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continue in sinful lifestyles of fornication and adultery, dishonesty, greed, deceit, alcohol and substance abuse, homosexuality, loveless abuse of the innocent – as if Muslims are not infected with the these spiritual diseases as well!  (The latter statement is not making excuses for the shameful truth they also speak about Christianity!) 

Although we can never condone the sinful lifestyles of Christians and even those who claim to be true believers, it is a fact that Mohammed himself had many wives, including a six-year-old little girl, named Aisha.  [Ibn-i-Majah vol.3 no.1876 p.133.]  He also had an unlimited number of concubines and the “captives, whom his right hand possessed,” (Surah 23.6.)  Mohammed also “made lawful to himself the wives to whom he had paid their dowers… and the daughters of his paternal and maternal uncles and aunts, and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her…  [Mohammed] may turn off any of them that he pleases and may receive any he pleases, and there is no blame on him…” (Surah 33:50.) 

Muslims try to justify Mohammed’s immoral behavior by saying that the Bible-patriarchs also had many wives and concubines; and Mohammed waited until the 6-year old little Aisha was the 9-year old little Aisha before he took her as his ‘wife.’ Since when is a 9-year old little girl a woman or a wife!  Christ Jesus Himself rebuked the immoral descendants of the Old Testament patriarchs - the fornicating, adulterating Jewish Pharisees, (Malachi 2:11-16,) saying, “Have you not read that He Who made them at the beginning made them [one] male and [one] female, and said, ‘For this reason a man [and of course, a woman as well,] will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife [singular] and the two will become one flesh…’  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate [with false doctrines and the sins of adultery and fornication.]”  - (Mt. 19:1-9.) 

 

The sins of polygamy and pedophilia were never the intention of God, because it violates both His creation principles and His holy marriage covenant, as described in Genesis 2:21-25.  Jesus said that such evil came into existence and proliferated through the ages because of the “hardness of the hearts of men,” not because God gave the patriarchs the go-ahead to abuse His will and Word, and to violate, distort and abuse His marriage covenant and His family-institution, in order to rape and mistreat women and little children at will, (Mt. 19:-7-10.)  Violence always follows adultery, (Mal. 2:16.) 

The Old Testament prophet Malachi also rebuked the infidelity, adultery, and violence of the Old Testament, temple-priesthood as follows, “The Lord does not regard the offering anymore nor receive it with goodwill from your hands… because He has been witness between you and the wife [singular] of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by [marriage] covenant.  However, did He not make them one… [one husband and one wife, because He seeks godly offspring?  [The Godly family, resulting from monogamous marriage.]  Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife [singular] of his youth…”  (Mal. 2:11-16.) 

Through New Testament Scripture, Paul and the other disciples also command this creation principle and strict marriage covenant of the Sovereign God, (1 Cor. 7:10-11; 6:15-20.)  So, in accusing Christians of fornication and sexual filth, Muslims forget their own sin, as their men are allowed continual adultery and fornication according to Muslim custom.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand that Jesus’ believers cannot be effective witnesses for Christ and expect to permeate pagan society with the truth of God’s Word, if they are not wholly committed to God.  If we do not hunger for an ever deepening understanding of His Word; if we do not seek after the “whole truth” of the Word for ourselves first, we are bluffing ourselves to think we belong to the Most Holy God of the Universe, Christ Jesus.  The Word of God commands, “Your sanctification [living in holiness] is the will of God.  Abstain from sexual [and all other forms of sin and] immorality…  [Do not live in vile] passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God… for God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.  Therefore, he who rejects this [commandment] does not reject man, but God, Who has also given [sincere, truly born gain believers] His Holy Spirit,” (1 Ths. 4:1-8; Acts 5:32.) 

 

SINCERE BELIEVERS NEED THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

Pagans know the terrifying power of witchcraft.  People of other religions are surprisingly familiar with the entities that inhabit the spirit world, because they all have their witchdoctors or shamans, who have personal relationships with powerful demonic entities.  (Doesn’t this sound exactly like the church hierarchies of Christianity?)  Consequently, the Great I Am of the Bible sent Moses in His Word and Power to the court of Pharaoh, just as Jesus sent His disciples with His Gospel and the Holy Spirit into the world.  It is always encouraging to remember that Jesus said, “I Am with you, even to the end of the world…  [And walking on water,] Take courage; it is I; do not be afraid,” (Mt. 28:18-20; 14:27; Lu. 10:1-17.)   

