tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47280214254164141052024-03-13T04:58:33.086-07:00ShahshankedRedemptionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-75184279465363822572018-03-17T17:33:00.000-07:002018-03-17T17:33:05.892-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm very curious to see how many of my old followers on this page will see this post: <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ttps://goo.gl/fVnkTK</span><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-18260636926413663992015-02-08T15:57:00.000-08:002015-02-08T15:57:58.710-08:00I'm No Longer At This Site!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear friends:<br />
<br />
I've moved. If you want to read my new posts, please go to:<br />
ShahshankedRedemption.wordpress.com</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-28913311176349968912014-12-17T20:21:00.001-08:002014-12-17T20:24:17.175-08:00If You Don't Change Them, They Will Swallow You UP!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFY9y5c0GPq-I6VoeCFX44KB2IrmjMGvnRKX09WIN0YvLUa0Jq" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFY9y5c0GPq-I6VoeCFX44KB2IrmjMGvnRKX09WIN0YvLUa0Jq" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="Body">
<o:p> </o:p>On the Sunday after 9/11 my message to my Iranian church started
by me asking the following question and answer.</div>
<div class="Body">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Who put a gun to your head and demanded that you leave Iran and
come to America?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
If you don<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t like living in America, I<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>ll
personally buy you a one-way ticket and send you back to Iran.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Using Jer. 29:4-7, I then went on to show them, as immigrants in
this country, what our responsibilities towards America should be. Once I made
them aware of our role as immigrants, I then challenged them, as followers of
Christ, to put aside our Third World corrupt habits that almost all of us were
raised with, and be a light and salt to our community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Over a year ago, I felt the need to preach the same message
again, but this time to English speaking churches<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">—</span>Christians who are
born and raised in America<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">—</span>along with a long disclaimer repeated
throughout my message. I felt the need to include the disclaimer because these
days, many Americans take offense to everything, even on behalf of those who<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> a</span>re
not asking for it. So, I had to start my message with the following warning,
which I kept repeating throughout my teaching:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Please be advised that I
gave this message to my IRANIAN church, and it is NOT <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>directed at you. By the way,
after I was done preaching it, the whole church gave <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>me a standing ovation, so PLEASE don<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t get offended on
their behalf.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
My message had to do with change, that of heart, mind, soul and
behavior. It was an attempt to help them become more like those who belong to
the Community of Jesus. It challenged them to outflowing action that would influence
the adverse Iranian community that surrounds them. In doing so, I gave them
example after example of the corruption that exists within much of our culture.
The type of Third World mentality that is so, so foreign to the majority of
American Christians, but so, so natural to us who were born and raised in Iran.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>But, why are you giving this message to the American church,<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span>one
might ask.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Because I am very concerned about the type of society my
grandchildren might be facing in America. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
In his article, <i><a href="http://www.charismanews.com/culture/44114-4-trends-in-christianity-that-could-scare-you-according-to-ed-stetzer">4 Trends in Christianity That Could Scare You</a>,
</i><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;">Ed Stetzer</span> says,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="margin-left: .5in;">
As the Nones (<i>Nominal/cultural Christians</i>)
rise in their number, Christian influence on culture will begin to wane. The
minority of Christians in a culture will begin to feel even more like a
minority when more nominals become Nones. As people no longer claim to be
Christians, Christianity will be further marginalized<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Although Mr. Stetzer considers this to be something positive for
the future of the church<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">—</span>She then will be full of REAL
(Whatever that may be according to him) Christians.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">—</span>he doesn<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t
take into account the vacuum this lack of Christian influence will create in
the society. Those of other mentality/cultural mindset, i.e., Muslims, will not
sit back and wait for the Christians to easily once again get their influence
back. These non-Christians will fill the void.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
In his recent column in Los Angeles Times, <i><a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-mcmanus-column-corruption-20141130-column.html">How corruption abroad threatens U.S. national security</a>, </i>Doyle McManus wrote,<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<o:p> </o:p>We often look at corruption
as a secondary issue in international affairs: as a moral problem
that allows Third World governments to steal from their people and gets in the way of
equitable economic development…But the lesson of the collapse of the
Iraqi army,
an army built with $25 billion in U.S. aid, is this: Corruption isn't only a
moral issue; it's a national security
issue, too.</blockquote>
<div class="Body">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<o:p>T</o:p>hat's the message of Sarah
Chayes, a former reporter for National Public Radio, who spent 10
years working on economic development projects in Afghanistan —<span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';"> </span>only
to find that corruption was getting in
the way of nearly everything she did.</blockquote>
<div class="Body">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<o:p> </o:p>I want the American church to understand what happens when she
losses her influence in society, an influence that is directly related to the
teachings of Christ. I long for the church to realize what an unscrupulous
society awaits her if she doesn<span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';">’</span>t stand up for Christian Principles
and offer the life changing teachings of Christ to those around her, especially
those of us from the Third World.</div>
<div class="Body">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
After hearing my message at his church, a member, a white
American, who was offended by what I<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>d said, asked the following question, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>So, what is the redemptive value in this message?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
My answer: If you don<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t change my mindset with the teachings
of Jesus, I WILL swallow you up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-80958379959308920782014-12-01T12:47:00.000-08:002014-12-02T17:26:28.032-08:00Not At My Church!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQaxH-DYSrlH-ysTItCe0NZe_RFMxKET8DRxVsV6vhb8HXUmZ1Wiw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQaxH-DYSrlH-ysTItCe0NZe_RFMxKET8DRxVsV6vhb8HXUmZ1Wiw" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>The name of my organization is Shahzam Factor...<i>Seeing church different. </i>The tagline has to do with something I have begged the American church to do for over 30 years, CHANGE. The following article is about that very subject. It's written by my friend CK who, from time to time, will be doing guest appearance on this blog. Shah</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">Why is it so difficult for us to
realize the need for change? From churches and businesses, to non-profit
organizations and even families, so often we fail to see the need for change.
It seems that we so often need to come to the brink of disaster before we come
to terms that if we don’t change, our organization, our relationship, or our church
will fail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list-ins: "Shah Afshar" 20141103T1233; mso-list: none; text-indent: 0in;">
As
I have researched “change” in my graduate studies the past two years, it has struck
me how difficult change is for people, people in some of the most successful
companies, people throughout history, even people in the Bible. Let me give you
a couple of examples.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">World Class Medical Center Nearly Closes<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is one of the leading
hospitals in the world. The quality of this institution is due in part to the long
standing and coveted relationship with Harvard University. Many of the doctors
who practice and teach at the medical center also teach at Harvard. However, this
institution nearly closed. For years, the medical center was losing money. During
this time, several CEOs hired reputable consulting firms to determine why the
medical center was consistently losing money. Report after report was submitted
to the executives, board of directors, and the chief medical staff. Yet nothing
changed and the medical center continued to lose money. It wasn’t until Paul
Levy was appointed CEO in 2002 that things changed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
In Levy’s first few months on the
job, he faced the fact that the medical center was nearly bankrupt, and that
the governor and city officials were planning to take possession of the institution.
But Levy had a plan to revamp operations and was able to convince the governor to
delay the closure for six months. Confronted with the fact that they were about
to lose everything, the medical center’s executives, board of directors,
medical staff, and employees finally saw the need for change and made some
tough decisions. Over those six months, Levy spent a great deal of his time
explaining what needed to change—from leasing space on the expansive campus,
and cutting jobs, to refining operations, and restructuring the medical staff
and board of directors. He also communicated how the changes would take place and
secured the support of everyone involved. His plan worked. Today, Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center is going strong. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Resistance to Change in the Bible<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
The Bible,
particularly the Old Testament, can be seen as a book about people who resisted
change. Prophet after prophet warned the Israelites to change their ways
otherwise judgment would come. But they didn’t and judgment did come—they were
captured and displaced. In the New Testament, Jesus proclaimed
the message of peace, love, and reconciliation to God. He performed the most
powerful act of love, ever. Yet, people who heard his message and saw miracles
did not believe him or change how they lived their lives. For more than 2,000
years millions of people who have heard the gospel refused to repent, to believe,
to love, to receive grace, and to see the need to change their lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;">Any believer, who has evangelized, especially
pastors, would probably understand how difficult it is for people to change
their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. However, believers, especially
pastors, are the very people, who need to realize the need for change. </span>Modern-day
prophets—the statisticians and researchers—are sounding the warnings. The <a href="http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/">Hartford Institute of Religion
Research</a> estimates fewer than 20% of Americans actually attend church every
Sunday, more than 4,000 churches shut down every year, and between 2010 and
2012 less than half of churches added any new members. In June 2014, CharismaNews
published an article by Ed Stetzer, examining <span style="mso-field-code: "HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/www\.charismanews\.com\/culture\/44114-4-trends-in-christianity-that-could-scare-you-according-to-ed-stetzer\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022";"><span class="MsoHyperlink">trends</span></span>, which paint a picture of a dwindling church.
