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Insight's to the Word with Pastor Teague!
A two-fold concern…
I recently posted an editorial written by my good friend, Jim Waits, on the political, political and military history of Muslim people. I trust this was not mistaken for an outright hatred toward all Muslims. There is a two prong approach as to what should concern ourselves with in relationship to the Muslim people.
First of all, the Muslim movement is not a political machine. It is a religion that has and takes unquestionably a commanding presence in the political world arena around the world. Even in North America as a whole the Muslim faith has made great strides in impacting and changing the political landscapes of wherever they live. Entire communities have shifted to accommodate Muslims and their faith and political influence. I hesitate to begin to bullet point a history of this effect of the faith and political influence of Muslims. I really would like to think that it speaks for itself. One only has to see what is happening all over the middle east to see what extremist Muslims have in mind for the rest of the world. They demand both political and religious rule. Muslims have an agenda. They have, for no better word to use, a target they are working toward. That target is for their faith to one day politically rule the world with sharia law. Muslims by default are religious movement with political influence/dominance because sharia law rules over the civil, social and religious aspects of all those they hope to conquer. It is easy but yet complicated.
The second prong of the Muslim movement in the world is the spiritual nature of their heart. I had breakfast in Orlando, Florida, with a good and long time friend of mine, Bishop Fred Nichols, who has for almost twenty years been committed to winning Muslims to Christ. He made a statement that was simple in nature but yet captured my heart. He said in his travels all over the middle east and Africa – he has realized that the most powerful way to win Muslims is by simply loving them. In essence, we are being called to love our enemy. Muslims are the enemy not of just Americans, Jews, etc. They are the enemies of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. While they accept Jesus as a teacher or a prophet they do not accept Him as the Son of God. It doesn’t matter if they are shia or sunni – Christians and Jews and anyone in opposition to Allah is their enemy and by default making them our enemy. They are, in spite of their religious or political aggression, our enemy. They are to be loved as any other individual who needs Jesus as Savior.
Loving our enemy is something Jesus commanded us to do. Here it is in His words: Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As simple as this is for most people – when you are a persecuted people it becomes incredibly difficult to love those who persecute you. Jesus set the primary example of this for us by loving and forgiving His persecuters while He was on the cross. Jesus actually says two things here. First, He instructs us to love for our enemies. Loving our enemies can be subjective depending on the type of enemy we have and how that enemy carries out his personal agenda against us. Loving those who declare that they are our enemy is something that Jesus commanded us to do. Period. Their behavior doesn’t determine our love. Rather their behavior toward us is passive or aggressive – we are to love them. No questions asked.
The second point Jesus makes is that we are to pray for those who persecute us. As an American – I know not persecution as my brothers and sisters do in other places of the world. Facebook, blogs and websites have posted videos and pictures of troubling and horrific levels of persecution. From beheading individuals who are yet alive to the mass murdering of those who oppose their faith – we have seen the violence of demonically driven men who worship Allah and yet have a tendency to be so violent to propagate their faith. These men are those who persecute those in my faith family around the world. These men are to be prayed for – period. We must daily call this movement out in prayer, cover them in prayer and pray that justice be done by a God of grace and mercy.
I think we have a two fold response to the Muslim movement. First, we love them with the finished work of Jesus on Calvary. Jesus died for their sin. They are lost and they are blind. As anyone else who is lost in the bondage of sin we must love all people to cross of Christ. Second, we must pray as never before for those who are bent on persecuting us only for our faith. Prayer seems to be the most difficult command of Jesus to engage but it is connected with those who would inflict pain on anyone who denies Allah. Regardless – we must pray.
This is the task at hand. Loving and praying for our enemies and those who persecute us. According to Paul the apostle those who suffer for Christ around the world are those we feel pain for. When one member suffers we all suffer. We are a suffering body of believers even though we have not been persecuted here in North America for our faith. When those around the world suffer – so do we. Therefore let us pray. Let us pray, please, pray for those who are persecuting our faith family around the world.
Pastortimteague's Blog 
Dear Pasror, the comments you made regarding the material I sent about History and Muslim activity are well spoken and timely. The comment your friend made about loving them is spot-on and I can attest to its effectivness on a first-hand basis. To make a comparason of individuals the great Apostle Paul, (formerly named Saul) was a fanatical religous keeper of the law that persecuted Christians just as others are doing today. That all changed one day while on the road to Damascus. We know what the result of his encounter with Jesus produced. It is no different today when anyone encounters Jesus regardless of the “road” they are traveling. I would also like to add, the information I provided was not intended to cause ill feeling but, rather illustrate what your points made about the dynamics of Radical Islam. In retrospect I should have included some narrative with the information I provided. Thanks for your expansion on the subject.