"You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."
~ Matthew
5:14 ~
If we are
the "light of the world", then we must be committed to going to the
dark places. We bring the gospel to men and women in the LGBT community that
feel alone, discarded, and rejected. We go to the women in the massage parlors
and strip clubs who feel ashamed of what they do. We go to the homeless who are
often passed by and forgotten by society. And for the ones from other religions
such as Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism, we break down their walls of defense
through friendly interaction. It can be challenging to enter into somebody
else’s world, but we must seize every opportunity that comes our way if we are
to love people the way Jesus did.
One such
opportunity came recently when I noticed a man standing at a distance,
curiously looking at our prayer station. I approached the man and asked if he
needed prayer. He said, “I am a Muslim. What’s a prayer station? What are you
guys doing out here?” After explaining our ministry to him, I said, “To be
honest, I don’t really know too much about Islam. Would you be willing to tell
me more about what you believe?” It turned out that he had actually studied
Islamic theology in Turkey for two years after graduating high school.
Naturally, my question triggered an enthusiastic response from him, and we ended
up talking for over an hour about our beliefs. It was an enjoyable discussion
and, after becoming friends on Facebook, I asked him to send me videos about
Islam from some of his favorite Islamic scholars so I could continue to learn
more. And that’s exactly what he did!
After
watching the videos he sent me, I asked if we could meet up again, not just to
discuss theology, but also to hang out and get to know each other. Since our
first interaction at the prayer station, I’ve gotten to meet him and some of
his other Muslim friends. We’ve enjoyed each other’s company and discussed many
matters of religion. I was most moved when he told me how much he appreciated
all my intrigue and authenticity. He said most of his interaction with
Christians had been disappointing because they had no interest in understanding
Islam. He told me, “The fact that you actually wanted to know what I believe
meant so much to me.”
I have
learned that the best way to enter into someone else’s worldview is to actually
get to know the people who adhere to that worldview. As we come to understand what
other people believe, we will demonstrate compassion and care, and we will also
understand how to share the gospel with relevancy.