In their book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Why-Nobody-Wants-Church-Anymore/dp/0764488449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381504206&sr=8-1&keywords=why+nobody+wants+to+go+to+church+anymore">Why
Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore</a>”, Joani and Thom Schultz show how
church membership is declining and why. Research conducted by Steve McSwain,
author and consultant, was published on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mcswain/why-nobody-wants-to-go-to_b_4086016.html">Huffington
Post</a> showing statistics that the church is in decline across different
denominations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
Are we going to be like the
Israelites and ignore the prophets? Will church leaders be like the doctors at
Beth Israel Medical Center and disregard the research only to say “Not at my
church”? Are you going to be like those whom you have shared the Gospel with and
yet, never saw the need to change? We have passed post-modernism and entered a
new age when EVERYTHING is changing. Right or wrong, People who were once
employed are becoming free-agents; schools are shifting from teacher-centered instruction
to student-centered learning; established industries are being threatened by
new business models; social media has changed how people communicate and the
list goes on. With all of the research showing that church attendance is
declining, and every aspect of society changing, are you able to see a need for
change in the church?</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">By CK Miller, guest blogger</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-54441067524270446802014-10-23T15:58:00.000-07:002014-10-23T15:58:47.941-07:00Us Against Them!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBVEzjxmoas/VEmDUrq65aI/AAAAAAAABPo/_hg0CD57is4/s1600/Arguing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBVEzjxmoas/VEmDUrq65aI/AAAAAAAABPo/_hg0CD57is4/s1600/Arguing.jpeg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
“I am sick and tired of being called derogatory names,” bemoaned my friend. <span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">“Just because I believe in traditional marriage, that doesn’t make me a homophobe. If I say I am against killing the unborn, that doesn’t mean I am against women exercising their rights. I have no problem with immigrants. For God’s sake, I am an immigrant myself. However, I am against illegal immigration. Why should that make me a xenophobe? I am NOT a racist when I talk about the absence of fathers in the black community. Don’t these people realize that all this name-calling prevents us from having civil conversations that may result in solving some of these issues?” </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">His woes reminded me of what we, the followers of Christ, for years, have done to ourselves, and those outside the church. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">If you attended a white evangelical church, you had to be a Republican. No Democrat could survive the criticism in those churches. On the other hand, in a black church, you were an Uncle Tom if you were a Republican. Today, this attitude is fiercer than ever before. I have Christian friends who have cut off relationships with other Christians purely for political reasons. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">The sins of the church toward “outsiders” are many. Once a year, my friend, <a href="http://www.salemgathering.com/">Pastor Phil</a>, sets up a tent in a public place and uses it as a confessional booth. Inside the tent he dresses up as a monk and when people walk in to confess, he is the one who confesses the sins of the church to them. I am no Phil, so I limit my confession of the churches’ sin to only one example. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">For years, the church singled out the gay community and pounded on them. We would more readily accept a supposed repented murderer to our fellowship than a Christian gay man/woman who has spent a lifetime serving God with all sincerity while struggling with his/her sexuality. We’d be more willing to listen to any sexual struggles a heterosexual might have with his/her sins, but hardly ever willing to hear of the struggles of a gay man or woman. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">And by doing so, we have created a culture of “US” (the righteous Christians) against “THEM” (those who don’t agree with us, the righteous Christians. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">The fact that those who are in Christ are called righteous is a biblical reality (2 Cor. 5:21). However, according to Jesus, the righteous person is poor, humiliated, desperate, hungry, thirsty, persecuted and… (Matthew 5:1-12) But, even more important, this righteousness or rightness with God isn’t the result of some personal achievement. As Tugwell says, </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="text-align: left;">
<i>…the trouble with their (Pharisees) outstanding righteousness was that, all too easily, it could be viewed precisely measured, so that at the certain point, you could say that you had now achieved it. This meant that it could all too easily come adrift from its original inspiration in devotion to God and become self-sufficient.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">It is against this self-achieved and measurable righteousness that Jesus speaks of. The self-righteousness that proudly stands up and proclaims, “God, I thank you that I am not like <i>those</i> people…” Luke 18:12—The kind of self-righteousness that sets US against THEM. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">Let there be no misunderstanding. I strongly believe in right vs. wrong. Unlike some who accuse others of intolerance because the so called, “intolerant” happens to distinguish between good and evil, I believe in being objective distinguishing between right and wrong. However, my objectiveness and effort in doing right doesn’t make me MORE righteous. As I remember, Jesus said something like, after doing all that we should have done and refrained from all that we should have refrained from, we’re still useless servants. What conveys the above humble attitude must be the way we communicate what we believe.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">For example, I believe the definition of marriage should be reserved for a union between a man and a woman. Putting the Bible aside, this has been a universal truth that every society, culture and ethnicity has believed and practiced since the beginning of time. In an ideal world, my definition of marriage should not set me against those who don’t agree with me, but we don’t live in that world yet. Because of what I just said, the reality is that many will call me names like homophobe, xenophobe, racist and… That I can’t help, but the way I react to those who don’t agree with me is something I CAN control. And this is where I’ve so often come short forgetting that ultimately, as a follower of Christ, my goal must be winning people’s hearts and souls and not an argument. </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">—————————— </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>It’s a day before the election in California. The fate of Prop 8 (The proposition against same sex marriage) is going to be decided tomorrow. As I’m opening my living room windows facing the street, I notice my neighbor, Ted, walking his dog. Ted and Eric (not their real names) are our gay neighbors whom we’ve know for the last 24 years. They’ve been together longer than many Christian couples I know. We have been to each other’s homes for dinner many times and have a good relationship.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“Hey Ted, I just wanted you to know how I’m going to vote on Prop 8 tomorrow,” I screamed out of the window.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>If you know me, you know that I’m one of the most transparent people you ever come across—and sometimes to a fault. And this was one of those times. In my way of thinking, I wanted my neighbor, the person I have know for a few years now, love and have a very high respect for to know where I stood. This was my way of saying, </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“Thank you for accepting me as a friend even though we don’t agree on this subject.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>Ted laughed and says something like, “Shah, we all know how you’re going to vote.” And walked away.</i></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>About a year later, as Karen and I sitting in Ted and Eric’s living room waiting for dinner to be served, Eric, Ted’s partner, very sternly faced me and with tears in his eyes said, </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“What do you have against me marrying this man that I love so much?”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>The question completely catches me by surprise. I’m blindsided and was at loss for words. His crying makes me cry. I’m suddenly faced with the fact that my statement of a year ago, how be it, coming from a very innocent and pure motive, has hurt people I care for. It’s very easy to disagree with nameless or faceless “Them” out there, but it is a whole different world when those “Them” are your friends. </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“I have nothing against you getting married. My opposition is to changing the definition of marriage,“ I respond</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“What do you mean, “ he demands while crying.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“By changing the definition, we’re opening the Pandora’s box which will come back to haunt us.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>“No! It won’t.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>As much as I care for this couple (and they know it), and as much as I do not want to see my friends hurt or upset by/with me, I have to stand up for my convections/values. And so does he, for that matter. </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>We go on crying and arguing. </i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>At the end, we come to the conclusion that we’re not about to change each other’s mind, so with my wife and Eric watching us rather uncomfortably, we hugged and sat down to eat dinner. I love Ted and Eric not because they agree or disagree with me, but because they’re my friends made in God’s image.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><i>A few years later, when Prop 8 is overturned by the Supreme Court, as much as I disagree with the decision, I text Ted with one word, “Congratulation!”</i></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">———————————</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">I’ll leave you with these words,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">To the Christian community, expressing God’s love towards those with whom we disagree should not be confused with agreement with their point of view. While we should hold firm to our Judeo-Christian principles, we must continue to love because Christ commanded us to do so.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">To the gay community, please don’t reject me because I am willing to tolerate you, but not celebrate you. As much as I detest using the word, “tolerate” within the context of this article (It sounds like painfully putting up with something or someone, which is not my intention at all) I am using it because, strangely enough, it is a very acceptable word within the gay community. I may disagree with your point of view, but I am NOT against you as a person.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">And this, my friends, is the key to a civil discourse.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-75827426339215708052014-08-01T11:45:00.001-07:002014-08-01T11:45:07.038-07:00Preaching Butt-Naked<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6JHAsUDvnE/U9vfg8slNVI/AAAAAAAAAMY/TcJwRKvWO6k/s1600/naked+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6JHAsUDvnE/U9vfg8slNVI/AAAAAAAAAMY/TcJwRKvWO6k/s1600/naked+man.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></div>
On that Wednesday night, I started my message by asking my
audience the following question:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Coming to church, did any one of you see the man standing
butt-naked at the off ramp of 118 Freeway and Porter Ranch? He was holding a
sign saying something about God judging the nakedness of America.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you’d seen him, would you have called the police?” I
continued asking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I almost did! But first I decided to talk to him. So I got
out the car and asked him why he was doing such a stupid and disgraceful thing in
God’s name.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“God told me to do so!” Shouted back the man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With much indignation in my voice, I asked the people, “Can
you believe this lunatic? Would God EVER ask us to do something so humiliating,
so shameful? Would He EVER expect us to do an act that might make us feel
uncomfortable?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then went on to say, “Before answering my questions, let me
read something to you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span class="textisa-20-1-isa-20-2">In
the year the field commander, sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod
and fought and took it, </span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">God</span></span><span class="textisa-20-1-isa-20-2"> told Isaiah son
of Amoz, “Go, take off your clothes and sandals,” and Isaiah did it, going
about <b>naked </b>and barefooted. </span>Isa.
20:1-2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I believe the word <i>naked
</i>means butt-naked since it’s the same Hebrew word used to describe Adam and
Eve’s appearance in the Garden. However, even if you believe it means stripped-down
to one’s underwear, as some argue, it was still an extremely shameful act for a
Jewish man to perform. After all, Isaiah didn’t live in America where it’s
fashionable for men to wear their pants at their knees and their underwear
pulled up to their chins.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So, my friends, in order to make his point, the Lord
might/will ask his servants to perform acts that are uncomfortable, shameful
and even indecent by our standards. The Bible is filled with incidents like
that.“<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few years ago I had a very strange spiritual experience
that was quite unusual and humiliating. Personally, I would have never sought
such an experience. In fact, earlier, I’d mocked those who had experienced it.
It didn’t live up to my theological standards. Hey, I was a seminary graduate
who had the Creator of the universe all figured out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the surface, the experience was not only humiliating, but
also foolish and downright weird. However, through that incident, I came to
know my Savior and his love for me like I never felt and understood before. It
created in me a deeper love for God and a longing for more of him in my life. I
began to seek him like the addict Origen talks about when he says, “Without
ceasing, the soul searches after the Bridegroom, the Word, and when it finds
him, it looks for him again like an addict, in other things as well.” By the
way, I am well aware that Origen, an early Church Father, didn’t have an
orthodox Christology; however, I also believe that all truth is God’s truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately, my experience didn’t sit well with some of my
more theologically sophisticated Christian friends because it didn’t jive with
their understanding of the Bible. Regardless of how much that experience had increased
my desire to seek my Lord in a much deeper way, they severed their relationship
with me. As if, like the blind man healed by Jesus, that was going to make me
deny the reality of what had taken place in the inner most part of my
being—that deep sense of God’s presence in my life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me finish this post with a challenge to my readers. The
core desire of my ministry, Shahzam Factor, is to see church different (the
incorrect English is intentional). To see church differently, many of us
Christians need to experience the Lord in a new way acknowledging that:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
The newness inherent in any
situation of encountering with God is brought by him, not by us, and the
newness it calls for in us is not a newness of physical or psychological or
intellectual experience, it is simply a newness being given to him (and that,
too, is not a matter of psychological or any other kind of experience in
itself, though it may, of course, lead to or involve some kind of
transformation of experience of life).
