrorist attack happens, how do you respond to the news? So, Timothy, thank you so much for being here with us.
And as always, we're doing this episode at such a hot political time. So thank you, brother, for joining us with this episode.
It's the honor is totally all mine, brother. Thank you for having me again.
Oh, such a blessing. All right. Let's get ahead and dive on into this thing. So we're going to start with segment one and the title of this chapter is chapter 36. You are sad over a lost game than a lost soul. This is such a convincing and convicting title. We get so caught up in temporary things of life like sports or entertainment. But when it comes to a lost soul, where is the urgency?
So let me ask you this, Tim. How much do we as Christians really care about lost people? Are we in touch with the heart of our father in heaven and with Jesus when it comes to those that are lost?
Yeah, such a such a good question, Brandon. So the basically the background that of that question is. the whole idea of being sadder over a lost game than a lost soul, the background of it is that I'm a huge football fan. I love college, but especially pro football.
And I was blessed to do maybe four or five chapels for the Atlanta Falcons football team when they came to Michigan to play the Detroit Lions. Nice. Yeah, it was just fantastic. It was so great. And and so because of that, I got to know some players and actually they would always give us free tickets.
They would the night before the game when I did the chapel, they'd invite us to eat with the players. And so I would take one son each time. And so, you know, it was just so cool for for me and for our sons to meet these, you know, larger than life pro football players on TV. And so it came about that there was a game in January of 2013, and the Falcons could win it.
as time was running out, if they made the field goal. And so I just found myself, I still remember it in our living room. I was on my knees praying as the kicker approached the ball, as he was getting ready to try to attempt the field goal. I'm on my knees praying for him and for the team. And I told a gentleman in our organization, our missions agency, I told him about this.
And he literally said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Wow. Yeah, yeah. And so he's an older man that I have such giant respect for. In fact, this guy has helped start three different missions agencies. And he has recruited – literally hundreds of people to go to the mission field. And so I said, what's the deal, man? Why are you rebuking me like this?
And he said, you know, I am a big Philadelphia Eagles football fan. And one time they lost a game. And I just felt like that, you know, I was real despondent about it. And I just sensed the Lord was saying to me, you are sadder over a lost game than a lost soul.
And he said he vowed that he would never again allow himself to be sad like that after a game for more than five minutes after a loss by the Eagles.
Nice.
Yeah, and so those words, they just hit home for me. And so that's where the title of the chapter comes. came from. And to answer your question, you know, how much do we as Christians really care about lost people?
Man, I mean, I just want to be so careful in my answer because, number one, I don't want to be prideful and act like, you know, I'm better than others because God has given me a real passion for lost people. But in general, I would say that
So much of the church that I see in the U.S., I mean, it's not like I'm an expert on the church capital C in the West or in the U.S., but what I see a lot of is that people want to kind of use Christianity to just have a better life.
Yeah.
And as the book title says, Your Best Life Now, you know, huge bestseller, gigantic. Well, who doesn't want to have their best life now, except that Jesus said, if you want to follow me, you need to deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow me. And so a cross isn't isn't, you know, in the normal sense of the term, your best life. It's your worst life.
And yet he knows that unless you take up your cross, unless you die to yourself, you will never have the abundant life that we all, you know, we all would treasure, we all would like. So I just feel like most folks, they want Jesus, they want heaven, but they don't want to pay a price to follow him, and they don't care that much in general about lost people.
Yeah, I would agree. I would absolutely agree.
And if I could even touch on, step on a few toes, you might not have me back for another segment, but I think you're going to know where I'm coming from on this. I think, you know, I love how you say about your podcast that it's Reformed. And that is great, and it's so important. And, you know, I'm in the same denomination as you, and so I love so much about Reformed theology.
