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  • God used a Muslim to reach Muslims for Christ!

    Gabriel 0 Comments

    Once one of my dearest friends told me, Gabriel, that God really works in a funny way. I asked how. He answered, God used a Muslim to reach Muslims for Christ and spread the gospel." Isn’t it funny yet interesting? 

     Is it funny? I don’t know. Interesting, for sure. I used to be an anti-Christian. And, to be very honest, so-called preachers were responsible for this. They used to come and give Bible and leave. They were acting crazy. This kind of act doesn’t really work in a Muslim country. I thought these people were crazy.

    Now I am a preacher for Christ. My way of preaching Jesus is different. I make friends. I talk about God. I talk about the similarities between Jesus and both religions, and then I hit the button where we should know why Jesus is God. It makes sense, right? The moral is that you have to make friends and find your own space with the other person. No debate; pure thoughtful talks.

    Life took me to another Muslim country, where I visited a coastal village. Everyone was Muslim there. My God, they were remote, backdated, and lovely. There were lots of youth to meet, and we made amazing friendships. Shared the gospel, and many people had a positive response. We bought a few Bibles and went to the village. The idea was to give it to whoever we talked to, but I never thought giving a Bible to someone would change my life.

    I mean it. Growing up as a Muslim kid, I was awfully ill-informed about God, and I wanted someone to help. Nine years ago, a friend of mine gave me a Bible. I saw the smile on his face. I never thought someone would be this happy to give me something.

    But now I know. We were all packed to leave, and I asked one of my friends from that village to come meet me for the last time. He said he just woke up, and we were ready to take the vehicle to leave. But he said, I am coming no matter what. I gave him a Bible and told him to read it, and I hugged him. He was looking at the book and said, “I am a Muslim." I replied, Yes, it’s Torah and Enjiel. Read it. He liked the approach.

    When he left, he said, “Thanks for the book." I was stunned and had tears in my eyes. I mean, that was just too sweet, and some random sinner like me doing this godly work was such an amazing feeling. I bowed down to God and thanked him for choosing me. I shared this story with Michael Bond, and he said, They are now your disciples; take care of them.

    Now, that was way too much for me. I was overwhelmed and full of joy. Am I doing something in life? Am I the chosen one? Jesus indeed chose a Muslim (ex-Muslim) to reach Muslims for him.

     

    Life is unpredictable, like Jesus’s second coming. You never know what is happening. You can be anty Christian yesterday and pro-Christian the next day. It’s his choice. 

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  • Jesus and the meaning of Life.

    Gabriel 0 Comments

    Introduction

     

    The question of the meaning of life has been a profound inquiry that has intrigued humanity for centuries. Among various perspectives, the teachings of Jesus Christ offer a compelling viewpoint. This article explores the meaning of life through the lens of Jesus' teachings, his life, and his ultimate sacrifice, providing insights into how his message can shape our understanding of purpose and fulfillment.

    1. The Life and Teachings of Jesus

    Jesus of Nazareth, a central figure in Christianity, is known for his profound teachings and miraculous works. Born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, Jesus began his public ministry around the age of 30. His teachings, captured in the Gospels of the New Testament, revolve around love, compassion, and the pursuit of righteousness. Jesus’ parables, sermons, and dialogues with his disciples and followers provide a roadmap to understanding the deeper questions of existence.

    2. Love and Compassion as Central Tenets

    At the heart of Jesus' message is the commandment to love one another. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus summarizes the entire law with two commandments: to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and to love one's neighbor as oneself. This emphasis on love transcends mere emotion, advocating for selfless actions and compassion towards others. Jesus exemplified this through his interactions with the marginalized, healing the sick, and offering forgiveness.

    3. The Kingdom of God

    A significant aspect of Jesus' teachings is the concept of the Kingdom of God. Jesus described it as both a present reality and a future promise. The Kingdom of God is characterized by justice, peace, and the reign of divine love. It calls for a transformation of the heart and mind, urging individuals to live in a way that reflects God's will on earth. This vision of the Kingdom provides a sense of purpose, encouraging believers to contribute to a world that aligns with divine principles.

    4. Sacrifice and Redemption

    Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection are pivotal events in Christian theology. His sacrifice is seen as an act of ultimate love, offering redemption to humanity. According to Christian belief, Jesus' death atones for the sins of humanity, and his resurrection conquers death, providing the hope of eternal life. This narrative of sacrifice and redemption underscores the belief that life’s meaning is found in a relationship with God, characterized by forgiveness and grace.