Simon
Tugwell<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Psalmist says, “As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.” When was the last time YOUR soul longed
after God with that intensity? Please note that I am not asking how much you
love to read or teach the Bible. I am not asking you how much you long to fellowship
with the believers, serve others, or tithe, but thirst after God and his
presence in your life. What if to
fulfill that longing, God requires you to do something humiliating. Will you be
willing to do so? Or at least, will you be willing to rejoice with a friend who
is willing to be humiliated so he/she can draw closer to God?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-13542553725886537962014-07-22T20:26:00.000-07:002014-07-22T20:26:57.074-07:00Do I Have To Like My Neighbor?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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--></style>A few years after Karen and I were married, we started
attending a small Charismatic church in our neighborhood. Our small and
friendly church was literally adjacent to a very conservative church—we shared
a common retaining wall. Years earlier, the church had purchased a piece of property
from our church to build a larger parking lot. One would think that an act like
that would create a rather cordial relationship between the two congregations,
but au contraire. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both churches held their services simultaneously. Every
Sunday, as soon as I got out of our car, I would start waving at our neighbors
attending the church next door. In all the years we attended church there, none
of our Christian neighbors ever waved back at me. Somehow, their more correct
theology prevented them from showing the love of Christ to those Christians
whose theology was not quite as sophisticated as theirs. I often wondered,
“Isn’t loving our neighbors as ourselves a part of Christ’s greatest mandate to
his followers? Even if they considered me a heathen dog, I still deserved some
crumbs off their righteous table, as the Grecian woman said to Jesus.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the way, we, the Charismatic believers, might think we
are more ecumenical than other denominations, but when it comes to loving our
neighbors as ourselves, we have our own unique issues. I attended a Charismatic
mega church for years. Next to the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>property was a Masonic temple. During all the 12 years that I
attended church there, I never paid any attention to our Mason neighbors. After
all, they were a bunch of demon-possessed people who should have been avoided
at any cost.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will never forget the day when my friend Terry, a staff
member at the mega church, was asked by the leadership to inquire into the
possibility of purchasing the Masonic temple. This is what the temple’s
caretaker said to Terry, “You people have been our neighbors for 14 years. Not
once have you even acknowledged our presence, and when you finally have, it’s
because you want us out of the neighborhood.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In one of my earliest posts, <a href="http://shahshankedredemption.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-heat-waver.html">“Are You A Heat Waver”</a>, I asked
the following question: if you the individual (If you’re a pastor, I’m not
talking about your church building, or your church members, but you and your
family.) move out of your neighborhood tonight, will your neighbors miss you tomorrow?
If not, why not? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Dallas Willard said, “The key to understanding the
teachings of Jesus still remains: Loving our neighbors as ourselves in the
power of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when you think
about what that means, you realize that if that were done, almost every problem
that we have in our cities would be solved. All we have to do is to simply
follow Jesus’ words.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, at a meeting related to the Neighborhood
Initiative, a movement started by my dear friend, Lynn Cory, a pastor shared
with the 60 pastors present the difficulty he had in connecting with his
neighbors. “I’m in a tough neighborhood. I don’t know how to approach my
neighbors,” he said. I suggested that he starts waving at anyone who walked or
drove by his house. Yesterday, I received this <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5740298/IMG_5173.MOV">video clip</a> by him (It might take a while to load).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s amazing what a genuine act of kindness through the love
of Christ can do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
PS. If you’re interested in reaching out to your neighbors,
may I suggest the book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neighborhood
Initiative</i> written by Lynn Cory? You can buy it on Amazon, or get it
directly from: <a href="http://www.neighborhoodintiative.org/">www.neighborhoodintiative.org</a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-34829810492083917552014-01-29T10:16:00.000-08:002014-01-29T10:36:49.708-08:00The Gays And The Persecution Of Christians... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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As I was watching the news, there they were, a group of gay activists
pouring Coca Cola down the gutter in front of the company’s global headquarters
in Atlanta. This was the US gay community’s way of protesting the poor
treatment of gays in Russia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But, what did Coke have to do with the Russian government’s
poor treatment of gays?” one might ask. Well, in a few days, Russia is hosting
the Winter Olympics, and as usual, Coca-Cola is sponsoring the American
athletes participating in the games. <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/coca-cola/#ixzz2pHD4SiRC" rel="nofollow">The protesters were urging the company to call for a repeal of Russia’s anti-gay laws before 2014 Winter Olympics.According to the group, more than 140,000 All Out members sent messages to the company’s CEO urging Coca-Cola to speak out against Russian anti-gay propaganda.</a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I watched the news report, I marveled at the US gay
community’s support for the persecuted gays in Russia, and began to compare
their action with the US evangelical churches reaction to the worldwide
persecution of Christians. By the way, the issue here has nothing to do with
one’s acceptance or rejection of the gay lifestyle. However, it has everything
to do with opposing oppressive governments, or regimes that persecute,
mistreat, or harm those who believe the same as you do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did a search on the Internet to see when was the last time
a group of US Christians protested to bring attention to the persecuted church around
the world. I ran across a lot of articles on the subject of persecution, or
articles where you are encouraged to send emails to some governments demanding
the freedom of this or that Christian. There were articles about the Pope
speaking against the persecution of Christians in some Muslim countries, but
nothing about even a handful of Christians actually showing up anywhere in the
US to bring attention to this crucial subject. Somehow, praying, writing
emails, or expecting the US government to protest on our behalf should be
enough. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of the US government, let’s assume it was Iraq that
had conquered America. Do you know one of the first things they would do? Turn
many of our churches into mosques. We, not only didn’t do such a thing, but the
church in Iraq is much worse off today than it was under Sadam’s regime.
Governments and politicians, in general, do what’s expedient and beneficial to
them. It took the US government over 1000 days before they even protested the
arrest of American Pastor, Saeed Abedini in Iran. By the way, he’s still in
prison.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other hand, there was my good friend, <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/october/how-best-to-save-saeed-abedini-eddie-romero-iran-evin.html" rel="nofollow">Eddie Romero</a>, a
Chicano US pastor from Southern California, who, on behalf of five imprisoned
Iranian Christians, went to Iran to purposely get himself arrested by the
government and bring attention to the persecuted church. Although<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:CCrews" datetime="2014-01-06T14:45"> </ins></span>the
Christians in general applauded him, there were some who thought he was crazy.
“His action can bring more harm to the Christians in Iran,” they said. To which
Eddie replied, “For too long we have stood behind the walls these governments
have erected and tried to communicate with them by throwing emails and letters
of protest over the wall in the hope of making a difference. I want to go in
and make them talk to me face to face.” I was honored to be a part of the team
that helped Pastor Eddied fulfill his goal. By the way, a week after Pastor
Eddie was deported back to the US, one of the five he was protesting for was
released from prison.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come dream with me. Wouldn’t it be an amazing event if the
Christians in this country called a march on DC to protest on behalf of the
persecuted church around the world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If for nothing else, the march will encourage all our persecuted
brothers and sisters around the world to stand fast and know they are not
forgotten. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-90625233183199743872013-11-25T16:32:00.000-08:002013-11-25T16:33:20.956-08:00This Church Will Die Out In One Generation!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HncNpSRL4FA/UpPXwJX3QEI/AAAAAAAAALM/Fmr-joh2GVI/s1600/itoldyouso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HncNpSRL4FA/UpPXwJX3QEI/AAAAAAAAALM/Fmr-joh2GVI/s1600/itoldyouso.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">“When you die, your epithet
will say, ‘He was way ahead of his time, so no one understood him,’” was
something one of my church elders once told me.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">With his hand literally on
the small of my back ushering me out of his office, the district supervisor
said, “Brother, I’m a church planter. I have no idea what you’re talking
about.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The year was 1987. I’d just
left my engineering job to become the full-time pastor of the Fellowship of
Iranian Christians, the first Iranian Christian organization in the US. An
organization I’d founded and been pastoring bi-vocationally for the prior ten
years. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here I was an Iranian Muslim
background believer (MBB) with no background or education in pastoring, let
alone, a church consisting of first generation Iranian MBBs and Jewish
immigrants. I was desperately in need of help, guidance and support, so I went
to see my denomination’s overseer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After the initial pleasantry,
this is how our conversation followed: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Supervisor
asked, “Tell me about your church.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Well,
they’re not churches in a traditional sense. We have 3 house fellowships that
meet in the evenings during the week.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Are
you looking for a building?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“No!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“How
come?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“A
church like ours is only good for one generation. The second generation Iranian
Christians will be too Americanized to attend a Farsi speaking church. I
believe it works better if the first generation Iranian Christians meet at
homes during the week and on Sundays attend English-speaking churches. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This was over 30 years ago.