But I do see in some Reformed people that they believe so much in election— and predestination as it's spoken about in in the bible and and i'll go specifically to romans 9 through 11. now what they're not seeing there also is that as we spoke about in the last uh your last episode they're not seeing those words of that same apostle
uh paul who said that he basically is in agony because of the lostness of the jewish people wow his heart is just in he he says it's an anguish in one translation and so i think that if our theology is lowering our temperature for evangelism there's something wrong with our theology
Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. You know, and I want to do I want to read something from the book real quick. Page 179. It says that real sadness and grief over the loss of a soccer match, regardless of the country. These fans are disheartened, depressed, dismayed and dejected. Now, where am I going with this?
if we're sharing the gospel with someone and they never come to Christ and, and they die, we ought to, we ought to be disheartened, depressed, dismayed and dejected. You know, for example, I remember when Stephen Hawking died some years back and, you know, he never accepted Christ. And some was like, well, you know, he's burning in hell. No. Why would you be so happy about that?
You need to be disheartened about that and you need to try harder with the next person that God puts in your path. So we can be less disheartened, less depressed, less dismayed and less dejected so that God gets all the glory and the folks that he puts in our path. They're beginning to understand and accept Christ and more souls are won for the sake of his name.
Amen. Amen. And I love that last thing you put on there, brother, for the sake of his name, because, you know, as you and I have discussed in the last episode and kind of we're alluding to it now about hell, I would say that for many years that my main motive in witnessing and sharing the gospel with people was was so that people would not go to hell. That was my kind of highest motivation.
It's what drove me, because Jesus speaks about hell, and the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, he says, I'm in agony in this flame. It's horrible. But that is no longer my primary goal. reason for evangelizing. It's what you said just a minute ago. It's about the glory of God. Yeah. Yeah.
And I love, brother, in the end of Isaiah 53, we all know so many verses in that chapter, but I love in the end of Isaiah 53 that it's referring to the Messiah and And that it says he will see his offspring and he will be satisfied. Oh, man. Now that now is my number one motive. The glory of God the Father and the satisfaction, the joy, the fulfillment of Jesus Christ.
in seeing people come home, enter the kingdom, and be with Him for eternity. And so now that's my, that's, you know, that's ultimate. My desire that they not go to hell is penultimate. But ultimate, it's what you refer to the glory of God, and then from Isaiah 53, the satisfaction of Of Jesus in seeing his offspring.
Exactly. And, you know, are we really in tune with the father and the son? And are we seeing ahead regarding the horrible future for people who are willingly rejecting Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross? And that reminds me of Romans chapter one. I'm sorry. Romans chapter nine, verses one to three. That comes to mind to me when Paul expresses deep sorrow for lost people.
And he even says that he would be willing to be cut off from Christ if if it would save his people. So, Timothy, when. When was the last time that we found ourselves in sorrow or grief for those who don't yet know Jesus, including Muslim people? And that's important.
Oh, man. Yeah, that is a convicting, convicting question. Yeah. Wow.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, OK, let's not let's not convict too many people here.
Speaking of, you know, I will I do want to add real fast that on page 181 of the book, we we we kind of finish that chapter by referring again to Jesus entrance. into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and most Christians hear sermons on the triumphal entry, but not the tearful entry.
I've never heard a sermon on the tearful entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, because it says in Luke 19, 41, when he drew near and saw the city of Jerusalem, he wept over it. And I did just a little Greek study of weep or wept. And it means to sob, to weep aloud, to express an uncontainable, audible grief. It even suggests a heaving of the chest, a sob and cry of a soul in agony. So, yeah, I mean...
Wow. This was the heart of Jesus for Jerusalem that he knew was mostly going to reject him.
