Tag: Gospel

Remembering 9/11

On By Mona SabahIn Uncategorized
Remembering 9/11

If we believe that God is Sovereign and that God has ordered and ordained things from eternity past, then it is safe to say that He ordered and planned for me to speak at the First Baptist Church in Wainwright Oklahoma today. It is very humbling to think that the Lord of the Universe, Creator God would deign to see it fit that I would go out and share my testimony about Him to a tiny, teeny little town in Oklahoma.

That’s exactly what took place today.

I got to drive 2.5 hours there and 2.5 hours back. Honestly, I was not relishing the thought of the long drive and then speaking all day. However, I have a very sweet and faithful church family that prays for me (and for my attitude). Their prayers helped to sustain me and so I set off with my daughter to Wainwright. On the way, we saw a beautiful sunrise and God’s creative handiwork. I was reminded of His lovingkindness towards us.

Sunrise over Oklahoma

At the church, I got to meet such sweet women who want to be obedient to Scripture and to learn how to share the Gospel with others. I was truly blessed and reminded of the family of God who worship Him together in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). I also had to opportunity to share what God has done for me. I have written about September 11 many times on my blog (see this post and this one). However, 9/11 is a very tangible part of my testimony. It was these jarring events that shook up the United States 20 years ago that helped to shape my testimony of God’s saving grace upon me. Instead of fearing September 11 (and yes, the terrorist attacks were designed to instill fear), the day marked the beginning of the Lord waking me up to how He was orchestrating my life.

September 11 shook me up on a very personal level because while I was born a Muslim, I did not truly understand Islam. I had never read the Quran until that time or even prayed five times a day. It was these events that prompted me to learn more about my beliefs and to find out why the terrorists did what they did and why the Muslim world was relatively silent about condemning the perpetrators of that crime.

When I read the Quran, I learned about Isa Ibn Maryam (Isa = Iesous (Greek) = Jesus) in Surah 19. As I read about Him and found myself curious about His special place in the Quran. Why was He so special as to be born of a virgin? Why did He do so many miracles? Why was He the one to come back on Judgment Day? Why, why, why? All these questions and confusion.

I was not able to answer any of these questions because no one had shared the Gospel of Good News about Christ. It wasn’t until several years after 9/11 that the Gospel was shared with me and my husband. The moment the words of the Gospel hit our ears, we believed. As I share during my testimony, we walked into an office as dead people and through the miracle of God, we walked out new creations in Christ.

There are a lot of things happening around the world right now. Islam is at the forefront again with Afghan refugees coming to the United States. We can either react to this news with fear or we can welcome it as yet another opportunity from the Lord for fulfilling the Great Commission He gave to His children in Matthew 28:18-20 “18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Will you go even if it means getting out of your comfort zone? Will you go to a tiny town where no one really famous lives? Will you go to your next door neighbor?

Will you GO?

The Difference between Christianity and Islam

On By Mona SabahIn Bible, cultural diversity, Islam, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Teaching

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!

Why Islam? I’ll answer this!

On By Mona SabahIn Islam, Islamophobia, Uncategorized

Yesterday, as I was driving home on the Broadway Extension in Oklahoma City, I had to slow down to get a photo of this billboard. As a former Muslim, these are the things I used to believe. Now, I know better.

This billboard is the handiwork of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) which is a militant organization under investigation by the FBI according to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, and according to Discover the Networks, is linked to radial Islamic movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the pro-Sharia organization (like Hamas and al-Qaeda).

Emerson is quoted as saying “The ICNA’s hatred of the Jews is so fierce that it taunted them with a repetition of what Hitler did to them… The ICNA openly supports militant Islamic fundamentalist organizations, praises terror attacks, issues incendiary attacks on western values and policies, and supports the imposition of Sharia.” They hold extreme views on women, slavery and gays as well.

My aim in this blog is to save you the trouble of going to their website and answering the frequently asked questions about Islam:

  • What does “Islam” mean?

Islam means “submission” to the will of Allah (as defined in the Quran). It absolutely does not mean “peace.” Many will tell you that the root word comes from the Aramaic/Hebrew “shalom” for peace, but it does not. It comes from the word “silm” (seen-lam-meem) which means “submission” or “surrender.” The Quran says:

[2:136] Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered. [Arabic “Muslimoon”]

  • What is the One Message of Islam?

The singular message of Islam is the Shahadah. The Shahadah is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and on Muhammad as his final Prophet. It is required that the Shahadah is recited daily. It is the first of the five pillars of Islam and is also the first of the five beliefs.

  • Isn’t Islam the same as Christianity?

