Today was the day this pastor was to burn the Quran. After many news reports on the web, TV and in print regarding this intent the following news report came out on Yahoo News: "NEW YORK – A Florida pastor says his church will "not today, not ever" burn a Quran, even if a mosque is built near ground zero.
Pastor ***** ***** had threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks over plans to build an Islamic center near where terrorists brought down the World Trade Center nine years ago.
He flew to New York and appeared on NBC's "Today" show. He says that his Gainesville, Fla., church's goal was "to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical."
He tells NBC that "we have definitely accomplished that mission." He says no meeting is planned with the imam leading the center but he hopes one will take place.
A "Burn a Koran Day" banner outside his church has been taken down."
(Copied from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/quran_burning)
I have been very concerned over this news regarding these statements and actions. I have been concerned for our missionaries and indigenous pastor who are laboring in harms way and the needless risk that has been placed upon them. I know I have been praying that this would not happen, but I wanted your opinions on what you think is right? What do you think is Christian behavior? And I also wanted to ask you to pray for us as a nation, the Christian missionaries or even people taking short term mission trips, which are diligently working to share the Love of Christ to a lost and dying world.
Before you answer lets look a few scripture from the Word of God in light of a Christian. The word Christian means to be like Christ. (Wikipedia states: The Greek word Χριστιανός (christianos) -meaning "follower of Christ")
(Heb 12:14) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Gal 5:19-26 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Mat. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Jesus condemned religious intolerance. When He and His disciples entered a Samaritan village, and the Samaritans were less than hospitable, James and John told Jesus they wanted to call down fire from heaven on the whole place (see Luke 9:54). Jesus flatly rebuked them, saying "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them." (v.55-56, NASB).
God is Love! What is love? What is the opposite of love? Many people would say hatred, but it's really selfishness. Hatred comes from the root of selfishness.
Now I ask you these questions:
Was this act out of love or selfishness?
Do you think this mans actions and words promote peace, love and joy?
Do you think this mans actions and words will draw the lost to Christ or drive them away?
Do you think these actions and words promote peace or discord?
Do you think these actions and words endanger unnecessarily the lives of our missionaries on the mission fields?
This pastor was saying, just a day or two previously even though much of the churches congregation leaving the church, that he was going to go on with this and burn the Quran no matter what and today stating that "his church will "not today, not ever" burn a Quran, even if a mosque is built near ground zero"… and says that his Gainesville, Fla., church's goal was "to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical." I ask you what is it when someone states one thing, then says that he was not going to do it?
Is this the behavior of someone who is to be Christ-like?
What does the book of wisdom, Proverbs, say about someone who stirs up strife and contention?
Let’s pray that there will some confession of wrong and asking for forgiveness instead saying that he never intended to do this act.
Let’s pray that the people of the world who are lost will see the love of Christ in us who really are Christians and know that everyone calling themselves a Christian may not be Christians.
To conclude let us take these scriptures to heart and live them: 1Jn 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
