From: "Lauw Eng Tjun" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> THE FRONTLINE OF MISSIONS EQUIPPING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO EVANGELIZE THE MUSLIM WORLD BY ROBERT STEARNS
THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THE FOCUS OF ISLAM. ISLAM IS COMPLETELY dedicated to global domination. None but the most moderate of Muslims, who would be considered "backslidden" or "apostate" Muslims by the rest of the Islamic world are truly interested in interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence." I'M NOT A MISSIOLOGIST. For those of who weren't aware that missiologists do exist - you are now notified ! These are individuals who devote their time to the study of all aspects of global missions from different modalities of evangelism, to tracking the still unreached people groups, to identifying which types of produce the most effective long term results. We should be thankful for missiologists. They have helped focus us and remind us of the urgent need to fulfill the Great Commission. If I had any authority as a missiologist, I would use it to direct our attention and focus to what I believe are the two most vital areas of missions today - the Muslim world and the university campus. The Muslim World There is no doubt about the focus of Islam. Islam is completely dedicated to global domination. None but the most moderate of Muslims, who would be considered "backslidden" or "apostate" Muslims by the rest of the Islamic world, are truly interested in interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence. The core of Islam is fully focused and passionate about the spread of Islam, with an intensity that is mind boggling to the West. The radical, violent domination of Islam, with the allowance for each man to have four wives and therefore, many, many children is leading to a staggering and exponential growth all over the world. In many areas, jihad, or Islamic Holy War, has been declared on the infidels - the Christians and Jews. There is a massacre happening right now in Sudan, where untold multitudes of Christians have been killed by the sword of Islam over the past several years. In Indonesia, Christians are paying for their faith with their lives, and the means of execution are barbaric - like something out of the Middle Ages. The only hope for stemming the global tide of Islamic domination is focused, determined evangelism in the Muslim world. This will come only at great cost, including a massive company of end time martyrs. The Western world, especially the church, does not seem to understand the dire and imminent threat of militant Islam. We can pray, yes, but now we must also strategize and go to the Muslim world with the liberating truth of Jesus Christ. Rather than missions agencies calling their missionaries home from these nations because of danger, we must more than ever mobilize and strategize into these regions, and also get behind effective indigenous believers who are making a difference in their cultures. Peace in the Middle East In Israel, we see the focal point of Muslim hatred. The truth is that the Muslim world, including the PLO, are not interested in peaceful coexistence with Israel. They are determined to "drive the Zionist entity into the sea" and possess all the Land of Israel. This is the message that is preached by the mullahs on a constant basis. Palestinian statehood, on the whole, is not seen as a peaceful end to the conflict, but the next stepping stone to the total obliteration of Israel. But, I have been with Arab believers, who have come to faith in Jesus, many of them from Muslim backgrounds, and I have seen how the Lord can supernaturally overcome this wall of hatred and animosity, and bring healing and reconciliation between these sons of Abraham. A New Mission Field I remember hearing stories in Bible college of the pioneer missionaries who paid the most amazing price to take the Gospel to the dark places of the earth. In those early days of modern missions, going to Africa, or to Asia, was a one-way ticket. These missionaries left all with the understanding that they were never coming home; that the call of the Lord to missions for them meant laying down their lives in totality. That same kind of passion needs to grip us for the Muslim world. We need to begin focusing our prayers, our missions efforts, and our giving into this last days missions field, or else we need to be prepared, or at least be prepared to have our grandchildren, live or die, under Muslim rule. The University Campus If there is one microcosm of all society, it is surely the university campus. Society and culture is more determined here than in the halls of Congress or even the sanctuaries of the Church. The University campus is where thought patterns are cultivated and then spread throughout the various sectors of society. Not only is the university the exporter of thought, it is also the importer of foreigners. Foreign students from every corner of the earth flock to American universities to study. We are busy sending missionaries to the nations, but we must also realize that the nations have come to us, right down the street at our university or college campus. The college and university years are years of intellectual and spiritual openness and exploration. The search for truth is focused on in a way not often found in the years before or after college age. This is a vital window of opportunity for the gospel. Most other religions and ideologies have understood this, and have positioned