We should never lose sight of the fact that Jesus’ born again believers are spiritual priests and kings, whom Jesus Himself had entrusted with the Gospel and authority of their King, (1 Pt. 2:9-10; Rev. 5:9.)  And so, Jesus declared, “Those who believe and are baptized [as sincere believers,] will be saved… and these signs will [‘naturally’] follow them.  In My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, [not the ceremonial handling of snakes, but shirking off ‘accidental’ encounters with them, Acts 28:3-6.]  If they [accidentally] drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover…  And as the disciples went out and preached everywhere, the Lord worked with them and confirmed the Word through His accompanying signs,” (Mark 16:16-20.) 

These Gospel-signs confirm the Everlasting Word of the All-powerful Creator God of heaven and earth. 

¨ The Spirit Filled Bible explains, “These Gospel-signs cannot be limited to the apostolic age any more than the Lord’s commission to carry the Gospel through the world.  These signs confirm the ministries of Christ’s ambassadors in every generation.  Similarly, a servant of the Lord may look for divine protection in matters pertaining to food and drink.  Many missionaries have testified to God’s miraculous protection in heathen territories, where they experienced no ill effects from impure food and drink.  All the signs listed here have occurred in God’s [continual] ministry [through the ages.  Paul’s encounter with the snake that bit him is another example,]” (Eph. 4:31, 1 Cor. 5:2; Acts 30:5.) 

Every true believer is called to evangelize his or her personal, as well as the general world, according to the particular gifts and opportunities, which the Holy Spirit had entrusted to each of us.  We must never become cold and stagnant in our walk with the Lord.  We must continually move forward in the wisdom, leading, and power of the Holy Spirit, and with the bold Gospel truth of the Risen Christ in our hearts and minds, and on our lips. We simply cannot allow timidity and fear to enslave us and keep us from living in the power of the Word and the real, Biblical anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

We need to ask God to manifest His real Scriptural, Holy-Spirit power through us as He deems each one of us fit to preach His Gospel to the world, and to minister to His ecclesia, His assemblies of believers, or the ‘called out ones’ from the world, (Jn. 3:16.)  We have to pray continually for the Muslims and other religionists all around us; Christians too.  Prayer is the most powerful weapon, which makes a way for the Gospel of our Lord to dispel the darkness of this world.  May our love (or agape) for our pagan and Christian enemies never grow faint and go cold. 

“What reward will you have if you love only those who love you in return?” Jesus asked.  Instead, our Lord has called us to an unselfish lifestyle of Godly love in “word and deed” in Gospel truth – and He commanded us to forsake all our comfort zones in His pursuit of bringing His salvation to the world, (Lu. 6:32; 12:51-53.)   Muslims and other religionists like Mary and other church worshiping Christians are our neighbors; they share many of our workplaces, supermarkets, and the playgrounds, schools, colleges, and universities of our children.  We breathe the same air; drink water from the same reservoir, and God makes His sun to shine on us all.  We should never focus merely on the miraculous, but we should never exclude it either.  When God sends His born again instruments to peach His Gospel, heal the sick, and deliver the oppressed and possessed with the Truth of His Word in Holy-Spirit power, (Jn. 8:31-32,) we simply dare not linger any longer on the troublesome deck of Old Jonah’s boat – the boat of disobedient church-exclusiveness.  The sooner we “go overboard” to fulfill the commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, the better for us and the perishing world, (Jonah 1:6-17.) 

 

THE WHOLE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW THIS MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH

Every person on earth is important to God.  As a result, all must come to a saving knowledge of the One True God, or be eternally condemned.  The crux of the Gospel is this: only the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the Savior of the world, (Jn. 3:16.)  Jesus Himself clearly stated in Jn. 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me."  His awesome declaration was confirmed by God the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other [god,] for there is no other name under heaven... by which we must be saved.” 

In response to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, Muslims say, “God has no son.  To say that God has a son is blasphemy!” The Qur’an, in Surah 4, 171 states, “O People of the Book… [Believers of the Bible,] Do not say ‘Trinity…’ for Allah is One God… far Exalted is He above having a son.  To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth…’” 

Jesus Himself asked the Jews, “Do you say of Him Whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I Am the Son of God?’” -  Jn. 10:36. 

God the Father also declared in Matthew 4:17, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased.”  Did God make this incredible announcement to any other person who ever lived – Mohammed included?  Of course not.  Therefore, John could write in John. 3:16, “God SO loved the WHOLE world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, [accepts Him and follows Him as His disciple,] will not perish but have everlasting life.”