There was no <a href="https://www.barna.org/">Barna Group</a> around. What I
knew was a gut level intuition. Some might even say it was a “prophetic
proclamation”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">What I didn’t know at the
time was how very few people knew anything about the challenges that a group
like ours was facing. Unfortunately, my American born monoculture supervisor was
not among the few. In fact, I don’t believe he knew anything about other
cultures let alone Iranian culture. So, he got up from behind his desk and
escorted me out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">By nature, most Iranians
assimilate quickly into other cultures. In fact, some of the Iranian leaders
have accused their own people of being like chameleons, changing colors at a
drop of a hat. For the majority of us, this has made it possible to survive and
succeed without having to rely on our own community. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As it may, this gift, or
curse of assimilation has made the US Iranians the third most educated minority
group, and one of the most successful ethnic groups. In less than 40 years, we
have accomplished what many other ethnic groups have not been able to achieve
in 100 years. A few years ago, when my cousin graduated from the USC School of
Dentistry, out of the 100 graduates, 30 of them were Iranians. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">More than 30 years ago, I
encouraged my Iranian fellowship/church members to take their kids to English
speaking churches, so they can be discipled in English. Some did and some
didn’t. Of those who did listen to me, most their children (my own included)
are still walking with the Lord. However, majority of those kids whose parents
insisted that, “We are Iranians and we do things the Iranian way” have walked
away from the faith.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The same outcome is taking
place in many Farsi-only speaking churches in America. The attendance is
getting lower and lower—the first generation has either started to attend
English-speaking churches, or is simply dying out. And as I mentioned, the
second generation has either walked away from the church, or is also attending
English-speaking churches. In fact, I dare to say that there are more Iranian
Christians attending English-speaking churches than there are those attending
Farsi-speaking churches. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Iranian churches that
are growing are the ones that understood my predictions and are now having
bilingual services—a service in Farsi to take care of the parents and new
immigrants, and one in English reaching out to the second generation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me conclude this blog by
issuing two challenges: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">First to the English-speaking
pastors:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">From all I have seen, heard
and studied, church attendance among English-speaking Americans is in decline. One
of the most effective ways to keep the church alive is to reach out to immigrants.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Many years ago, I developed
a simple outline of how this can be achieved, but there haven’t been too many
pastors willing to implement the system at their churches. Maybe the time has
finally arrived? Maybe now, as a matter of survival and desperation, the
American church needs to shift her paradigm by realizing our nation IS the
greatest mission field God has given us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Second, to the Iranian pastors:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Face reality! You are not in
Iran anymore. The Iranians in America are different than the ones in Iran. Rebuking
and shaming our young ones for their lack of ability to speak Farsi will only
push them farther away from the church. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Like the sons of Issachar, </span>(I
Chronicles 12:32) <span style="font-family: Arial;">understand the times and
contextualize your approach in evangelism and discipleship. If you’re not
capable of teaching in English, train some of your young members who are fluent
in English to do so. This way, our second generation, who is teachable if they
could understand the language, will not feel abandoned by the church. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">PS. For many valid reasons today,
I’m much more open to having a church building, but I still believe in the
above principles when it comes to the second generation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-33153474770947209362013-09-11T13:57:00.001-07:002013-11-25T15:00:06.030-08:00When Leaders Are Called Losers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQ9AJNiZDj4/UjDYelcieeI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IQPgOpvTH4k/s1600/soldiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQ9AJNiZDj4/UjDYelcieeI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IQPgOpvTH4k/s1600/soldiers.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
I don’t like the Vietnam era or anything related to it. I lived
in the midst of it, had friends who lost relatives in the war and friends who
fought in the war and were never the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that reason, as much as I like war documentaries, I
never watch anything about Vietnam, except for “We Were Soldiers”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie is a 2002 film that
dramatizes the Battle of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ia Drangon</i>
that took place on November 14, 1965.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
If I’d known the movie was about Vietnam I might not have
watched it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, once I
started watching it, I was hooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It wasn’t so much the plot that attracted me as much as a segment of a <a href="http://youtu.be/Uu77LGPAlPA"><span style="color: #1155cc;">speech the
protagonist of the movie, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel
Gibson) gives to his men right before they head to Vietnam</span></a>:</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
This I swear before the Almighty God:
when we go into the battle, I’ll be first to set foot on the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be the last to step off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll leave no one behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead or alive, we’ll all come home
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So help me God.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
The statement touched me deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All my life I’d lived by that creed, but this was the first
time someone had articulated it for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m the type of a leader who likes to get close to his people — become
buddy-buddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I refuse to shove my
position down anyone’s throat in order to prove my superiority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who know me, know very well that
as a Christian leader I’ll never send my people anywhere I’ve not been myself,
nor expect them to accomplish anything I haven’t or at least attempted to do
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, because of that I was
called a loser.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
I must have really ticked off the mega-church pastor when he
looked me in the eyes and said, “You’re a loser because you have no respect for
your position and want to be buddy-buddy with everyone.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, I was a loser because I
was too close and friendly with those around me.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
“Pastor,” I said to the man, “when Jesus walked among us, he
refused to ride on a horse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
preferred to rub elbows with those around him, the sinners and the scum of the
earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t give a crap about
his position when the religious leaders of his time accused him of being
‘buddy-buddy’ with common people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, when He comes back, He’ll be riding on a horse to smash the
heads of God’s enemies.”</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
For the sake of honor, I’m one of those leaders who refuses to
ride a horse while fighting along side of his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rather be the first to set foot on the field and last to
step off than one who sits behind his desk in an air-conditioned mansion of an
office telling others how to do things I’ve never done myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d rather be called a “buddy” by the
forsaken than a “winner” by the likes of that pastor.</div>
<div align="center" class="normal" style="text-align: center;">
—————————————</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When I was in 5<sup>th</sup>
grade in Iran, we read a story about one of the old kings of our country. The
king loved to read. One late night as he was reading, the oil in his lamp ran
out. His servant, who was standing behind him, reached over to take the lamp
away for refilling when the king stopped him. </i></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I will do it myself,”
said the king to the servant.</i></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Absolutely shocked and
dismayed, the servant replied, “But sire, it is beneath his majesty to do such
a menial job.” But, he could not argue with his king. </i></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So, the king got up,
refilled the lamp and sat down to read. Knowing that his servant was still
uncomfortable with what had just transpired, he turned around looking the
servant in the eyes said to him, “When the oil ran out I was the king, when I
got up and filled the lamp I was the king and when I finally sat down again I
was still the king. Doing a servant’s job did NOT take away my kingly position.</i></div>
<div align="center" class="normal" style="text-align: center;">
—————————————</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
Pastor...leader, do you ever befriend people for no reason at
all, or are there always strings attached?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you ever go out of your way to rub elbows with those who
are not in your class, or is getting off your high horse too uncomfortable for
you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I look around today, I
notice that a true friendship is one of the most desired, and yet most lacking
commodities in our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>be a loser in order to become that
desired commodity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe then
you’ll gain the ability and privilege to share the Gospel of Christ with those
whom you’ve become “buddies” with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-33923972813075197412013-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:002013-11-25T15:02:51.234-08:00Are You A Heat-Waver?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eS3RaKt7RTw/UdoaetwbuVI/AAAAAAAAAJE/sXjch6E2O9U/s1600/bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eS3RaKt7RTw/UdoaetwbuVI/AAAAAAAAAJE/sXjch6E2O9U/s1600/bill.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3941bf51-bbed-8973-cf5b-eae9c13a42f6" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have you watched the show, “King of the Hill”? It’s one of the very few animated TV shows that tells stories with moral values. In Season 12, Episode 4 (“Four Wave Intersection”), Bill — a depressed, divorced, and overweight character on the show — becomes known as the famous "Heat-Waver" when </span><a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/10962" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">he begins to stand on the side of the highway in a scorching summer heat to wave to passing motorists</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At first, some drivers are annoyed by his seemingly foolish act, but eventually, they start to wave back. It doesn’t take Bill too long to realize how every driver enjoys being acknowledged even though they have no idea who Bill is. So, he shows up the next day on the same spot to do the same thing. Soon, he becomes the talk of the town and even radio talk-show hosts begin to talk about the “Heat-Waver”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For me, it all started one Saturday in 1998 when Karen and I decided to start a Bible study at our house for unbelievers, pre-Christians, non-Christians, or whatever is politically correct to call those who don’t follow Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After 2 hours of discussion, we realized, as great as our attempt was, we didn’t know too many non-Christians. We worked with Christians, served Christians, went to church with Christians, socialized with Christians, ate and drank with Christians, and, consequently, had very a few non-Christian friends. Like most Christians, we lived under an illusional bubble called “Christendom”— a bubble that separated us from the real world and limited us in fulfilling the Great Commission.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As we were trying to figure out where we could find more unbelievers, one of us (I don’t remember which one) said, “Hey, what about our neighbors?” “Oh, yes! What a novel idea,” I thought to myself. However, the idea was NOT that novel. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After 8 years of living in our neighborhood, aside from the next-door neighbors on either side of our house, we barely knew anyone in our neighborhood. Why? Because we were too busy serving at the church. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So, that very day I went house-to-house on our block to invite neighbors to our home for dinner. That was the start of one of the greatest decisions Karen and I have ever made: loving our neighbors by befriending them.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In 2006 when I lost my job working for a Christian organization, I became a full-time househusband, which helped me get even more involved with the lives of my neighbors, or anyone I ran into in my neighborhood. I started my own “Heat-Wave”. I began to wave and say “hi” to anyone who drove or pass by our house. When I took my dog, Cocoa, for a walk I made sure to greet everyone I met on the street and it didn’t matter if I knew them or not. Everybody deserved to be waved at and greeted.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At first, there were some who didn’t wave back. After all, this is Los Angeles. Within some cultures, to show your teeth as the result of a smile is considered a weakness, but I kept waving and greeting. It didn’t take very long before almost everyone in the neighborhood started to wave back and came to know the man and his Chocolate Lab. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Today when Karen takes Cocoa for a walk, it’s not unusual for strangers to walk up to her and say, “Hi, Cocoa!” and then, immediately look at Karen and say, “Where’s your husband?” But wait, there’s more…</span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I got to know my neighbors better, our relationships deepened and I was allowed to ask questions of them. You see, when you show people you care enough to acknowledge them even if it is by a simple wave or a greeting, they will eventually open up to you. It did take a while, but little by little, neighbors began to pull over or stop by to talk to me. Our conversations would go something like this:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Me: “ Hi, my name is Shah. What’s your name?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Neighbor: “‘Jack’! It’s so kind of you to wave at me every day when I go by your house. Good to finally meet you.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Me: “What do you do for living, Jack?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jack: “I’m an engineer. What do you do?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Me: “I’m a writer. Here, I have a gift for you.” Going to the garage, I come back with a copy of my book and give it to “Jack” as a gift. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t need to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SHARE </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the Gospel with Jack, whom I just met. My book will eventually do that. For now, I want him to understand how important he is to me. Important enough that every time he runs into me, or drives by my house, he’ll be greeted by a wave and a smile as a significant person. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">—————————————</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s one of those pleasant June evenings in Los Angeles. Many of our neighbors are out for a walk and I’m playing with Cocoa on the front lawn. She loves to fetch her red ball. As I look up, I see Jasmine approaching me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Cocoa,” she screams. I don’t think she remembers my name, but Cocoa she remembers. It must be Cocoa’s color that does it, or maybe her loving demeanor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Where’s Victor?” referring to her husband, I ask.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Didn’t I tell you?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“No!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Victor was diagnosed with, how do you say? The blood cancer.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“You mean leukemia?” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Yes, that’s it. He’s very weak and can’t walk with me.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Will you let me pray for him?” I ask as I reach over, grab her hands and begin to pray.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jasmine walks away with tears in her eyes thanking me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few minutes later Kevin pulls up. He’s my neighbor around the block. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“How are you, brother?” He’s been calling me that ever since I got to know him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Hey, have you lost any of Vicky’s dogs lately?” I teasingly ask him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few weeks earlier as I was walking Cocoa in the hills across the street from our house, Kevin approached me with tears in his eyes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Brother, I need your help?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“What’s up?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“As you know, my wife, Vicky trains dogs. Well, a few minutes ago, one of them ran away from our house.” I’ve been walking up and down the block, but can’t find him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Without asking a word, I put my hand on his shoulder and begin to pray for the dog to come back.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That night my neighbor, Jeff, on the end of the block finds the dog.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As Kevin drives away, I suddenly realized: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I may not have a church building, but I’m the block’s official pastor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PS: This morning Jasmine told me Victor’s doing much bette</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">r.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-43191388756328691142013-02-13T16:50:00.000-08:002013-11-25T15:04:51.410-08:00How Do You Disciple An Ex-Muslim?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhy_A88NHsU/URwu_53bc1I/AAAAAAAAAIc/-FxBhi2gkC4/s1600/muslimteching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhy_A88NHsU/URwu_53bc1I/AAAAAAAAAIc/-FxBhi2gkC4/s200/muslimteching.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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-</style>An American brother once told me the phrase, “ex-Muslim”, is
not politically correct and I should rather use the phrase, “Muslim background
believer”, or “MBB”. To which, I replied, “When a man divorces his wife, she
becomes an “Ex-wife” and not a, ‘Married background woman’, or an<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘MBW’. To be clear, I have no problem
using either phrase however, “ex-Muslim” keeps the above title shorter
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The Fellowship of Iranian Christians was the first Iranian
Christian organization in the US. It was established over 30 years ago. Not
long after I started the organization, it became clear that we desperately
needed to train and disciple the new Iranian believers who’d left Islam to
follow Christ. </div>
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At the time, our leadership consisted mostly of a group of young
Iranian college students who’d become believers in the US. None of us had any
Bible training and all we knew about Christianity was what we’d learned from
our American mentors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other
words, we believed in an American Jesus who taught in American style. </div>
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In an article printed in the Rev. Magazine, Alan Nelson
says, </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Way too much effort is invested in
"book learning'" and lecture style content dumps. Conferences are
notorious for this, making us think we're gleaning far more than we really are.
