Not really sure how all this was going to turn out! I started off great — even ahead of schedule. Last week was even more of a challenge for me to focus. I will tell you, it’s great to have someone you can have for accountability. My daughter and I have been helping to remind one another to read daily. What a discipline!
I am still about 4 days behind the reading schedule. HOWEVER, I built in a little safety. In the chronological schedule, if you read 12 days at a time, you will actually finish at 28 days, so I am “technically” 2 days behind. I kicked it into gear yesterday by reading 3 books in 1 day. That was a feat in itself because I am still taking copious notes and have asterisks and question marks by the things I would like to explore later.
I tried something new last week: I put in my earbuds and put on a narration of a book while I pulled weeds outside. It’s mindless work, but it became mindful work as I listened to the book of Acts (which I’ve read multiple times before). It was quite wonderful and I lost track of time — so I was pulling weeds for about an hour and a half! Our front bed still looks like yuck, but at least I made a dent in it.
So… still plugging along in the New Testament. From all the Old Testament reading, it was a relief to FINALLY read about my beloved Savior Jesus.
To God be the Glory!
To Date: All of the OT, plus 1/2 of Mark & Luke. John, Matthew & Acts are done! Hopefully I can read the rest by this weekend. That’s my story & I’m sticking to it! 🙂
Sometimes, you just need a quick reference sheet to know what are the differences between Christianity & Islam! There are many similarities as well – if you’d like to know more, grab my book “Reaching Muslims” from Amazon!
If you would like to request a free PDF for your own private use (copyright!) please comment & send your email! I’ll be happy to send it to you via email! You can also go to my FB page for more information on free LIVE events!
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation that went like this:
Muslim: I have a question for you. Muslims believe Allah is “noor” (light) and He has no physical body. Do you believe this?
Me: Yes, we believe God is light (did not share 1 John 1:5)
Muslim: So if God is light and the sun and moon are light, why can’t we worship them? Why can’t we say God is in them?
Me: We believe God is the Creator and He created the sun, moon and stars. We have to be careful NOT to worship the created – that would be idolatry and isn’t Islam absolutely against that?
Muslim: Yes. True. So, how do you know God created the sun and moon?
Me: It’s written in Scripture. What’s written in Scripture is truth and I believe it completely.
Muslim: Where? What Scripture?
Me: The Bible, in the book of Genesis. Would you like me to share what the creation of the world looked like? There is definite order to God. Did you know that light was there before the sun was made? Isn’t that interesting?
Muslim: yes. Tell me more.
**********
The rest of the conversation went back and forth, until the discussion basically ended with the person wanting to know more, but telling me that they cannot believe what is in the Bible, since they believe it is not credible.
As Christians, there are numerous reasons to watch out in a discussion about Genesis. The Quran does not have a comprehensive chapter on how the world was formed, but contains bits and pieces scattered through the entire Quran. This makes it very complicated and difficult to glean important differences in beliefs.
There are a few things I would like to point out. The Quran does not believe in original sin. They believe that if Adam sinned, that’s his to own. No one else suffers because of his mistake. They do not understand that God made all these things and “it was good” and that the sin that entered the garden had eternal consequences that impacts the world even today. Therefore, no fallen nature, no need for a Savior.
Here’s one of the sections of the Quran that provides an insight. It’s from Surah Fussilat 41:8-12–
Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds – for them is a reward uninterrupted. Say, “Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds.” And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures’] sustenance in four days without distinction – for [the information] of those who ask.
Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.” They said, “We have come willingly. And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
If you are counting, there are 2 days, then 4 days, then 2 days. The account is not clear on what came first or second or when humans were made. Contrast this with the account in Genesis where there is a clear order to what came first, second and how (Genesis 1-11). Also, the Quran states that Adam was created in Janna (Paradise) and not on earth (Quran 2:35).
There is a good article at creation.com titled “Koran vs. Genesis” that has a chart clearly showing the differences. There are also citations of verses from the Quran to help figure out where things go.