Yeah. And we were supposed to have a heart like that. You know, I mean, look, we're not going to be Jesus. Obviously, we're not going to come close to it, but we should at least strive for it. You know, when when when we recite the our father prayer, the Lord's prayer, and we say our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We like that should mean something to us. That should stir up our souls to go out and actually preach the gospel to bring people in.
yeah amen brother and and as i alluded to in a in a previous episode i mean again i love that the song that's just called hosanna and and that line in it uh that we must not uh sing glibly you know we we can sing praise songs worship songs hymns and just kind of say the words sing the words but not really think about them but in that song that phrase
break my heart what breaks yours and and i just want to say to your to your listeners if you if you've ever prayed or sung those words watch out because your prayer just might be answered in a way in which your heart truly is broken and and your whole world is just changed and turned upside down for the kingdom
Yeah, absolutely, brother. Absolutely. So now I want to move into the second segment of our episode today. And this will be chapter 37. And in the book, that is page 185. So in the title of that chapter is many Muslims are secretly seeking. So for me, this is an eye opening concept. And I never thought about this.
Now, yes, there are Christians that are secretly Christians that live in the Muslim state, if you will. But I never thought about those that were secretly seeking. So, Timothy, have you ever met a Muslim who expressed doubts about their own faith? And how did you respond to that? And also, how can a future missionary or regular common day folk respond to a response like that?
Yeah, yeah. So Muslims, you know, first of all, they are not allowed to question their faith. It's just not allowed in their religion of Islam. They can't, if they have doubts about the Quran or doubts about Muhammad or
uh doubts about what the imam the leader in the mosque about what he says or preaches on fridays they're not allowed to question it in a way that is is in any way a challenge they cannot that's just not allowed and so when when the when the when we gave this um chapter 37 its title many muslims are secretly seeking that's why They can't openly question and ask questions.
They have to search secretly. And so I remember, I mean, we put it in the book that we were coming back from the Middle East on a jet in March of 2013, and I was wearing a shirt I would never wear in the Middle East, but we were working with an English-speaking international church, and we would go there for about two months at a time, Miriam and I,
And there was a precious family from Mexico that we just loved. And on our last day that we were there on that trip, they wanted to take us out to eat. And then their young son gave me a shirt. And it had John 316 in big letters on the back. And so I wore it to honor him. They took us to the airport, and I wore it into the airport, and I wore it on the plane.
Now, I don't recommend wearing witness gear in the middle of the Middle East. I think there are better ways to witness than a shirt. But I remember on the plane, I got up to go to the restroom, and a man on the plane said, A Muslim man, he just kind of stopped me as I was going down the aisle. And he said, excuse me, sir, I saw your shirt. Could I have five minutes of your time?
And so I remember I just said, yes, I'll be back. And I went to the restroom. Then I went and sat down by Miriam and I said, listen, please pray because I don't know. where this guy's coming from. I don't know if he's radical. I don't know if he's angry. I don't know what he was respectful in the question, but please pray for me to have wisdom.
And I sat down with this man and it was just, it was so beautiful brand. And he, he basically said that he really was searching for truth, but it, but it was a secret search. It wasn't something that he could share with other people. And I was so fascinated, brother. He had even read one of Tim Keller's books. Wow.
Yeah, I don't remember which one it was, but I just so happened in the providence of God to have with me Keller's book, The Prodigal God. And so I gave that to him. And we exchanged emails. And so he's just one example. Here's another example of a seeking, secretly seeking Muslim. So we're blessed to travel a lot to the country of Jordan and work with refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
And a few years ago, we met this delightful couple from Baghdad, Iraq. And this man, Sammy, and his family were refugees, you know, there in Jordan and trying to immigrate to, you know, Western country. And we asked him what his story was. How did he because he had become a follower of Jesus from a Muslim background. And I love to hear these stories.