Still, Muslims have only the following to say about the Scriptural Son of God, “Jesus was only an ordinary prophet.  There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.  Mohammed is the last and most important prophet – peace be upon him!”  None of the great religions such as Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam deny the life and miraculous ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Historically, that would simply be impossible.  Instead, they attempt to degrade the Divine Jesus to the status of an exceptional prophet, (Jn. 1:1-14.)  They might not state it this way, but in reality Muslims have substituted Mohammed with the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible and instead of Jesus, they have crowned Mohammed as their christ. 

 

THE BASIC HUMAN NEED OF THE DIVINE SAVIOR

The Legalistic Path of Religion:

Every religion on earth is called ‘a path.’  E.g., the Buddhist path to enlightenment; the Islamic path – even the Christian or Catholic and Protestant path.  [A path = a predefined, visible track that has been worn by the continual passage of feet which gradually leads to some distant destination; a clearly constructed, physical road one needs to follow to go from one place to another over a period of time.]  In religion, that long, predefined path consists of legalistic, outward, prescribed laws, rites, rituals, and ceremonies, which have to eventually earn its followers some kind of merit with a distant, unreachable, and unknown god.  Yet, even the slightest divergence from that path or non-adherence to its rules and rites is desertion of that religion and it’s god.  (In religious Christian circles, deviation from the legalistic path is called ‘backsliding.’  For instance, when a church member misses one or more of the many meetings.) 

The legalist’s concept of sin: 

To Muslims and other religionists, (most Christians too,) sin is never defined as moral sin like idolatry, greed, hate, lovelessness, adultery, stealing, lying, slander, etcetera, but any form of failure to conform to their religious path, (Jam. 1:14-15.)  For instance, it is a deadly ‘sin’ not to make the right Islamic, Buddhist, Judaist, or Christian confession; to miss  religious meetings; to neglect tithing and/or offerings; not to wear a head-covering or ceremonial robes, etcetera.  Accordingly, every religionist can either secretly or openly declare, “The church/temple/synagogue/mosque is our mother; outside her there is no salvation, as her hierarchy of priests, (ministers, pastors, rabbis, hazzans, or Muslim imams, qadi, mufti, mullah, or ayatollahs) that do the ceremonial rituals and control the meetings, lead people in her path!” 

Muslims, as all other religionists like the Christian ‘Mother’ Theresa, believe that humankind is basically good.  As such, humankind does not need spiritual and emotional salvation; (Rom. 12:1-3;) they are merely in need of continual Islamic, Buddhist, or Christian guidance in adhering to their path.  Hence, their priesthoods are their saviors and religionists have no need for Jesus’ full atonement in their place.  Eventually, one day, their religious works might (hopefully) reach their far off god and appease him enough to grant them entrance into their different concepts of paradise or heaven. 

However, we must seek God’s face in this matter so that we will not shame His Almighty Name through our unscriptural conduct.  Paul asked in Romans 2:23-24, “You who boast in [keeping certain Old Testament/Covenant laws like tithing,] do you dishonor God through breaking the [Moral] law [of love]?  For the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of [your lack of Scriptural knowledge and morality.]”  Peter added his voice to this admonition in 2 Peter 2:2-3, “False prophets and false teachers will secretly bring in destructive heresies, and many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 

Let us ask God to have mercy on us so that our lives may testify to the fact that through the blood of Jesus Christ, “we were washed and sanctified, and we were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God,” (Eph. 5:26; 1 Cor. 6:11.)  Almighty Father in heaven, let our lives be “an epistle of Christ, written not with ink on tablets of stone but on tables of flesh, that is, of the heart… known and read by all men…”  (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 3:4-6.) 

 

The Path of Religion and Church Christianity Versus The Way, The Truth, and The Life 

The context of New Testament Scripture does not declare that there is any such gradual ‘path’ or ‘initiation into salvation.  On the contrary, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is a Living Person, (God Himself,) and not a religion, calls Himself “The Way.”  [A way = a certain direction; an invisible feature, an abstract aspect, a manner, sense, or style; or a certain character to follow through continual behavior.  A way is also a door or direct opening leading into, or providing immediate access to or from somewhere, e.g., I came in by the front door and now I am inside.]” 

