Will Welcome Christ

Friday, April 3, 2020

This coming Sunday, Western Christendom celebrates Palm Sunday. The events that took place on that day 20 centuries ago were astonishing; they shook the city and shocked the authorities.

It was not unusual to see an outsider riding into Jerusalem on a donkey to celebrate Passover. Yet, on this day, large crowds gathered around a particular rider to give him a royal welcome. Some threw their clothes on the road, while others spread tree branches as welcome mats! They shouted his praises joyfully. They called him Son of David. Yes, the rider was Jesus!

That is how Jesus was welcomed into Israel’s capital city on Palm Sunday. It is our prayer that many Muslim capitals will welcome him today.

Prayer

Hosanna to the Son of David! …Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Matthew 21:9; Luke 19: 38). Almighty God, I’m pleading with you for the countless cities, towns and communities teeming with Muslims; may they welcome Christ the King.

You alone are Almighty. You divided the Red Sea for the children of Israel, and they passed through on dry ground (Nehemiah 9:11). By your divine power you direct the hearts of kings as streams of water (Proverbs 21:1). Grant us freedom to preach the cross of Christ in Mecca, the city Muslims consider the holiest site on earth. May Jesus Christ reveal his glory there.

I am worshipping at your throne, Almighty God. I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that you are able to do far more than I could ever dream (2 Timothy 1:12). This is my hope and my confidence.

Praise and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever (Revelation 5:13, SAB). Amen.

Promise

From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One” (Isaiah 24:16, NIV).

Friday, March 27, 2020

As we trust God for feats that are humanly impossible, he honors our faith in him. The purpose of our prayer this week is to see Muslims by the tens of thousands come to the Kingdom of God, so they can be set free from sin and experience joy and life in Christ.

Over the past several centuries many churches in the Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa have been turned into mosques. Today in the West, Muslims have taken over vacant church buildings and turned them into Islamic centers and mosques.

We, however, as believers in Christ, are concerned about more than mere walls of stone. We do not seek to defeat Muslims or take over their properties; rather, we want to see the glory of the name of Jesus manifested through their lives transformed by the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord God, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below. You do not live in places built by human hands. Heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot contain you; how much less churches and mosques that humans build (1 Kings 8:23-27)! We pray that Christ will be proclaimed freely, publicly and powerfully in mosques and Islamic places of worship around the world. Our desire is not to take over these places. We are asking you to cause Muslims to come and worship you in the name of Jesus of their own accord and free will in the places they themselves have built.

I pray that people will be saved in mosques and set free from sin and the bondage of Satan. May divine healings and miraculous acts take place in the name of Jesus in those places of worship.

O Lord my God, attend to the prayer and the supplication of your servant; listen to the cry and prayer which your servant makes before you this day. May your eyes ever be on these buildings to turn them into places where the name that is above every name will be honored and worshipped (1 Kings 8:28-29).

Promise

God is able to accomplish far more than we might ask or imagine, according to his power at work in us. Glory be to him in the community of believers, and through Jesus Christ in all ages for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21, SAB).

Friday, March 20, 2020

This issue has been mind-boggling to experts for centuries! It seems to me that we cannot consider the subject adequately or answer correctly unless we define:

• who God is,
• what it means to be a Christian or a Muslim, and
• what worship involves.

According to the Bible, God is love. He exists in three Persons, co-equal and co-eternal: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Further, God in his love became man and redeemed us at the cross.

Muslims reject those most basic biblical doctrines which are essential to true Christian faith. They believe that there is one God and that Muhammad is his apostle. They reject the doctrine of the Trinity, as well as Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.

Based on these differences in fundamental beliefs, it is not possible that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

Yet, the following concepts about God are common to the two groups: He is eternal, he is one, he is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and he is the Judge of all. However, while there are similarities between the two concepts of God, they are by no means the same. There is a big difference between similarity and sameness.

Prayer

Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God, we worship you. You existed before anything that was created. You are supreme over all creation (Colossians 1:15).

Thank you for the cross. You died to redeem us and save us from sin. You rose again to raise us up to belong to you and serve you.

I pray for Muslims; may they realize who you are, believe in you and accept you as their Lord and Savior. Open their spiritual eyes to see the importance of what you did for all of us. Help them know that you died for all of us to give us life—rich, satisfying life (John 10:10).

May they come to you in humility, faith and repentance to acknowledge you as Lord over all lords and King over all kings.

All glory and power to you for ever and ever! Amen (1 Peter 4:11).

Promise

I shall show myself great and holy and make myself known to many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD (Ezekiel 38:23, REB).

Friday, March 13, 2020

Mephibosheth, a prince in Israel, was lame in both legs from childhood. When King Saul, his grandfather, turned away from God and disobeyed the Lord’s commands (1 Samuel 15:11), God chose David to replace him as king. Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father who was also the crown prince, loved David. The two men were close friends and had a pact of loyalty with each other.

After Saul’s royal family was almost completely wiped out in a battle against their enemies, David was crowned the new king. When he was told that Mephibosheth had survived and was in hiding, he had the lame prince brought to his palace. He promised to restore to him all his family’s property and invited him to eat regularly at the king’s table. (Read the story in 2 Samuel 9:1-13).