And so Sammy said, well, he said, I was I went to the mosque, to a mosque in in Baghdad. And I heard the imam, for your readers, that's the leader of the mosque, the teacher. I heard him in the mosque speak favorably about Isa. Now, Isa is the Arabic word that Muslims use for Jesus that is in the Quran. And so he read as much as he could find about Jesus in the Quran, and he was intrigued by
and he wanted more he was he was thirsty he was hungry but he had to be careful and somehow some way i don't remember what he said somehow he got a new testament in arabic and he read it voraciously to learn as much as he could about this messiah this this jesus and and then he became a follower of jesus
And oh my goodness, I wish that your listeners could just witness the love for Jesus that filled his soul. And he had such a childlike wonder that it was hard for him to contain it, that he had been in Iraq a secret seeker and then a secret believer. And when we say a secret believer, it doesn't mean they don't tell anyone about Jesus, but it does mean that
that they are careful, they try to be wise and judicious in who they share with. And so, yeah, that's just two examples. But yes, there are definitely Muslims right now around the world who are secretly seeking and wanting truth.
Yeah, I think your approach is very wise and it's a it's a soft approach, but it's also a bold approach because it also allows that person to continually seek secretly. But at the same time, they have a companion that they can trust that that is a Christian that they can run back to and ask questions. And what I love about. about the Christian faith is we are allowed to question our faith.
And if, you know, we have a Muslim brother or sister that asks us a question and, you know, we're not trained theologians or trained pastors, we can go to people like you to have worked in mission field that are ordained pastors and ministers. We can go to, you know, other pastors and ministers in the denomination and ask these questions so we can bring it back to those who are seeking the
christ in a secret manner so that's that is a really wise approach so do you think uh it's more effective to focus on listening compassionately rather than trying to give them an overwhelming dose of biblical truth all at once oh boy well i think it's i think it's much better to focus on listening compassionately yeah if we just if we don't listen to them um
You know, I think it goes back to that real old saying, it's been around for decades. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And as my dear wife, Miriam, says to me very often, her love language is that I listen to her. And I, wow, after 46 years, I'm still learning and still often failing at listening. But listening means love. Listening means caring.
Listening means the other person is important and valuable. And so not only should we do that with Our loved ones, but in this case, in evangelism, listen to them. Find out, you know, ask questions. And in our book, in the appendices, we have a lot of questions that followers of Jesus can ask Muslims just to get to know them, just as people, as fellow humans.
made in the image of God, and then other questions that are conversation starters regarding faith. Yeah. And so, yeah, sometimes people just want to unload biblical truth all at once and The eye of that Muslim person is usually going to get their eyes are going to glaze over because, yeah, it's just.
Yeah, I used to be that person.
I can't imagine that really.
It took me a while, but, you know, once I think at the age of 16 or so, I really started understanding reformed theology and started understanding how to apply these things and And if I was in a conversation about faith and theology and stuff, I would, you know, give a mega dump of everything I knew. And 30 minutes in a conversation, I'm like, I said that 20 minutes ago, you know.
So, you know, and of course, I learned. As I got older to actively listen and that and if I can, I'm going to tap into my career as a law enforcement professional. You know, we're taught to actively listen. And if we can apply active listening skills.
in our approach to preach and teach the gospel to those that are lost i believe that we would go a lot further than someone cutting us off because we know too much yeah oh man yeah you know i'll just tell you something humorous i have alluded to these um north african
Muslim refugees that have become dear friends to us in our city, in the Midwest. And in the beginning, when I was with the very first one that came here. And then it was just a succession of relatives and friends who followed him. But I remember when I first met him, I would have my phone in my hand.
And when I would ask him questions about his life, I would be typing notes in my notes of my phone about his life. And he was struck by it. And so he went to a Christian man that he really respected at the restaurant where they both work. And he asked the Christian man, he said, can I trust Timothy and Miriam? This Christian man, he's also Arab, but he's a Christian.
