Billboards in Columbus, Ohio state “Jesus is Muslim,” “Mohammed is in the Bible,” and “Muslims love Jesus too.” They were paid for by a local Muslim group whose website is “dedicated to educating you about Islam.”
Their billboards claim nothing new. Muslims the world over believe that Jesus was a Muslim, and in fact view him as one of their six key prophets (Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad). And they believe that Muhammad was prophesied several times in Scripture (especially Deuteronomy 18:18, where God tells Moses he will “raise up for them a prophet like you”).
My focus this morning is not on the group’s message but on their commitment. Only 40 percent of the population in Columbus, Ohio identifies with a religious affiliation (compared to 78.4 percent for the nation as a whole). Clearly, hundreds of thousands of people in Columbus need the gospel. Muslims in the city constitute only 1.3 percent of the population. And yet they are engaged in a significant, multi-media strategy to bring their message to their city.
I’m not criticizing Christian leaders in Columbus. They responded immediately to the Muslim billboards, hosted a prayer vigil over the weekend and went into the community to share the gospel with local residents.
Rather, I’m wondering what else Christians should be doing to match and exceed Islam’s evangelistic passion and commitment. Muslim businessmen are spending billions of dollars to fund the export of Islam around the world. The Columbus group’s website is one example. Titled www.ask-a-muslim.com, it leads to a well-done, interactive Internet experience which draws the visitor into dialogue with Islam. So I wondered, is there a www.ask-a-christian.org site?
It turns out, there isn’t. So yesterday our ministry purchased www.ask-a-christian.org, which will send you to the evangelism portion of lovegod.denisonforum.org, a website we launched earlier this year. Visitors will encounter an explanation, defense, and application of the gospel. We are going to explore other ways we can use this strategy in months ahead.
I have three requests of you today. One: would you pray for God to guide and use our new evangelistic outreach? Two: would you use the site as you reach out to those who may not have met Christ? Three: would you ask the Lord how else he wants to use your influence and gifts to share his love with your community?
Every Christian needs an Acts 1:8 strategy, a plan to advance God’s Kingdom in his or her city, region, and world. What is yours?
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