    5. Hope and Eternal Life

    Jesus' teachings promise hope and eternal life. In John 14:2-3, Jesus assures his followers of a place in his Father's house, signifying eternal life with God. This hope extends beyond the temporal challenges and sufferings of this world, offering a vision of eternal peace and joy. The assurance of eternal life shapes the Christian understanding of existence, suggesting that life on earth is a journey towards a divine destiny.

    6. Practical Implications for Today

    The teachings of Jesus have practical implications for contemporary life. They call for a life of service, humility, and integrity. By following Jesus' example, individuals can find purpose in serving others, advocating for justice, and living ethically. The message of love and compassion promotes social harmony and personal fulfillment. Moreover, the hope of eternal life provides comfort and motivation, encouraging believers to persevere through life's challenges with faith and trust in God's promises.

    Conclusion

     

    In conclusion, the teachings of Jesus offer a profound and transformative understanding of the meaning of life. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus provides a model of love, sacrifice, and hope. His emphasis on loving God and others, the vision of the Kingdom of God, and the promise of eternal life offer a pathway to a meaningful and purposeful existence. By embracing these principles, individuals can find fulfillment and direction in their lives, contributing to a world that reflects divine love and justice.

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  • G.R.O.'s Big Launch for 2025

    Michael Bond 0 Comments

    The Big Launch

    The Big Launch? What do you mean Big Launch? Hasn’t G.R.O. been reaching Muslims by radio for 3 and a half decades? Wasn’t it already launched in 1991? Well, yes, but that’s not all of the story.

    The Big Launch is indeed the next big step for Global Radio Outreach. It is a critical time, a pivotal moment, a turning point in the development and growth of our worldwide outreach to Muslims. Let me explain. As I mentioned, we’d been reaching Muslims for decades via radio. Then, more than 15 years ago, at the direction of the Lord, we began to build our Internet outreach network, including blogging sites, Internet radio stations and all the supporting infrastructure. We began to use it right away, but we spent years developing and using the tech tools as they were being built. We continued to build it out to make it more effective, easier to use and to prepare it to carry the amount of traffic which it will ultimately need to carry. All the while we were struggling to find the money and the people needed to see it go ‘viral’ the way that we knew it could. However, things have changed. The time is right.

     

    Currently, we’re already getting hundreds of thousands of engagements each year and hundreds of conversions in that same period. Now, the Big Launch will help us really step it up, to prepare to add more languages, more websites and more Internet radio stations, in order to provide for more people to be reached, many more. It will provide the capacity to give us global coverage, real penetration and absolute saturation.

     

                The undertaking that we are proposing is just part of the infrastructure which we’re building in, in order to support the expansion that will take place. The first part of the expansion calls for increased staffing, for the people needed to support the growth. We’re finding those people through the MissionNext website, which is a kind of missionary job site. It matches prospective missionaries with agencies, like ours, which need them. We’re also finding people at Missions Fest and Mission Connexion. We’ve found several of the people needed already. Even though they’re coming as missionaries, some of these people will need some financial assistance from us. Our next candidate falls into this category. It’s someone who will help bring stability, order, standards and metrics into our organization. We're calling this our Stipend Fund. Visit www.globalradiooutreach.org/give choose one time or monthly, select an amount. Then put Stipend Fund in the notes box. This is an on-going fund.

     

    So, the second portion of the Big Launch includes increased general needs funding to continue operating. We’re seeking this  through more and better web and other social media activity and events. We’re also seeking a development director to assist in that process, as well as through this article. We also continue to visit churches and exhibit at local and regional missions conferences. Our Comedy Night and Banquet continue. However, we’re stepping up on these by taking them online in a unique way.

     

                The third portion of the Big launch, the part that we’re asking for help with, is to get into an appropriate space (an office), with some needed infrastructure, which will support the current expansion. This Launch originally involved an additional part that was recently met. It was to get our rack of servers, which is the heart of our ministry, moved to a clean, dry, stable environment and get their power backed up. They’re currently living in my dusty, dirty garage in Everett. We’ve now received funds for the backup generator. As soon as the building owner is ready, the servers will move. The other side of that, the one that we’re asking help for, is to help us move G.R.O.’s office to a place outside of my basement.       

          Affordable office space is also available in that building for $750 per month. There are several reasons that this is important. I won’t be the president of GRO forever. GRO will need their own space outside my home. However, we sometimes run into problems with having the organization in a residential space, as we did recently when seeking interns from universities. Some schools will not respond unless you have a proper business address. GRO also needs a proper place to meet partners and ‘clients’. On top of that, work space is needed, increasingly, for new workers to come to. Please consider helping us get started. We’ll grow it into our budget over the next year to carry it after your gift is used up. It is also an ongoing campaign, though.

