1 00:00:04,630 --> 00:00:09,870 There is a version of Christ found inside the Islamic faith written into the Qur'an. 2 00:00:09,870 --> 00:00:14,110 Muslims will tell you is the same Jesus that is written about in 3 00:00:14,110 --> 00:00:18,000 the New Testament, but they don't call him Jesus, they call him Isa. 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,400 So in this episode, we're going to be talking about the differences between 5 00:00:21,430 --> 00:00:27,677 Isa and Jesus, , what they are, why it matters, and how to discuss this topic 6 00:00:27,677 --> 00:00:29,631 with any Muslims that you may know. 7 00:00:30,265 --> 00:00:33,345 You're listening to Base Camp, a podcast where we equip Christians 8 00:00:33,345 --> 00:00:37,585 to engage the darkest places and the least reached people with the gospel. 9 00:00:37,895 --> 00:00:39,285 My name is Michael Collins. 10 00:00:39,625 --> 00:00:43,175 In this episode, I sit down with Jeremy Jenkins, the president and 11 00:00:43,185 --> 00:00:45,115 founder of All Things All People. 12 00:00:45,289 --> 00:00:48,489 And we discuss the difference between Jesus and Isa. 13 00:00:49,059 --> 00:00:52,119 The idea for this conversation came from an article that Jeremy wrote 14 00:00:52,129 --> 00:00:53,949 for the All Things All People blog. 15 00:00:54,289 --> 00:00:56,619 I'll put a link to that article in the description. 16 00:00:56,619 --> 00:00:59,379 The goal is by the end of this episode, you will have a much better 17 00:00:59,379 --> 00:01:03,399 understanding of the way people of the Islamic faith see Christ, 18 00:01:03,399 --> 00:01:08,609 what some of the main differences are, and how to best talk about this subject 19 00:01:08,719 --> 00:01:10,699 with any Muslim people that you may know. 20 00:01:10,699 --> 00:01:12,249 So let's get right into the episode. 21 00:01:12,821 --> 00:01:15,951 Mike: you started the last episode asking me to share the story that was in my 22 00:01:15,951 --> 00:01:19,571 article, so Jeremy, I'm just going to ask that you share the story that was in your 23 00:01:19,571 --> 00:01:22,051 article that we have on Jesus and Isa. 24 00:01:22,111 --> 00:01:22,881 Am I saying it right? 25 00:01:22,881 --> 00:01:23,401 Is it Isa? 26 00:01:23,401 --> 00:01:23,571 Yeah. 27 00:01:23,591 --> 00:01:23,854 Jeremy: Yeah. 28 00:01:23,854 --> 00:01:28,849 Yeah, When I wrote that article, I I'm not always the best at titling things 29 00:01:29,249 --> 00:01:34,749 because if somebody doesn't know that Isa is the Islamic name for Jesus, then they 30 00:01:34,749 --> 00:01:37,109 have no idea what that article is about, 31 00:01:37,244 --> 00:01:37,724 Mike: yeah, I 32 00:01:37,999 --> 00:01:44,909 Jeremy: so, yeah, so Isa, Isa is the name that the, the Quran uses to refer to 33 00:01:44,919 --> 00:01:47,099 Jesus and a lot of people don't know that. 34 00:01:47,099 --> 00:01:50,099 That Jesus is referenced a ton in the Quran. 35 00:01:50,159 --> 00:01:52,929 I mean, he's one of the most talked about people in the Quran. 36 00:01:53,329 --> 00:01:59,239 And I was in North Africa sometime recently, and I was there with a team 37 00:01:59,239 --> 00:02:03,509 of people and we were working with some missionaries in North Africa. 38 00:02:03,539 --> 00:02:07,929 And obviously I can't say where, and we had gotten really tired of not being 39 00:02:07,929 --> 00:02:09,969 able to find people who speak English. 40 00:02:10,229 --> 00:02:12,259 And we don't speak any Arabic at all. 41 00:02:12,309 --> 00:02:17,319 And so we decided to go down to this touristy area of the city we were in. 42 00:02:17,719 --> 00:02:19,659 Hoping to find people to speak English. 43 00:02:19,709 --> 00:02:21,449 And, and of course that works. 44 00:02:21,469 --> 00:02:24,309 Cause if you've ever been, you've not been out of the country yet. 45 00:02:24,309 --> 00:02:24,539 Right. 46 00:02:24,764 --> 00:02:25,904 Mike: never been outta the country. 47 00:02:26,059 --> 00:02:27,919 Jeremy: That's going to be a lot of fun whenever. 48 00:02:28,424 --> 00:02:30,764 Mike: The summer will be the first time I'm going to Guatemala 49 00:02:30,819 --> 00:02:31,329 Jeremy: my goodness. 50 00:02:31,329 --> 00:02:31,839 Okay. 51 00:02:32,019 --> 00:02:32,429 Yeah. 52 00:02:32,469 --> 00:02:33,309 Well that, okay. 53 00:02:33,309 --> 00:02:33,809 That'd be cool. 54 00:02:34,059 --> 00:02:35,999 Well, and yeah, you'll experience that there too. 55 00:02:36,099 --> 00:02:38,549 So there's not a ton of English speakers, and so. 56 00:02:38,949 --> 00:02:42,079 Anytime you get the opportunity to speak your, your heart language, 57 00:02:42,119 --> 00:02:43,299 it makes things a lot easier. 58 00:02:43,299 --> 00:02:44,919 So we went kind of hunting for that. 59 00:02:45,469 --> 00:02:48,839 The other thing too, is when you're in a tourist area and you're walking around 60 00:02:48,839 --> 00:02:51,749 and they can tell you're not from there and that you're a tourist, they also 61 00:02:51,749 --> 00:02:54,739 assume you have a pocket full of money and they want to sell you something. 62 00:02:54,739 --> 00:02:59,269 And so JR and I were walking and we met this guy and he started talking to us. 63 00:02:59,269 --> 00:03:01,049 I think he owned a, he owned a travel company. 64 00:03:01,449 --> 00:03:03,929 So he wanted us to take his tours and all of that. 65 00:03:04,369 --> 00:03:08,539 Well, I'm like, you know, the guys that we work with, those of them who've 66 00:03:08,539 --> 00:03:12,709 traveled with me know that I'm pretty good at saying no to people who are 67 00:03:12,709 --> 00:03:14,269 trying to sell us stuff overseas. 68 00:03:14,689 --> 00:03:18,849 And so we started off just like kind of really in a friendly way, just saying no 69 00:03:18,849 --> 00:03:22,429 to this guy, but he was pretty persistent, but he seemed pretty nice anyway. 70 00:03:22,429 --> 00:03:25,489 So we just started talking to him and asking about the company, asking 71 00:03:25,489 --> 00:03:28,329 about what he provided and Eventually he kind of figured out like we 72 00:03:28,329 --> 00:03:31,119 weren't looking to buy anything, but he was still really friendly. 73 00:03:31,119 --> 00:03:31,409 Well, J. 74 00:03:31,409 --> 00:03:31,499 R. 75 00:03:31,499 --> 00:03:35,059 and I both love coffee, as you know, and , in a lot of parts of the 76 00:03:35,109 --> 00:03:38,777 The Middle East specifically like predominantly Arab populations. 77 00:03:39,067 --> 00:03:40,407 They'll have like these coffee shops. 78 00:03:40,657 --> 00:03:46,437 They call them our was and I was a HWA and it's outdoors. 79 00:03:46,447 --> 00:03:51,097 So it's like an outdoor patio and people will sit, older men, especially 80 00:03:51,097 --> 00:03:54,127 during the middle of the day, we'll sit at these hours for hours 81 00:03:54,352 --> 00:03:56,984 Mike: eye on us 82 00:03:57,067 --> 00:03:57,347 Jeremy: is. 83 00:03:57,347 --> 00:03:58,537 It really, yeah, it really is. 84 00:03:58,557 --> 00:04:00,687 And but you know, it doesn't bother them. 85 00:04:00,687 --> 00:04:02,937 It really, it really didn't bother me. 86 00:04:03,287 --> 00:04:06,027 But yeah, it can be but they'll sit there and they'll smoke 87 00:04:06,047 --> 00:04:07,597 Shisha, which is like hookah. 88 00:04:07,667 --> 00:04:10,847 Do you know, you know, like and they'll play chess or backgammon all day. 89 00:04:10,847 --> 00:04:14,267 And so that's kind of like like I'm built for that kind of like, not the Shisha, 90 00:04:14,317 --> 00:04:17,717 not the hookah, but but like sitting and drinking coffee and playing backgammon 91 00:04:17,717 --> 00:04:21,657 and chess and talking to old men all day, like to me, I was sort of like, I 92 00:04:21,657 --> 00:04:24,886 wanted to sit in that environment, look for opportunities to talk to people. 93 00:04:25,286 --> 00:04:28,476 So we asked this guy and, and asked him, Hey, where's a good ahwa. 94 00:04:28,496 --> 00:04:29,946 We don't want to go to a touristy place. 95 00:04:30,286 --> 00:04:34,296 And so he kind of lights up and he's like, well, Hey, I'll take you to mine. 96 00:04:34,296 --> 00:04:35,796 I'll take you to the one that I go to. 97 00:04:35,796 --> 00:04:38,506 And so he walks us, I don't remember, maybe a quarter mile. 98 00:04:38,906 --> 00:04:42,456 Kind of in this hidden little alleyway system, we would have never known to 99 00:04:42,456 --> 00:04:47,076 go down and he takes us to this, this Alwa, which is filled with locals, 100 00:04:47,106 --> 00:04:49,086 which was really my idea of fun. 101 00:04:49,086 --> 00:04:53,396 I, I, I actively try and avoid tourists as much as I can 102 00:04:53,436 --> 00:04:54,916 when I'm doing missions work. 103 00:04:54,946 --> 00:04:56,176 And so we ended up sitting down. 104 00:04:56,226 --> 00:05:01,866 Well, he, he's going to walk away and we Ask him, Hey, would you let us, you know, 105 00:05:01,866 --> 00:05:04,566 buy you a tea or coffee or something? 106 00:05:04,566 --> 00:05:07,446 And and so he sits down and we just start talking. 107 00:05:07,496 --> 00:05:11,426 And for me, I have a really easy time. 108 00:05:11,566 --> 00:05:15,416 Talking to people of other religions, partly because I'm super interested 109 00:05:15,456 --> 00:05:18,746 in them and their faith, but then also because I teach religions. 110 00:05:18,746 --> 00:05:21,946 And when you tell somebody that you're a world religions, like professor or 111 00:05:21,946 --> 00:05:26,976 teacher I've never really had any like bad reactions to that, at least not yet. 112 00:05:27,486 --> 00:05:31,546 And so I told him I was super interested in Islam, told him I was super interested 113 00:05:31,546 --> 00:05:32,756 in the culture and all of that. 114 00:05:32,756 --> 00:05:37,106 And so I was just asking him questions and everything he was saying. 115 00:05:37,506 --> 00:05:40,176 Was kind of leading us to the point where it was just like, 116 00:05:40,176 --> 00:05:41,706 well, he knew we were Christians. 117 00:05:41,706 --> 00:05:42,556 We had mentioned that. 118 00:05:42,557 --> 00:05:45,846 And, and of course he was, he was Muslim. 119 00:05:45,846 --> 00:05:49,346 I actually asked him, I said, cause I didn't want to assume even though I knew 120 00:05:49,456 --> 00:05:50,616 it's just like, Hey, are you Muslim? 121 00:05:50,616 --> 00:05:51,846 And he smiled and was like, yeah. 122 00:05:52,316 --> 00:05:52,586 And. 123 00:05:52,986 --> 00:05:56,986 It seemed like everything he wanted to talk about was about the similarities 124 00:05:57,006 --> 00:06:02,076 between Islam and Christianity and presumably there's, there are a 125 00:06:02,076 --> 00:06:04,346 lot, you know we believe in one God. 126 00:06:04,746 --> 00:06:06,256 We believe in an afterlife. 