isalmic doctrine
God – Islam – submission to God
Muslim- one who submits to God.
Allah is the generic word for God. Wholly other and trancendent but not personal. God is a taskmaster and we are his slaves.
The Christian concept of God as Father is foreign.
Man.
Man is born sinless. Does good and bad. The idea of the need for a savior is not strong.
Salvation
Five Pillars. Path to salvation.
Creed- no God but Allah and Mohamed is his prophet.
Prayer – facing Mecca. In Arabic.
Fasting – duringRamadan sunrise to sunset
Giving – 2.5% to poor and needy
Haj/ pilgrimage- to Mecca
At the end, Allah weighs our deeds to see if we are good enough.
Inshallah. If Allah wills, he’ll forgive and see my deeds as good enough. Many Christians essentially practice Islam!
Differences
1. Grace vs. Works.
2. Motive. We do good works, not to earn a place in heaven but to demonstrate our love. It is not fear but love.
perfect love casts out fear.
Jesus
Born of a virgin and sinless. Great Prophet. Prophesied of Mohammed. (They take prophesies of coming of coming of Spirit and apply them to Mohammed).
Deny both his crucifixion and resurrection.
He showed how from the Koran he can demonstrate much of the truth of the gospel.
How do you reach Muslims?
1. Pray for them.
2. Love and serve Muslims. When they come to our world, they have needs. Help them assimilate.
3. Listen. Ask questions. Look for ways to connect them to Jesus.