Here is a list that might be helpful to know when sharing about Genesis with a Muslim:
No original Sin (Quran): We believe Sin entered the garden and thus the world. We live in a place polluted. God not only created the world but provided the remedy for Adam’s sin of disobedience in Genesis 3:15. The remedy promised to man is Christ Jesus, the sinless lamb of God who was sacrificed on the cross. Romans 3:23 states clearly that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
No Savior – You’re on Your Own (Quran 2:48 – And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided.). The Bible says that only the sinless Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) can bridge the great divide and make peace between us and God. The Quran teaches that only through Islam (works Surah 41:8 & obedience to Allah and his prophet Muhammad) can one avoid the ‘Blazing Fire’ (Surah 3:85; 48:13- And whoever has not believed in Allah and His Messenger – then indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers a Blaze). NOTE: Islam goes further by saying that even Muhammad’s own family members (mother, father and Uncle Talib who adopted him) were going to hell: Muslim (203) narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, where is my father?” He said: “In Hell.” When he turned away he called him back and said: “My father and your father are in Hell.” His Uncle’s fate was a bit lighter, since he would only burn up to his feet in hell: Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.224 Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri That he heard the Prophet (saws) when somebody mentioned his uncle (i.e. Abu Talib), saying, “Perhaps my intercession will be helpful to him on the Day of Resurrection so that he may be put in a shallow fire reaching only up to his ankles. His brain will boil from it.”Sahih Muslim Hadith 413 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas -The Prophet of Allah (saws) said: Among the inhabitants of the Fire AbuTalib would have the least suffering, and he would be wearing two shoes (of Fire) which would boil his brain.
There are degrees of sin & you can work them off (Quran): The Bible does not differentiate (Romans 6:23). All sin separates us from God. The Quran says that Muslims can work off their bad deeds by performing salat (prayers) and wadu (ritual washing) (al-Bukhari 10:504; al-Muslim2:437). Allah may even decide to hide someone’s sin: “The messenger of Allah said, “All my followers’ sins will be forgiven except those made public. That is, when a man commits a sin at night and then makes known during the day, even though Allah has screened him at night…” (al Bukhari 73:95). The Bible states clearly that God is HOLY. There is no darkness in Him. Isaiah 59:2 states “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” All things will come to light on judgment day!
Another good article to read is “Sin According to Muslims” by the Zwemer Center. They have a simple way of putting key differences together and explaining complexities between Christianity and Islam.
Remember that no matter what, a dialogue about the Word of God is a good place to start. We need to be respectful, loving and gracious in our interactions. If someone is curious, our job is to help answer the questions with the best information we have – our Bible. In order to do that, however, we need to open it, read it, and study it!
Join me for Bible study if you don’t have a group. I would welcome it!
On the next page, I wrote today’s verses (see picture below).
Week One’s Scriptures on one page
Then, I took verse 1:1 and wrote it out on a 3 x 5 card that I hole-punched and put onto a binder ring.
3 x 5 card for Ephesians 1:1
Dr. Davis’s recommendation is to read the verse of the day 10 times and take a mental picture of each word. For me, that’s hard to do without actually drawing something out. So here’s my card with my little notes on it for me to take a mental picture of it. I couldn’t find anything for Paul, so I put a P above it. Christ Jesus is repeated twice, so I put a Cross on top. Saints has a halo above it and Ephesus has 3 Roman Columns.
In today’s verse, Paul is saying who he is (an apostle of Christ Jesus) and who he is writing to (saints who are in Ephesus). So, say that out loud 10 x and then close your eyes and try to remember the picture of the words 10 x.
That’s it for today.
Tomorrow and the next few days, you will do the same – start with verse 1:1, then read (10x) verse 2, close eyes & say verse 1 & 2 together).
What did you do? Anything different for your study today or this week? PLEASE share!
Today, I want to share the plan I would like to use for memorizing the book of Ephesians. Our daughter is getting ready to audition for a children’s play. She is feeling a bit intimidated because she will have to memorize lines — why is it that actors can memorize thousands of lines but when it comes to Scripture, people aren’t ready to commit? I mentioned this to a trusted friend the other day and she said I may be on to something. She’s found that some actors take on the persona of their character and thus have an easier time understanding the role and the lines they might speak.
Isn’t that what we are called to do? I don’t mean “act” like a Christian – I mean actually BE a Christian and put on Christ. This is our calling and Paul, in Ephesians 4:1-2 tells us exactly that “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…” So, MEMORIZING is not just to babble out lines. It is to actually live the life you are being called to live. The book of Ephesians is a love letter to the church, to remind and encourage them that they belong to Christ and should look like it.