One reason why Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and the Life and not a path, is that all of humanity is born under a state of sin, bondage, and cursedness, (1 Jn. 5:19.)  So, “none are good; none are righteous, none are acceptable to God, no, not even one!”  Humanity’s sin is a cursed position, state, or a place of lostness without God, from which humankind can do absolutely nothing at all to contribute to their salvation, redemption, and blessing, (Jn. 14:6; Gal. 2:21; 3:10-14; Rom. 3.) 

Muslims, as all other religionists, seemingly know nothing about the fallen ‘heart’ (human spirit) and corrupt soul (mind) of humankind, or the fact that God created humans as tri-part beings with both a soul or mind and a human spirit; living in a physical body, (1 Ths. 5:23.) Religionists do not see sin as an evil disposition or condition of lostness, bondage, cursedness, darkness, and eternal damnation from which humankind, by themselves, have absolutely no escape. 

Thus, it is no coincidence that Jesus called Himself “The [Only] Door to the Father,”  (Jn. 10:9-10.)  Spiritually dead and cursed humankind needs to be reborn into spiritual life in a position of redemption, salvation, and blessedness.  This can only be achieved through personal and sincere faith in, acceptance of, and reliance on The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus Alone can be The Christ or The Savior, because only Jesus fulfilled the entire Old Testament Law in the place of all humans by becoming a curse for them and bearing the punishment for their entire state of sin without God.  This is the entire law and all its precepts: the Old Testament’s ceremonial/ritual law as well as the Moral law written on the ‘hearts’ of all humans.  Yet, only the Moral Law flowed through to the New Testament Covenant, (Heb. 10:16; John 13:34.) 

In addition, the spiritual rebirth through faith in Christ is definitely not a prolonged process; a path of ‘initiation’ into a temple, church, or any other kind of so-called spiritual ‘enlightenment.’  Just as natural birth, spiritual birth is an instant, momentarily event, (Jn. 1:1-14; 3:3-5.)  During the spiritual rebirth, the Holy Spirit or God Himself moves the sincere believer, who truly accepts Jesus and His complete atonement in his or her place, from the spiritual clutches of damnation and darkness, and brings him or her through The Door of God’s Complete Atonement into God’s spiritual Kingdom of light, (1 Pt. 2:9-10.)  From the banishment of spiritual death into the acceptance of spiritual life.  From damnation to salvation.  And from cursedness into a spiritual position of complete blessedness in Christ!  (Gal. 3;10-14.) 

Praise God, for we cannot, and do not have to follow a prolonged ‘path of [so-called] enlightenment.’  The moment we truly accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we have [present tense] complete ‘enlightenment,’ because our personal Savior, Jesus The Door to the Father, IS the our Light - and the Only Light of the world! (Eph. 1:12-14.) 

 

IS GREESON’S ‘CAMEL METHOD’ TO EVANGELIZE MUSLIMS SCRIPTURAL? 

All the teachings of the Bible focus on the Sovereign God of the Bible and the salvation of humankind through personal and confessed faith in the crucified but risen Son of the Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Muslims are very devout worshipers and followers of Allah and they strictly adhere to the teachings of their prophet Mohammed.  To them, there is no other way to ‘paradise.’  Muslims understand the fact that the Qur’an, (their scriptures,) only recognize Jesus as another human; a Muslim prophet, (subject to Mohammed,) who was ‘also’ sent by Allah to proclaim the Islamic message.  As a result, most Qur’anic teachings are set against “The people of the Book,” or believers of the Bible, as Mohammed’s writings teach Muslims to answer every truth of the Bible with, “Say to the people of the Book…” 

Yet, in his book, ‘The Camel Method – How Muslims are Coming to Faith in Christ,’ Kevin Greeson tries to draw parallels between the Bible and the Qur’an, and alleges that Christians can use Qur’anic references to Jesus’ Divinity to turn Muslims to Christ.  However, this article will prove that it would be impossible to use Greeson’s uncontextual verses from the Qur’an to impact learned Muslims with the Real Biblical Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as nearly all Muslims can recite the Qur’an from an early age. 

Muslims are intelligent and well schooled in the teachings and practices of their religion, and by true Biblical definition, human methods of evangelization are completely incapable of piercing the lost soul of any religionist with authentic Scriptural truth.  As a result, this article focuses on genuine Biblical evangelization by exploring the incredibly significant way in which Jesus and His early disciples affected the pagan world through Scriptural Truth and Holy-Spirit power. 