127 00:06:06,256 --> 00:06:07,536 We believe in a day of judgment. 128 00:06:07,936 --> 00:06:11,466 We believe that, you know, submission to God is important. 129 00:06:11,556 --> 00:06:11,676 Mm-Hmm. 130 00:06:11,976 --> 00:06:15,196 . A lot of Christians don't know, like Islam literally just means submission. 131 00:06:15,196 --> 00:06:15,346 Mm-Hmm. 132 00:06:15,621 --> 00:06:17,326 and Muslim just means submitted one. 133 00:06:17,656 --> 00:06:19,816 So our Venn diagram overlaps. 134 00:06:20,061 --> 00:06:20,411 Mike: Yeah. 135 00:06:20,441 --> 00:06:23,151 I've heard a lot of different missionary stories. 136 00:06:23,151 --> 00:06:26,441 People that were evangelizing to Islamic people and. 137 00:06:26,569 --> 00:06:29,179 they said the people that they were hanging out with told them, 138 00:06:29,509 --> 00:06:31,329 you're so close to being a Muslim. 139 00:06:31,329 --> 00:06:33,809 if you were just accept this one thing. 140 00:06:33,819 --> 00:06:37,779 Jeremy: In fact, what's so funny because most of my, the first few 141 00:06:37,779 --> 00:06:42,259 years of my travel and research and studying religions, I was 142 00:06:42,264 --> 00:06:44,119 doing a lot of work in South Asia. 143 00:06:44,124 --> 00:06:44,334 Mm-Hmm. 144 00:06:44,734 --> 00:06:46,954 and Hinduism and Buddhism and things like that. 145 00:06:47,524 --> 00:06:50,704 And the worldview does not overlap hardly at all. 146 00:06:50,849 --> 00:06:54,039 With groups like that, like there's, there's hardly any similarities 147 00:06:54,079 --> 00:06:57,549 at all between what Christians assumed to be true, believed to 148 00:06:57,549 --> 00:06:59,469 be true and what a Hindu does. 149 00:06:59,469 --> 00:07:01,429 There's, there's really not that much similarity. 150 00:07:01,829 --> 00:07:05,819 So when I started, and I'm not, I'm not an Islamic expert, but when I started, 151 00:07:06,219 --> 00:07:07,229 engaging Muslims with the gospel. 152 00:07:07,229 --> 00:07:08,219 I was like, Oh, this is so much 153 00:07:08,259 --> 00:07:08,739 Mike: easier. 154 00:07:08,949 --> 00:07:09,459 Jeremy: You know what I mean? 155 00:07:09,819 --> 00:07:12,549 Because, because of the same thing, what you just said is like , they have 156 00:07:12,549 --> 00:07:16,539 a deep love and reverence for Allah, which is just the Arabic word for God. 157 00:07:16,939 --> 00:07:21,759 And they, they believe that Allah is the same God that the Bible is talking about. 158 00:07:21,789 --> 00:07:27,039 In fact, most of Islamic history, at least what Muhammad said was Islamic history 159 00:07:27,049 --> 00:07:28,889 is, is Jewish and Christian history. 160 00:07:28,889 --> 00:07:33,599 I mean, and that's why, It is really easy to talk to Muslims about matters 161 00:07:33,599 --> 00:07:38,919 of faith because they believe in Adam and Eve, they believe in Noah, they 162 00:07:38,919 --> 00:07:42,939 believe in Abraham, they believe in Moses 163 00:07:43,049 --> 00:07:50,468 Mike: in Noah, believe Moses um, Somewhat. 164 00:07:50,468 --> 00:07:53,910 the the, the 165 00:07:53,935 --> 00:07:54,845 Jeremy: the Quran on top of it. 166 00:07:55,335 --> 00:07:56,535 Well, somewhat. 167 00:07:56,545 --> 00:07:59,925 So, yeah, so , I mean, there's a lot of differences, but the main 168 00:07:59,925 --> 00:08:03,195 difference is that they believe, so if you're familiar with the story of 169 00:08:03,205 --> 00:08:05,845 Abraham and Isaac, Abraham has a son. 170 00:08:06,245 --> 00:08:08,305 Well, before he had Isaac, he had another son. 171 00:08:08,495 --> 00:08:08,865 Is this 172 00:08:08,945 --> 00:08:09,405 Ishmael 173 00:08:09,945 --> 00:08:16,965 and what Jews and Christians believe is that Isaac was the promised son and that 174 00:08:17,205 --> 00:08:22,935 through Isaac seed is the chosen people of God, which Jews and Christians would 175 00:08:22,935 --> 00:08:25,035 say in some form or fashion is Israel. 176 00:08:25,435 --> 00:08:26,305 Muslims would say that. 177 00:08:26,705 --> 00:08:30,175 Actually, the chosen people of God came through Ishmael. 178 00:08:30,755 --> 00:08:36,985 And in fact, they believe that Ishmael was the son who was almost 179 00:08:36,995 --> 00:08:39,935 sacrificed when God provided the Ram. 180 00:08:40,375 --> 00:08:43,955 And so ultimately they view themselves as the seed of Ishmael. 181 00:08:44,195 --> 00:08:47,475 And if you, if you read the account in Genesis of when. 182 00:08:47,875 --> 00:08:52,575 When Abraham you know, essentially banished Hagar and Ishmael, it says that 183 00:08:52,575 --> 00:08:59,035 he brought them out to the desert and that Hagar was distraught because her 184 00:08:59,035 --> 00:09:04,935 son was going to die, Ishmael and God, and this is in Genesis, God speaks to, 185 00:09:05,085 --> 00:09:08,540 to Hagar and says, Hey, I I see your son. 186 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:10,090 I will not let him die. 187 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,210 And in fact, he's going to become a great and mighty people. 188 00:09:13,610 --> 00:09:15,370 And that's the end of it. 189 00:09:15,420 --> 00:09:22,470 But when Mohammed says that he began to receive revelation from Allah through 190 00:09:22,470 --> 00:09:28,350 the angel Gabriel in a cave outside of Mecca, what he said was that Jews and 191 00:09:28,350 --> 00:09:29,980 early Christians actually corrupted. 192 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:32,330 What they call the Torah and the Injil. 193 00:09:32,370 --> 00:09:34,720 Injil is just the Arabic word for gospel. 194 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:40,430 And so ultimately what we have is we have essentially two streams of promise. 195 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:43,060 Is Jews and Christians say that the promise of Abraham came 196 00:09:43,060 --> 00:09:45,020 through Isaac and Muslims say no. 197 00:09:45,410 --> 00:09:46,770 In fact, it came through Ishmael. 198 00:09:47,090 --> 00:09:49,970 And that early Jews and Christians corrupted, specifically Jews, 199 00:09:49,970 --> 00:09:53,830 corrupted The old, the Old Testament, and then the New Testament after it. 200 00:09:54,210 --> 00:09:57,550 And so we do have a tremendous amount of similarities, but there are, 201 00:09:57,650 --> 00:10:00,990 there are these tiny differences there at the beginning of the 202 00:10:00,990 --> 00:10:02,860 narratives that, that changed the 203 00:10:02,965 --> 00:10:03,485 Mike: trajectory of 204 00:10:03,490 --> 00:10:03,830 everything. 205 00:10:03,830 --> 00:10:09,500 So do they believe that Jesus is a descendant of Ishmael or Jesus was. 206 00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:12,830 still a descendant of Isaac, but they just still hold him in 207 00:10:13,060 --> 00:10:13,470 Jeremy: I don't know. 208 00:10:13,470 --> 00:10:13,890 I don't know. 209 00:10:13,890 --> 00:10:16,450 I don't know specifically what they would say about his genealogy. 210 00:10:16,450 --> 00:10:20,800 They do believe that Jesus and all of the prophets that came before were actually 211 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,530 prophets of a law and they hold those men in high regards, but the difference 212 00:10:24,530 --> 00:10:32,280 being that they would say that Jesus and Noah and Moses actually all came Came as 213 00:10:32,290 --> 00:10:37,330 prophets of Allah spreading the message of Islam, which is submission to Allah. 214 00:10:37,730 --> 00:10:43,210 And that Mohammed brought the restored revelation of Allah 215 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:44,430 in the form of the Quran. 216 00:10:44,830 --> 00:10:53,430 And, these few key differences that point Muslims towards a life of submission and 217 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,770 really, I mean, a works based salvation. 218 00:10:55,860 --> 00:10:57,260 They wouldn't disagree with that at all. 219 00:10:57,790 --> 00:11:00,730 Whereas Christians say, no, Jesus was the son of God. 220 00:11:00,730 --> 00:11:05,110 He was God and his death, burial and resurrection redeemed humanity 221 00:11:05,650 --> 00:11:06,760 and bought them from their sin. 222 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:12,790 Mike: We, will get into maybe more of those little differences about Christ. 223 00:11:13,030 --> 00:11:14,020 But back 224 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:14,410 to 225 00:11:15,060 --> 00:11:16,620 You in, this and what 226 00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:16,940 is it? 227 00:11:17,340 --> 00:11:18,470 and this awa. 228 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:20,150 with your friend and with JR. 229 00:11:20,265 --> 00:11:20,325 Jeremy: Yeah. 230 00:11:20,485 --> 00:11:23,745 Mike: You guys go and sit down and, and then this. 231 00:11:23,745 --> 00:11:24,175 this 232 00:11:24,190 --> 00:11:26,680 Jeremy: So what what's funny is like, it's a beautiful thing because. 233 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,380 What otherwise can be like kind of an academic 234 00:11:29,390 --> 00:11:30,140 conversation, 235 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,640 like, oh, here's these differences and all that they proved to be really important 236 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:38,160 because this conversation centers in on the idea of him saying, well, hey, 237 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:40,060 there's actually a lot of similarities. 238 00:11:40,060 --> 00:11:42,480 Kind of what you said, like, you guys are just this 239 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:43,990 close to being really good Muslims, you know? 240 00:11:44,550 --> 00:11:46,680 And I said, you know, there are a lot of similarities. 241 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:47,120 You're right. 242 00:11:47,485 --> 00:11:50,155 In fact, we both agree that we're sinful. 243 00:11:50,555 --> 00:11:55,335 And, and what kind of fall out of this is this really great evangelistic method. 244 00:11:55,385 --> 00:11:56,505 I don't know who pioneered it. 245 00:11:56,605 --> 00:11:59,855 But we call it any three which is asking. 246 00:12:00,285 --> 00:12:06,415 This guy, the question, how do you believe that your sins are going to be forgiven? 