John Piper, on his website Desiring God has several articles on why you should memorize Scripture. There is a guest author who gives Ten Reasons to Memorize Scripture – he is spot on! The Jesus Himself tells us in John 15:7 ” If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” and again in John 8:31-32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
HOW TO
There are several ways to approach this. The plan I will use is from Dr. Andrew Davis, called Scripture Memory Booklet. It’s a free PDF that’s 28 pages and is also available from Kindle. I recommend reading the whole booklet before you begin. It will help you tremendously and comes highly recommended. He has a plan at the end of the booklet that is 26 weeks (on p.23). Print out the plan and paste it in a notebook. On the page next to each week’s scripture, WRITE OUT the passage for the week.
Then, I will be using 3×5 note cards – not sure if I will use one card per verse, but you can. Punch a hole on the top left corner and grab a binder ring or a ribbon or twine to hold cards together. Now, take the cards wherever you go!
I read on another website that it takes 16 minutes to read Ephesians from start to finish. I didn’t believe it, so I timed myself on New Year’s Day. It took me 18 minutes at a natural pace. So, daily I will be reading ALOUD the entire book of Ephesians while I have my morning breakfast (in between sips of tea) and then I will be grabbing my note cards to read the verse over and over again.
Let’s say we start on Monday, the first thing I will do is to write out Eph 1:1 through 1:6 in my notebook. Then, I will write out the 6 verses on note cards and read the entire passage aloud. On Tuesday, read aloud and repeat verses 1:1 AND 1:2 together all day long. Wednesday – aloud + verses 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3… and so on. This way, you will not forget what you are committing to memory but are adding on.
Even if you don’t remember a single word, just reading the ENTIRE book of Ephesians over 155+ days will be quite incredible. What a wonderful way to spend time in the Bible. The book of Ephesians is about UNITY in Christ, in recognizing our WORTH in Christ, about our ROLE in life and about putting on the full armor of God! Cannot wait to have this be imprinted upon my heart!
I’m so thrilled to have several of you who have decided to join together to commit to our hearts and minds the entire book of Ephesians! Over the next few days, I will cover the who, what, when, where, why and how of all this. Before tackling anything, I like to know what I’m getting into, so I wanted to give a basic overview of the book’s layout. There are lots of outlines and guidelines out there, so please take a few moments to take a look at your Bible’s Study notes and familiarize yourself with the book’s contents. There is also a great article written by gotquestions.org.
WHO, WHEN & WHERE
It is understood that Paul was the author and the epistle (or letter) was written around 60-63 AD to the church at Ephesus (modern day Turkey about 6 miles from the Aegean sea) and was primarily written to encourage believers. Paul was most likely in prison at the time he wrote this letter (Eph 4:1-3). From the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, I found that Ephesus at the time was a huge center of worship for the goddess Diana, also known as Artemis – one of the 7 Wonders of the World. In the book of Acts 19:23-41, we find that Demetrius, a silversmith starts a riot that ends up in the amphitheater. The reference Bible mentioned that the 24,000 person amphitheater was uncovered by archaeologists at the turn of the century! It is interesting also to note that this might be the same place Paul refers to in 1 Cor 15:32 where he “fought the wild beasts in Ephesus…”
Road between the amphitheater and Temple of Artemis was paved in marble
The church at Ephesus was also one of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation. They were noted for their hard work and endurance for the Lord, but had “forsaken (or abandoned) their first love” Revelation 2:4.
The entire book is six chapters with 155 verses – I have the outline I used to break it down by chapter (see photo). If we divide 155/6, we get 25.83, which means 6 verses a week for about 26 weeks. This will bring us to half the year for the whole book! There are plans out there for 26 weeks, but I think I may use one that is about 28 weeks (2 weeks in there to catch up).
Go ahead and grab a journal notebook (might even be one you got as a gift last Christmas?), a pen, and your Bible… jot down some thoughts on the book of Ephesians to get you thinking about the place.
When I was around 7-8 years old, I was taught how to pray by my grandmother. In Islam, children are taught at an early age to memorize verses from the Quran for when we go to sleep, awake, eat, wash hands, etc but usually around the age of 7, most families begin to teach children the full prayers for the day. One has to understand that this is not like Christian prayers which can be in any language. Daily prayers in Islam MUST BE done in Arabic. The problem is that about 84% of the Muslim world does not speak Arabic.
Not only is the child learning to memorize prayers, but they must memorize them (usually) in a language that is not their own mother tongue. That was my case. Being a very stubborn girl (still am, for those of you who don’t know me!), I refused to learn how to pray until my mother (who spoke Arabic because my parents worked in Saudi Arabia) translated them for me and put them in writing.