Hebrews 5 says that we become mature, meat-eating believers as a result of
"practicing" the milk...</span></div>
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Not knowing any better, we did exactly what Nelson tells us
NOT TO DO. Over 30 years ago, we translated a series of 10 booklets entitled,
“Christian Living” and went about discipling the new converts using western <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lecture style content dumps</i>. However, I
had a problem. </div>
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Before translating them, I’d studied the booklets in
English. Every chapter had made sense to me. My dilemma began once the booklets
were translated into Farsi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
content became quite foreign to me. At the time, I didn’t know anything about
cross-cultural ministries and even though, in my heart of hearts, I knew there
was something wrong with our approach, I was convinced the problem was with the
new believers and me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“After all,
this how my American mentors are doing it, so it must be correct,” I’d tell
myself. It took me over 20 years to finally figure out what the problem was.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4728021425416414105" name="here"></a>Let me draw you an analogy in hope of
making the above confusion clearer to my readers.</div>
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About 30 years ago my wife, Karen, was studying at UCLA. To
fulfill her requirements, she needed to complete two semesters of language
studies. At the time, she was engaged to a very handsome Iranian, me, so she
chose Farsi. Within two semesters, thanks to an excellent English-speaking
teacher who knew how to teach Farsi as a second language, Karen became rather
fluent in reading, writing and conversing in Farsi . </div>
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Now, let’s fast forward to 15 years later. By this time,
we’re pastoring an Iranian church. Feeling the need to brush up on her Farsi,
Karen decided to take some Farsi classes at a nearby Persian school, where
Iranian teachers taught Farsi to many English-speaking students. Having made a
grave assumption, the Iranian teachers were extremely unsuccessful in teaching
Farsi to these students. They assumed they could teach Farsi to an
English-speaking student the same way they taught it to a Farsi-speaking first-grader
in Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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You see, by the time he made it to the first grade, the
Iranian student, who’s spent all his life immersed in Farsi, knows how to speak
the language. In first grade, he needs to know how to read and write the words
he’s been speaking all his life. To assume that an average American who’d never
been exposed to the language can be approached the same as an Iranian first
–grader is where those teachers went wrong.</div>
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For example, after teaching the American students the
alphabet, the students who didn’t even know that Farsi was written from right
to left were required to practice writing the word, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aab</i>” (One of the simplest words in the language, which means “water.”)
In doing so, the teachers completely overlooked the fact that, to start with, most
students had no idea what “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aab</i>” was. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Drawing some parallelism from the above analogy, the problem
with my discipleship approach was a small oversight on my end. The booklets
were written for western believers who’d been immersed in a culture, which was much
more familiar with Christianity than the average ex-Muslim.</div>
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For instance, the title of the first chapter of the first
booklet in the series was, “Who Is Jesus?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After reading the chapter, the brand new believer was
supposed to answer a series of questions. The first question was something like,
“According to Isaiah 53, what kind of Messiah should the Jews have expected?”
To most American believers this is not a very difficult question, but not so
with most Iranian MBBs. </div>
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This is how a typical conversation would transpire:</div>
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Student: “What’s Isaiah?” (Which, by the way, in Farsi, is
pronounced, “Esh-ah-yah”—A name completely foreign to us and difficult to
pronounce. At least, in English, Isaiah is a common name.)</div>
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Me: “He’s a Jewish prophet.”</div>
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Student: “What??? A Jewish prophet??? Why do I need to learn
about a Jewish prophet? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
leave Islam to follow the Jewish religion. I thought I was learning how to be a
Christian!!!” </div>
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Suffice it to say, depending on the student, at this point, I
had to spend the next several hours, days or even weeks to talk about the
relationship between Judaism and Christianity, the Old Testament and the New
Testament. Something that was totally fruitless and unnecessary at this point. </div>
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Why is it that important for a Muslim who’s already made the
decision to become a follower of Christ to know that Jesus is the promised
Messiah of the Jews? At least at the start, this is not a question that the
ex-Muslim is preoccupied with. Not to mention the fact that most Muslims are
raised with an inherent prejudice towards Jews. So, why make things more
complicated? Once the new believer is grounded in the New Testament, he is more
prepared to discover the Old Testament roots of the New.</div>
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Some Western Christians are quick to say, “Well, now that
he’s a Christian, the ex-Muslim most stop hating his enemies. After all, this
is what Christianity’s all about.” To which, I say, AMEN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what our ex-Muslim friend needs is
not a proof of Jesus’ Messianic claims, which can be categorized as, “Classical
Theology”, but learning how to live his life more like Jesus, which is called,
“Practical Theology” or “Spiritual Formations”.</div>
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As Dallas Willard says, the ex-Muslim needs to understand
becoming like Jesus is done by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">putting
solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, meditation upon
God's word and ways, and service to others at the heart </i>of his faith. That
he can increasingly resemble Christ in character and in power not by only
knowing, but<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> by</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">following him in his overall style of life</i> ... </div>
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In my own personal life, I learned more about God’s love and
experienced more of his presence in the hours of practicing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lectio Devina</i> (divine reading) than many
years of book learning at a seminary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NO, I am not against book learning. There’s definitely a
place for “Classical Theology”. But, this should be done after the new believer
has become more immersed in his new faith by learning how be like his Master. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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To assume that discipling an MBB can or should be done the
way a westerner is trained is just as misguided as the path the above Iranian
teachers took in teaching their American students. The American students first
needed to learn how to speak Farsi before they could write in Farsi. The MBB
first needs to walk like Jesus before he can debate with the Pharisees. After
all, it is not his perfect theology that will draw him closer to his Creator, but
walking in his Savior’s footstep and practicing what Jesus practiced.</div>
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One last thought: Today, the western church is facing a
postmodern generation, which is quite ignorant of the Bible and Christianity in
general—very much like new Muslim background believers. In my humble opinion,
it is far more fruitful to disciple the new western believers through
“Practical Theology” than the old-fashioned <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">lecture
style content dumping. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Now that I have your attention, contact me
so we can talk about how to make disciples for Christ out of ex-Muslims or
American believers at your church or organization. </span></div>
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-31561726715860009232012-10-12T11:21:00.000-07:002012-10-12T11:21:57.005-07:00I Do Not Permit A Woman To Teach!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu8bpdjEJS8/UHheu7mFY3I/AAAAAAAAAIE/VGCgXLR0-WA/s1600/womanteaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu8bpdjEJS8/UHheu7mFY3I/AAAAAAAAAIE/VGCgXLR0-WA/s1600/womanteaching.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Recently, after coming back
from a mission trip, a friend of mine, a dental school student, wrote the
following article. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Over
this last break, I made the executive decision to go on a mission trip to one
of the poorest nations in the world. I would love to use prettier adjectives to
describe my decision for going. Adjective such as: ‘wonderful opportunity’ or
‘blessed chance’, but in reality, I just saw a flier and signed up. I went
overseas with the idea that I was going to help as many people as humanly
possible. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The morning after we arrived, I and about 20 other students
excitedly got on a bus that would be our means of transportation for the
following 5 days. The first order of business was to introduce ourselves to our
peers, when it quickly became apparent to me that not everyone had the same
intentions for coming on the trip. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On the bus ride I heard several variations of, ”I am about
to start student clinic and I want to get better at drilling teeth”, which
immediately sent me back to a conversation I had weeks before my departure. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In a gathering of fellow students, the topic of mission
trips had come up, and we were sharing our views. Most people involved in the
conversation had a positive outlook on mission trips. That is until one of the
fellow students asked, </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">”Why do you think the students are sent to these countries
for mission trips?’ I thought I knew the answer—these are poor and impoverished
nations that need our help. Then, why not go to poor and impoverished areas in
America, and serve there?’ We ALL knew the answer to that question, IT IS
ILLEGAL FOR THE STUDENTS TO DRILL UNSUPERVISED AT THIS POINT OF OUR DENTESTERY
CAREER. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">And why do you think it is illegal in America,’ he continued
and then, not even waiting for our response, he said, “Because there are laws
protecting the citizens of America from YOU.” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Jump back to the bus ride…</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">This is where my wheels really started turning. Our
translators had told the natives that we were doctors. We were AMERICAN
doctors. In the eyes of these poor people, those two credentials deified us.
When in reality, we were students who, at most, had never drilled more than one
tooth per week under the scrutiny of a professor, and on top of that, most of
us had not been successful with that one tooth, anyway. However, that hadn’t
stopped us from coming on a mission trip to a third world nation where there
would be no judgment from the patients, no constructive criticism, and no real
feed back other than the occasional smile and “merci.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">For most of the journey we were unsupervised. There were
some licensed dentists on the trip. None had brought their tools of the trades
with them, and our leader spent the majority of the days in the comfort of our
air-conditioned bus because ”the heat exhausts [him].” If a student had a
question, they were advised to seek out the help of other students. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The mission trip became student-training ground. Where else
would we have had the opportunity to drill 60, 70, 100 people in a week at our
skill level? Never in the United States of America! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">HOWEVER, in this third world nation, we’re encouraged to
practice on any type of dental problem that we weren’t confident in—regardless
of its necessity. The second night on the trip, one of the doctors told the
students, ”If you aren’t proficient in any type of drilling, just decide this
in your head now, tomorrow, I am going to perform that technique on everyone.
