Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Seeking Allah Finding Jesus

I just finished reading this very intriguing and well chronicled story of a devout Muslim who became a follower of Jesus. The book is recommended by Lee Strobel, Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, Os Guinness and others who are reputable which helped motivate me to want to read it. It does an awesome job of describing what it is like to be a devout Muslim (at least of the kind that he was in North America). I learned tons in this regard. It also taught me that every conversation counts, even ones that don't seem to be making a difference to people.

Here is a list of more personal lessons I learned that I wrote down after reading.
1. I need to push thought the evidence about Jesus when I have questions and need it. It becomes a fortress for my faith.
2. Jesus is a real person. After being convinced of the evidence or accepting His truth I need to build a real and personal relationship and walk with Him.
3. Suffering at great cost are part of the deal when it comes to following Christ. He promises not to keep up from suffering but to walk with us through it. I can expect tremendous suffering in my following of the one who set the example of suffering for me.
4. Seeking God for supernatural signs etc. is not necessarily wrong. God works and moves in supernatural ways. But on His terms, not mine.
5. Growth tends to happen best when I have a kind of crazy zeal for prayer, study and challenge with a small group of people. I need a "go for it" attitude and I need to find those who push me on in Christ.

Yes, a great book. We will do it as a book club book early this coming year in our church.