Given this background, I did not necessarily relish memorizing Scripture when I became a Christian. Lo and behold, no one was making me memorize either. When I began to study the Bible, I found the words to be like poetry and they filled my soul. I had a DEEP DESIRE to learn these words so that I may share them with others who were having a bad day or were struggling so I began memorizing snippets of Scripture like many in my Bible studies had done.
Last year, for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to give my husband a different gift. I memorized what is sometimes known as the “Love Chapter” from 1 Corinthians 13 (you know, “love is patient, love is kind…”). I memorized it and recited it to him on Valentines Day, except that I said “Stephen is patient, Stephen is kind…” I stumbled just a tad bit, but overall was able to remember it. I tried recalling the chapter over the summer and SURPRISE! It was still there! 🙂 I still pray the chapter out loud so I can continue to remember.
The reason to memorize is not to play a game to see who wins or to have a race. It is to commit the verses to your memory, to pray them over your family and friends or others God places into your life. It is to be a discipline to bring you closer to our Father, it is to help increase our prayer life and to study God’s living Word.
Will you prayerfully consider joining me? I will post the “plan” that I am going to use (borrow from Dr. Andrew Davis) and also how I modify that plan to fit how I learn.
I will post a plan to get us started TOGETHER! Don’t be worried or discouraged… the Lord says in Deuteronomy 11:20:
Remember God’s Words …19Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20Writethem onthe doorpostsof your housesand gates,21so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be multiplied in the land the LORD swore to give your fathers.…
Yes, I am actually Fed UP! Not with control issues like the shirt implies, but with the Christian slogans I see pasted all over T-shirts at stores. I’ve been reading R.C. Sproul’s book “The Holiness of God.” He starts with the prophet Isaiah who has a vision of the throne room of God (Isaiah 6). As soon as he catches a glimpse of His majesty and glory, he falls to his face and says “Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips!”
That’s NOT what the average American church-goer seems to experience. I don’t see people falling down to worship the majesty of God nor give Him the honor that He deserves. Instead, I see a casual attitude (casual clothes are one thing, it’s the attitude I’m talking about) that bleeds over into a casual approach of Christianity and a cavalier handling of the Holy Bible. In the book, R.C. Sproul reminds us that “The idea of holiness is so central to biblical teaching that it is said of God, “Holy is his name” (Luke 1:49). His name is holy because He is holy. He is not always treated with holy reverence. His name is tramped through the dirt of this world. It functions as a curse word, a platform for the obscene. That the world has little respect for God is vividly seen by the way the world regards His name. No honor. No reverence. No awe before Him.”
This is one of the main reasons why I have had a difficult time with T-shirts that say “I love Jesus but I cuss a little” (by the way, I couldn’t even bring myself to add a photo of that one) or another one I saw someone actually wearing “I love Jesus but I drink a little”… or a lot?
What is that message saying about you? What is that message saying to others out there about what it means to be a Christian? I brought this up to a woman I know and she said with a smile on her face that I was “too judgmental and that you need to accept the fact that no one is as perfect as you.” First of all, I don’t think any true follower of Christ would ever say that they were perfect. In fact, most of us understand the need to be forgiven for the heinous sins we’ve committed against our Holy God and thus receive His mercy and grace. Secondly, why shouldn’t we judge those who say they are “Christians” yet treat Jesus’s name in that shameful manner (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). I don’t think you would EVER find a Muslim person wearing a shirt that says “I follow Muhammad but I cuss a little!” Blasphemous!
Why is it then considered to be self-righteous to condemn “cutesy” versions of false Christian doctrine? These are the very things that get repeated by others and catch on like “I am not a sinner because I have Jesus.” Well, we only need to go to the Bible to see 1 John 1:8 that says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” It’s not just the T-shirts – it’s Christian Pop songs as well. There was one on the radio that made me wonder if the artist was singing about Jesus or her boyfriend (by the way, yes there is a T-shirt that also says something about Jesus being your BFF, Bro, or BAE). Horrid.
Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I had a great respect for Jesus as one of Allah’s prophets. I would have never thought to use his (or any other religious figure’s) name as an exclamation or use it in any way that would bring shame upon Allah, Islam or any of the prophets. When I became a Christian, I did not see this respect by many. There were some who regard Jesus as who He is – the second person of the Trinity, fully equal to God the Father. However, much to my distress, there were the majority who did not seem to have this type of reverence. I was surprised one morning when a woman brought her cup of coffee into the sanctuary… I thought when you were in the sanctuary to worship, you were supposed to be in the presence of God Himself? I would never think to bring in my coffee cup to come into the presence of a CEO for work, much less bring it in to worship the maker of the heavens and the earth.
