Ishmael on our prayer radar

You have already noticed how Ishmael’s world has put itself on everyone’s radar – yes, yours too. No, ‘he’ is not ‘going to go away’. If ‘his’ growing expression of the last 5-years is prophetic, what stops the Ishmaelites from saying that the 21st century belongs to them? The only one standing in their way is a babe-turned-lord called ‘Jesus Christ’. The church, his bride, must give Ishmael an answer: indeed, its’ ‘best Christian answer for showing Christ love to them’. Will we?

You've read enough to realise that not all Christians are giving the same answers. At least two of the answers below describe your present ‘Christian’ position to Ishmael. Care to choose?

1. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is showing ourselves very informed through our studies of Aslama because Ishmaelites have a very complex religion and our media perceptions are invariably wrong. They need us to speak intelligently with them of their religion. Christ’s love must be intelligible.

2. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is by challenging them privately to account for the violence in Aslama because certain militant Ishmaelites among them have a dangerous agenda and the majority moderate Ishmaelites sympathise with them and need to admit that. Christ’s love must confront.

3. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is concerted prayer, spiritual warfare and evangelizing them because Ishmaelites do not realise that their Qur'aan and Haadiths are not at all from God and the Evil One has blinded their minds. Christ’s love speaks the truth even if it hurts.

4. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is exercising contextual missiological wisdom when you meet them because Ishmaelites do not think at all like us and need special contextualized approaches to understand Christ and Christians. Christ’s love must be wise.

5. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to do them acts of kindness and charity through mission work, developmental work, teaching English or kind neighborliness because that will present Jesus Christ better than our words. Christ’s love must be charitable.

6. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to encourage the experts and Muslim background believers to reach them because Aslama is too hard for the church member to understand and it is too difficult to speak with Ishmaelites. Christ’s love must be strategic.

7. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to just let them struggle with the problems of their own making and wait until they come to us for help because we cannot help anyone who does not want it. Wait until they are ready. Christ’s love must be tough.

8. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to just preach Jesus, share our testimony and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest because that is what every person, Jew or Gentile, is really needing to know. Christ’s love must be upfront.

9. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to let them observe us, to leave them alone, to let them follow their peaceful culture, and to stop blaming them for the terrorists (who are not true Ishmaelites) because if they are really sincere, then God accepts their religion as well. Christ’s love must be tolerant.

10. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to pray God will give the Ishmaelites dreams in which Jesus appears to them because Ishmaelites fear the outcome of disobeying their dreams. Christ’s love must be non-confrontational.

11. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is sincere and authentic dialogue amongst our leaders and theologians because most Ishmaelites are truly wonderful ‘spiritual brothers’ like the Jews and the demonising of Ishmaelites is as appalling as the historic anti-Semitism. Christ’s love must dialogue.

12. The ‘most loving answer’ to reaching Ishmaelites is to help them immigrate into our country, to study in our schools, to teach them English, to advocate their refugee claims and let live their own life here because when we share our rich Western world with them, they will be drawn to our generous spirit. Christ’s love must be the advocate voice for victims.

Notice how expert we Christians are at calling whatever we do ‘Christ’s love’? Is it?

Back to you: how does your church ‘love Ishmaelites’ in Jesus’ name? What strikes you as the church’s highest form of love to Ishmaelites? Do let me know!

This is also my mandate for my next four months: teach and master the many historic and present approaches to Ishmaelites and to discern which ones best express the love of Christ to them. Here is my prayer request. First, that the students will convert their lives to the best approach and second, that I will be able to write this course into a book. No one is writing to this material and I must.

Because it is all about honouring Christ with our love for ‘Ishmael’,