A man who has friends must himself be friendly,[a]
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
Nabeel Qureshi came to Christ through the friendship of a college Christian friend. At the time, he was of the Muslim faith and in the beginning of their friendship he was bound and determined to convince his American friend that his Islamic faith was the absolute truth and that the Christian faith was wrong. This Christian friend chose to maintain this friendship with the intent of helping Nabeel see in the holy scriptures the realities of Jesus Christ.
He chose to build bridges at a time when others were lambasting the Muslim people with false accusations, often times believing the things published by the Alt-Right movement.
It seems that we are so quick to build walls and fortresses, sometimes moving across the country to spare them the potential harm that may never be.
When trauma enters peoples lives, I've often heard situations where friends they thought would be there for them suddenly backed away looking for ways to avoid them simply because they didn't know what to say to the person encountering trauma.
Because of this American Christian student's willingness to share his life with Nabeel, he saw the relevance of the Christian faith and he made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and become His spokesperson sharing with other people the realities of Christ, including other Muslim people.
In my city I live in, Coon Rapids, Minnesota, there is a Mosque right down the street from where I live. In the beginning, I was alarmed, but as I got to know a couple of men of the Muslim faith on the diversity committee, I began to see them like I saw my Jewish neighbors in the city of St. Louis Park where I grew up as a child. I saw them as simply people looking to do good in our country, to raise their family, and have a place to worship just as my Jewish friends did when they first immigrated to America.
I think we can learn something from the life of Nabeel Qureshi- that is to always be willing to be a friend to others who may not share your own Christian beliefs.
What people need more than anything in this life is to experience through you the relevance of Christ. If we did this instead of building fortresses, I believe there will be more Nabeel's discovering the practicalities of the Christ faith and living a life serving Christ. Here is Nabeel's talk in case there are those who would like to experience his ministry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bjv2t7PC7E
As we grieve the loss of a loved one, it is important to draw near to Jesus Christ and face head on all of those emotions. If you do this each time those emotions come, you will experience the presence of Jesus Christ and the comforting that only the Scriptures bring.
The next time you see a friend suffering from a loss instead of turning the other direction because you do not know what to say, go to your friend and simply say "I lack the words to express how I'm feeling about your loss, but I'm here for you". By saying those words, you have quite literally broken through the thick ice that prevents others from being the kind of caring people they need to be.
Nabeel, your life may have been short, but your faith in Jesus Christ lives on in Heaven, and your testimony for the wonderful things Christ has done in your life lives on.
Friendship, not fortresses, is the way to reaching people.
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