Where is the reverence gone? Is it because of the secular approach to Jesus? Is it because we focus more at Christmas time on Santa than on Christ? Is it because we think about his humble birth as a baby and less (if not at all) about the price he paid on the cross for the remission of our sins? Should we continue to watch as we and other Christians continue to sin without remorse?
Let’s start holding one another ACCOUNTABLE as Christians. Let’s stop conforming to the standards of the world and be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). We are all sinful, that’s true BUT we should still be working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) and not have a casual attitude about things that might cause others to stumble. I want to end with another thought by R.C. Sproul:
“The simplistic way of not conforming is to see what is in style in our culture and then do the opposite. If short hair is in vogue, the nonconformist wears long hair. If going to the movies is popular, then Christians avoid movies as “worldly.” The extreme case of this may be seen in groups that refuse to wear buttons or use electricity because such things, too, are worldly. A superficial style of nonconformity is the classical Pharisaical trap. The kingdom of God is not about buttons, movies, or dancing. The concern of God is not focused on what we eat or what we drink. The call of nonconformity is a call to a deeper level of righteousness, that goes beyond externals. When piety is defined exclusively in terms of externals, the whole point of the apostle’s teaching has been lost. Somehow we have failed to hear Jesus’ words that it is not what goes into a person’s mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of that mouth. We still want to make the kingdom a matter of eating and drinking.” ― R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God
This Christmas, the best gift you could give yourself, your friends and your family is to ask them to hold you accountable and to ask the Lord for forgiveness for treating things that are His without the respect that He deserves. That is also my own challenge and daily prayer. Amen.
It’s the same routine everyday: go from my little bubble in Edmond, Oklahoma, in my little bubble of a car, to my bubble of work, or to my Bible Study bubble, back to my car bubble and back home. It’s almost the same daily – I just get to change a few of the bubbles around as the week progresses. I used to have different friends but one day, I suddenly realized that I chose to hang out with my Christian girlfriends because they like to do Bible Study or Bible Journaling or talk about Jesus. How did that happen?
It is difficult to go and hang out with others who do not share the same beliefs as you and even look down upon you as being (as my mom put it) “over-religious!” I took it as a compliment when she said that and she told me repeatedly “that is most definitely NOT a compliment!” So why do it? Why should you seek out others who don’t share the same views as you?
Well, the plain and simple answer is that all people need DIVERSITY in their life! Diversity keeps things rich and stimulating. It’s good to share your views and then have them be challenged by others who may not believe the same way or even (gasp!) tell you that you are wrong. That’s what happened to Jesus and also to the early church. They reached out to others who were not like them in love. They wanted to share the love of God and the Good News of the Gospel. They were not comfortable or even in a little bubble. God did not call them to be “comfortable,” just as God does not call us to be “comfortable!” If they had remained there, the Gospel would not have spread and the Christian church would not be as diverse as it is today!
So many of my church friends look at Christianity from a Western view. They see the Church as made up on mainly white people. That is true in some areas, but not in all parts of the world. A few years ago, my husband and I got to go to the Leader’s Conference for RZIM. One evening was a formal dinner. I wore my black, silk Sari with gold embroidery. I knew I would not be the only one in a Sari that evening because my friend Ruth (Indian) was also going to wear one. When we showed up to dinner, we saw that the Africans were wearing their African clothes, the Malays were wearing their clothes, several Indians were in Saris and others were donned in their country’s finery. It was so sweet… It was wonderful to see all nations coming together under one leader: Christ.
Just as we tell our children to go and sit with other kids during lunchtime at school, we need to remember that we need to do the same. At work, do you sit with the same people? Have you asked any of your coworkers to come over to share a meal at your home? I asked that at a session I spoke at this week and people laughed nervously, then got serious and shook their heads, no! We are SO SCARED to let people into our homes! Why is that? Are you scared that they might see your laundry on the couch? Do you honestly think they don’t have a pile of laundry sitting around somewhere in their own home (in case you are wondering: yes, I do… big piles – come over and help me sort them out!)?
Get over yourself!
Just pop ONE bubble in your life and venture out. See what you might find and the types of friends you might make. I know that my own life is richer when I make friends with those who are not like me. They challenge me, provoke me, make me mad, frustrate me, but eventually cause me to go deeper into study and come out stronger as a Christian. Try it out and then tell me how it went for you!
