Yes. It's the leaders of Iran who are wicked, not the Iranian people. Thanks for that reminder and the movie mention. I will try to remember to look that up! 😇
I met a young Muslim man today (28 years old) at the fall festival at Spooners Farm (Orting, Washington). He was making my Philly cheese steak sandwich.
Very polite. Very friendly.
We were chatting as he was cooking. He has an Arabic word tattooed on his arm (he had at least a half dozen things on his arms), and I asked him what that one meant.
He said, "Shalom, peace." I though it was lovely and said so.
I asked him if it referred to faith, and he said yes, and that's when he said he was Muslim.
I asked about the tattoos, telling him when I was in Israel and in Jordan, I saw many Muslim men, none with tattoos.
He said he was born here and was no big deal here, compared to there, but he wondered if he would be accepted in Lebanon as easily (where his family is from).
I listened and said I was unsure.
He said he really didn't care as he was going to do his life his way. He would just imagine it would be a surprise.
I said while I had no tattoo showing it, I had once been where he was in the mindset of "doing it my way" and how I surprised my family when I gave that up to follow my God and Savior who gave peace both here and eternally.
Smiling, I asked him to imagine his family's reaction if he did that...
He said he loved peace, but loved his life and doing this his way...that was more him, and that God put him on the earth to enjoy life, so he was living it.
I told him that I did understand as I had been of the same mindset before I found real peace... But I did say how much I did enjoy my life and felt like living for Christ was even more enjoyable than living for me ever was.
He just smiled, gave me my sandwich, and said he wanted to do things his way...
I thanked him for the great conversation, and how interesting it was to go from "hello" to a real conversation about faith in 2.2 seconds after meeting.
He said he enjoyed it too. And I left to rejoin my family. Sadly, I didn't get his name. But I am praying God is able to take even one word of our conversation and use that to nudge his heart toward Messiah.
It was not hard to want to witness, but more challenging to do it when A) time was limited,
B) I feel a relationship is needed before going to more than just an easy-going banter takes place
C) I personally have minimal knowledge of "westernized Muslims" and what they are like in their "traditional heritage type of faith" versus a "Middle Eastern, live in that environment daily and live that faith daily" kinda faith.
So I am unsure where to even go in that conversation.
I mean no disrespect...it just appeared he had long given up the more traditional cultural behaviors for more American ones.
He reminded me of my Christian, Catholic, and Jewish friends who are more "their belief" in name only, not really followers of the religion.
But I have no idea on how to broach that at all. Lol..
But I am praying for him...
The Muslims here may have it more difficult to accept Messiah than the Middle Eastern Muslims...
There, things are very difficult, but that is an easier way to come to Christ for many... was for me... when things are difficult, it is easier to look up..
When things are easy, it is easy to fool yourself into thinking, "you got this."
Praying for everyone these days... everywhere I go, I see so many people, and my first thought nowadays is, "are they saved?"
I watched it this weekend! A beautiful movie that more American Christians need to see. People are not their governments, look at ours. I have a question for you David. If the American church was one of the 7 churches of Revelation, which one would it be? I had it down to 4 of them but couldn't decide which one fit.
Laodicea: the lukewarm church from materialism and pleasure seeking.
Sardis: seeming alive but really dead with an attractive religious veneer.
Thyatira: infiltrated with paganism.
Pergamon: the church that trusted their own power.
I wish I could say we were Philadelphia or even a Smyrna, but sadly we are not at this point in time. Iranian Christians and others around the world that are under persecution have so much to teach us about really following Christ, but unfortunately many here only see them as our enemy. To me, one of the things this movie was putting out was that there must be a true Christian world church that is united against evil. The NWO has plans for a false one world religion that only seeks to destroy true faith, and bring us all into slavery under Satan. This true Christian church is our only hope to attain victory over that.
First, thanks for watching the movie and reporting back! I love the feedback, and I'm glad the movie spoke to you. Yea, it's powerful.
In terms of the churches in Revelation, that's a great question. Your choices are all applicable at some level. That said, I feel like we're like Laodicea -- lukewarm, dulled from our material prosperity and our pleasure seeking. I don't think we have a religious veneer. Maybe we did previously, but I feel like that's dropped. Now, on balance, we don't even care about Christianity. While there is paganism, and it's increasing, I don't feel like that's us quite yet. While we certainly are trusting in our own power, nationally, I'm not sure what we're trusting in as far as the church goes. I think Laodicea is probably the most accurate, and it also squares with the "Satanic lullaby" that is described in the film. I feel like we were once an active Christian country and now things have gotten easy and we've just fallen away and gotten dull. But all that said, I'm open to other opinions. What do you and other people think?
I loved reading this post. Thank you for sharing..
And in response to that Revelation comment... America is Laodicea, to me... believers in name only... so caught up in the world, they have no idea they are blind, poor, nakedness, and wretched...
Thanks for your answer David. I agree. It makes me wonder if American Christians would do as well under persecution as Iran, China, and others. We have the material prosperity, although that seems to be falling away as of late. The pleasure seeking is definitely there though. Only time will tell.
