The God of Islam?

[Samie]

...

AT the 2010 General Conference a native Arabic speaker had a both in which he present a ministry which attempted to convert Islamics based upon the teachings of the Quran. He was the conversion process as being a series of steps. Little by little he led people to accept some very basic Christian principles, all based upon the Quran. Once he had led them to a better understanding of Christ, he was able to lead them to further understandings outside of the Quran and on to Adventism.

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The Bible tells us about the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18,19). But the popular understanding that only Christians are part of the Body of Christ to the exclusion of all others who need to convert to Christianity first to become part of His Body, is proof that that ministry had been forgotten.

On the cross, Christ fashioned Jews & Gentiles into His Body (Eph 2:11-19), and in the process, broke down the wall of separation between peoples and religions, but popular Christian understanding set the wall up again.

[Felix Florimon]

The Bible tells us about the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18,19). But the popular understanding that only Christians are part of the Body of Christ to the exclusion of all others who need to convert to Christianity first to become part of His Body, is proof that that ministry had been forgotten.

On the cross, Christ fashioned Jews & Gentiles into His Body (Eph 2:11-19), and in the process, broke down the wall of separation between peoples and religions, but popular Christian understanding set the wall up again.

[hch]

Quote:

If Jews Muslims and Christians ALL worshiped the same GOD, it would be good for god-fearing Christians to become Jews or Muslims.

Not according to the Bible.

Christ called upon people to worship both in Spirit and in Truth.

Just because one is worshiping the true God does not mean that the worship is in Spirit & in Truth.

[Gregory Matthews]

Christ called upon people to worship God in both Spirit and Truth.

Based upon that statement it would seem to me that Christ was saying that one could worship God in Spirit, but not truth.

It that is so, it would be appropriate to call upon people who worship in Spirit to also worship in Truth.

[hch]

Christ called upon people to worship God in both Spirit and Truth.

Based upon that statement it would seem to me that Christ was saying that one could worship God in Spirit, but not truth.

It that is so, it would be appropriate to call upon people who worship in Spirit to also worship in Truth.

Paul agrees, "Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth". (2 Timothy 3:4-7)

[JoeMo]

Quote:

If one is worshiping the true God why would it be necessary to call them from the worship of the true God to something else?

The same general statement could be made about Christians proselytizing other Christians. If we all worship the same God, why do Christian sects feel it necessary to "convert" people to their church? Are those of "apostate" Churches worshiping the wrong God? If not, why do we continue in our attempts to steal sheep from other flocks? Upwards of 90% of evangelism money is spent trying to "convert" other Christians to join our particular club. Wouldn't that money be better spent bringing Jesus to people who have never met Him (like Jews, Budhists, Hindus and Muslims)?

[phkrause]

Exactly JoeMo

[phkrause]

Talking about Muslims, here's an interesting link:

Why Do Muslims Fast During the Month of Ramadan?

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Love-Family/Hol...Yph8omxEuKTY.99

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

fasting is only done during daylight hours for Ramadan...that's only 13 hrs and 22 minutes today...

[Sojourner]

Is there enough revelation in the koran of who Jesus really is, to bring muslims to Christ?

[LifeHiscost]

Is there enough revelation in the koran of who Jesus really is, to bring muslims to Christ?

I'm aware there have been many muslims who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior after having come in contact with Christian missionaries, and also some even having received dreams that motivated them, but while the Quran only recognizes Him as a great prophet, He's looked on as a created being and not the everlasting, only begotten Son of God, until after being born again.

God cares! Jesus saves!

[Gregory Matthews]

Quote:

Is there enough revelation in the koran of who Jesus really is, to bring muslims to Christ?

I do not have enough knowledge to give a personal answer to your question.

However, there are multiple Christian groups working in Islamic countries who say that the answer to your question is, Yes. And, they are attempting to do exactly that.

AS I posted earlier, at the 2010 General Conference there was a SDA who had a booth who was doing exactly that.

If this can be done, I will suggest that it can best be done (perhaps, only be done) by someone who speaks Arabic as a native language and understand Islam very well.

[Primevil60]

Why did early muslims stick with the name Allah (a pagan deity) if they were worshiping the God of the Jews? That doesn't make much sense. The origin of Allah is not in line with Christianity at all. The word has come to simply mean "god" but it definitely didn't start out that way in the days of Muhammad.

[Mom E]

There are different schools of thought/interpretation on the name issue... Allah is definitely a very close cousin to the term Jesus frequently used in Aramaic to refer to God. I don't have the details all at had at the moment, but if you study Arabic, Aramaic and Hebrew, you learn some interesting things....

[Primevil60]

But wasn't the name Allah used in Arabic societies BEFORE Islam (pre-Judeo-Christian influence)? Wouldn't that suggest that it was applied to a different god? The word has stayed the same..the meaning or focus has changed.

[Gregory Matthews]

From Wikipedia:

Quote:

The Aramaic word for "God" in the language of Assyrian Christians is ʼĔlāhā, or Alaha. Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, use the word "Allah" to mean "God".[4] The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for "God" than "Allah".[20] (Even the Arabic-descended Maltese language of Malta, whose population is almost entirely Roman Catholic, uses Alla for "God".) Arab Christians for example use terms Allāh al-ab (الله الأب) meaning God the Father, Allāh al-ibn (الله الابن) mean God the Son, and Allāh al-rūḥ al-quds (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit. (See God in Christianity for the Christian concept of God.)

