by Steve Lied
“We are fellow pilgrims, wanting to know God and to do His will.”
This was our motto, our sincere statement of life purpose and understanding between us. Five men around the table, holy books open, sipping tea and snacking on homemade pastries, sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, and cucumbers. We met regularly for years, sharing our thoughts and lives. Mutual learning happened.
Through the influence of my Muslim friends my understanding of the Gospel was deepened. Submission is the goal of grace. God in His unstoppable love draws me to Himself and receives me into His fold in spite of my rebelliousness so that I can now live under His parental care as He instructs and enables me to do His will on this earth. I submit to God, who is my loving and wise authority, the Perfect Father.
My Muslim friends found hope and light in the words, works, and worth of the Messiah Jesus. The Messiah came to fulfill the Law & Prophets. He exemplified how to love God and neighbor. He is the Suffering Servant and Good Shepherd.
Religious fences did not separate us into us-them, my group vs. your group. We do not consider each other as opponents, camped on different sides of a wall. We are fellow pilgrims in the Road of Life (Matthew 7:13-14), the Straight Path (Fatiha).
Jason, a pastor from California, shared an example of the very thing that’s happening at tables and gatherings across the U.S. because of you and your partnership in this work.
In the aftermath of recent shootings, many Christians are expressing the desire to show solidarity with Muslim communities around them. Solidarity is defined as “unity or agreement of feeling or action,” but what does that really mean, and how is it actually done?
We’re not just peacemakers; we’re Jesus-centered peacemakers. Here’s how we do it and how you can get started.
“I hate Muslims.” As a simple conversational opener after church, Bob introduced himself, letting us know where he stood on the Muslim/Christian debate. Awkward conversation and strained parting smiles left us each to head home after the service. “How ‘bout that Bob? Think we'll avoid him in the future... wow." But then something happened that we never would have expected...
Here at Peace Catalyst we say, “Friendship is the fruit of peacemaking.”Here are a few pairs of friends who represent just the kind of friendship we work toward. Enjoy their stories and keep your eyes open in your own life for friendship opportunities like these!
At the Apex Mosque/Fellowship of Christ Dinner Club in Raleigh, we gather monthly for a potluck meal, lots of laughter, and occasional serious talk about real issues. Here's how you can do this in your city.
In recent years, I have been accumulating a list of key principles I am learning from Jesus about loving others practically. These are core values that Jesus modeled and taught, and they are not optional for those who would follow the Messiah and wage peace in a broken world.
Our work is not rocket science. Rather, it’s simply a matter of opening our hearts (and often our homes) to meet people where they are, to build genuine friendship, and to share with these friends the little things in life.
What can we, simple civilian followers of Jesus, do in response to ISIS? The fullness of ISIS's recruiting is complex, but one story they tell is that Westerners (and Christians, in particular) are at war with Muslims. So we must help those who are vulnerable to recruitment EXPERIENCE a story that contradicts the story ISIS is telling.
What happens when you bring together a dozen teenagers who don’t know each other, come from two totally different religious backgrounds, and ask them to put their phones away for the day and actually TALK to each other?