247 00:12:06,815 --> 00:12:10,295 And so he begins to list off the various things that, that Muslims 248 00:12:10,295 --> 00:12:13,305 believe, including like the five pillars, like you have to confess. 249 00:12:13,615 --> 00:12:16,145 That Allah is the one true God and Muhammad is his prophet. 250 00:12:16,645 --> 00:12:19,545 You have to what's called a zakat, which is like, you have 251 00:12:19,545 --> 00:12:21,335 to give, you have to be generous. 252 00:12:21,665 --> 00:12:23,535 You have to fast during Ramadan. 253 00:12:24,125 --> 00:12:27,175 You have to pray five times a day called Salat. 254 00:12:27,535 --> 00:12:30,175 And then at least once in your life, as you're able, you have to perform a 255 00:12:30,175 --> 00:12:32,235 pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj. 256 00:12:32,235 --> 00:12:33,105 And there's other things too. 257 00:12:33,105 --> 00:12:37,705 I mean, the Muslims really are mostly A devout group of people who place a 258 00:12:37,705 --> 00:12:39,955 high emphasis on living a good life. 259 00:12:40,245 --> 00:12:42,675 And so he lists off all these things and. 260 00:12:43,075 --> 00:12:48,405 He kind of finishes and I said and once again, this isn't my question, but okay. 261 00:12:48,405 --> 00:12:50,695 Do you believe then that your sins are forgiven 262 00:12:50,755 --> 00:12:51,255 already? 263 00:12:51,580 --> 00:12:53,450 And he shook his head. 264 00:12:53,450 --> 00:12:56,500 No, you know, no, I don't , which is the standard Islamic answer. 265 00:12:56,500 --> 00:13:01,970 Even Mohammed said that he couldn't be sure that he had done enough to warrant 266 00:13:02,350 --> 00:13:04,990 salvation into paradise upon his death. 267 00:13:05,350 --> 00:13:08,840 And so Muslims really operate on the sense that no one 268 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:09,030 can 269 00:13:09,030 --> 00:13:09,070 know. 270 00:13:09,470 --> 00:13:11,620 And I said, okay, so see, here's the difference then. 271 00:13:11,900 --> 00:13:12,920 And this is where it's important. 272 00:13:12,930 --> 00:13:16,530 Like any conversation that you're having that's evangelistic in nature, even if 273 00:13:16,530 --> 00:13:19,720 there's a lot of similarities, sometimes those can be really helpful to highlight, 274 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:21,260 but eventually we have to get to 275 00:13:21,260 --> 00:13:22,060 the differences. 276 00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:24,060 And I said, see, here's the difference. 277 00:13:24,435 --> 00:13:27,445 We believe that our sins are already forgiven. 278 00:13:27,845 --> 00:13:32,195 And the way that I believe that is because of the work of Jesus. 279 00:13:32,225 --> 00:13:36,045 And I shared kind of an aversion and this kind of goes along with, the any 280 00:13:36,065 --> 00:13:39,815 three method, and maybe we can, we can link to some, any three resources in 281 00:13:39,815 --> 00:13:43,815 the podcast notes, but the story we call it the first and last sacrifice, 282 00:13:43,855 --> 00:13:45,595 and that kind of, once again, leans on. 283 00:13:45,995 --> 00:13:51,065 The, the overlap between the Abrahamic faith, Islam Judaism and Christianity, 284 00:13:51,065 --> 00:13:54,905 because you reference, you say, Hey, we believe in Adam and Eve in 285 00:13:54,905 --> 00:13:57,505 the garden sinned against Allah. 286 00:13:58,035 --> 00:14:04,315 And the first act of really compassion that God had for humanity was that 287 00:14:04,315 --> 00:14:07,905 he clothed them and he clothed them in the form of animal sacrifice. 288 00:14:07,905 --> 00:14:11,165 He killed he killed a lamb and provided them clothing. 289 00:14:11,565 --> 00:14:13,095 And, you know, he's nodding, right. 290 00:14:13,105 --> 00:14:14,845 As, as most good Muslims would. 291 00:14:15,255 --> 00:14:15,475 Yeah. 292 00:14:15,475 --> 00:14:18,685 And you say, you know, and you see throughout the old Testament narrative 293 00:14:18,685 --> 00:14:22,705 or the Torah narrative that really for humanity to come into the presence of, 294 00:14:22,765 --> 00:14:25,025 of a law there had to be sacrificed. 295 00:14:25,025 --> 00:14:28,035 There had to be a toning sacrifice, usually in the form of, of, of 296 00:14:28,035 --> 00:14:32,535 animal sacrifice so much so that right between Abraham and his son, 297 00:14:32,765 --> 00:14:36,015 and it's important, most Christian missionaries would say you don't. 298 00:14:36,330 --> 00:14:39,660 Like there on the street in an hour, get into an argument over whether it 299 00:14:39,660 --> 00:14:43,090 was Isaac or Ishmael, you just say Abraham and his son, you know, Abraham 300 00:14:43,090 --> 00:14:48,170 and his son, there, there was a needed sacrifice between Abraham and God. 301 00:14:48,530 --> 00:14:53,000 And instead of making him sacrifice his son, he provided a Ram. 302 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:57,480 And then so on and so on through the, the, the Torah, the old Testament. 303 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,710 And, and then I shared with him and I said, and then we meet the person of 304 00:15:00,710 --> 00:15:03,720 Jesus, who we believe was the son of God. 305 00:15:04,290 --> 00:15:11,420 And there on the cross, we see him and we see what his cousin, John the Baptist 306 00:15:11,420 --> 00:15:12,580 said, which, which was interesting. 307 00:15:12,580 --> 00:15:13,520 Cause he had never heard of John 308 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:13,600 the 309 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:14,090 Baptist. 310 00:15:14,490 --> 00:15:17,570 We see that John the Baptist calls him the lamb of God who 311 00:15:17,570 --> 00:15:19,030 takes away the sins of the world. 312 00:15:19,430 --> 00:15:21,830 And this man had never heard that phrase. 313 00:15:21,970 --> 00:15:27,020 And and I said, well, it's appropriate because on the cross he was killed. 314 00:15:27,580 --> 00:15:31,320 And this, this also brings us to another huge difference between 315 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,530 Muslims and Christians, because Muslims don't believe that Jesus was 316 00:15:35,955 --> 00:15:37,390 Mike: killed on the 317 00:15:37,870 --> 00:15:38,200 Jeremy: Yeah. 318 00:15:38,260 --> 00:15:38,460 Yeah. 319 00:15:38,460 --> 00:15:40,420 Because they believe Jesus lived a sinless life. 320 00:15:40,820 --> 00:15:42,240 They believe he was born of a virgin. 321 00:15:42,590 --> 00:15:44,830 The Quran actually lists like a ton of really interesting 322 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:46,290 things, presumably about Jesus. 323 00:15:46,290 --> 00:15:48,030 They believe when he was an infant. 324 00:15:48,380 --> 00:15:49,260 That he spoke. 325 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,120 So they believe all sorts of miraculous 326 00:15:51,130 --> 00:15:51,390 Mike: things 327 00:15:51,390 --> 00:15:51,580 about 328 00:15:51,580 --> 00:15:51,890 Jesus. 329 00:15:52,460 --> 00:15:52,800 It's not that he 330 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:53,200 died. 331 00:15:53,230 --> 00:15:53,590 It's not 332 00:15:53,590 --> 00:15:53,670 that 333 00:15:53,670 --> 00:15:53,750 he 334 00:15:53,750 --> 00:15:54,090 died. 335 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,620 Or is it not that he died at all, or just not that he died on the 336 00:15:56,650 --> 00:16:01,590 Jeremy: They believe no, they believe that he didn't die that he was taken up by a 337 00:16:01,590 --> 00:16:07,095 law and that he'll return one day He's actually jesus is a huge part of Islamic 338 00:16:07,105 --> 00:16:10,055 eschatological beliefs, like at the end of days that he's going to come back. 339 00:16:10,605 --> 00:16:13,555 So they, they actually, and this is a sort of an important thing to 340 00:16:13,555 --> 00:16:15,135 understand about the Islamic worldview. 341 00:16:15,155 --> 00:16:18,895 They think that, well, if Jesus was sinless, They don't believe 342 00:16:18,895 --> 00:16:19,935 he's the highest prophet. 343 00:16:19,945 --> 00:16:21,365 They believe Muhammad is the highest prophet. 344 00:16:21,715 --> 00:16:24,125 But if, if Jesus was sinless, then it, then Allah would have 345 00:16:24,125 --> 00:16:25,775 never allowed him to die on a 346 00:16:26,035 --> 00:16:26,535 Mike: Interesting. 347 00:16:26,555 --> 00:16:29,255 So they accept that he's sinless, but they, 348 00:16:29,585 --> 00:16:29,815 Jeremy: Yeah. 349 00:16:30,225 --> 00:16:31,285 It's a kind of a strange thing. 350 00:16:31,285 --> 00:16:31,475 Yeah. 351 00:16:31,795 --> 00:16:33,455 And like I said, they believe he's born of a virgin. 352 00:16:33,645 --> 00:16:37,885 They actually hold Mary in really high regard to they would have referred. 353 00:16:37,885 --> 00:16:38,135 Yeah. 354 00:16:38,135 --> 00:16:39,905 And usually they refer to her as Miriam. 355 00:16:39,935 --> 00:16:44,165 Mike: So do they think that The New Testament, the Gospels 356 00:16:44,205 --> 00:16:47,395 are lying or that they've been 357 00:16:47,530 --> 00:16:47,930 Jeremy: corrupted. 358 00:16:47,980 --> 00:16:52,110 Yeah, they believe that they believe that the Gospels, yeah, the Injil. 359 00:16:52,510 --> 00:16:56,880 Is that we have is corrupted, but interestingly enough I mean, most 360 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,900 Muslims have never read it because, because all they hear from their 361 00:17:00,900 --> 00:17:03,870 leaders, from imams, from the culture is that it's, it's corrupted. 362 00:17:03,870 --> 00:17:08,930 It can't be trusted that early Christians changed the original message 363 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,300 of Isa to fit some other narrative. 364 00:17:12,570 --> 00:17:12,960 Yeah. 365 00:17:13,290 --> 00:17:15,390 And, and of course they reject Trinitarianism. 