Greeson, (in The Camel Method,) believes that, by preaching the Gospel outright, we will ‘offend’ pagans and ‘lose’ them for all eternity.  Instead of preaching the Gospel straightforwardly, Greeson teaches we should become their friends and ‘carry’ them to Jesus like camels, because “Mohammed respected the Christian faith.” 

In Scripture, no one ‘carried’ anyone to Jesus except the people who were lame and could not go to Jesus by themselves.  Jesus called, and those “who had ears” listened, obeyed, and chose to follow Him, just like any other person on earth who is in need of the Only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Jn. 1:11-13.)

Greeson alleges “Mohammed wrote the Qur’an with good intentions, and leaned heavily on Bible-Scripture” in writing the Qur’an.  Therefore, “some Islamic scripture can [allegedly] be used to prove to Muslims that they must obey the Bible.”  But when we read the Qur’an, an entirely different picture emerges.  As we will see, the Qur’anic verses that Greeson uses, (read in context,) contradict the hope of using Qur’anic scripture to turn Muslims to Christ.  It is strange that learned Muslims do not laugh out loud at Greeson’s references to Qur’anic scripture as a means of Christian evangelism! 

 

THE “HUNDREDTH NAME OF ALLAH,” ISLAMIC SALVATION, AND JESUS IN THE QUR’AN 

In his book, ‘The Camel [Method] – How Muslims are Coming to Faith in Christ,’ Kevin Greeson recites the following Muslim proverb, “…Allah has one hundred names. And… he has revealed 99 of his names to the sons of men that they may know and worship him. But one name, the one-hundredth name, he has told only to the camel. And, the camel, he is not talking.”  The writer then challenges Islam with the assumption that the hundredth name of Allah is Isa al-Mashi, which means, the Lord Jesus Christ.  This book is currently revered as the ultimate methodology of Muslim evangelization. 

However, it is a lie that Muslim Scripture ‘reveres and accepts’ the Lord Jesus Christ as the Only Savior and God, because Islam does not have a ‘savior,’ and they will never refer to Jesus as ‘allah’ or ‘god.’  They see the fact that Jesus Is God as “blasphemy against allah,” (Jn. 1:1-14; Isaiah 9:6.)  What’s more, Jesus is the God of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, and although “allah” means “god” in the Arabic language, the God of the Bible is not just “a god,” and He can never be defined according to Islamic thinking.  The Names of The True God of the Bible is YHWH (I Am Who I Am,) Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, (Rev. 1:8,) and Christ Jesus, but Jesus was never called ‘Allah’ in ancient Scripture; referring to the god of Islam.  Yet, the Qur’an was supposedly based on Hebrew dogma, and so, Muslims claim ancestry to the Hebrew patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However, if this were true, and they really do worship the God of the Bible, how can they reject Jesus God’s Son and call YHWH (or Christ Jesus) “Allah and Mohammed is his prophet?”

In fact, Jesus brought His atonement and Gospel to earth in the first century A.D. and Mohammed only came into existence some 600 years later, but Muslims compensate for his late arrival by calling him ‘the last prophet.’  Instead of researching the available Scriptures of Jesus’ time, and how the birth and growth of the first ecclesia, (the early called-out assemblies of Christ) happened, Muslims believe Mohammed’s interpretations of, and additions to the original Hebrew and Koine-Greek, New Testament manuscripts.  [From: Torrey, ‘The Jewish Foundation of Islam.’] 

 

In ‘The Camel,’ Greeson extracts certain lines from verses in the Qur’an to supposedly point Muslims to the real ‘Isa al-Masih,’ the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.  He wrote, “Thirteen verses of the Qur’an’s book, Surah al-Imram chapter 3, tell of Isa al-Masih.  Here we read that Isa would be born of a virgin, [yes, but they call Him the “son of Mary” not the Son of God;] that He would do miracles; that He would be a sign [not Savior] to the whole world; that Allah would cause Him to die and raise Him again to heaven….  The full Qur'anic name for Jesus is Al-Masihu Isa – ‘the Messiah Jesus’ (cf. Surah 4.157, 4.171), [although they do not need a savior in Islam].” 

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ON THIS PAGE:

Þ The Whole World needs to know this All-important Truth 

Þ The Path of Religion and Church Christianity VS the Way, the Truth, and the Life 

Þ Is Greeson’s ‘CAMEL METHOD’ to evangelize Muslims Biblical?   

Þ The ‘Camel Method’s’ 100th name of Allah, Islamic Salvation, and our Savoir in the Qur’an