Muslims are in a situation much worse than Mephibosheth’s. They are lame because of a negative belief system that denies Christ the Lord and Savior. Satan has deprived them of what God intended them to have: eternal life in Christ. Yet, God is inviting them to his King’s table.

Prayer

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Eternal King over all the universe, thank you because you are extending an invitation to hurting, lame, paralyzed Muslims to eat at your table. You have prepared a table. The spread is ready. You have a treat, a feast for them. Your banquet hall is waiting for them.

Help Muslims realize that they are invited to eat at the King’s table. May they know that “The king has prepared a great banquet for them” (2 Kings 6:23). I pray that they will open their hearts to accept this invitation and receive Christ’s blessings. Restore to them, O God, what the enemy has taken away.

May Muslims receive the benefits of the cross of Jesus Christ with joy and gratitude.

In your mighty name I pray. Amen.

Promise

Don’t be afraid, I will show you kindness…. I will restore to you all the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat at my table always (2 Samuel 9:7, SAB).

Friday, March 6, 2020

I have been sharing these thoughts around the world. But now I want to share them with you too.

Elijah prayed to the one true God that there would be no rain. By doing so, he actually challenged the national religion and declared that his God was greater than Baal, the “god” who supposedly caused fertility by sending rain. Elijah’s prayer was also a challenge to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who led their kingdom in Baal worship. After Elijah prayed, the Lord told him to go into hiding for some time. Later, God sent him to Sidon where the king happened to be Queen Jezebel’s father. Although Elijah’s life would certainly be in danger in Sidon, the prophet obeyed and went. There, he ministered to a widow, and she gave him the food he needed. He even brought her son back to life after the boy had died! (Read the story in 1 Kings 17.)

Prayer

Great, mighty and awesome God, when I read the story of Elijah, I think of the conditions in the Muslim world today. The people are religious, but they have no knowledge of the only Savior. They even fear God, but they do not know that he loves them and offers them complete pardon through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Look upon them in your mercy, Holy God, for they follow a mirage that delivers neither water nor hope. They do not have the bread of life (1 Kings 17:12).

We pray that you will send them people like Elijah to minister to them in their dire need. Call men and women, fill them with courage and stamina, and send them to spread the Gospel.

As you sent Elijah to Sidon, the heartland of Baal worship, send modern-day “Elijahs” to the heartland of Islam. May your messengers be humble and audacious, modest and daring! May they declare your Word with clarity and simplicity. May they bring a great harvest of precious souls into the Kingdom of light.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and King. Amen.

Promise

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16, NIV).

Friday, February 28, 2020

Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! That is the modern name for what the Bible calls Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word “Mesopotamia” means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name “Iraq” means country with deep roots.

Indeed, Iraq is a country with deep roots and is very significant in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than does Iraq. Here are a few examples: the Garden of Eden was in Iraq; the Tower of Babel was in Iraq; Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq (today it is called Al Nasriya); Isaac’s wife Rebecca was from a town in Iraq; Jacob met Rachel in Iraq; Jonah preached in Nineveh, which is in Iraq (now called Mosul); and so forth.

Prayer

Eternal God, our Father, Savior, and Lord, blessed be your holy name for ever and ever. I bring to your attention the 40 million people in the Republic of Iraq. They need Jesus. They are lost without him. Open their hearts to receive your love. Fill their minds with your joy and peace. Help them understand the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and realize the enormous cost you paid to bring them from darkness to light.

I pray for the church in Iraq. Help the few remaining Christians who have not already fled the country. In your mercy, remember the church leaders. Their lives are on the line. Many of them have the courage and stamina to stay to take care of the sheep. Protect them. Reward them. Help them win the lost.

In your mercy, remember the rulers and leaders of the country. May the light of Christ shine in their hearts and minds. Grant them grace to give freedom to the Gospel. May Iraq become a leader in the region in bringing Muslims to Jesus.

Promise

I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon…. [and] put my sword in his hand (Ezekiel 30:25).

Friday, February 21, 2020

More and more, young Muslims are becoming dissatisfied and disillusioned with their religion. They feel confused and frustrated because they lack a sense of fulfillment and they have no assurance of eternity. As they rebel against the rigid Islamic belief system, many of them, whenever they get a chance, exit through any crack they can find! But the question is, “Exit to where or to what?”

The Church of Jesus Christ needs to do everything in her power to welcome them to the foot of the cross of our Savior.

Prayer

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty (1 Chronicles 29:11). I fall to my knees and pray to you, my Father, to worship and adore you.

I pray that from your generous, unlimited resources you will empower your Church to open her arms to Muslims. Give her love, wisdom, power and strategy to bring them to you.

Lord Christ, King of kings and Master of all, make your home in Muslims’ hearts as they trust in you. May their roots grow deep into God’s love. Give them the power to sense and experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully (Ephesians 3:14-19).

May none of those who are disillusioned with Islam be lost to heresies, atheism or immorality! Bring them into your Kingdom, I pray.

Blessed be your majesty in heaven, O God (Ezekiel 3:12).

In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Promise

The Lord… gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free… the Lord opens the eyes of the blind… the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down…. The Lord sustains the fatherless and the widow… (Psalm 146:6-9, SAB).