366 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:16,910 They reject that Jesus is God. 367 00:17:16,910 --> 00:17:18,240 They reject that he's the son of God. 368 00:17:18,510 --> 00:17:25,100 Probably the One of the most memorized passages in the Quran is where Muhammad 369 00:17:25,100 --> 00:17:26,840 wrote that God would never have a son. 370 00:17:27,415 --> 00:17:27,845 Mike: Yeah. 371 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,460 Jeremy: And so they reject, they reject really the totality of 372 00:17:30,460 --> 00:17:31,900 who Christians say Jesus was. 373 00:17:32,305 --> 00:17:36,615 Mike: I'm curious because you know, you talk about in this article 374 00:17:37,115 --> 00:17:42,525 They, don't believe that it is befitting of God to have a son and at the same time 375 00:17:42,535 --> 00:17:45,685 they hold family in such a high regard, 376 00:17:46,085 --> 00:17:50,165 but if it's not befitting of God to have a son, that seems that 377 00:17:50,165 --> 00:17:52,465 there's something negative about 378 00:17:52,490 --> 00:17:52,910 Jeremy: having 379 00:17:52,910 --> 00:17:53,000 a 380 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:53,240 son. 381 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:58,430 Yeah, I think that, yeah, I mean, I think it all boils down to Islam. 382 00:17:58,830 --> 00:18:02,350 Islam is probably the purest form of monotheism that you 383 00:18:02,350 --> 00:18:03,100 could find. 384 00:18:03,430 --> 00:18:06,270 In the sense, I mean, Christians are monotheists, but they believe that God 385 00:18:06,270 --> 00:18:09,700 is, is three persons in one essence. 386 00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:14,110 The first thing you have to do to become a Muslim is say, there is no God, 387 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:14,280 but 388 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:14,670 God 389 00:18:15,050 --> 00:18:16,680 in, in Muhammad is his prophet. 390 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:17,960 it's called the Shahada. 391 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:21,900 And so the true essence right there with submission. 392 00:18:22,615 --> 00:18:22,795 Of 393 00:18:22,795 --> 00:18:25,655 Islam, the true essence is that God is one. 394 00:18:25,665 --> 00:18:30,165 I remember my professors using the word unicity, the idea 395 00:18:30,165 --> 00:18:32,655 that God is one in nature. 396 00:18:32,995 --> 00:18:34,835 God is one in person. 397 00:18:35,335 --> 00:18:40,635 And so I don't think that they would That they would view it as the insistence that 398 00:18:40,635 --> 00:18:43,255 God couldn't have a son as a negative. 399 00:18:43,288 --> 00:18:48,968 They view God interacting with anything other than, than 400 00:18:49,258 --> 00:18:52,958 himself as a defiling of the 401 00:18:52,958 --> 00:18:53,468 nature of 402 00:18:53,468 --> 00:18:53,848 God. 403 00:18:54,588 --> 00:18:58,288 And so, so the Islamic view of God is, is very transcendent as well. 404 00:18:58,338 --> 00:19:02,068 I would not call the Islamic view of Allah as like imminent or near. 405 00:19:02,233 --> 00:19:03,053 to humanity. 406 00:19:03,443 --> 00:19:05,763 And Muslims would say, that's why angels are so important. 407 00:19:05,763 --> 00:19:08,333 That's why Allah did not speak to Muhammad. 408 00:19:08,363 --> 00:19:09,663 Gabriel spoke to Muhammad. 409 00:19:10,033 --> 00:19:12,563 And then if you can take it even a little step further and think 410 00:19:12,573 --> 00:19:16,803 about the, the Christian concept of incarnation, when you learn then 411 00:19:16,823 --> 00:19:20,183 what Muslims view about Allah, the incarnation is hugely offensive. 412 00:19:20,253 --> 00:19:25,243 The idea that God took on flesh and dwelt among us is seen as, as a defiling. 413 00:19:25,693 --> 00:19:28,313 Of the nature of God, because why would God become 414 00:19:28,313 --> 00:19:28,793 a human? 415 00:19:28,873 --> 00:19:31,593 That's so, so much lower than he is. 416 00:19:31,763 --> 00:19:32,773 And what's funny is like Christians 417 00:19:32,785 --> 00:19:33,411 Mike: funny, 418 00:19:33,411 --> 00:19:34,664 like Christians 419 00:19:34,843 --> 00:19:35,213 Jeremy: You know what I mean? 420 00:19:35,290 --> 00:19:35,613 Mike: say, 421 00:19:35,613 --> 00:19:36,843 Jeremy: That's how much he loves us. 422 00:19:36,843 --> 00:19:37,103 Right? 423 00:19:37,303 --> 00:19:41,313 And so Christians operate with this, this idea of God is transcendent yet imminent. 424 00:19:41,363 --> 00:19:45,313 He is, he is, he is far and above creation, but he has chosen to 425 00:19:45,313 --> 00:19:47,793 make himself near and lowly. 426 00:19:48,178 --> 00:19:48,438 Right. 427 00:19:48,438 --> 00:19:51,768 And that's actually an interesting thing to like Christ describes himself as 428 00:19:51,828 --> 00:19:53,888 gentle and lowly, right? 429 00:19:53,888 --> 00:19:55,798 These are not Islamic concepts at all. 430 00:19:56,128 --> 00:20:01,128 And so what they say happened at Calvary and this is actually what my friend 431 00:20:01,128 --> 00:20:05,718 in the Iowa said is, is he stopped me and he said, see, we disagree. 432 00:20:06,273 --> 00:20:07,973 Isa was not killed on the cross 433 00:20:08,023 --> 00:20:13,593 and one of the beliefs that developed that explained what happened at Calvary is 434 00:20:13,603 --> 00:20:20,543 that Allah took Jesus from the cross and replaced him with somebody else and sort 435 00:20:20,543 --> 00:20:24,013 of fooled People into thinking that it was 436 00:20:24,033 --> 00:20:24,663 ESA, that 437 00:20:24,663 --> 00:20:24,703 it 438 00:20:24,703 --> 00:20:24,823 was 439 00:20:24,823 --> 00:20:25,423 Jesus. 440 00:20:25,483 --> 00:20:26,233 Mike: Interesting. 441 00:20:26,353 --> 00:20:26,713 Yeah. 442 00:20:26,803 --> 00:20:27,853 and, And 443 00:20:27,853 --> 00:20:30,013 actually, and is this, is this in the Quran? 444 00:20:30,013 --> 00:20:31,513 This is, or is it just a belief 445 00:20:31,643 --> 00:20:34,033 Jeremy: so there's like one, there's like one mention of it. 446 00:20:34,043 --> 00:20:35,993 It's kind of like a throwaway comment. 447 00:20:36,153 --> 00:20:38,283 And then really throughout time. 448 00:20:38,783 --> 00:20:40,233 Muslims have developed this 449 00:20:40,233 --> 00:20:40,773 belief, 450 00:20:41,033 --> 00:20:46,540 Which is sort of common in some instances like how the Quran interpreted the Old 451 00:20:46,540 --> 00:20:50,760 and New Testament, there's sort of these asides that that Mohammed threw out. 452 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:54,440 In the Quran in that throughout Islamic history, the Hadith and then 453 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,350 the Sharia, like the consensus sort of developed into what maybe most 454 00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:00,140 Muslims would consider to be true now. 455 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,720 And so, you know, sitting in that coffee shop you know, he expressed 456 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,300 that it was like, no, we don't believe he said died on the cross. 457 00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:07,380 We believe it's somebody else. 458 00:21:07,380 --> 00:21:11,180 And, and I had actually had a conversation with a friend of mine who 459 00:21:11,180 --> 00:21:14,810 we were working with that, that while we were there basically like, . What 460 00:21:14,810 --> 00:21:16,960 do you say when people say that? 461 00:21:17,060 --> 00:21:17,550 And. 462 00:21:17,905 --> 00:21:20,405 He had kind of told me what he shared and I thought it was brilliant. 463 00:21:20,405 --> 00:21:24,445 And what I, I shared with, with my friend in the Iowa and Jr was sitting 464 00:21:24,445 --> 00:21:27,855 across the table and I found out later, cause he hadn't said anything. 465 00:21:28,285 --> 00:21:30,865 He was just praying the whole time, which is, which is great. 466 00:21:30,915 --> 00:21:34,765 And it's a big reason why I always encourage to like for people to as 467 00:21:34,765 --> 00:21:36,975 best as they can, you know Do this 468 00:21:36,985 --> 00:21:37,125 kind 469 00:21:37,125 --> 00:21:37,505 of work 470 00:21:37,505 --> 00:21:38,295 in community 471 00:21:38,395 --> 00:21:41,905 is what I said is what my friend had kind of shared with me that he 472 00:21:41,905 --> 00:21:45,455 says, which is, Hey, listen, I know that that's what Muslims believe, 473 00:21:45,455 --> 00:21:46,635 but let me ask you this question. 474 00:21:47,035 --> 00:21:50,815 I know that family is really important to most Muslims and especially 475 00:21:50,815 --> 00:21:51,985 here in the Arab part of the world. 476 00:21:51,985 --> 00:21:53,145 Like family is essential. 477 00:21:53,215 --> 00:21:54,925 And he agreed because it is. 478 00:21:54,935 --> 00:21:59,555 And I was like, let me ask you this, you know, that Miriam was at the cross 479 00:22:00,565 --> 00:22:01,335 and he said, yeah. 480 00:22:01,345 --> 00:22:02,155 And I said, okay. 481 00:22:02,555 --> 00:22:05,115 And I, I won't share his name, but you know, Hey. 482 00:22:05,515 --> 00:22:07,085 If, if that was 483 00:22:07,085 --> 00:22:07,505 you 484 00:22:07,825 --> 00:22:12,705 on that cross and your mother was there, don't you think she would have 485 00:22:12,705 --> 00:22:15,415 known if it was somebody else in your 486 00:22:15,415 --> 00:22:15,955 place? 487 00:22:16,785 --> 00:22:18,465 And He stopped. 488 00:22:18,465 --> 00:22:20,355 He was actually, it was kind of a funny moment because he was 489 00:22:20,355 --> 00:22:24,785 drinking his tea and he stopped and kind of gave me like a look out 490 00:22:24,785 --> 00:22:24,945 of 491 00:22:25,135 --> 00:22:25,925 out of the corner of his 492 00:22:25,925 --> 00:22:26,315 eye 493 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:29,990 and he paused and I'll pause here to not that there's not a 494 00:22:29,990 --> 00:22:31,380 response to be given to that. 495 00:22:31,410 --> 00:22:32,640 Because obviously we are talking 496 00:22:32,675 --> 00:22:32,875 Mike: about 497 00:22:33,230 --> 00:22:33,730 Jeremy: God. 498 00:22:33,730 --> 00:22:33,900 Right. 499 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:38,310 So it would be very easy for a Muslim to say, well, yeah, like Allah could 500 00:22:38,310 --> 00:22:41,100 have done that, which then kind of begs the question of like, why 501 00:22:41,220 --> 00:22:43,110 is Allah being so deceptive here? 502 00:22:43,390 --> 00:22:43,730 Right. 503 00:22:44,140 --> 00:22:47,250 But we didn't even get into that because he just stopped and he kind of laughed 504 00:22:47,650 --> 00:22:50,160 and me and JR just kind of laughed because it was like this funny moment. 505 00:22:50,740 --> 00:22:54,995 And he said, Well, you know, if I understood as much about Christianity, 506 00:22:55,025 --> 00:22:58,395 as you know, about Islam, then I think I could answer that question. 507 00:22:58,425 --> 00:22:58,715 And I was 508 00:22:58,715 --> 00:22:58,975 like, 509 00:22:59,055 --> 00:22:59,365 that's 510 00:22:59,375 --> 00:22:59,925 fine. 511 00:23:00,095 --> 00:23:01,695 That's a perfectly acceptable answer. 