themselves to strongly infiltrate campus life. The evangelical church must also do the same. This cannot be left up only parachurch organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ or Chi Alpha; mission outreach to local college and universities must become a focus for every local church. Campus mission, also, must move beyond simply providing a place of fellowship and strengthening for those already Christians, to powerful evangelistic and witness of truth on campus. There will increasingly be culture wars on campus, as Christians are perceived as intolerant by the "thought police," while every other creed and lifestyle is welcomed and celebrated. The young students, who will be on the front lines of the culture war, and who are often far from home, must be buoyed and strengthened by the local community of believers who "adopt" them and care for them in real ways, not simply hope they attend a Sunday service. Two Major Adversaries The are two major adversaries that are confronting the Christian university student. POST MODERNISM The first is post moderism, or moral relativism, which is really the secular humanist movement come to age. This anchorless, shifty, worldview is full of the "there is no real right or wrong, and whatever you want to do is fine as long as you don't hurt anybody" mentality. This relativism, which has already taken hold of most of ethnic Europe, is leading the West into an abyss from which there will be no return. Without the bedrock of moral absolutes, social institutions which form the fabric of a free, just, and compassionate society quickly erode. The university campus has long been the harbinger of this kind of thought, and we must begin to train our young people to be effective apologists and to be ready to "give an answer" to the bombardment of godlessness which they face on a regular basis. RADICAL ISLAM The second major adversary on college and university campuses, and indeed, in much of America, is the growth of radical Islam. Masking itself in terms of multi-culturalism and diversity, most Americans are not seeing radical Islam for the Trojan horse that it is. In welcoming this insidious anti-Semitic, anti-Christ, anti-West, anti-woman deception to our shores, we are paving the way for the death of America as we know it. Even today, countries in Europe like France and England are being increasingly controlled by the ever growing Muslim population. The vast majority of Muslims do not assimilate into American society or values as a whole. This, combined with the staggeringly high birth rate common to Muslim families, provides a very bleak picture for the future of the West. Of course, the cause celebre of the Muslim activists on campus in the "Palestinian" situation, and impressionable young American minds that are always apt to side with a perceived underdog, are easily swayed into an anti-Israel deception by mistakenly equating the situation in Israel with, for example, the apartheid of South Africa, or the struggle of the Tibetans. There is a dire need in local churches for a clear description of the reality of what is happening in the Middle East today, not just from the standpoint of prophecy, as interesting as that may be, but from the standpoint of being educated in current events and able to clearly speak the truth in the midst of the lies. I am not a missiologist, but if I were, I would urge local churches to do the following. 1. Begin a class in your church on Islam, understanding the basics of its history, culture, goals, and current jihad in Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and other places. Begin to pray and work for the salvation of the Muslim peoples. Begin to reach out with the love of God to local Muslims in your community. 2. Begin to emphasize the need for end time missionaries, who are willing to lay down their lives, to begin to pray about going to the last great mission field - the Muslim world. Combat the mentality of the enemy that says "That's too dangerous," and remember that the early church and church history both tell us that the Church only grows by the blood of the martyrs. 3. Begin to seek out indigenous converts from Islam to Christianity, who are effective in their ministry in their nations and with their peoples. Be sure that their conversion has included a renouncing of anti-Semitism and an embracing of God's role for Israel and the Jewish people, and then begin to support them in prayer and giving. 4. Take a tour of your local college or university campus. Find out what Christian presence is currently on campus. See what you can do to come alongside the existing ministries there. Begin asking local church families to "adopt" a student, and become a "home away from home" for them. 5. Start an intensive class for graduating high school seniors who are headed to college. Focus this on developing their articulateness in two main areas - essential apologetics, and a defense of Israel. The war for global domination is raging - whether you have left the pounding of it, or whether you are in denial. The sooner we wake up and answer the timeless call of Christ and the immediate need of the hour, the greater chance we will have that our children will continue to live in a measure of freedom, and that other cultures who have long been dominated by lies of the enemy will come into the light of God's truth. Carpe Diem. (source: KAIROS magazine, July - August 2003 vol 6 issue 4) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. 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