Every person who lays on your chair will get that treatment.” WHAT?!? I felt
sick to my stomach. I immediately stood up and walked out of the meeting room. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">How should we respond to a group of dental students who’re
going to practice their drilling technique on third world children? Their skin
color might be different, and their language may be foreign, but they are still
human beings.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I don’t think the students should be held liable for their
attitudes. We are encouraged to go on these trips to get better—to practice on
these trusting people. The students come back from these overseas trips very
encouraged by all they learned, and all the ”good“ they did. But in reality,
these trips are monetarily profiting those who put it together. That is why,
regardless of your level in school or your competency, if your check clears,
you are qualified to go on a mission trip.</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Let me leave you with the following proposal. For the next
mission trip, I challenge you to give it a second, third, fourth thought before
you choose to sign-up. If a pre-requisite for the mission trip were to drill
holes in everyone’s tooth in your class, would you be confident and competent
enough to do so? If you were handed your infant niece or nephew, would you be
able to analyze their problem and drill their teeth properly? Are your fellow
peers lining up to have you fix their teeth? If not, then you probably are not
ready to serve as a dentist on a mission trip.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">So, what does
drilling teeth have to do with Apostle Paul’s admonition, “</span><span class="text1tim-2-12"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I do not permit a woman to
teach or to assume authority over a man…”?</span></span></div>
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<span class="text1tim-2-12"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Isn’t in interesting that many Christian denominations
who are strictly against women in authority over men, often have no problem
sending the same women overseas to become teachers to non-American males? And
even worse, frequently, these ladies are sent out unqualified or unprepared
because they just want to get away from their families, their pastors want them
away from the church, or their checks cleared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="text1tim-2-12"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pastor, if you’re not willing to let these ladies
teach your fathers, brothers, sons, or other male members of your church, isn’t
it hypocritical to have them teach other males? Don’t these third world males
deserve to receive the true teachings of the Bible, which, according to you, can
only be communicated by other males? Or, are you telling me only the Westerners
deserve the proper teachings of the Word and the rest of us should be happy and
honored with the crumbs we might receive under the table?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-74347222558500550642012-08-30T16:56:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:18:22.873-07:00You Are As Much A Missionary As I AM A French Chef!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kfnesadNtc/UD_80TemLzI/AAAAAAAAAHs/k3x2ggg5a-0/s1600/images1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kfnesadNtc/UD_80TemLzI/AAAAAAAAAHs/k3x2ggg5a-0/s1600/images1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“I’m a missionary,” said the
pastor I’d just met.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Which country?” I asked</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Russia!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“How long have you been a
missionary to Russia?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“About seven years.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Where do you live in
Russia?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“I don’t live in Russia! I
live in Colorado,” said the man impatiently as if I was supposed to know better
than to ask such a stupid question, and then continued,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Twice a year I travel to
Russia and teach for a week.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Do you speak any Russians?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another stupid question.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“Not really! I know a few
basic words, but when it comes to teaching, I don’t need to know Russian. I
have a good translator.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This was not my first
encounter with people like the above pastor. A few years ago, when I was the
Middle East regional coordinator for a missions organization, I’d met several
of those missionary-wannabes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Invariably, some of these
guys had ended up on a teaching trip to a third world country (I know the PC
term is: “two third world country”!) and were blown away by how well his/her
teaching was received; hundreds had come to hear the message and as a result
many were saved, scores of people were healed and delivered. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The difference between the
way these natives had reacted to the pastor’s message and his/her church’s
reaction was like the difference between the Sun and the Moon—one seemingly
responsive and burning with fire and the other unresponsive and cold. As the
result, the pastor was convinced that God had called him/her to the mission
field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A majority of us, Iranians,
admire Americans for their gullibility. No! Not in an offensive way, but rather
marvel at how trusting they are, which often leads them to accept things at face
value. In third world nations, churches are always packed when a Westerner shows
up to teach. Often, through misunderstanding, or not wanting to disrespect the
guest teacher, many people raise their hands or come forward (for the hundredth
time) to receive Christ or declare their healings due to the Westerner’s teaching
or prayer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And, to be even more
cynical, so often, the above Westerner, justifiably so, is perceived as a cash
cow. The local pastor makes sure his church is packed to please the Western pastor
in the hope of receiving a well-needed financial support from his/her church.
Shoot, I knew one third world pastor who had revolving church signs. Depending
on what denomination was visiting his church, the appropriate sign was put up
to please the guest speaker.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After having such a great
experience, taking everything at face value, the above American pastor who
hasn’t spent any length of time in the mission field, or studying missions, is
now convinced that God’s called him to be a missionary, which in itself could
be a tremendous calling if it was properly acted upon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A true mission work is
incarnational. A genuine missionary is one, who like Jesus, “dwells among” the
people he/she desires to reach for the Kingdom. By immersing one’s self in the
culture and the language of the respective people, the missionary must learn
how to convey the Gospel in a contextual way that his/her audience can
understand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">How greatly arrogant for the
above pastor and pastors like him to call themselves missionaries! How utterly
insulting to the great men and women of God such as William Carey, who lost
both his wives in India; Samuel Zwemer who watched his two daughters succumb to
death in Bahrain; or CT Stud who lost two of his children in China. These brave
missionaries often carried their own coffins to the foreign lands they were called
to knowing well that they would die there. For months, they traveled thousands
of miles by ship, trains, carriages, camels and foot to reach their
destinations and fulfill the Great Commission. They literally tented among the
people the Father had called them to, so by becoming like them, they could
reach them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Please don’t misunderstand
me. I have many friends who travel to foreign lands to bless the believers.
Whether it is Nate with his outstanding gifts of encouragement and teaching or
Pastor Chris, a great entrepreneur and a businessman, they all travel around
the world to bless the church with the gifts God has bestowed upon them; however,
these friends don’t call themselves missionaries because they know that it takes
more than a two week overseas trip to become a missionary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After listening to the above
wannabe missionary, I told him, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“So, let me understand this.
You don’t live in Russia and don’t speak any Russian. You don’t even have the
most basic understanding of intercultural ministry--that language is culture
and culture is language. But, you’re a missionary to Russia because, thanks to
today’s technology, twice a year, you can fly there in 12 hours to teach for a
week. Bro, by that definition, I’m a French chef because twice a year, on the
Fourth of July and Labor Day, I throw a couple of hotdogs on the barbeque and
use Dijon mustard on my buns.” </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-50394701887019140022012-03-12T11:44:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:00:24.556-07:00The $5 Sinner’s Prayer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">The other day my wife, Karen, was channel surfing when she came across a very well known preacher who’d just finished his Sunday morning message. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With a perpetual smile on his face, the preacher said something like, “As it is our custom at this church, we’d like to give everyone the opportunity to become a Christian. So, if you want to become a Christian, please repeat after me.” He then went on to pray a traditional sinner’s prayer. What got my attention was what he said after he finished the prayer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">“If you repeated this prayer, you’re now a Christian. Make sure to find yourself a good Bible teaching church,” he said as he continued to smile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">His statement reminded me of the something that happened to me over 35 years ago. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In those days many people hitchhiked. I’d been one of those people for several years. So, when I finally bought my first car, wanting to pay my debt back to all those who’d at one time or another given me a ride, I’d picked up any hitchhiker who came across my path.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One particular day going home from work, I picked up this homeless guy off the freeway on-ramp. He was a tall thin man in his 30s. As soon as he got inside the car, he began coughing and sneezing blowing his nose in the used tissue paper I had stuck in my ashtray—Yes, those days all cars had ashtrays. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my </i>custom when I had a hitchhiker in my car, I began to share the Gospel with the man. Before I could even finish my sentence, he stopped me and said something that I’ll never forget for as long as I live. Very calmly and as a matter of fact he said, “For $5 I’ll repeat the Sinner’s Prayer for you.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had someone selling me his sinner’s prayer. He honestly thought he was doing me favor. Apparently, he’d been through this many times and by now he’d realized that by repeating some words, he was going to give me the satisfaction of thinking I’d brought him to Christ and therefore I owed him a few bucks – $5 to be exact. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Is it really true that by repeating some words one automatically becomes a Christian? Only the Lord knows since it is the faith in our hearts and not just the confession our mouths that saves us (Rom. 10:9). Could the above man had gone through the rest of his life repeating the prayer over and over again while making some money, but still end up in hell? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe a simple prayer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> save a man’s soul. On the other hand, just because a man has repeated a prayer doesn’t make him a saved person. To assume that is to practice Islamic theology and cheapen the Gospel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In order to become a Muslim, all you have to do is repeat the following phrase (known as the Shahada) in Arabic: “I testify that there’s no god but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger.” Although it’s desired that one recites the phrase form the heart, a Muslim will rejoice in hearing you repeat the Shahada and will consider you a Muslim. And, it doesn’t matter if you understood a word you’ve said. Case in point, the following video-clip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In this clip, an Arabic speaking sheikh (Muslim cleric) is guiding a Portuguese soccer player to become a Muslim by repeating the Shahada<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> Those who speak Arabic will find the clip quite funny, which is not the goal of this blog. My goal is to expose the danger of automatically calling someone a Christian because they have recited the words we put into their mouths. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What is the difference between this sheikh<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and the above pastor?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">PS. I never asked my hitchhiker to repeat after me. Instead, I took him to a restaurant and bought him a nice chicken fried steak dinner. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-53260604518182280992012-02-29T15:20:00.000-08:002014-02-24T12:41:37.390-08:00Where's The Christian Outrage?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">In response to an accidental burning of a few Qurans, the whole Muslim nation of Afghanistan rises up against the very people who’ve sacrificed their country’s best to liberate them forcing the Christian leader of the most powerful country on the face of the earth to apologize to Afghans, but where is the Christian outrage towards the Muslim nations who are persecuting our brothers and sisters every day? Who will speak on their behalf?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Iranian Authorities Order Death Warrant for Pastor Nadarkhani</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">A US-based ministry has received a report out of Iran that the Iranian courts have signed an execution order for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani…</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020097.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020097.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Christian Arrests Indicate Renewed Crackdown is Underway</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">ran's 1979 revolution, many Iranians believed that an Islamic-based government would offer the reforms and freedoms they had long sought under the Shah...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">To continue with this story, please click here:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020090.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020090.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Iranian Christian convert sentenced to two years in prison</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Christian convert whom security authorities arrested in her home has been sentenced to two years in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran…</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12010160.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12010160.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Historical Christian Cemetery in Iran turned into Residential Area </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The graveyard of English Christians is one of the historical sites in Bushehr, Iran, which was also used by Armenian community of Bushehr for the same purpose, but is in serious disrepair and slated for redevelopment.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020093.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020093.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Iran </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Ministry of Intelligence issues halt to Farsi speaking services</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Iran's Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language services in Tehran to discontinue them…</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020100.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020100.htm</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Iranian Christian convert sentenced to one year of deprivation of education</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
In the latest approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran to oppose the growth of Christianity, a Christian convert was sentenced to one year of deprivation of education by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020072.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020072.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">A number of Christian converts were arrested in Shiraz after security authorities raided the residence of a Christian being used as a house church…</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020079.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020079.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Christian convert, Farshid Fathi, goes on trial in Iran's Evin Prison</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The trial of Farshid Fathi, a Christian convert who has been held in prison for more than a year, has finally been held after being postponed several times for various reasons...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Concern over health condition of Pastor Farhad Sabokroh in prison</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Concern is growing in Iran over health condition of Pastor Farhad Sabokroh who was arrested together with two other Christian converts. They have now been in custody for over 40 days…</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.assistnews.net/stories/2012/s12020030.htm"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.assistNews.net/stories/2012/s12020030.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-24713989580240497182012-02-03T09:57:00.000-08:002012-08-30T17:06:24.429-07:00The Appearance Of Evil?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></b>A few years ago, when I worked for a Christian missions organization, I got into trouble for carpooling. Well, not so much for carpooling, but carpooling with a female. This is what happened. </div>