512 00:23:02,055 --> 00:23:02,695 , but listen, 513 00:23:03,095 --> 00:23:03,345 when 514 00:23:03,435 --> 00:23:08,695 I want to learn more about Islam, I read the Quran and I talked to Muslims. 515 00:23:09,765 --> 00:23:13,645 If you want to learn more about ESA and Christianity, you should read 516 00:23:13,645 --> 00:23:16,025 the NGO and talk to Christians. 517 00:23:16,405 --> 00:23:20,830 And I said, and I believe that the NGO that I have is Is the true in 518 00:23:20,830 --> 00:23:22,220 Jill and that it wasn't corrupted. 519 00:23:22,700 --> 00:23:23,760 Would you be willing. 520 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,440 If we came back tomorrow to read it with 521 00:23:26,485 --> 00:23:28,105 Mike: us, And the Inge is just the 522 00:23:28,290 --> 00:23:30,880 Jeremy: the gospel, yeah, the new Testament is usually the word that they 523 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,470 use for the gospel or the new Testament. 524 00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:34,950 And amazingly, he said, yes. 525 00:23:35,050 --> 00:23:38,770 And and you know, we, I still actually I'm in touch 526 00:23:38,770 --> 00:23:38,900 with 527 00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:39,400 that guy. 528 00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:41,870 Yeah, through, through the wonders of, of WhatsApp. 529 00:23:41,870 --> 00:23:44,890 And, and we, we, we did make more contact with him while we were there. 530 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:46,660 To this point, , he's not a believer. 531 00:23:46,750 --> 00:23:50,650 I do believe he's open to, to the message of Christianity, but even the reason 532 00:23:50,650 --> 00:23:52,620 that I wrote that article was that really. 533 00:23:53,020 --> 00:23:55,900 What I learned from that conversation is not even so much about teaching others 534 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:01,610 is that Getting people to the point where they understand that just because you call 535 00:24:01,610 --> 00:24:04,510 someone Jesus And I call somebody Jesus. 536 00:24:04,810 --> 00:24:06,540 We're not necessarily talking about the same 537 00:24:06,540 --> 00:24:07,120 Jesus 538 00:24:07,430 --> 00:24:10,360 And we see that too with other groups like latter day saints, you know And 539 00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:13,870 i've done a lot of other writing and podcasting about the idea that just 540 00:24:13,870 --> 00:24:18,230 because we're talking about God or we say Heavenly Father, or we, we say Allah, 541 00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:19,690 which is just the Arabic word for God. 542 00:24:19,690 --> 00:24:24,760 Or we say Jesus or Isa doesn't mean that we're talking about the same person and 543 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,780 that it's important to get people to the point where you ask those questions 544 00:24:27,900 --> 00:24:29,350 that lead them to the conclusion. 545 00:24:29,750 --> 00:24:29,940 Okay. 546 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,980 Who actually was Jesus and what did he 547 00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:32,510 do? 548 00:24:33,100 --> 00:24:36,045 And give them the opportunity to say, like, Well, no that's 549 00:24:36,045 --> 00:24:37,275 not what we believe about Jesus. 550 00:24:37,275 --> 00:24:37,475 Right. 551 00:24:37,675 --> 00:24:40,485 Cause at the beginning of the conversation, I think, yeah, that 552 00:24:40,485 --> 00:24:44,185 was in the Middle East and an Arabic population in this open air. 553 00:24:44,225 --> 00:24:44,595 Ah, wow. 554 00:24:44,595 --> 00:24:48,065 But like conversations like that happen here in the, in our context as well, 555 00:24:48,305 --> 00:24:49,635 which is like, that's not my Jesus. 556 00:24:49,635 --> 00:24:50,765 And I actually joke all the time. 557 00:24:50,765 --> 00:24:54,725 Like when I was a student pastor, I used to use the scene from Talbot. 558 00:24:54,735 --> 00:24:56,415 You've ever seen Talladega nights, right? 559 00:24:56,475 --> 00:25:00,435 Not an appropriate movie necessarily, but not one that you would typically get 560 00:25:00,435 --> 00:25:04,045 sermon illustrations from, but there's the scene in that movie where will Farrell. 561 00:25:04,445 --> 00:25:06,285 Is praying and he's like, well, I like 562 00:25:06,285 --> 00:25:06,375 to 563 00:25:06,375 --> 00:25:06,625 pray to 564 00:25:06,625 --> 00:25:07,460 baby Jesus, 565 00:25:07,460 --> 00:25:07,740 right? 566 00:25:07,740 --> 00:25:08,220 And John C. 567 00:25:08,220 --> 00:25:10,000 Riley's like, I like to picture Jesus. 568 00:25:10,370 --> 00:25:13,120 It's like the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, right? 569 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:16,600 And it's stupid and it's silly and it, you know, it's not 570 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:17,880 academic at all or whatever. 571 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:18,770 It's not missional at all. 572 00:25:18,780 --> 00:25:21,650 But I really don't think even what we experience here in the West 573 00:25:21,650 --> 00:25:24,540 is that different than what we experienced in an Arab population, 574 00:25:24,540 --> 00:25:27,980 which is, we all just kind of like to say, well, this is who Jesus 575 00:25:27,990 --> 00:25:28,160 is 576 00:25:28,180 --> 00:25:28,730 to me. 577 00:25:28,770 --> 00:25:29,190 Yeah. 578 00:25:29,250 --> 00:25:29,610 Right. 579 00:25:29,620 --> 00:25:32,340 But the merit of the conversation really boils down to, well, who actually 580 00:25:32,340 --> 00:25:32,650 Mike: was 581 00:25:32,650 --> 00:25:33,240 Jesus and 582 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:34,419 what did he do? 583 00:25:34,420 --> 00:25:36,160 Who did he say that he was, 584 00:25:36,220 --> 00:25:39,670 , Jeremy: the conclusions that we come to those conversations are important, 585 00:25:39,670 --> 00:25:42,530 just like the conversation I had with this guy, which is to say like, 586 00:25:42,980 --> 00:25:44,370 well, Hey, one of us is wrong. 587 00:25:44,865 --> 00:25:46,255 Or, or maybe both of us are wrong. 588 00:25:46,265 --> 00:25:46,735 That's the other thing. 589 00:25:46,735 --> 00:25:51,055 Just like, Hey, either, either one of us is right, or both of us are wrong, but 590 00:25:51,055 --> 00:25:52,745 we both can't simultaneously be right. 591 00:25:52,855 --> 00:25:53,715 I believe he died on 592 00:25:53,715 --> 00:25:54,065 a cross 593 00:25:54,085 --> 00:25:54,735 and was resurrected 594 00:25:54,745 --> 00:25:55,545 three days later. 595 00:25:55,835 --> 00:25:57,755 And because of that, my sins can be forgiven. 596 00:25:57,755 --> 00:26:02,285 Now you believe he wasn't killed on a cross and you believe that you have 597 00:26:02,285 --> 00:26:04,125 to do all these things to please God. 598 00:26:04,525 --> 00:26:06,185 So which one of us is right. 599 00:26:06,535 --> 00:26:09,435 If one of us is, you know, and, and the answer to 600 00:26:09,465 --> 00:26:10,395 Mike: that matters a great 601 00:26:10,905 --> 00:26:10,995 deal. 602 00:26:11,205 --> 00:26:11,685 Mm-Hmm. 603 00:26:11,775 --> 00:26:16,125 .And it goes kind of along with the last episode we just did on on truth, 604 00:26:16,130 --> 00:26:21,685 but when we're trying to reach people, the discussions about religion, I think 605 00:26:21,690 --> 00:26:26,115 can sometimes feel almost like a game of tug of you know, and that's kind 606 00:26:26,115 --> 00:26:29,505 of the debate mindset of I'm trying to pull you over to my side and you're 607 00:26:29,505 --> 00:26:31,045 trying to pull me over to your side. 608 00:26:31,045 --> 00:26:32,195 and we'll see Who's stronger. 609 00:26:32,205 --> 00:26:35,395 who really knows their stuff more and whose beliefs are stronger. 610 00:26:35,795 --> 00:26:41,455 But if truth is real, if truth exists, we believe that Christianity 611 00:26:41,465 --> 00:26:41,735 is 612 00:26:41,745 --> 00:26:41,975 the 613 00:26:41,985 --> 00:26:42,375 truth. 614 00:26:42,750 --> 00:26:45,570 And so we don't have to try to pull them over. 615 00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:48,330 If we get the attitude of coming alongside them and saying, 616 00:26:48,330 --> 00:26:50,730 Hey, let's seek truth together. 617 00:26:50,740 --> 00:26:54,370 Let's work together to try to figure out what is true because we 618 00:26:54,370 --> 00:26:56,880 believe that this is what is true. 619 00:26:56,900 --> 00:27:00,360 So if we're honestly pursuing truth, we're going to end up at Christianity. 620 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:00,980 Right. 621 00:27:01,065 --> 00:27:01,295 Jeremy: Yeah. 622 00:27:01,355 --> 00:27:05,515 And, and one thing that I, I, I, in my experience is like talking about faith 623 00:27:05,515 --> 00:27:09,615 with Muslims is you don't experience as much of Like the relativism that we 624 00:27:09,615 --> 00:27:11,985 were talking about in the last episode with them because really what they're 625 00:27:11,985 --> 00:27:13,275 saying is no actually you're wrong 626 00:27:13,285 --> 00:27:14,005 about Jesus 627 00:27:14,075 --> 00:27:15,655 and we're right and I'm like, okay. 628 00:27:15,655 --> 00:27:17,695 Well we can have a conversation about this, right? 629 00:27:17,985 --> 00:27:22,585 Another thing that is important to remember And this is one thing I've just 630 00:27:22,585 --> 00:27:28,640 learned extensively from missionaries to The predominantly Muslim world is to 631 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,300 try and get them to read what they call 632 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:33,690 the Angeal because most of them haven't. 633 00:27:34,090 --> 00:27:37,480 And something amazing really happens when you really 634 00:27:37,630 --> 00:27:38,410 read 635 00:27:38,610 --> 00:27:43,070 the gospels and you really, Oh man, like, no, like if, if this Jesus 636 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:47,630 is the real Jesus, I like, there's something really desirable about that. 637 00:27:47,690 --> 00:27:51,430 And not just that it's like, well, our narrative is better than the Islamic 638 00:27:51,430 --> 00:27:54,950 narrative, but it's like, man, if what the Christians are saying about Jesus is true. 639 00:27:55,500 --> 00:27:55,680 Right. 