He said, you can trust them with your lives. And so, yeah. And so so then he came back to me and he said, he said, OK, Tim, he said, I don't you can take as many notes as you want. And he said, because because I had two people telling me different things about you. One was that some of the Muslims that I I was around and worked with and for were.
said that Tim is probably either with the FBI or CIA. And that's why he is asking so many questions and taking so many notes. But the Christian told him, no, that's just the way he operates. He wants to get to know you. And he takes notes so that he can remember more about you. So the next time you talk,
He can ask you about your three kids back home or your wife or, you know, your mom, all those things. And so, yeah, so listening, you want to you want to listen well, ask a lot of questions, but make sure they know that you're if you do take notes, it's just because you care about them. It's not to be not because you're trying to because refugees are afraid.
I mean, and immigrants are often afraid. They're worried about law enforcement or something. They're worried about getting kicked out, being deported or whatever. And they've come from repressive governments. They've come from places where maybe they, like our friends, they protested the despots, the terrible dictators in their countries. And because of it, they were all thrown in prison.
And so they can be real hyper here when people ask a lot of questions.
Yeah. And I get it. You know, you just taught me something. I'm. I'm constantly using the Apple Notes app on my phone, you know, to do my current job and also use it to prepare for podcast.
You know, and I can't wait until we get to the the episode about the appendix in the book, because there's a lot of good stuff and a lot of good tools in there that, you know, I want to talk about in detail when we get there. But. With all of that said, Tim, where would you point a Muslim seeker, kind of like Nicodemus or Joseph of Aramaus, in the Gospel of John?
Which Bible verse, books, websites, or even phone apps would you recommend to them?
Yeah, I was just talking to a Christian friend about this today, because he very often will give... you know, a Bible or a Christian tract, you know, a little booklet with the gospel in it to people, you know, kind of everywhere he goes. And what I have found, and I like that, I'm not against it. I think, you know, God has used tracts to bring people to himself through the ages and he still will.
But what I have found is I don't want to give my Muslim seeker friends anything in writing, usually,
Because that means that they have to take it to their apartment where they live with several other Muslims that they work with and they're related to and so it might look like They're a seeker and and one of the other Muslims might really take offense Might report them to someone and it can cause big issues for them. So what I'd rather do is is I like to say they love WhatsApp, our friends.
And so what I like to do is send them specific Bible verses in English and in their heart language of Arabic to them to pique their interest about what the Bible says about God and then bring it down to what the Bible says about Jesus. So I find that one of the best resources to use with Muslims is just have the Bible app on your phone.
So when you send a message to your friend, you can copy and paste a verse right out of English and then Arabic and send it to them. And so use that. And even if they want to, help them download that app on their phone so that they can read or even listen to the Bible in their own language.
Yeah, that's awesome. That's there's so many tools out there in today's world. And I'm telling you, man, God is just making it so much more easier for us to share the gospel. We have we literally have no excuse today not to share the gospel.
Yeah, and when we do get to the appendices, as you mentioned, there are just a ton of resources that we put in the appendices, from websites to blogs to YouTube videos, books, just lots and lots of things that can help you grow in reaching out to Muslims, but also things you can actually give to a Muslim.
Again, I prefer the Word of God in and of itself, but there are good booklets and good books and good websites. I mean, for example, there's a website about more than one that's about Muslims having dreams and visions of Jesus.
And so they can go there and they can a Muslim can go to that website and see the testimonies, videos, testimonies of Muslims from various countries talking about how they became followers of Jesus, because in part they had a dream or vision of him.
Yeah, it's amazing.
So many, like you said, brother, so many resources.
Yeah. Right. OK, so now I want to get into Chapter 38, which is a tough one. And the title of this chapter is When a Terrorist Attack Happens, How Do You Respond to the News? We live in a world where terror attacks can stir up a lot of fear, anger and even hatred. So, Timothy, why do you think so many people jump to the conclusion that Muslims hate us?
Or is there a better question we should we should be asking?
Yeah, so, boy, we I mean, Miriam and I certainly don't you know, we don't have expert insight into the psyche of radical Muslims or fundamentalists. But we know in their minds, their hatred for us is justified because, for example, of perceived injustices that they feel they've suffered. So, for example, invasion or occupation of their lands. So the whole thing with the Iraq situation.
