Thursday Thinking - Believing in Jesus

When someone says, "I believe in Jesus," what does that mean? Here is a surprising video from Mo Sabri, a Pakistani-American Muslim who studies Pre-Medicine at University in Tennessee. He boldly says he is not afraid to say he believes in Jesus. He asserts that Jesus could be a point of connection and peace-making among Muslims and Christians if only those who say they believe in him would follow his teachings.



In January, Carl Medearis (Middle East Experience), a friend of Mo Sabri, blogged about Muslims who follow Jesus. He notes that there are a variety of ways people "follow" Jesus, and describes three groups of followers: "The Crowds," "The Curious," and "The Committed." It's a thought-provoking post worth reading.

I would suggest that Carl should have included one more category to his list of followers, "The Converted." Converts are those who are truly convinced that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, who live their lives in submission to him, desiring to be transformed by his Spirit, and looking to him as the one who makes it possible for God's redeeming purposes to be accomplished. This, of course, is a point of departure for most Christians and Muslims (illustrated very quickly and clearly in the comments section on Carl's post). For some within Islam, however, this deepest way of following Jesus has resulted in conversion.

Surprising as it may seem, there are insiders within Muslim culture who actually do live their lives as Converts. They are more than curious or committed, they are converts. They don't just see Jesus as a prophet or moral guide; they see him as Lord and Savior. Even though they do not abandon all aspects of Muslim culture, practice, and tradition, they do place faith in Isa as the one who overcame death. They may have begun by following Isa as prophet and messenger, but they now follow him as Savior and Lord.

Let me encourage you to check out the cover story in the January/February edition of Christianity Today, "Worshiping Jesus in the Mosque." Very interesting! It makes me wonder just what God might be doing within Islamic cultures to accomplish his will.

Can people from other religious traditions genuinely follow Jesus without becoming "Christians"? The question is a point of much dispute within today's missions world. Those who follow Jesus yet don't formally express Christian faith are said to belong to insider movements. And no insider movement has received more attention than Muslims who embrace Christ yet stay within their Islamic community. READ MORE...