640 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,480 That's the end of the any three method, which, which I really didn't 641 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:00,720 get to be able to, to, to get to. 642 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:03,200 With our friend that day, because of the objection 643 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:03,370 to 644 00:28:03,370 --> 00:28:03,490 the 645 00:28:03,490 --> 00:28:03,730 fact 646 00:28:03,730 --> 00:28:04,150 that Jesus 647 00:28:04,150 --> 00:28:06,700 didn't die on the cross, but the end is no, but I can know that 648 00:28:06,700 --> 00:28:06,810 my 649 00:28:06,810 --> 00:28:07,070 sins 650 00:28:07,070 --> 00:28:07,140 are 651 00:28:07,140 --> 00:28:08,110 forgiven now. 652 00:28:08,265 --> 00:28:10,695 And so works are important, but they don't save me. 653 00:28:11,125 --> 00:28:15,015 And that's really like, so, so the end of that story is right. 654 00:28:15,015 --> 00:28:17,960 We, We walk him back to his travel agency. 655 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,310 We're, we're kind of laughing. 656 00:28:19,450 --> 00:28:21,510 We had, we had really in a very short amount of time 657 00:28:21,510 --> 00:28:23,720 had, had grown close to him. 658 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,490 Weirdly, you know, I mean, just, and I think actually a lot of it was 659 00:28:26,490 --> 00:28:30,210 because we were talking about issues of faith, like in our, in our society. 660 00:28:30,755 --> 00:28:32,085 We're not supposed to talk about faith. 661 00:28:32,085 --> 00:28:33,345 We're not supposed to talk about religion. 662 00:28:33,745 --> 00:28:35,215 And so we kind of don't know how. 663 00:28:35,475 --> 00:28:37,085 And so we hear about conversations like this. 664 00:28:37,085 --> 00:28:37,775 We're like, I, 665 00:28:37,815 --> 00:28:38,025 I'm 666 00:28:38,035 --> 00:28:38,355 Mike: scared 667 00:28:38,355 --> 00:28:38,425 to even 668 00:28:38,655 --> 00:28:38,935 ask 669 00:28:38,935 --> 00:28:39,435 these questions. 670 00:28:39,495 --> 00:28:39,985 Mm hmm. 671 00:28:40,025 --> 00:28:41,395 You feel like somebody's going to be mad at 672 00:28:41,625 --> 00:28:42,045 Jeremy: Right. 673 00:28:42,065 --> 00:28:45,855 And luckily, and this is an encouragement to listeners that if 674 00:28:45,855 --> 00:28:48,245 you're talking about a population. 675 00:28:48,660 --> 00:28:51,990 Or a religious demographic that isn't a Westerner from the 676 00:28:51,990 --> 00:28:53,710 United States, most of the world 677 00:28:53,710 --> 00:28:54,140 doesn't feel 678 00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:55,180 that way about religion. 679 00:28:55,260 --> 00:28:56,150 I mean, you can talk 680 00:28:56,150 --> 00:28:56,270 up 681 00:28:56,270 --> 00:28:56,420 to 682 00:28:56,420 --> 00:28:56,490 a 683 00:28:56,490 --> 00:28:56,890 Muslim 684 00:28:56,890 --> 00:28:57,720 about Islam. 685 00:28:57,730 --> 00:29:00,990 Like they're usually not going to be taken aback by that. 686 00:29:01,510 --> 00:29:04,905 And so we had, You know, we had gotten really friendly with him. 687 00:29:04,905 --> 00:29:09,005 So we're laughing, we're talking, and then the ending of that story 688 00:29:09,005 --> 00:29:15,225 for us was walking away and looking forward to telling someone more 689 00:29:15,225 --> 00:29:20,675 about Jesus who only knew Isa, the hope, was that we could convince him. 690 00:29:21,075 --> 00:29:23,795 Through the merit of scripture through the merit of the work of the Holy 691 00:29:23,795 --> 00:29:26,335 Spirit in his heart and mind, because ultimately we're not going to convince 692 00:29:26,335 --> 00:29:30,025 him that no, he wasn't just a prophet who 693 00:29:30,025 --> 00:29:30,525 was pointing 694 00:29:30,525 --> 00:29:31,055 to Muhammad. 695 00:29:31,055 --> 00:29:31,625 He was 696 00:29:31,845 --> 00:29:35,524 God in human form, like he took on flesh and blood. 697 00:29:35,795 --> 00:29:41,365 He took on your sin so that now submission to God is a joy. 698 00:29:41,805 --> 00:29:42,025 It's 699 00:29:42,035 --> 00:29:42,335 not a 700 00:29:42,355 --> 00:29:46,155 duty, you know, and that's really the hope of those types of conversations 701 00:29:46,155 --> 00:29:48,885 with, with not just Muslims, but really anybody who thinks that they 702 00:29:48,885 --> 00:29:52,695 know Jesus, but has sort of fallen for some counterfeit version of him, 703 00:29:52,745 --> 00:29:53,075 Mike: which 704 00:29:53,105 --> 00:29:58,655 I feel like the longer you're in Islam, trying to earn your way into 705 00:29:58,665 --> 00:30:02,605 heaven without ever knowing that you can never really know if you've been 706 00:30:02,615 --> 00:30:05,285 good enough or, or done enough good. 707 00:30:05,585 --> 00:30:08,575 with Your life that the longer you're in that the more appealing 708 00:30:08,625 --> 00:30:14,805 . grace has to become that to, To think of, of isa as, as taking 709 00:30:14,835 --> 00:30:15,585 Jeremy: the punishment 710 00:30:15,595 --> 00:30:15,715 Mike: so 711 00:30:15,715 --> 00:30:15,845 you 712 00:30:15,845 --> 00:30:16,065 don't 713 00:30:16,065 --> 00:30:16,425 have to 714 00:30:16,515 --> 00:30:17,035 earn it. 715 00:30:17,235 --> 00:30:17,685 Jeremy: Yeah. 716 00:30:17,745 --> 00:30:20,805 I mean, you would think so and, and, and, and ultimately, like the 717 00:30:20,805 --> 00:30:22,815 people who have come out of Islam. 718 00:30:23,215 --> 00:30:24,525 To convert to Christianity. 719 00:30:24,525 --> 00:30:28,195 I think that's the testimony, but it is, it is a tough pill for them to swallow 720 00:30:28,195 --> 00:30:31,205 because, because they do and part of 721 00:30:31,315 --> 00:30:33,535 Mike: is like, honor tied up in that 722 00:30:33,875 --> 00:30:34,275 Jeremy: yeah. 723 00:30:34,315 --> 00:30:35,925 I mean the idea, yeah. 724 00:30:35,925 --> 00:30:39,065 So I think it's important for Christians to understand like what, what, what 725 00:30:39,065 --> 00:30:43,695 we're asking them to believe it goes against the entire nature of a law, 726 00:30:43,705 --> 00:30:46,625 like the idea that, okay, so you're telling me he took on flesh, became 727 00:30:46,625 --> 00:30:50,315 a human, or also that he's three, he's three persons in one, right. 728 00:30:50,315 --> 00:30:54,095 Which is, goes against, you know, the whole confession of, of Islam, 729 00:30:54,095 --> 00:30:58,475 which is that God is only one, but that even after all of that, that 730 00:30:58,475 --> 00:31:03,265 he died, he, he experienced one of those brutal, brutal execution methods 731 00:31:03,265 --> 00:31:04,825 that the humanity has ever known. 732 00:31:05,395 --> 00:31:06,805 And then he came back to life. 733 00:31:07,255 --> 00:31:09,345 So it's, it is a tough pill to swallow. 734 00:31:09,345 --> 00:31:13,165 And I think that when you say honor, like the idea that God 735 00:31:13,645 --> 00:31:18,795 would allow that of himself, once again, kind of goes to that idea, that's not 736 00:31:18,795 --> 00:31:22,805 befitting their, their version of a law, which kind of goes once again to that 737 00:31:22,805 --> 00:31:24,505 great exclamation point of Christianity, 738 00:31:24,505 --> 00:31:25,315 which is, yeah, 739 00:31:25,315 --> 00:31:25,645 that's the 740 00:31:25,645 --> 00:31:26,425 whole point. 741 00:31:26,435 --> 00:31:28,185 And actually I find that, I find that. 742 00:31:28,445 --> 00:31:30,515 When I, when I have those conversations with the Muslims, 743 00:31:30,785 --> 00:31:32,175 my appreciate your, I'm like, 744 00:31:32,355 --> 00:31:32,615 Mike: actually, 745 00:31:32,615 --> 00:31:32,755 you're 746 00:31:32,885 --> 00:31:33,325 right. 747 00:31:33,325 --> 00:31:33,881 It's not 748 00:31:33,881 --> 00:31:34,159 befitting. 749 00:31:34,159 --> 00:31:35,555 It's not befitting. 750 00:31:35,955 --> 00:31:39,605 It's like Peter saying, Lord, you will never wash my feet. 751 00:31:39,835 --> 00:31:40,865 And Christ says, You don't 752 00:31:40,865 --> 00:31:41,315 get it. 753 00:31:41,415 --> 00:31:41,845 Jeremy: don't get it. 754 00:31:41,845 --> 00:31:42,025 Yeah. 755 00:31:42,175 --> 00:31:42,945 Or it's same thing. 756 00:31:42,945 --> 00:31:46,225 Well, we'll kind of keep it along with Peter too, is like, you know, when Jesus 757 00:31:46,225 --> 00:31:48,855 is saying like, Hey, all these horrible things are going to happen to me. 758 00:31:49,155 --> 00:31:49,655 And Peter 759 00:31:49,655 --> 00:31:49,855 pulls 760 00:31:49,855 --> 00:31:49,965 him 761 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:50,270 Mike: aside 762 00:31:50,270 --> 00:31:50,360 and 763 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:50,570 it's like, 764 00:31:50,570 --> 00:31:50,900 no, no, 765 00:31:50,975 --> 00:31:51,395 Jeremy: no, no, 766 00:31:51,455 --> 00:31:52,065 that no, 767 00:31:52,075 --> 00:31:52,375 we're not 768 00:31:52,375 --> 00:31:53,345 going to let that happen. 769 00:31:53,875 --> 00:31:54,105 And 770 00:31:54,105 --> 00:31:57,305 he's, you know, get behind me, Satan, because he's like, you don't understand. 771 00:31:57,595 --> 00:31:59,965 And it is part of me kind of goes, no, you are right. 772 00:31:59,985 --> 00:32:05,185 You, it wasn't befitting of God, but God is so loving of the world. 773 00:32:05,570 --> 00:32:09,930 Right, you know, John, John three, God so loved the world that he gave his 774 00:32:09,930 --> 00:32:15,290 son that whoever would believe in him, Paul later would say, whoever would. 775 00:32:15,890 --> 00:32:19,340 confess with their mouth that he is Lord and believe in their 776 00:32:19,350 --> 00:32:22,590 heart that God raised him from the dead, that they would be saved. 777 00:32:23,010 --> 00:32:26,510 And that's the message for Muslims or for anybody really. 778 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,200 But it is a tough pill for Muslims to swallow because it goes 779 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:30,570 against, yeah, we, we have all 780 00:32:30,570 --> 00:32:31,860 those similarities, but 781 00:32:31,860 --> 00:32:36,970 the underlying worldview of who and what is God is so intrinsically different 782 00:32:37,370 --> 00:32:38,390 that , it 783 00:32:38,410 --> 00:32:39,210 probably is going to take 784 00:32:39,210 --> 00:32:39,380 more 785 00:32:39,380 --> 00:32:39,550 than 786 00:32:39,550 --> 00:32:40,520 one conversation. 