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Summer, 2018
on... Confronting Fears
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… fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you,
I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10, ESV
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you,
I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10, ESV
Isaiah 41:10 is one of my all-time favorite verses. I memorized it years ago along with a host of other Scripture passages as a new young believer being discipled through The Navigators’ ministry while serving in the Marine Corps. The year was 1978, and I was about to get throttled from the Philippine Islands when my squadron stood ready to confront global Islamic realities during the Iranian hostage crisis. We stood down that April 1980 with the failure of Operation Eagle Claw, but that experience marked the beginning of a life-long quest to understand Islam and subsequently become part of God’s purposeful move to engage Muslim peoples worldwide with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if even through back-door strategies as I’ve since come to embrace (write me if your interest is piqued). I have however, seen over the years that when it comes to engaging Muslims the continued posture of the Church has seemed to be one of “fear,” if even in not knowing 'how', 'when' or 'where' to engage them. There is a place for wanting to get things right when it come to engaging and loving Muslim peoples, but these are all so often excuses for not wanting to confront inner fears. Now let’s be clear here… the Bible declares in no uncertain terms the person of faith will be a person who will “fear not” in the face of formidable life obstacles. This phrase, or some variation thereof (eg. “be not afraid”) may be the most oft repeated idea found in the Bible, with God Himself and/or His angelic host repeating the idea over 80 times throughout. And make no mistake, many of these statements are commands just like we find here in Isaiah 41:10.
As my wife and I continue our sabbatical year in the USA (although I am presently in the South American cone, click here to find out more) we are finding 'fear' to be everywhere, least not at that continual encroachment of Islam. And if it is not fear then some measure of hype, tall-tales and/or outright lies, all of which derive power from the same anti-spiritual, anti-God worldview of the here-and-now ideologies so prevalent today. One might say these are nothing more than the evidence of ‘practical atheism’ where any consideration of rendering account to God Almighty in an eternal future with Him is discarded with manipulative rhetoric that leaves one vulnerable to lethargic lifelessness. So often this is seen, yes, even in the church. When was the last time you reached out to your Muslim next-door neighbor? Have you ever purposefully stepped into a mosque to befriend a Muslim, to be surprised by God in some unexpected way? Have you ever considered taking a ‘vacation with a purpose’ to an Islamic context not only to confront your fears, but also to show the love of God through 'word and deed' in loving kindness? As our sabbatical continues through August we plan to continue confronting our fears for whatever lay down the road for us. For now “stand fast, and fear not…”
For more of the skinny on our future click here.
As my wife and I continue our sabbatical year in the USA (although I am presently in the South American cone, click here to find out more) we are finding 'fear' to be everywhere, least not at that continual encroachment of Islam. And if it is not fear then some measure of hype, tall-tales and/or outright lies, all of which derive power from the same anti-spiritual, anti-God worldview of the here-and-now ideologies so prevalent today. One might say these are nothing more than the evidence of ‘practical atheism’ where any consideration of rendering account to God Almighty in an eternal future with Him is discarded with manipulative rhetoric that leaves one vulnerable to lethargic lifelessness. So often this is seen, yes, even in the church. When was the last time you reached out to your Muslim next-door neighbor? Have you ever purposefully stepped into a mosque to befriend a Muslim, to be surprised by God in some unexpected way? Have you ever considered taking a ‘vacation with a purpose’ to an Islamic context not only to confront your fears, but also to show the love of God through 'word and deed' in loving kindness? As our sabbatical continues through August we plan to continue confronting our fears for whatever lay down the road for us. For now “stand fast, and fear not…”
For more of the skinny on our future click here.
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Last name: G
Personal account #: 004527
Project account #: 024527