Persecution would refine the church, as it always does. It has the effect of separating those who really believe it from those who just fell into it for whatever reason (cultural Christians). Most of the Western church will fall away during the end times, when things get tough. During that time, people will have to choose between their own lives and Christ. Most will choose their own lives. Many of those will rollover long before it gets to the issue of life. They will choose comfort over Christ. So, to answer your question about whether we would do as well under persecution as the others, the answer is no. The average western Christian is a weakly believing cultural Christian who has never been forced to rely wholly on God. The average Iranian Christian, in contrast, relies on God to stay alive on a daily basis. That said, even in western societies, there are some that are committed to the point of death. One of my goals in writing Simple Christianity is to challenge people’s thinking about these issues and help people move beyond a thin, weak cultural Christianity and toward a stronger, dependent relationship with Jesus. And I include myself in that, too. I’m writing to strengthen my own thoughts and beliefs.
So true and thank you for writing about these things. In Iran and other non-Christian friendly nations people who convert do not make the decision lightly. If they convert they could be killed or ostracized. We do not have that problem here in the US so many of our Christians are untested and do not take their faith seriously. We need more people like you who are willing to disciple others. We all have much to learn when it comes to faith. Just wondering, are you a pastor?
Very interesting. Did you actually hear an audible voice of God or just in your mind? I have heard testimony of both. I have heard that Jesus prefers the meek, so no worries on the simple part.
Thank you for posting this. VOM reports that Iranians are experiencing dreams and visions of Jesus at a mind blowing rate. My pastor told us that he met a pastor who saves failing churches in America. He said that many are being turned into mosques. We really need a missionary movement right here in the US. Thank you for posting this movie, I can't wait to watch it.
Fascinating article and video, thank you. I really appreciate your posts. It's so easy today to lose track of Christ's message to love all others - your articles are always a wonderful reminder. God bless you.
Excellent movie! We watched it a couple of years ago and it is heart changing. We are trying to find a church that is willing to have a heart like this in Oregon. The message of the movie is challenging and yet inspiring at the same time.
Yes. It's the leaders of Iran who are wicked, not the Iranian people. Thanks for that reminder and the movie mention. I will try to remember to look that up! 😇
I met a young Muslim man today (28 years old) at the fall festival at Spooners Farm (Orting, Washington). He was making my Philly cheese steak sandwich.
Very polite. Very friendly.
We were chatting as he was cooking. He has an Arabic word tattooed on his arm (he had at least a half dozen things on his arms), and I asked him what that one meant.
He said, "Shalom, peace." I though it was lovely and said so.
I asked him if it referred to faith, and he said yes, and that's when he said he was Muslim.
I asked about the tattoos, telling him when I was in Israel and in Jordan, I saw many Muslim men, none with tattoos.
He said he was born here and was no big deal here, compared to there, but he wondered if he would be accepted in Lebanon as easily (where his family is from).
I listened and said I was unsure.
He said he really didn't care as he was going to do his life his way. He would just imagine it would be a surprise.
I said while I had no tattoo showing it, I had once been where he was in the mindset of "doing it my way" and how I surprised my family when I gave that up to follow my God and Savior who gave peace both here and eternally.
Smiling, I asked him to imagine his family's reaction if he did that...
He said he loved peace, but loved his life and doing this his way...that was more him, and that God put him on the earth to enjoy life, so he was living it.
I told him that I did understand as I had been of the same mindset before I found real peace... But I did say how much I did enjoy my life and felt like living for Christ was even more enjoyable than living for me ever was.
He just smiled, gave me my sandwich, and said he wanted to do things his way...
I thanked him for the great conversation, and how interesting it was to go from "hello" to a real conversation about faith in 2.2 seconds after meeting.
He said he enjoyed it too. And I left to rejoin my family. Sadly, I didn't get his name. But I am praying God is able to take even one word of our conversation and use that to nudge his heart toward Messiah.
It was not hard to want to witness, but more challenging to do it when A) time was limited,
B) I feel a relationship is needed before going to more than just an easy-going banter takes place
C) I personally have minimal knowledge of "westernized Muslims" and what they are like in their "traditional heritage type of faith" versus a "Middle Eastern, live in that environment daily and live that faith daily" kinda faith.
So I am unsure where to even go in that conversation.
I mean no disrespect...it just appeared he had long given up the more traditional cultural behaviors for more American ones.
He reminded me of my Christian, Catholic, and Jewish friends who are more "their belief" in name only, not really followers of the religion.
But I have no idea on how to broach that at all. Lol..
But I am praying for him...
The Muslims here may have it more difficult to accept Messiah than the Middle Eastern Muslims...
There, things are very difficult, but that is an easier way to come to Christ for many... was for me... when things are difficult, it is easier to look up..
When things are easy, it is easy to fool yourself into thinking, "you got this."
Praying for everyone these days... everywhere I go, I see so many people, and my first thought nowadays is, "are they saved?"
Time is so short.