787 00:32:40,689 --> 00:32:45,439 I think that the image that most people within Islam have of 788 00:32:45,439 --> 00:32:50,099 Christians is something akin to maybe what we would say is cheap 789 00:32:50,109 --> 00:32:50,649 grace 790 00:32:51,179 --> 00:32:54,249 , and of course, some of this fault, the blame for some of this falls at 791 00:32:54,249 --> 00:32:57,999 our feet, which is that they believe Christians can do whatever you want. 792 00:32:58,499 --> 00:33:02,479 Say whatever you want, live however you want, believe whatever you want, and that 793 00:33:02,479 --> 00:33:03,909 everything's going to be fine in the end. 794 00:33:04,309 --> 00:33:08,589 And, and so I think that there's a balance that Christians need to begin striking 795 00:33:08,699 --> 00:33:12,339 better with, with their communication to the Islamic world and the witness 796 00:33:12,339 --> 00:33:14,049 that we're living at least publicly. 797 00:33:14,449 --> 00:33:16,649 Which is to say that like, no, we don't believe you can do and 798 00:33:16,649 --> 00:33:17,879 say and be whatever you want. 799 00:33:17,879 --> 00:33:18,419 In fact, right. 800 00:33:18,449 --> 00:33:22,109 The whole point of Paul's words there is like, no, Christ has to be your Lord. 801 00:33:22,139 --> 00:33:23,099 He has to be your master. 802 00:33:23,099 --> 00:33:28,519 Like, and because we do believe he's God, we hold him in, in, in as 803 00:33:28,519 --> 00:33:31,819 high regard as Muslims hold Allah. 804 00:33:31,919 --> 00:33:34,969 But we just believe he loves us personal relationship is a very 805 00:33:34,969 --> 00:33:37,419 weird thing for them to think. 806 00:33:38,019 --> 00:33:41,459 About with a law, , there's been instances where I've talked to Muslims and, and 807 00:33:41,489 --> 00:33:43,309 and asked like, Hey, how can I pray for 808 00:33:43,309 --> 00:33:43,689 you? 809 00:33:44,139 --> 00:33:46,189 I've had Muslims kind of struggle 810 00:33:46,189 --> 00:33:49,319 with that because the idea that like, well, we don't pray 811 00:33:49,319 --> 00:33:51,469 to a lot to receive things. 812 00:33:52,034 --> 00:33:54,744 And this isn't all of them, of course, but some Muslims would even say I 813 00:33:54,744 --> 00:33:58,794 don't want you to just pray for me so that I get something and it's like, 814 00:33:58,804 --> 00:34:00,024 well, no, that's not the point, right? 815 00:34:00,054 --> 00:34:03,574 The point is, let's Revere and adore and worship God, 816 00:34:03,904 --> 00:34:04,124 but 817 00:34:04,134 --> 00:34:04,814 he does 818 00:34:04,814 --> 00:34:05,224 want good 819 00:34:05,224 --> 00:34:05,604 things for 820 00:34:05,604 --> 00:34:05,774 us. 821 00:34:05,774 --> 00:34:08,634 And he wants us to bring our petitions to him and our needs 822 00:34:08,634 --> 00:34:11,024 to him because he is our father. 823 00:34:11,354 --> 00:34:15,204 And, you know, once again, kind of going back to God would never 824 00:34:15,204 --> 00:34:18,334 have a son is like, they don't look at Allah as their father. 825 00:34:18,844 --> 00:34:23,564 They, they look at him as God, as, as Allah, as, as, as the high 826 00:34:23,564 --> 00:34:28,144 one, who's worthy of worship and that if I want to be in paradise 827 00:34:28,144 --> 00:34:30,224 one day that I'll submit to him 828 00:34:30,554 --> 00:34:30,724 as 829 00:34:30,724 --> 00:34:30,814 a 830 00:34:31,214 --> 00:34:31,674 far and 831 00:34:31,674 --> 00:34:32,434 distant king 832 00:34:32,884 --> 00:34:35,444 and So I hate to speak generally in that sense, because of course there, 833 00:34:35,524 --> 00:34:40,674 there are Muslims who, who, who are more personal and how they view a 834 00:34:40,674 --> 00:34:45,614 lot, but generally they, they look at the Christian image of who God is and 835 00:34:45,614 --> 00:34:47,814 say, no, you guys have them all wrong. 836 00:34:47,874 --> 00:34:48,774 He, he's not. 837 00:34:48,829 --> 00:34:51,619 He's not concerned with your day to day life. 838 00:34:51,619 --> 00:34:55,079 He's not concerned with becoming one of you and redeeming you from your sin. 839 00:34:55,089 --> 00:34:57,819 You have to submit to him and please him. 840 00:34:58,189 --> 00:35:01,239 And ultimately that's why the communication of the gospel can 841 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:05,619 be so tricky because yeah, like I said, we, we, we use the same names. 842 00:35:05,889 --> 00:35:08,739 We use a lot of the same words, but ultimately who, the 843 00:35:08,739 --> 00:35:09,919 question of who and what is 844 00:35:09,929 --> 00:35:12,989 God is so different and it can make things really 845 00:35:12,989 --> 00:35:14,951 difficult to, to communicate with them. 846 00:35:14,951 --> 00:35:18,041 I actually do think Christians need to get a more holistic view of that. 847 00:35:18,051 --> 00:35:19,941 Like we we greatly 848 00:35:19,941 --> 00:35:20,601 lack 849 00:35:21,001 --> 00:35:21,191 The 850 00:35:21,211 --> 00:35:26,941 call to submission and obedience we do buy too much into cheap grace and, 851 00:35:26,941 --> 00:35:28,701 and therefore validate their, their 852 00:35:28,701 --> 00:35:31,791 claims about us, but that doesn't make us wrong about the gospel. 853 00:35:32,301 --> 00:35:35,461 And, and ultimately that's what I think is, is the, the invitation 854 00:35:35,461 --> 00:35:39,291 to the Islamic world, which is, no, there's a, there's a fuller and more 855 00:35:39,291 --> 00:35:40,901 beautiful understanding of who God is. 856 00:35:41,446 --> 00:35:46,586 And what he's done for humanity, and it's found in the person of Jesus, who you 857 00:35:46,586 --> 00:35:51,416 say was just a prophet pointing towards pointing towards submission to a law. 858 00:35:51,816 --> 00:35:51,976 Yeah. 859 00:35:51,976 --> 00:35:52,616 Mike: Islamic 860 00:35:52,616 --> 00:35:55,246 faith seems to me and I haven't studied 861 00:35:55,256 --> 00:35:55,646 Jeremy: it nearly 862 00:35:55,646 --> 00:35:55,726 as 863 00:35:55,726 --> 00:35:55,876 much 864 00:35:55,876 --> 00:35:55,946 as 865 00:35:55,946 --> 00:35:56,036 Mike: you 866 00:35:56,036 --> 00:35:56,166 have. 867 00:35:56,166 --> 00:35:57,006 so I'm really curious if 868 00:35:57,006 --> 00:35:57,406 this seems 869 00:35:57,426 --> 00:35:58,216 accurate to you, 870 00:35:58,216 --> 00:35:58,536 but 871 00:35:58,956 --> 00:36:00,016 it seems 872 00:36:00,016 --> 00:36:00,136 like 873 00:36:00,136 --> 00:36:00,276 what 874 00:36:00,276 --> 00:36:00,536 you would 875 00:36:00,536 --> 00:36:00,996 get if 876 00:36:00,996 --> 00:36:01,096 you 877 00:36:01,096 --> 00:36:02,396 took Christianity? 878 00:36:02,796 --> 00:36:03,646 Removed 879 00:36:03,906 --> 00:36:04,086 the 880 00:36:04,086 --> 00:36:04,956 cross. 881 00:36:05,446 --> 00:36:06,056 and then 882 00:36:06,216 --> 00:36:06,466 let 883 00:36:06,466 --> 00:36:06,726 it 884 00:36:07,166 --> 00:36:12,056 develop in the hands of mankind for 150 200 885 00:36:12,216 --> 00:36:12,726 Jeremy: years. 886 00:36:13,086 --> 00:36:13,446 Yeah. 887 00:36:13,451 --> 00:36:17,581 I mean, I, I think you're probably like, kind of onto something there. 888 00:36:17,631 --> 00:36:19,251 I think if you take the cross. 889 00:36:19,651 --> 00:36:23,031 And the resurrection, of course, out of Christianity, you 890 00:36:23,031 --> 00:36:24,271 really just have a new branch 891 00:36:24,271 --> 00:36:24,401 of 892 00:36:24,401 --> 00:36:25,001 Judaism, 893 00:36:25,331 --> 00:36:29,381 , and so you find yourself with a lot of law and you find yourself with a lot 894 00:36:29,381 --> 00:36:31,511 of, like, just trying to please God. 895 00:36:31,731 --> 00:36:33,871 Have you ever read the cross of Christ by John 896 00:36:33,881 --> 00:36:34,281 Stott? 897 00:36:34,821 --> 00:36:35,471 Mike: No 898 00:36:35,626 --> 00:36:38,586 Jeremy: You would, you would really like it because you like Anglican 899 00:36:38,586 --> 00:36:44,966 theologians and he just talks about how Christians have really forsaken the weight 900 00:36:44,976 --> 00:36:50,876 of the cross and the work of the cross that we find kind of this. 901 00:36:50,936 --> 00:36:54,136 Even bigger emphasis on the resurrection once you really understand the cross. 902 00:36:54,606 --> 00:36:58,846 And so when you think about Islam, and then you also think about a cross 903 00:36:58,846 --> 00:37:03,246 list Christianity is, yeah, you end up with like, Oh, it's really all 904 00:37:03,246 --> 00:37:06,206 about what I can do then when the cross and the resurrection actually 905 00:37:06,206 --> 00:37:08,586 show us that you can't do anything. 906 00:37:08,587 --> 00:37:08,830 Right. 907 00:37:08,830 --> 00:37:13,386 Paul in Galatians talks about how the law was a tutor, you know, 908 00:37:13,386 --> 00:37:17,866 it pointed towards our need for God's rescue God's redemption. 909 00:37:18,176 --> 00:37:21,976 And so, yeah, so I think, yeah, I think for Christians to imagine what it would 910 00:37:21,986 --> 00:37:27,696 be like to not have Jesus in the cross and the work of the resurrection and what we 911 00:37:27,756 --> 00:37:32,966 received from God in those things, that's, yeah, I mean, that's the state of, of 912 00:37:32,976 --> 00:37:33,256 not just 913 00:37:33,286 --> 00:37:33,886 Muslims, but 914 00:37:34,046 --> 00:37:34,116 I 915 00:37:34,126 --> 00:37:36,506 think that's, that's what we have to offer. 916 00:37:36,786 --> 00:37:37,786 You know, that's the message of 917 00:37:37,786 --> 00:37:37,856 the 918 00:37:38,031 --> 00:37:38,841 Mike: across the US, right? 919 00:37:38,841 --> 00:37:39,531 So you mentioned 920 00:37:39,976 --> 00:37:44,316 Does the Quran have stories of Jesus, like the gospels 921 00:37:44,356 --> 00:37:44,476 Jeremy: of 922 00:37:44,476 --> 00:37:44,706 him 923 00:37:44,716 --> 00:37:45,441 walking and 924 00:37:45,441 --> 00:37:45,746 talking 925 00:37:45,746 --> 00:37:45,846 and 926 00:37:45,846 --> 00:37:46,166 doing, 927 00:37:46,176 --> 00:37:47,826 I mean, not a ton, not a ton. 928 00:37:47,856 --> 00:37:51,376 I mean, so they talk about, Yeah, they talk about him as a baby, and then 929 00:37:51,376 --> 00:37:55,486 they, they talk about him in, in his ministry, like what the gospels, but 930 00:37:55,486 --> 00:37:59,896 yeah, I mean, but their mention of Jesus and their mention of Christianity 931 00:37:59,906 --> 00:38:06,096 is anytime, usually, usually if Jesus or, you know, the book, what would 932 00:38:06,106 --> 00:38:09,556 they usually refer to Christians and Jews as the people of the book? 933 00:38:10,106 --> 00:38:14,586 Usually those things are mentioned to further validate the message of the book. 934 00:38:15,136 --> 00:38:18,906 The Quran or what the Quran didn't exist at that point, but the message 935 00:38:18,906 --> 00:38:23,676 of what they call the UMA, which is the collection of the early Muslims. 