     

                The Big Launch’s fourth part has to do with several innovations to the outreach network that we are currently developing, or installing. You might not understand some of these, but they will give our website and radio station missionaries a modern and easy to use platform to reach their audience, in their language. The library server is one of the most important innovations. It will be in a server online for the website missionaries to use and to share their recording and programs into it. Lute is a web-based login to all of the resources available to the website missionaries. Lute gives them a single login to access all of their tools; including the library, their website, their internet radio station, file editing, missions research and more. We’re also updating our website software to modernize the sites and make them easier to use. On top of that, we’re building a new database for the whole system in order to increase its capacity, and speed it up. We’ve added smaller things, like a quiz page to allow the website missionaries to teach and give tests to disciples and students, as well as photo pages and more. These innovations will bring our outreach network well into the 21st century, making it fast, user friendly, powerful and effective.

     

                The fifth and final part of the Big Launch is perhaps the most important. It is called Seeds of Hope.  We want to reach a million Muslims in the coming year. We use Google AdWords to draw them to our websites and radio stations. In the last year we had about 350,000 visitors to the sites on a relatively small AdWords budget. We believe that with a budget of $100,000 we can one million in 2025. Now, that doesn’t mean that they will all be saved, but that a million will be confronted with the claims of the Gospel. Please stand with us in this. Help us to tell a million Muslims. This is an ongoing campaign. You can give by going to www.globalradiooutreach.org/give and choose Seeds of Hope.

     

                In times past, our whole operation was in spare space at Philadelphia Church. As the church grew to expand back into its own space we had to choose to move. We moved to Everett because costs are lower. In the interim, to save commute time, we moved into our home. Then, Covid-19 pinned us down for a long season. Eventually, a nice free room was offered to us in Lowell (near Everett WA), enough for the servers, which our media library now occupies, and where the servers will soon be. This is where we will put the servers and back-up generator.

     

                I realize that this Big Launch may not be all exotic like a similar need which is located overseas, ‘on the mission field’, might be. We’re not talking about feeding orphans here. However, we are talking about the Great Commission. Therefore, it is of no less importance to the Great Commission than other, fancier projects might be. It is almost certainly more important and more urgent than most others you might select. This is because the strategy that GRO uses is worldwide. In any 90-day period of time we get radio listeners in 200 nations, and currently about 1,000 engagements per day. Furthermore, our continuing growth in the equipping of national workers with our tools, to be used in their language gives GRO a huge edge. Of all of the outreaches that I know, it has the greatest potential to not only reach the lost in every nation, but it also has the potential to spark growth in the Church. It can also help to make the statistical difference in the world, which according to Dr. David Garrison, the Church is not yet making in the Muslim World. We can get that through the coverage, penetration and saturation that expanding this network can provide. Please consider helping us.

     

    The Big Launch Cost

                One year of rental cost for an office space in Lowell (one needed per year) $9,000

                One year of stipend for our next candidate (several needed per year)          $24,000

                One year of AdWords budget to reach a million (needed each year)          $100,000

     

                So, first, please pray for us as we step out in faith to see this Big Launch and the increase in ministry to Muslims take place. Second, if you know of someone who would like to serve with us, please put me in contact with them. Just call me at 425-252-1866. Finally, if you can give, please go to the website, www.globalradiooutreach.org/give, or download the Global Radio Outreach app, or send a check to Global Radio Outreach, PO Box 719, Everett WA 98206. Small gifts, or large gifts, everyone will make a difference.

     

    Thank you! You’ll be a part of a miracle.

     

     

    Mike Bond

    Global Radio Outreach

    PO Box 719

    Everett WA 98206

    (425) 252-1866

    www.globalradiooutreach.org

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  • Jesus: Central to Christianity and respected in Islam

    Gabriel 0 Comments

    Introduction

    Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, is a figure who holds a central place in Christianity and a significant, albeit different, position in Islam. Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity, a belief that forms the core of Christian theology. In contrast, Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet and a revered messenger of God, but not divine. This article explores the perspectives of Christians and Muslims on Jesus and explains why Christians assert that Jesus is wholly a Christian figure.

     

     

    Jesus in Christianity: the Core of Christian Belief

     

    In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the faith. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah (Christ), the Son of God, who was sent to Earth to save humanity from sin. This belief is rooted in several key doctrines. Christians believe that God took human form in Jesus, making Him both fully divine and fully human.

     

    Jesus's death on the cross is seen as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His resurrection from the dead is celebrated as proof of His divine nature and the promise of eternal life for believers.