No, not at all. While there are similar people mentioned in the Quran as in the Bible, both teach different things. The Gulf Times (a Muslim periodical) says that “Allah clearly explains that our Deen [religion or divine law] has been perfected, and that it does not require any addition or deletion. That is why Allah sealed the office of Messengership with the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). The fact that He has chosen Islam as our Deen, means that he does not accept other than Islam from anyone:

“And Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted or him, and on the Last Day he will be one of the losers. (Qur’an 3: 85)”

Clearly, one cannot go to Paradise if they are not Muslim and don’t believe in Islam. It is exclusive. The article goes on to say that the One Message of Islam includes “The Rights of Allah on His Bondsmen: To worship Allah alone, and associate none with Him in worship. The rights of man on His Creator: To permit people to Paradise if they worship Him properly.” Islam is based upon works. Christianity relies on the grace of Jesus Christ as Savior – faith alone, Christ alone.

  • Are we One Family? Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad?

Both Abraham and Moses certainly appear in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. That is where the similarities end. While there is an entire Surah dedicated to Isa (Jesus the Messiah) in the Quran, Islam denies the deity of Christ and denies the Trinity – God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Christianity is based upon the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Quran unequivocally denies both and says it is not true. That’s a huge difference! We Christians worship One God in Three Persons. The Quran says that’s blasphemy.

  • How do we share the Gospel with Muslims?

In the book of Genesis, the Bible teaches us that all human beings are created in the image of God. We need to remember that when interacting with Muslims. We cannot take for granted that the Muslim person in front of us knows what is taught in the Quran or that they espouse any of the militant extremism of Islam. Many of my Muslim friends are so very dear to me. They welcome me into their homes with love and I try to return their hospitality in the same way.

Muslims are not a “pet project.”

The Gospel Coalition gives this sound instruction “Muslims come to faith by a supernatural work of God, by which the Holy Spirit opens their hearts (Acts 16:14) and grants them the gift of repentance (2 Tim. 2:25). We believe that a Muslim coming to faith is not intrinsically connected to our form of contextualization, but rests solely on God’s divine intervention (Dan. 4:35; Ps. 115:3; John 6:64-65) and our humble obedience to proclaim the gospel (Acts 1:8; Matt. 9:38, 28:19-20). God is not concerned with glorifying a method; he is concerned with glorifying his Son. Strategies are useful and necessary, but none of them offers the “key” to Muslim evangelism.”

The words of the Gospel message bring good news to those who are perishing. We need to share the actual words that Jesus Christ came to the earth as God in the flesh. He was crucified for the remission of our sins, He was dead and buried in a tomb. After three days, He rose again from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come back once again to judge the quick and the dead.

Christ died for those He called. He does not need our “good works,” for the only work that will get us to Heaven is the work done on the cross by our Lord and Savior.

May that be the Good News that goes out to the nations!

Living in a Bubble

On By Mona SabahIn Bible, conflict, cultural diversity, Diversity, Human Resources, Uncategorized2 Comments

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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.

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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!

Rejected!

On By Mona SabahIn Bible, Islam, Jesus Christ, Public Speaking, Testimony, Uncategorized2 Comments

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On Tuesday, I wrote about the fear of rejection and how tough that can be for children and adults alike. I was scheduled to speak twice that day- once at a place in OKC called Concordia (which went well) and later in the evening at the City Rescue Mission (which went not so well).

Last year, I shared my testimony at the City Rescue Mission, so after prayer, I felt that I should speak about something different. I settled on a topic that’s not so popular… that man is not “good.” Even David said in Psalm 51:5 that:

“5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

After the fall of man, there’s not much that is “good” about human beings — the 20th century was the bloodiest century ever recorded in the history of man. YET, we are capable of good — for God is the only one who allows us to show good works in our life through fruit of the Spirit by the work of the Holy Spirit.

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Within about 5 minutes of the talk, several women just walked out! At first, I faltered in my speech. As much as I speak, I am not used to people just walking out. I am used to people coming up afterwards to argue or tell me I’m wrong about something (that happened earlier in the day at Concordia, but the man was respectful in his disagreement). So, I stopped in the middle of my sentence and watched them get up and go out of the place. Within seconds, I smiled to myself  and was amused because I remembered what I wrote about that very morning! 🙂 Talk about timing!

So, I took a deep breath and continued where I left off.

It’s funny when you get called out on the very thing you are telling others to practice in their life. As I mentioned in that blog – I am not immune from the feelings of rejection. It makes me sad and messes with my mind! I am also not writing this so you will feel sorry for me… instead, I am writing so you will know that public speaking – especially sharing the Gospel of Christ is no joke! I don’t take it lightly and I know that it can be irritating to many.

This is what was promised… so now go out there and live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28) to share the Gospel and yet, share the reason for your hope in Christ with gentleness & respect.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… 1 Peter 3:15