Arab Christians have used two forms of invocations that were affixed to the beginning of their written works. They adopted the Muslim bismillāh, and also created their own Trinitized bismillāh as early as the 8th century CE.[42] The Muslim bismillāh reads: "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful." The Trinitized bismillāh reads: "In the name of Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God." The Syriac, Latin and Greek invocations do not have the words "One God" at the end. This addition was made to emphasize the monotheistic aspect of Trinitian belief and also to make it more palatable to Muslims.[42]

According to Marshall Hodgson, it seems that in the pre-Islamic times, some Arab Christians made pilgrimage to the Ka‘bah, a pagan temple at that time, honoring Allah there as God the Creator.[43]

Some archaeological excavation quests have led to the discovery of ancient Pre-Islamic inscriptions and tombs made by Arabic-speaking Christians in the ruins of a church at Umm el-Jimal in Northern Jordan, which contained references to Allah as the proper name of God, and some of the graves contained names such as "Abd Allah" which means "the servant/slave of Allah".[44][45][46]

The name Allah can be found countless times in the reports and the lists of names of Christian martyrs in South Arabia, as reported by antique Syriac documents of the names of those martyrs from the era of the Himyarite & Aksumite kingdoms.[47][6]

A Christian leader named Abd Allah ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad was martyred in Najran in 523 AD, and he had worn a ring that said "Allah is my lord".[6][48]

In an inscription of Christian martyrion dated back to 512 AD, references to Allah can be found in both Arabic and Aramaic, which called him "Allah" and "Alaha", and the inscription starts with the statement "By the Help of Allah".[6][49][50]

In Pre-Islamic Gospels, the name used for God was "Allah", as evidenced by some discovered Arabic versions of the New Testament written by Arab Christians during the Pre-Islamic era in Northern and Southern Arabia.[51][52][53]

Pre-Islamic Arab Christians have been reported to have raised the battle cry "Ya La Ibad Allah" (O slaves of Allah) to invoke each other into battle.[54]

"Allah" was also mentioned in pre-Islamic Christian poems by some Ghassanid and Tanukhid poets in Syria and Northern Arabia.[55][56][57]

Yes, the word "Allah" predates Islam. Yes, in Arabic languages the root Christian word for God was Allah. And, it was such before Islam.

[JoeMo]

Gregory,

You are a gentleman and a scholar. I am privileged to share in your knowledge and wisdom . Hat's off to you, bro!

[hch]

Yes, the word "Allah" predates Islam. Yes, in Arabic languages the root Christian word for God was Allah. And, it was such before Islam.

I have heard it said that God has 100 names.

But Jews, Muslims and Christians that claim to worship God but that do not obey His will are taking His name in vain.

Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

It is true that Jews, Muslims and Christians claim to worship the same God, but claiming to believe in the same God is not really knowing Him. It is false advertising.

[Gregory Matthews]

Quote:

But Jews, Muslims and Christians that claim to worship God but that do not obey His will are taking His name in vain.

Question: Has a Jew, Muslim, Christian who has not been convicted by the Holy Spirit on a matter of God's will taking the name of God in vain?

You come across to me as failing to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation.

[phkrause]

Quote:

But Jews, Muslims and Christians that claim to worship God but that do not obey His will are taking His name in vain.

Question: Has a Jew, Muslim, Christian who has not been convicted by the Holy Spirit on a matter of God's will taking the name of God in vain?

You come across to me as failing to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in our salvation.

[hch]

But Jews, Muslims and Christians that claim to worship God but that do not obey His will are taking His name in vain.

[Gregory Matthews]

Quote:

Are you saying that Jews, Muslims and Christians that claim to worship God but that do not obey His will who are taking His name in vain have not been convicted by the Holy Spirit?

You have no knowledge as to what any other person has been convicted of by the Holy Spirit. God has not given you that insight into what convictions the Holy Spirit has brought to any other person.

The same is true for me and every one else.

You are only aware of what the Holy Spirit has convicted you.

I am only aware of what the Holy Spirit has convicted me.

The same for everyone else. No one know what the HS has convicted another person of.

No human has the capacity to become aware of the totality of what God wants of them. It is bey9ond human ability to take it all in at once. Therefore, the HS has to progressively lead each person. What may be most important in my life may not be the most important issue in your life. So, the HS will individually lead me and individually lead you. But, your steps and mine may come in a different order.

[Gregory Matthews]

Quote:

Lest I should err and be an accuser of the brethren, I will speak no more on this topic.

You ask a question.

I assume you are sincere.

But, the above part of your response present you as already fixed in your mind and no really wanting an answer to what I was saying.

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

You have no knowledge as to what any other person has been convicted of by the Holy Spirit.

Am I to understand that you do not believe in the gift of discernment when God so chooses that gift is important for the best influence to be exerted?

God cares! Jesus saves!

[Johann]

Since our "job" as Adventists is to show God's Glory to the world in these last days, it seems our work/mission would be to reveal and proclaim God's character, love, and salvation found through Jesus, rather than "label" someone else's understanding. Is that ok?

Muslims don't worship "idols," but I think this quotation's principle applies: "The people of the world are worshiping false gods. They are to be turned from their false worship not by hearing denunciation of their idols, but by beholding something better. God’s goodness is to be made known.” (COL 298,299)

Lester touches a real problem we Seventh-day Adventists are facing which seem much more important than defining if Allah also is God the Father of Scripture.

A SDA missiologist tells me that there is no other religion on earth which is as difficult for us to work with and win for Christ.

He insists that Adventist have yet to win the first Muslim permanently. Even though we may have baptized a few they keep it secret and return back to their former religion. Most of the baptisms that take place in Muslim countries are Filipinos or other foreigners working in Muslim countries.

Will we be able to win Muslims the moment we are able to give a correct definition of the different between Allah and our own God?