     

    Central to Christian theology is the belief in the Trinity, which describes God as three persons in one essence: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

     

    The New Testament

     

    The New Testament of the Bible is the primary source of knowledge about Jesus's life and teachings for Christians. It includes: The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John): These books provide accounts of Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

     

    The Acts of the Apostles: This book describes the early Church's formation and the spread of Jesus's teachings after His ascension.

     

    The Epistles: Letters written by early Christian leaders, such as Paul, to various Christian communities, offering theological insights and guidance.

     

    The Teachings of Jesus

     

    Jesus’s teachings, as recorded in the Gospels, emphasize love, forgiveness, and the Kingdom of God.

     

    The Sermon on the Mount: This collection of sayings and teachings includes the Beatitudes, which highlight humility, mercy, and peacemaking.

     

    Parables: Jesus often taught in parables, simple stories that illustrate moral or spiritual lessons, such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

     

    Commands to Love: Jesus emphasized the importance of loving God with all one's heart and loving one's neighbor as oneself.

     

    Jesus in Islam: A Revered Prophet

     

    In Islam, Jesus (known as Isa in Arabic) is considered one of the greatest prophets, but not divine.

     

    The Virgin Birth: Similar to Christianity, Islam teaches that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary (Maryam) through a miraculous birth.

     

    Miracles: Jesus performed miracles, such as healing the sick and raising the dead, by God's permission.

     

    The Messiah: Jesus is recognized as the Messiah, but this term does not imply divinity in Islam.

     

    The Quranic Perspective

     

    The Quran, Islam's holy book, mentions Jesus in several passages, highlighting aspects of His life and mission:

     

    Surah Maryam (Chapter 19): This chapter provides an account of Jesus’s birth and His role as a prophet.

     

    Surah Al-Imran (Chapter 3): This chapter discusses Jesus's miracles and His status as a messenger of God.

     

    Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4): This chapter asserts that Jesus was not crucified but was raised to heaven by God.

     

    Differences in Beliefs

     

    While Muslims respect Jesus and hold Him in high regard, key differences from Christian beliefs include-

     

    Divinity: Muslims do not believe Jesus is the Son of God or divine in any way.

     

    Crucifixion: Islam teaches that Jesus was not crucified; instead, it is believed that God saved Him and raised Him to heaven.

     

    Role in Eschatology: Muslims believe that Jesus will return at the end of times to restore justice and defeat the false messiah (the Antichrist).

     

     

    Why Jesus is 100% a Christian Figure: historical and theological foundations

    From a Christian perspective, Jesus is inherently a Christian figure because the entire foundation of Christianity is built upon His life, teachings, death, and resurrection. Several reasons support this assertion:

     

    Origin of Christianity: Jesus’s life and teachings are the bedrock of Christianity. His followers, known as Christians, derived their faith directly from His instructions and the events of His life.

     

    Christian Scriptures: The New Testament, composed of writings by Jesus’s apostles and early Christians, centers around Jesus as the Christ and Savior. These texts were written within the context of Christian belief and practice.

     

    Creeds and Doctrines: Christian creeds, such as the Nicene Creed, affirm the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who was crucified, died, and rose again. These creeds have shaped Christian identity and theology for centuries.

     

     

    Unique Christian Beliefs

     

    Certain beliefs about Jesus are uniquely Christian and are not shared by Islam or any other religion:

     

    The Trinity: The concept of the Trinity is central to Christianity and defines Jesus as one person of the triune God.

     

    Atonement: The belief that Jesus’s death on the cross atones for humanity's sins is a distinctly Christian doctrine.

     

    Resurrection: The resurrection of Jesus is a foundational event in Christianity, celebrated as proof of His divine nature and the hope of eternal life for believers.

     

    Influence on Christian Worship and Practice

     

    Jesus’s influence on Christian worship and practice further underscores His centrality to the faith:

     

    Sacraments: Christian sacraments, such as baptism and the Eucharist (Holy Communion), are instituted based on Jesus’s teachings and actions.

     

    Liturgical Calendar: Major Christian celebrations, such as Christmas (celebrating Jesus’s birth) and Easter (commemorating His resurrection), are centered on events from Jesus’s life.

     

    Prayer and Worship: Christians pray in Jesus’s name and worship Him as God, reflecting their belief in His divinity.

     

    Conclusion

     

    While Jesus is a significant figure in both Christianity and Islam, He is wholly a Christian figure from the perspective of Christian theology and practice. Christianity is fundamentally based on the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, the savior of humanity, whose life, death, and resurrection provide the path to salvation. These beliefs are not shared by Islam, which respects Jesus as a prophet but does not recognize His divinity or His role in salvation. Thus, Jesus's identity and significance are uniquely and fully encapsulated within the Christian faith, making Him 100% a Christian figure.

     

     

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