The Big Holiday
“Jesus said to him, ‘I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me'” (John 14:6)
We have a good friend named Jaci Vaden, a lady we
met in Israel, some years ago. She reaches out to college students through her
work with Campus Crusade for Christ and recently spent a year in a Muslim
country, helping others to learn of Jesus – and note that we ALL need to learn
more of Him. Jaci sent us Christmas greetings recently, in the
form of a letter about her encounter with a young lady named Fatima, who, as
Jaci describes her, is “a passionate Iranian Muslim with very
expressive eyes.” Jaci informed us that Fatima “considers
Jesus a good prophet, and nothing more.”
Jaci continued, “As we talked, I
prayed for God to speak through me to reveal Him to her.” And that’s what
we all need to do. I think we ACT many, many times, and then wonder later why
things didn’t turn out like we wanted them to. We need to PRAY first, as Jaci
did. She continued: “From my year in North Africa, I
remembered a Muslim holiday that helps clarify the purpose of Jesus’ death. I
asked her if her family celebrated Abraham’s sacrifice of Ishmael (according to
the Koran) when God provided a ram to take Ishmael’s place. She emphatically
nodded yes. I then explained that God provided Jesus, like that ram, to take our
place and take the punishment we deserve.”
The letter continued, “The lights
went on in her eyes and she seemed to drop her guard. With a clear understanding
she exclaimed, 'So, the Jesus is the sacrifice for all the people!'” Jaci
concluded that section of her letter with the following: “She
(Fatima) had many objections and questions, so we
decided to get together again. Please pray for us (Fatima and Jaci)
to meet again soon, and for Fatima as she encounters her... Messiah.” Let’s do that – there are many Fatimas and others in
this world who need to meet the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. We’ll add Fatima’s name to
the list of those we pray for, that she and hopefully many will find the Risen Christ and
know He is indeed the "way" to God.
When I wrote back to Jaci, asking permission to use
excerpts from her letter in this sermon, she responded in the affirmative with
great emphasis and lots of exclamation points!!! She also added more about the
Muslim holiday, stating that it is called “Aid al Kabir,”
which in English translates as “The Big Holiday,”
and referred us to the website “EveryStudent.com”
for more information.
Have you noticed that not many Evangelical Christians
are willing to associate with Muslims or others who do not believe as we do?
Have you seen that few read about their customs, such as holidays, manners of
dress and so on? Many don’t want to read Hindu literature, or receive information
about Buddhist systems of thought - most evangelicals limit themselves to the
reading of “Christian” books only. Jesus taught us to love one another, and it
helps to love someone when you are willing to know something about
them. And please note that it is indeed true that some books and ideas can be
dangerous; books that are amazingly taught and studied in Western colleges. Some
of the very schools that frown on Christian ideas, offer classes on Meditation,
New Age and even witchcraft; all of which lead many into trouble. Yes we should
be willing to learn about others, but we do not adopt dangerous practices – we
belong to Christ!
But, like Jaci, that which I have learned about
competing systems has actually proven to be a great asset in telling others
about
the Lord. The fact that I have read such works as the Koran (Qur’an), the Book of
Mormon, the Aquarian Gospel, the Bhagavad-Gita (a portion of the Vedas), and
more, is important – such actions send a message that our minds are not closed. We do not
just off-handedly reject other ideas and people, and note that when we do
blindly reject the culture of others, we reject THEM – personally! Like
everybody else, like you and me, Fatima needs friends who listen and care.
We occasionally sing an old song in Christian circles,
called “What a Friend we have in Jesus” - He became
the great Friend of all who have ever lived, by dying for our sins. We all have
favorite Bible verses and one of mine is Romans 5:8 – “God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.” He showed us He is our best Friend by becoming a man
and dying in our place. He showed His friendship even when we did things OUR way
and wanted nothing whatsoever to do with Him.
Jesus Christ can change our hearts and minds, not
only toward God, but also toward other people. It is His intention that we will
love others, even when they do not love us in return. We do not need to adopt
their ideas, but sometimes to be interested in them enough to become
aware of who and what they are, demonstrates the love of God.
When Jesus became a man, He abandoned His previous way of life. He did not adopt
our ideas, but He did identify with and experience what it means to be human, even to the extent of dying a
death He did not personally need to die – for you and me.
In much of the “Western” world, “The
Big Holiday” is Christmas, a day that has little to do with
Jesus Christ, or maybe it's “New Year’s Day,” a time set
aside for drunken celebrations and debauchery. Many in the world observe Western
customs and reasonably conclude they don’t want to be like us. Isn’t that
interesting? Paul the Apostle told us, “Let us walk
properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness
and lewdness, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13-14).
That's the very Scripture that St. Augustine read, the one that converted him
out of his sinful lifestyle and into Christ.
Jesus is indeed “the way, the
truth, and the life,” and it is true that “No one
comes to the Father except through (Him)” (John 14:6). The song, “What
a Friend we have in Jesus,” continues, “All our
sins and griefs to bear; what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”
You can tell a friend – everything! And their purpose is not to condemn, but to
listen and to help. You have a Friend who listens to you at all times, and He
gave you a Big Holiday from sin and death, by taking your sins upon Himself and
dying in your place. He did this so that YOU will BECOME a friend, who PRAYS,
who LISTENS, and gently allows others to see our real Friend – in you. Let’s
pray:
Father, help us not condemn, but instead to listen, care
for others, and pray. Thank You for our true Big Holiday – in Christ, when He
died for our sins. In Jesus Name. Amen.
By the way, Jaci’s ministry to
Muslims and other students, depends on donations. If you feel drawn to help
Jaci, write for information:
Ron@FridayStudy.org