You should read more about DMM: https://simplechristianity.substack.com/p/learning-about-disciple-making-movements
And think about joining our Discovery Group in the new year: https://simplechristianity.substack.com/p/preparing-for-a-discovery-study
Sounds like God is really calling you into these sorts of conversations.
I watched it this weekend! A beautiful movie that more American Christians need to see. People are not their governments, look at ours. I have a question for you David. If the American church was one of the 7 churches of Revelation, which one would it be? I had it down to 4 of them but couldn't decide which one fit.
Laodicea: the lukewarm church from materialism and pleasure seeking.
Sardis: seeming alive but really dead with an attractive religious veneer.
Thyatira: infiltrated with paganism.
Pergamon: the church that trusted their own power.
I wish I could say we were Philadelphia or even a Smyrna, but sadly we are not at this point in time. Iranian Christians and others around the world that are under persecution have so much to teach us about really following Christ, but unfortunately many here only see them as our enemy. To me, one of the things this movie was putting out was that there must be a true Christian world church that is united against evil. The NWO has plans for a false one world religion that only seeks to destroy true faith, and bring us all into slavery under Satan. This true Christian church is our only hope to attain victory over that.
First, thanks for watching the movie and reporting back! I love the feedback, and I'm glad the movie spoke to you. Yea, it's powerful.
In terms of the churches in Revelation, that's a great question. Your choices are all applicable at some level. That said, I feel like we're like Laodicea -- lukewarm, dulled from our material prosperity and our pleasure seeking. I don't think we have a religious veneer. Maybe we did previously, but I feel like that's dropped. Now, on balance, we don't even care about Christianity. While there is paganism, and it's increasing, I don't feel like that's us quite yet. While we certainly are trusting in our own power, nationally, I'm not sure what we're trusting in as far as the church goes. I think Laodicea is probably the most accurate, and it also squares with the "Satanic lullaby" that is described in the film. I feel like we were once an active Christian country and now things have gotten easy and we've just fallen away and gotten dull. But all that said, I'm open to other opinions. What do you and other people think?
I loved reading this post. Thank you for sharing..
And in response to that Revelation comment... America is Laodicea, to me... believers in name only... so caught up in the world, they have no idea they are blind, poor, nakedness, and wretched...
Thanks for your answer David. I agree. It makes me wonder if American Christians would do as well under persecution as Iran, China, and others. We have the material prosperity, although that seems to be falling away as of late. The pleasure seeking is definitely there though. Only time will tell.
Persecution would refine the church, as it always does. It has the effect of separating those who really believe it from those who just fell into it for whatever reason (cultural Christians). Most of the Western church will fall away during the end times, when things get tough. During that time, people will have to choose between their own lives and Christ. Most will choose their own lives. Many of those will rollover long before it gets to the issue of life. They will choose comfort over Christ. So, to answer your question about whether we would do as well under persecution as the others, the answer is no. The average western Christian is a weakly believing cultural Christian who has never been forced to rely wholly on God. The average Iranian Christian, in contrast, relies on God to stay alive on a daily basis. That said, even in western societies, there are some that are committed to the point of death. One of my goals in writing Simple Christianity is to challenge people’s thinking about these issues and help people move beyond a thin, weak cultural Christianity and toward a stronger, dependent relationship with Jesus. And I include myself in that, too. I’m writing to strengthen my own thoughts and beliefs.
So true and thank you for writing about these things. In Iran and other non-Christian friendly nations people who convert do not make the decision lightly. If they convert they could be killed or ostracized. We do not have that problem here in the US so many of our Christians are untested and do not take their faith seriously. We need more people like you who are willing to disciple others. We all have much to learn when it comes to faith. Just wondering, are you a pastor?
Nope, not a pastor. I'm just a guy with a keyboard. :-) See here for more background: https://simplechristianity.substack.com/p/simple-christianity
Very interesting. Did you actually hear an audible voice of God or just in your mind? I have heard testimony of both. I have heard that Jesus prefers the meek, so no worries on the simple part.
Thank you for posting this. VOM reports that Iranians are experiencing dreams and visions of Jesus at a mind blowing rate. My pastor told us that he met a pastor who saves failing churches in America. He said that many are being turned into mosques. We really need a missionary movement right here in the US. Thank you for posting this movie, I can't wait to watch it.
Yep, lots of dreams where Jesus visits the person and basically says, “I’m the savior.” Powerful stuff. Would love to know your reaction to the film.
Very powerful. I hope to watch it this weekend.
Fascinating article and video, thank you. I really appreciate your posts. It's so easy today to lose track of Christ's message to love all others - your articles are always a wonderful reminder. God bless you.
Thank you for the kind words. Your comments always inspire me.
Excellent movie! We watched it a couple of years ago and it is heart changing. We are trying to find a church that is willing to have a heart like this in Oregon. The message of the movie is challenging and yet inspiring at the same time.
There is also an excellent series of videos that have transformed our understanding of love. https://www.lovedefinedministry.org/lovedefined-course. Weyman and Susan are well worth watching.
It’s definitely a hard question. I have some thoughts based on the method in Sheep Among Wolves, v2, that I’ll share in some future posts.