Easter Sunday morning the pastor at the church that we are
working with was giving his sermon over Matthew 21. He was talking about Christ being the cornerstone and how in
the original language if there was no cornerstone, there was no building. The cornerstone was that important, and
if it did not exist, then the building that was supposed to be built around it
could not possibly exist either.
In
this country there has been much anger and unrest between Muslims and
Christians in recent days. This
unrest has been brought about by the word, “Allah,” which translates as “God,”
being used in Christian material as the word for God because it is in their
language and that is the translation.
It appears to be a debate over proper nouns, but it struck a nerve in
the Muslim population.
The
pastor made a point to speak directly to the children and teenagers who are of
the definite minority as Christians in their school about this issue. He told them not to give into the
thinking that the ONE god, “Allah” that the Muslims serve is the same ONE God
that we serve as Christians. Just
because both religions believe that there is only one god does not mean that we
all worship the SAME god.
I
understand that as children and teenagers…and even adults, it would be easy to
give in to that statement that they worship the same god so as to save any
argument or even a friendship; however, it is not a truthful statement. Pastor Paul told them that the “Allah”
that Muslims serve, the Islam religion, does not accept Christ; therefore, it
could not possibly be the same god.
Their god, “Allah” is not the true god, because without Christ there
cannot be a building, no true religion. It is not the same god because the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and you, and I is 3 in 1: the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. You cannot take away any
part of this trinity and still have it be the same. Matthew 21: 42a says, “…The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.”
I
pray that these students and even the Christian adults would stand firm in
their beliefs, stand firm on what the Word of the one, true God says. I desire that they not be swayed in
their thinking because of the culture they live in or the people around them. Ephesians 5:6-8 says, “Let no one
deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things God’s wrath is
coming on the disobedient.
Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now are lights in the
Lord. Walk as children of light.
Join me in prayer for this situation and these people?