Another issue that they have is, I mean, it's just undeniable that the immorality that comes out of the West and just covers the globe. And it's portrayed openly in Hollywood movies and television. And so they hate that. It creates a hatred in them for the West and for Christianity. And then you add on the older complaints that they have about the exploitation of colonialism and
And even going back even further to the atrocities of the Crusades, and add into this whole mix of this terrible mix, the teachings of jihadist leaders, clerics, teachers in mosques, you just have a perfect recipe for the development of a terrorist mindset. So Those are some reasons why some, and I really want to just say some with all capital letters, some Muslims hate us.
We have found, and we have met, golly, in 17 years, I think it's probably fair to say we've met thousands of Muslims. And we look in their eye, we get a real feel, and we think most Muslims do not hate Americans. They don't all like our politics, but they don't hate us as people.
I mean, who does like our politics? Come on.
Yeah, really. And so but I do think, you know, a better question, as you just asked, brother, why do Muslims hate us? A better question to ask is, is like, why don't we as Christians love Muslims more? Hmm. why don't we as Christians love Muslims more?
And so, yeah, I mean, in the book we referred to, I don't know if your readers will remember, but the Boston Bombers, as they were known in 2013, a terrible terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon by two
young uh they were chechens muslim extremists and it just made huge news around the world and and i remember you know i i think we need to ask this question um instead of just why do they hate us okay it's good to ask that question but again a better question or a more important one is were there any christians who reached out in genuine jesus-like kindness
to those two Chesnian brothers who came here and killed people that day? Were there any Christians who reached out in kindness, in friendship? And we know that one of them said no, because he was reported as saying in 2010, three years earlier, quote, I don't have a single American friend. I don't understand them, close quote. And so isn't that just tragic?
I mean, the bombing is obviously tragic, but it's also tragic that this young man said he never had an American friend, which means obviously then that he never had an American Christian friend that could really show kindness. And who knows what might have happened? And so, yeah, man, these are hard questions to ponder. Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely. You know, when we talk about offenses and why Muslims hate us and whatnot, what's your first thought when someone offends you, like especially in the context of your faith or your culture?
Yeah, I mean, I think that it reminds me of one of our heroes. I don't know if you ever heard of Brother Andrew. who wrote the famous book. He wrote a lot of books before he died a couple of years ago, but probably his most famous book was called God's Smuggler. He used to smuggle Bibles into the former Soviet Union. Yeah, it was just wild.
And then later he shifted from the communist world, his ministry, to the Muslim world. And I want to read a quote by him, if I could, from the book. He said, just what you said. What's your first thought when someone offends you? Is it anger? Is it indignation? If we're honest, perhaps our hearts even want to see some kind of retaliation or revenge. But he says, you know, Jesus is clear.
Revenge is not the answer. Love is, especially when it comes to the Muslim world. And then is it OK if I finish up what he says about, you know, how do we respond to a terrorist attack?
Oh, yeah. I want to hear this.
OK. He said, that's why. instead of retaliating when we read of a bomb attack, I suggest our response should be, get this, repentance. Isn't that something? And then he elaborates, repentance that we have not prayed, we have not cared, have not gone to the Muslim world to proclaim the true life and freedom we have in Jesus.
And then he says, let's keep asking God to truly change hearts, that we might love, serve, and pray more fervently for the advancement of his kingdom and the glory of his name in the Muslim world and beyond. Amen. Yeah. Wow. So when you hear of a terrorist attack, I have never heard anybody say that
that our first response should be um one of one of our first responses besides of course praying for the victims would be to pray a prayer of repentance that that on behalf of the christian world maybe like that the the terrorist in the boston marathon uh event he said i never i didn't have a single american friend and that causes me to think wow we need to repent lord we
we did not reach out to that young man with any kindness, with a welcome to our country, with bringing him into our home, with feeding him, with finding out more about him. I mean, who knows what might have happened if someone would have befriended him. And so, yeah, I love Brother Andrew and his response. When we hear about a terrorist attack,
One, not the first, but one of our first responses should be repentance on behalf of the body of Christ that perhaps no one witnessed to that terrorist who brought that terrible suffering to the world.