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Three of us who worked together and lived in the same area decided to start to carpool—two male and one female. It was good for the environment and even better for our pocketbooks. All went well till the day my other male carpool buddy had to run an errand after work and needed to drive his own car. We never thought anything of it; as usual, I picked up my female co-worker and drove to the office.</div>
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As we entered the parking lot, another co-worker was just entering the building and saw us pull into my parking spot. Within a few minutes, I was reported to the boss for carpooling with a female, and was called into his office.</div>
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I was basically told that carpooling with a female had the appearance of evil, and I shouldn’t do it. Although I should have been flattered that my boss thought so highly of my multitasking abilities—being able to maneuver L.A. freeways while driving and, at the same time, performing whatever else it was that they thought I was doing—I was deeply offended and felt dishonored. In any case, I refused to obey, and continued to carpool with and without the third party. </div>
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What infuriated me even more was what took place a couple of weeks later when I approached my boss on the same subject. </div>
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“Don’t worry about it. We just found out that our president has been carpooling with his secretary for the last 20 years. So, you can now continue to carpool with a female in your car,” he said so nonchalantly. </div>
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Talk about being frustrated and angry! When I did it, it had the appearance of evil; but when the president did it, not only it was righteous, but also it became a moral and spiritual precedent for the rest of us peons. And all this time I’d thought Jesus was my moral guide. It wasn’t long after that the president, my moral compass, had to resign because of some financial irregularities. </div>
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What is this “appearance of evil” that we should avoid? Who decides that?</div>
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<span style="font-family: AppleGothic;">✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m flying back to Burbank from Springfield, Ore., and have a two-hour layover in San Francisco. It’s Monday night, and a Monday Night Football game is on. My favorite team is playing against the Steelers—any team that plays against the Steelers is my favorite team. I decide to sit at a bar, order a hamburger and, while eating my dinner, I watch the game.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I notice my phone is dying, so I ask the bartender if I could plug in my charger anywhere. He places a power strip on the bar in front me and tells me to help myself. That’s when a very pretty young lady who was sitting behind me moves over and sits right next to me.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“My computer is dying. Do you mind if I share the power strip with you?” she asks.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m very used to this. Almost always female strangers start conversing with me without any hesitations. This has nothing to do with my charming personality, but a gift the Lord has given me. People, especially women, find me trustworthy, a man with no agenda, who cares. </i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We spend the next half an hour talking. She tells me she’s waiting for her friend to join her, so they can go paint the town together. As I’m talking to this young, beautiful lady, I’m so grateful that I no longer work for that missions organization, which would have frowned upon seeing one of their top men talking to a strange young woman in a bar. OMG, talk about the appearance of evil.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As I get up to leave, I’m impressed to do something.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Do you like to read?” I ask her.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">She says, “I love to read.”</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I’d like to give you a gift. It’s my new book.”</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I love it. Thank you!”</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I autograph my book, hand it to her, and say goodbye.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On occasions, I’ve given my book to strangers, but have never heard from any of them until the above young lady. For almost a month I’ve been thinking and praying for June (not her real name) when I get a long email from her. This is how she starts it:</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It was a real pleasure meeting you that day, and after reading<br />
(devouring?) your book I only wish I had spoken with you more! Your<br />
book really resonated with me. It was written in such a way that I<br />
felt a close connection with you; the way you wrote about your<br />
experiences was like a friend sitting next to me telling these<br />
stories. It gives me hope in my struggles as a young woman.”</i></div>
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Even if I were still working for my old employer, I’d have still risked being accused of “giving the appearance of evil” to experience the above interaction. But, thank God,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4728021425416414105" name="_GoBack"></a> I don’t. I wonder what Jesus would have done?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-81142962078180886952012-01-10T19:10:00.000-08:002012-01-10T19:10:49.731-08:00Honestly, I'm Only An Evangelist And Not An Apocalyptic Expert!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgbhd6OW34E/Twz58EIkIxI/AAAAAAAAAGI/_-0t-vBtFKc/s1600/arafat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgbhd6OW34E/Twz58EIkIxI/AAAAAAAAAGI/_-0t-vBtFKc/s320/arafat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">The year was 1979. The Islamic revolution in Iran was in full swing, the American embassy in Tehran was occupied and the American Christian End Times enthusiasts were printing out books like there was literally no tomorrow. One author, referring to an incident in <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=101176854&msgid=625289&act=VJDU&c=626993&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblestudytools.com%2Fnkjv%2Fgenesis%2Fpassage.aspx%3Fq%3Dgenesis%2B14%3A1-12" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0000ff!important;" target="_blank">Abraham’s life, </a>called all Iranians “kidnappers” from day one. Another gleefully printed the above photo putting words in Yasser Arafat’s mouth saying, " And then the Lord will put a hook in your mouth and we'll all head for Israel—Ezk. 38" </span></span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">According to these authors, Iran was hell bound. But was she really?</span></span> <br />
<div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">In the last two months, thanks to my publicist, I’ve had over a dozen radio interviews concerning my new book, <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=101176854&msgid=625289&act=VJDU&c=626993&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fshahzamfactor.com%2Fbook-page%2F" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0000ff!important;" target="_blank"><i>Shame On You—rising from the ashes of shame to face guilt. </i></a>The book is about my Muslim upbringing in Iran and it also contrasts my shame-based Iranian culture with the guilt-based culture of the West. The book has nothing to do with the End Times or what the Islamic Republic of Iran is going to do with her WMD once she develops it. However, that has not stopped some of the interviewers from asking my opinion about the future of Iran.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Questions go like this:</span></span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“So, do you think Iran has the bomb yet?”</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“What do you think Iran is going to do with it?”</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“Should Israel attack Iran?”</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“What do you think our government should do?”</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“Do you believe Mehdi is the antichrist? ”</span></span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">I’m one interview away from responding with the following:</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“Just because I was born in Iran doesn’t make me and expert on the Iranian government any more than you being born in America makes you an expert on what the US government should do with the military drone that is now in Iranian hands. I’m here to talk about Muslim evangelism.”</span></span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">What’s more interesting is that almost none of these people have ever paid any attention to what the Lord is doing in Iran. They’re completely ignorant of the rate by which Iranians have been turning to Christ since 1979 when they were all supposed to be hell-bound. The rate is so high that it has <a href="http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=101176854&msgid=625289&act=VJDU&c=626993&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fmohabatnews.com%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D3423%253Aintelligence-minister-declares-house-churches-a-threat-for-youth%26catid%3D36%253Airanian-christians%26Itemid%3D279" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0000ff!important;" target="_blank">created a great concern for the Islamic Republic of Iran</a>.</span></span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Why such a fascination with death and destruction instead of love and salvation? Why do we hardly hear the good things that the Lord is doing In the Middle East? As we start 2012, let us be thankful for the God-given freedom so many of us take for granted in this country, rejoice with those Muslims who are entering the Kingdom and pray for the ones who are being persecuted simply because they’ve called upon the name of Jesus for their salvation.<span id="goog_1823783227"></span><span id="goog_1823783228"></span></span></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-13933167008122001512011-10-11T19:16:00.000-07:002011-10-11T19:16:50.099-07:00What Are All These Foreigners Doing In My Country?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79g6PKlsZ8w/TpT3QtfOZ_I/AAAAAAAAAFk/VXk_hssOKi0/s1600/Mc-vi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-79g6PKlsZ8w/TpT3QtfOZ_I/AAAAAAAAAFk/VXk_hssOKi0/s320/Mc-vi.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />
Years ago I was invited to teach a workshop at a large denominational convention. I was given an hour to teach on Islam and Muslim evangelism. However, at the last minute I was told I would be sharing my teaching time with a Native American brother who was going to teach on reaching his nation. <br />
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In less than 30 minutes, we were each expected to give solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing the American church. To add insult to injury, directly across from our classroom was going to be a very well known mega church pastor teaching a workshop on “church growth”.<br />
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Having faced situations like this over and over again for many years, I decided to even out the odds and placed a sign on the other workshop’s door telling the attendees that the room was switched to ours.<br />
<br />
Within a few minutes before our class was to start, pastors began to pour in trying to grab any seat they could find. Eventually, the class was filled to its capacity with standing room only. That’s when I calmly got up to introduce myself. <br />
<br />
“Hi, my name is Shahrokh Afshar. My friends call me Shah, but you can call me Shahrokh. Next to me is Pastor ‘Pretty on the Top’ and we are going to be your teachers for the next 60 minutes.”<br />
<br />
That’s when one of the pastors in the back shouted, “Where’s Pastor Jack?” <br />
<br />
“Jack who?” I replied <br />
<br />
Needless to say, within a few seconds my class emptied— as if the rapture had taken place and only seven of us were left behind. It was obvious that to most of those pastors, church growth took precedence over evangelism, including Muslim and Native American evangelism, which are two of the least evangelized people groups in the entire world. <br />
<br />
Four of the five pastors in the room had intended to be there all along, but after realizing the prank I’d pulled, the fifth guy stayed because he told himself, “Anyone who can pull something like this on Pastor Jack is worth listening to.” Ted and I have been great friends ever since.<br />
<br />
It frustrates me to no end to see that even after 9/11 how much most pastors in America still operate with the above mindset—looking for the magic formula that can turn their small fellowship into a mega church overnight instead of doing the work of an evangelist, especially among these two grossly under-reached groups.<br />
<br />
Every once in a while, I challenge believers to do the following the next time they are at church:<br />
Before the service starts, request that your pastor ask the church members this question: ‘How many of you were saved at this church and how many of you transferred here from another church?’ If the pastor is willing to ask such a question, you’ll be shocked by the result. You’ll find out that a good 80-90% of your church members have transferred from other churches for whatever reason and are what I call “Recycled Christians”. <br />
<br />
By the way, I’ve been to churches where 100% of the members were Recycled Christians. <br />
<br />
“Look around you,” I often direct American pastors. “You and your church members can all be missionaries to any people group you desire without having to ever leave your home. God has brought people of every nation and language to your doorsteps for a reason. You don’t need to spend a penny traveling to their foreign lands because they have already spent their own money to be here. You don’t need to learn their languages or cultures (although it’s very help if you do so) because they’re trying hard to learn English and the American way of life. You don’t need to learn how to eat their foods because they’re desperately trying to keep their Big Macs down. All the Lord is asking you is to, in Christ’s name, take a glass of cool water across the street to the guy that may wear a turban and speak with an accent.”<br />
<br />
According to some of the studies I’ve seen, the church attendance in America is dropping every Sunday. No doubt there are many reasons for this phenomenon, but as far as I’m concerned there are two extremely prominent causes for this occurrence.<br />
<br />
First, a majority of Americans who are born in this country have lost interest in church attendance and don’t consider Christianity relevant.<br />
<br />
Second, we’ve finally run out of Christians to recycle. Is it possible that after decades of recycling old disciples rather than baptizing new ones, we’re finally running out of recyclable Christians? Could the answer to the next great revival in America lie not in building another mega church building filled with English speaking believers who have transferred from smaller churches, but in Christian leaders who are willing to build their churches one person at a time by reaching out to those who’ve never heard the Good News and are more open—the internationals God has brought to our doorsteps?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-41683848788677391062011-09-12T16:35:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:08:17.774-07:00Let's NOT Do Lunch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, the other day I ran into an old friend I’d not seen for a long time. As he was rushing to a meeting, he said, “Let’s do lunch!”<br />
<br />
Having heard that phrase many times before, I wasn’t about to just let it go without a response. I called his bluff.<br />
<br />
“Absolutely!” I replied. “When?”<br />
<br />
He was caught quite off guard. He didn’t expect me to call him on his offer.<br />
<br />
“Well, I’ve got to get back to you on it.”<br />
<br />
I wanted to scream, “Hey, I didn’t ask to have lunch with you. You're the one who suggested it while knowing it was an empty gesture.”<br />
<br />
Do you know what happens when we give our word to do something and then renege?<br />
<br />
1. We destroy the very foundation of all true relationships—trust. Without trust, there’s no true relationship. However, trust will be established when we stay true to our promises.<br />
<br />
2. We give the impression that the person on the receiving end of our empty promise is neither important nor needed. Unfortunately, most of us tend to treat a person we esteem important or needed more differently than an average Joe Christian.<br />
<br />
I was raised in a culture where to blindly trust people was your demise. In that society, we were expected not to trust, so everyone went around with his guard up 24/7. Shouldn’t we Christians be a bit different than those from my old culture? Shouldn’t all our leadership – our pastors – be people of their words?<br />
<br />
A majority of young people I come across today are longing for a community, a place where the people are trustworthy and transparent. A place were the people’s “yes” is “yes” and “no” is “no”.<br />
<br />
Creating such an environment starts with us as individuals. The next time you promise to do something for someone, regardless of how unimportant the person might be to you, for Christ’s sake, DO IT. This way, you create a highly sought-after commodity within God’s community—trustworthiness. Let the person know he’s important not because he’s got something that you need, but because he’s made in God’s image.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-73947323007881143262011-08-18T14:55:00.000-07:002011-08-18T17:20:46.444-07:00Please Don’t Go To A Bible College!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP_6DLC_WD8/Tk2Hiu-2avI/AAAAAAAAAEk/mfj5XbZhTOo/s1600/Cropped-preach4food+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP_6DLC_WD8/Tk2Hiu-2avI/AAAAAAAAAEk/mfj5XbZhTOo/s320/Cropped-preach4food+.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">The other day I got a message on Facebook from an old Bible
College student of mine, Jeremy.