936 00:38:23,936 --> 00:38:24,186 Yeah. 937 00:38:24,186 --> 00:38:28,816 So, so, so, so, so Issa Issa is a signpost. 938 00:38:29,411 --> 00:38:29,581 In 939 00:38:29,581 --> 00:38:32,101 the Quran for Muhammad 940 00:38:32,151 --> 00:38:32,791 and 941 00:38:32,921 --> 00:38:33,101 the 942 00:38:33,101 --> 00:38:33,401 message 943 00:38:33,401 --> 00:38:33,521 of 944 00:38:33,521 --> 00:38:34,071 Allah that's 945 00:38:34,071 --> 00:38:34,421 being 946 00:38:34,801 --> 00:38:35,301 recited 947 00:38:35,341 --> 00:38:35,971 in the Quran. 948 00:38:36,061 --> 00:38:36,381 Yeah. 949 00:38:37,281 --> 00:38:37,781 This is the problem. 950 00:38:37,891 --> 00:38:38,231 Exactly. 951 00:38:38,391 --> 00:38:38,811 Exactly. 952 00:38:38,811 --> 00:38:43,041 I mean, the, the role that Jesus plays in Islam is the role 953 00:38:43,091 --> 00:38:43,701 that 954 00:38:44,211 --> 00:38:49,701 Moses played or David played, or, you know, pick, pick a old Testament prophet. 955 00:38:49,701 --> 00:38:51,771 It's pointing towards something greater to come. 956 00:38:52,201 --> 00:38:55,141 And that ultimately, like they even look at the New Testament 957 00:38:55,141 --> 00:38:57,181 where Jesus says, Hey, there's going to be one that comes after. 958 00:38:57,581 --> 00:39:00,361 Me who's going to bring comfort and Christians would 959 00:39:00,361 --> 00:39:01,361 say, that's the Holy spirit. 960 00:39:01,581 --> 00:39:06,501 A lot of Muslims say he was talking about Muhammad and so they view Muhammad as 961 00:39:06,821 --> 00:39:08,541 the highest prophet, the last prophet. 962 00:39:08,551 --> 00:39:09,001 So, yeah. 963 00:39:09,281 --> 00:39:09,951 So, so 964 00:39:10,061 --> 00:39:10,111 Mike: a 965 00:39:10,111 --> 00:39:11,221 conversation with 966 00:39:11,531 --> 00:39:11,631 a 967 00:39:11,631 --> 00:39:12,591 Muslim 968 00:39:12,591 --> 00:39:12,901 Should 969 00:39:12,901 --> 00:39:13,641 the goal 970 00:39:13,691 --> 00:39:14,811 Of the conversation. 971 00:39:15,091 --> 00:39:20,041 as we attempt to reach them with the gospel, be to point out these 972 00:39:20,041 --> 00:39:23,391 differences in, between Esau and Jesus? 973 00:39:23,741 --> 00:39:24,361 Or 974 00:39:24,461 --> 00:39:26,791 Jeremy: I think, I think in some sense, you're going to 975 00:39:26,791 --> 00:39:26,851 have a 976 00:39:26,851 --> 00:39:27,041 hard 977 00:39:27,041 --> 00:39:27,291 time 978 00:39:27,561 --> 00:39:27,741 if 979 00:39:27,741 --> 00:39:30,261 you're, if you're avoiding that, you know what I mean? 980 00:39:30,271 --> 00:39:33,481 But , I think it can get very argumentative and you can put somebody on 981 00:39:33,481 --> 00:39:35,641 the defensive by, you know, kind of like 982 00:39:35,901 --> 00:39:36,231 when you were 983 00:39:36,231 --> 00:39:36,311 a 984 00:39:36,311 --> 00:39:36,791 kid 985 00:39:37,131 --> 00:39:38,281 find the 10 differences 986 00:39:38,281 --> 00:39:39,281 between these two pictures 987 00:39:39,311 --> 00:39:39,771 kind of thing. 988 00:39:40,171 --> 00:39:45,011 What I prefer to do is just realize most Muslims as, as most non 989 00:39:45,011 --> 00:39:46,831 believers have not read the Bible. 990 00:39:47,231 --> 00:39:50,171 And so I firmly believe that the 991 00:39:50,171 --> 00:39:50,451 best 992 00:39:50,451 --> 00:39:50,711 thing 993 00:39:50,721 --> 00:39:50,931 is 994 00:39:50,931 --> 00:39:51,311 just, 995 00:39:51,711 --> 00:39:53,611 are they willing to read the Bible with you? 996 00:39:54,011 --> 00:39:54,721 And. 997 00:39:55,076 --> 00:40:00,076 If they are, then show them who Jesus actually was and 998 00:40:00,086 --> 00:40:01,946 allow the Holy Spirit to do 999 00:40:01,946 --> 00:40:02,376 the work 1000 00:40:02,386 --> 00:40:02,656 of 1001 00:40:02,686 --> 00:40:03,396 convincing. 1002 00:40:03,506 --> 00:40:06,476 Now you're going to be there to help navigate some of the questions 1003 00:40:06,806 --> 00:40:11,536 and, and point out, okay, this is who Christians actually say Jesus 1004 00:40:11,776 --> 00:40:16,466 is and was and, and then just prayerfully walk them through that. 1005 00:40:16,686 --> 00:40:17,616 Now there will be times 1006 00:40:17,626 --> 00:40:17,996 Mike: for. 1007 00:40:18,416 --> 00:40:20,686 Jeremy: You know, debate and that's where apologetics and things like 1008 00:40:20,736 --> 00:40:22,216 that comes in and understanding. 1009 00:40:22,426 --> 00:40:26,036 But because, you know, because most of us aren't textual critics, 1010 00:40:26,041 --> 00:40:26,181 Mike: like 1011 00:40:26,191 --> 00:40:26,601 we're not 1012 00:40:27,206 --> 00:40:28,966 Jeremy: Greek and Hebrew scholars and things like that. 1013 00:40:28,966 --> 00:40:33,536 I try to, avoid getting too deep into the validity of the 1014 00:40:33,536 --> 00:40:34,886 Quran versus the validity of the 1015 00:40:34,896 --> 00:40:35,616 new Testament. 1016 00:40:35,896 --> 00:40:39,636 Even though, I mean, the new Testament greatly wins out in that, in, in like the 1017 00:40:39,636 --> 00:40:42,046 historicity and the validity of the texts. 1018 00:40:42,106 --> 00:40:44,826 But at the end of the day, I think because most of us, the whole point is. 1019 00:40:45,226 --> 00:40:47,726 I want this person to know Christ if they're 1020 00:40:47,726 --> 00:40:48,186 willing, 1021 00:40:48,636 --> 00:40:50,066 , introduce them to him through the word. 1022 00:40:50,066 --> 00:40:53,086 If they're not willing, then that doesn't mean you're not that 1023 00:40:53,086 --> 00:40:54,896 you're done with a person, but. 1024 00:40:55,296 --> 00:40:56,306 You know, I mean, that 1025 00:40:56,306 --> 00:40:56,956 person, we 1026 00:40:56,956 --> 00:40:57,226 would say 1027 00:40:57,226 --> 00:40:57,676 that person's 1028 00:40:57,676 --> 00:40:58,056 probably 1029 00:40:58,056 --> 00:40:58,386 not 1030 00:40:58,486 --> 00:40:58,576 a 1031 00:40:58,576 --> 00:40:58,876 green 1032 00:40:58,876 --> 00:40:59,086 light 1033 00:40:59,086 --> 00:40:59,216 for 1034 00:40:59,216 --> 00:40:59,736 the gospel. 1035 00:40:59,736 --> 00:41:00,276 You know what I mean? 1036 00:41:00,366 --> 00:41:03,566 And continue in a relationship, continue having those conversations. 1037 00:41:03,566 --> 00:41:08,266 But if somebody is willing to sit down and read the scriptures with you, then that's, 1038 00:41:08,356 --> 00:41:11,576 I mean, that's, that's the beginning of hopefully what will be a fruitful journey 1039 00:41:11,596 --> 00:41:12,146 is to them 1040 00:41:12,466 --> 00:41:13,906 going from Issa to, 1041 00:41:14,206 --> 00:41:14,396 to 1042 00:41:14,656 --> 00:41:15,246 Jesus 1043 00:41:15,646 --> 00:41:18,176 to, to Yeshua, to use his, you know, Arabic name. 1044 00:41:18,176 --> 00:41:21,406 But you know, And really beginning to understand, okay, no, he, 1045 00:41:21,586 --> 00:41:26,266 he died for humanity took on the curse and was raised again. 1046 00:41:26,346 --> 00:41:27,906 And I can be forgiven now. 1047 00:41:28,146 --> 00:41:30,596 And that was the whole point of that conversation, which is trying 1048 00:41:30,596 --> 00:41:33,256 to get our friend there in the coffee shop to understand like, 1049 00:41:33,256 --> 00:41:34,826 no, your sins can be forgiven now. 1050 00:41:35,206 --> 00:41:41,666 And you can live a life of freedom and liberty still submitting to God, but being 1051 00:41:41,666 --> 00:41:43,916 known by him and knowing him in return. 1052 00:41:44,236 --> 00:41:45,376 And that's the invitation to the 1053 00:41:45,581 --> 00:41:47,100 Mike: to the Islamic world. 1054 00:41:48,331 --> 00:41:48,671 Jeremy: So if 1055 00:41:48,716 --> 00:41:53,832 Mike: there's a Muslim listening to this who I would say, if 1056 00:41:53,832 --> 00:41:57,171 somebody's listening to this and they 1057 00:41:57,211 --> 00:41:58,287 Jeremy: of it at this point. 1058 00:41:58,287 --> 00:42:00,523 Is there anything that you would say directly to them? 1059 00:42:00,573 --> 00:42:04,698 I would, I would say, I mean, if somebody is listening to this and they come 1060 00:42:04,698 --> 00:42:07,008 from a Muslim background, I mean, along 1061 00:42:07,220 --> 00:42:07,728 Mike: Muslim, 1062 00:42:07,918 --> 00:42:10,328 Jeremy: know, a tremendous amount of resources there was an, there was 1063 00:42:10,328 --> 00:42:14,688 an apologist, an author named Nabil Qureshi who wrote, Tremendous book. 1064 00:42:15,068 --> 00:42:18,898 He was a, he was a Muslim and he was a very devout Muslim and he wrote a book 1065 00:42:18,908 --> 00:42:22,258 about his testimony of finding Christ called seeking Allah finding Jesus. 1066 00:42:22,798 --> 00:42:23,708 I would read that. 1067 00:42:23,818 --> 00:42:23,898 Yeah. 1068 00:42:24,278 --> 00:42:30,618 There is a a version of the Quran which is, is highly regarded not just within 1069 00:42:30,618 --> 00:42:35,338 Christianity but even most religious scholars would say that it's called 1070 00:42:35,338 --> 00:42:40,128 the Quran with Christian commentary, which was, is a, is a very faithful 1071 00:42:40,128 --> 00:42:44,108 translation of the Quran with Christian commentary written by a scholar named Dr. 1072 00:42:44,108 --> 00:42:47,658 Gordon Nicol who I've had who've actually had on the podcast many years ago. 1073 00:42:48,068 --> 00:42:52,258 But beyond that is if, if Christ is calling you To 1074 00:42:52,278 --> 00:42:53,068 know him, 1075 00:42:53,468 --> 00:42:56,208 look into those resources, but then also just find, find a 1076 00:42:56,208 --> 00:42:59,288 believer, find a Christian to walk through the Bible with you. 1077 00:42:59,288 --> 00:43:03,338 And if you can't, if you can't find that, then just open up to the gospel 1078 00:43:03,338 --> 00:43:07,298 of John and just start in John one and read about who Jesus actually 1079 00:43:07,588 --> 00:43:12,768 was, who he is, what he's doing now on our behalf and what he's calling you 1080 00:43:12,768 --> 00:43:14,938 to, which is to a deep relationship. 1081 00:43:15,133 --> 00:43:18,753 With god with allah, that goes far beyond just 1082 00:43:18,773 --> 00:43:19,273 Mike: submitting 1083 00:43:19,273 --> 00:43:19,773 to him 1084 00:43:20,183 --> 00:43:20,903 Jeremy: But actually 1085 00:43:21,033 --> 00:43:21,603 knowing 1086 00:43:21,603 --> 00:43:21,733 him 1087 00:43:21,733 --> 00:43:22,713 and being loved 1088 00:43:22,733 --> 00:43:22,913 by 1089 00:43:22,943 --> 00:43:23,143 Mike: him