Yeah. You know, you said something. Why don't we Christians love Muslims more? And I want to expand on that question. You know, could it be out of fear, ignorance or something else?
Oh, boy. So, yeah, I think that the reason why most Christians don't, the thought of loving a Muslim is very foreign to them. And I think the reason for that primarily is because they don't know any Muslims. We have found that people, Christians who know Muslims are not nearly as afraid to They're certainly not as ignorant about who they are. And so they just view Muslims differently.
They view them as lost, but also made in the image of God. And so, yeah, I think the other thing is that we stereotype. And so because of 9-11 and terrorist attacks here and there and lots of things like that, so many Christians put all Muslims in the same basket and label them all as terrorists.
Yeah, I've seen that, you know, and it's. I've learned you can't do that with people. No, no. Even with with a criminal, you know, you can't put all criminals in the same basket because they all operate the same. You know, the only thing they have in common is that they're sinners. And guess what? So do we.
Oh, no. You're saying we have something in common with the criminals.
Yeah, we're sinners. We're all sinners.
And with the Muslims, too. Same reason. Same thing.
Absolutely. You know, and if I can close with this, Matthew chapter five, verses 44 to 45 says this. I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
With that being said, you know, we must remember that God is sovereign and he reigns eternally and forever. So whatever happens on this earth, God is sovereign. We have to love our Muslim brothers. We have to love those who don't believe in Christ. And we have to see them as the image of the living God. And we also have to get them to understand that they are the image of the living God.
And if they don't understand it, then it's either God's will or sin. they're ignorant like us. And the only difference is that we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, but we have to love them. We have to see them where they are and at least attempt to love them when they may show hatred toward us.
Oh, yeah. Amen, brother. And, you know, one line from a man that we hugely respect that was a professor at Columbia University. um in south carolina the school he said um regarding terrorists you know when when people were just asking him why do they do what they do and and i remember one woman getting so angry
at the speaker, she called them those people, meaning those Muslim terrorists, and why did they do it? She just was shouting him down, and he just looked down, and I saw that he just kind of got emotional, like he was about to cry, and he just softly said, it just goes to show how much they need Jesus. And so when we think about
Terrorism or anything like that, you know, like Brother Andrews said, repentance is a great response on our part, but also just this whole concept of their lostness that this other man said from Columbia International. He said it just goes to show how much they need Jesus. And if we think how much, you know, hey, we needed Jesus. We were lost.
um we couldn't save ourselves um we deserved hell and so yeah may these thoughts fill our hearts more with compassion than than with fear and and amen and the bottom line in the end right is just what you said the sovereignty of god we we have to trust in that as we witness and share jesus with our muslim friends
Amen. Amen, brother. Timothy, thank you so much for sharing your heart and again, your insight today. It's been an incredible conversation and all of our conversations have been great. And I hope that our listeners are inspired to care more deeply about the loss, including our Muslim brothers and sisters. And as we wrap up, I want to leave our listeners with this.
Jesus calls us to love, not just those who are like us, but everyone, including those from different faith backgrounds. And let us be intentional about reflecting his love and compassion in all of our interactions. That's all I have for this episode of the Ear Podcast. Don't forget to like and subscribe and leave a review and share this episode with others.
Until next time, keep on loving, keep on seeking, and keep on sharing the gospel with grace and truth. God bless you.
You have reached the end of yet another episode from the ear. We hope that God's word remains on the ears of the listeners. We pray that this podcast would urge you to go forth and spread his good news to the world. Thank you for tuning in. Please don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. See you at the next episode. God bless you and may his glory shine upon you.