<BR><BR>
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: left;">“Hey ProfeShah (that’s what my students used to call me), do
you remember the advice you gave me 5 years ago? It was one of the best words
of advice I’ve ever received in my life,” he said.</div><BR>
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Shoot, if you know me, you know I don’t remember what I had
for breakfast this morning, let alone a piece of advice I gave someone over five
years ago. So, being a good shame-based culture person that I am, I faked it
and said, “Yes, of course!”</div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">In my Middle Eastern culture, by admitting to not knowing
something, you’ve committed two sins: not knowing something and admitting to not
knowing something. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I responded, “I told you to get the heck out of the Bible College
and get yourself a degree that you can make a living with”.</div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">To my amazement, he wrote back saying, “Yes, and thank you.
I’m an engineer today making a living and taking care of my family.” </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I know some of my evangelical friends get upset when they
hear me taking such a stance, but I had my reasons, of which the most important
was the welfare of my students. It was within the second year of teaching at that college when I noticed a good number of my students were graduating college with
$20-30K debt and ending up working behind a counter, asking customers, “Would you
like a tall, grande or venti?”</div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">“If that’s going to be the case, you don’t need a four-year
college degree to pump syrup in a coffee cup or work as a bank teller,” I used
to tell them. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most of these kids were being trained to be one thing and one
thing only: pastors. The problem was that the denomination the college belonged
to couldn’t provide enough churches for these graduates to pastor. On the other
hand, the available churches were usually 20-30 member churches not able to
support the new pastor fulltime, which again, put my students behind the same coffee
or bank teller-counter.<BR><BR>
Knowing how difficult it is to pastor in general, I
knew we (the college) were setting many of my students up for failure. If you haven’t thought about it already, someone has and is
ready to write me about it: “Aren’t you taking these kids away from their godly
calling to be pastors?” To believe that is to believe the only way to serve God
is to stand behind a pulpit, which in and of itself is a false assumption that
has been shoved down our throats for many years. I don’t need a pulpit to serve
Christ. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Read: <a href="http://shahshankedredemption.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-love-my-church-starbucks-ii.html">I
Love My Church, Starbucks</a></div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the first 10 years after starting the first Iranian
Christian organization in the United States, I was a civil engineer during the
day and a house-church planter at night, driving all over LA County preaching
the Gospel to a newly-arrived group of Iranian immigrants. Even if I had wanted
them to, these Iranians would have never been able to support my family and me for
what I was doing. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">For 10 years, it was my engineering degree that put a roof
over my family’s head, food on our table and gas in my ‘69 VW Bug. Maybe even more important, I own my
home today – not because of the 30 years I pastored, but because of the 10
years I engineered. My salary as an Iranian pastor would have never been able
to purchase my family a house.</div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">It took me 10 years to build a solid enough base of
supporters before I was able to leave my engineering job. By then, I was also convinced
that was something I was called to do. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Maybe 40-50 years ago, a church of 40 members was able to
support her pastor fulltime, but those days are over. Today, to be fully
supported, the same pastor needs a church that is four to five times larger
than that. That was a reality that most of my students faced. Since, right off
the bat, pastoring a large church was out of the question, they needed to have
a job that would put a roof over their heads and food on their tables while
trying to pastor a small church. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">That is why I encouraged many of my students to get out of
the Bible College and first get a degree that would give them a solid base of financial
support. Meanwhile, they could do what I did for ten years: serve God where they were. If they never get into a “fulltime
ministry,” they haven't wasted four years of college and thousands of dollars
getting an education they never needed. But, if they do, and feel they need
more Biblical education, they can always go back to Bible College and get their
Biblical degrees with the money they saved from their well-paying jobs. </div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s what I did.</div><BR>
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-29671064060952132062011-08-04T08:41:00.000-07:002011-08-04T08:41:31.799-07:00Teacher, Teacher, Teacher 2—Muslim And Theology!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Geneva,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How much theology should a Muslim have before he/she can...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Geneva,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ShahzamFactor?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/0/VMLgRAOuyaE">http://www.youtube.com/user/ShahzamFactor?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/0/VMLgRAOuyaE</a></u></span></span></span> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-17193726757924384232011-07-20T20:57:00.000-07:002011-07-20T20:57:25.343-07:00Teacher, Teacher, Teacher...I Have A Question!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Dear Friends:<br />
<br />
For a while I've been wanting to make a series of 1-2 minute video questions dealing with some of the issues facing the church. This is the first one. I'd love to hear your thoughts.<br />
<br />
http://youtu.be/kmduHpc_PYw<br />
<br />
<br />
Shah<br />
<br />
PS. if you find these videos interesting and my questions challenging, then maybe you'd like to have me as a speaker at your churches, schools or gatherings.<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-11269302622011960362011-06-19T09:31:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:10:29.959-07:00Shame On You: Rising From The Ashes Of Shame To Face Guilt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nplWCKyMpIQ" width="425"></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4728021425416414105.post-2134225967946175272011-05-27T13:29:00.001-07:002012-08-30T17:09:14.713-07:00The Bible Didn’t Save Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
October 25,<sup> </sup>2011 will mark my 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary of being a Jesus person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day I began my journey with Christ, I was riding my motorbike 70-80 miles an hour while on my way home from Thanksgiving dinner at my friend, Ellen’s house. I’d heard her father pray a blessing over the meal and it had greatly moved me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t know anything about the Bible and I had never opened one. After all, as far as I was concerned, it was a corrupt book so why bother? I didn’t know anything about John 3:16. I hadn’t heard about the Roman Road or been given a tract on the Four Spiritual Laws and there was no one around to have me repeat the Sinner’s Prayer. On top of all that I didn’t believe I was a sinner. Even worse, I didn’t accept the very foundation of the Christian faith: Christ’s death on the cross, his divinity, or his position as the Son of God. But, I was one desperate and hopeless Muslim man who was willing to try anything. So, without knowing it, I did what Apostle Paul had said almost 2,000 years earlier, “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” (Rom. 3:13, the Message)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I called and He helped. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On that day, my journey with Christ started apart from the Bible. The foundation of my faith began to form on the basis of an experience —an experience stemming from me calling on Jesus for help. Eventually, I came to understand Christ to be my Lord and savior by reading the Bible, but without my initial experience, I would have never read it. So, today, even if one proves to me that every word in the Bible is a lie, my faith in Christ will not be shaken because it is not based on the word of God, but on the Word of God (Christ) himself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I pastored the Iranian church, a majority of my Muslim background believer members had started their journey with Jesus through tangible experiences with him (dreams, visions, healings and so on) and apart from the Bible, very much in the same way that many early Gentile Christians had. I often wonder how the early Church did their daily “devotions” since the Bible had not be canonized yet and even after it was, not everyone could afford to have one under his arm, which brings me to my purpose for writing this blog. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2001 I started teaching at a Bible college. After a year into teaching American students who were almost all born and raised in Christian families, I began to notice a correlation between Muslim and postmodern evangelism, and how they both long for an experience with God. The Muslim longs for it because He’s been taught that God is not approachable and my postmodern students had only known God theologically apart from an experience (this applies to postmodern non-Christians too, but at the present my focus is on postmodern Christians).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For years, our evangelical mentors taught us not to rely on any experience, but to rely on the word of God. “After all, your experiences are not reliable,” they told us. I wonder if after getting knocked off his ass on the way to Damascus and going blind, Paul was told the same thing by the Pharisees of his time. I also wonder if we would’ve had 2/3 of the New Testament if Paul had not had his Damascus experience. After all, isn’t most of the Bible a collection of man’s experience with God?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No doubt some of my readers will disagree with me because they might assume that I’m putting more weight on an experience than the word of God. I am not. What I’m saying is what we used to say during the “Jesus People” time: “God has no grandchildren.” For our children to stand by their parents’ faith in Christ, they themselves need to<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4728021425416414105" name="_GoBack"></a> have an experience to support their theology.</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04401879806360475927noreply@blogger.com20