Muslims & Missions
"And here I have a special burden this morning to say Christ has a commitment to gather a church from all the Muslim peoples of the world – not with the sword or the bullet, but with the Spirit and the Word. Islam is not ethnically uniform or monolithic. The largest Muslim country is Indonesia: 228 million people (Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Malays, etc.). Most of Northern Africa is Muslim. Indian peoples, Chinese peoples, Central Asian peoples. Christ is committed to building his church of all the Muslim peoples of the world.
The issue in the Muslim world today – as in every other religion and every other era – is Who is Jesus, and will we treasure him and trust him and honor him for who he really is? And the reason the matter is urgent with the Muslim peoples is because they give the same wrong answer to this question that some Jews gave in verse Matthew 16:14. Who is Jesus? "And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’" For Islam, Jesus is "one of the prophets." He is not the Son of God. He is not the crucified and risen Redeemer of fallen man. He is not the Creator of the universe. And every knee will not bow to him and confess that Jesus is Lord of all to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore Islam profoundly dishonors Jesus Christ and is not the way to everlasting joy in God. There is "one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). There is one way, one truth, one life, Jesus Christ, and no one comes to the Father but by him (John 14:6). He who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son does not have life (1 John 5:12).
This is why missions is absolutely necessary. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Christ will build his church. But he will do it through the hearing of the gospel of Christ. He will do it through the word carried by human ambassadors. We call them missionaries. One of the most exalted titles in the world. People of whom the world is not worthy – no matter how many struggles they have."
John Piper in 2001 sermon
The issue in the Muslim world today – as in every other religion and every other era – is Who is Jesus, and will we treasure him and trust him and honor him for who he really is? And the reason the matter is urgent with the Muslim peoples is because they give the same wrong answer to this question that some Jews gave in verse Matthew 16:14. Who is Jesus? "And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’" For Islam, Jesus is "one of the prophets." He is not the Son of God. He is not the crucified and risen Redeemer of fallen man. He is not the Creator of the universe. And every knee will not bow to him and confess that Jesus is Lord of all to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore Islam profoundly dishonors Jesus Christ and is not the way to everlasting joy in God. There is "one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). There is one way, one truth, one life, Jesus Christ, and no one comes to the Father but by him (John 14:6). He who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son does not have life (1 John 5:12).
This is why missions is absolutely necessary. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Christ will build his church. But he will do it through the hearing of the gospel of Christ. He will do it through the word carried by human ambassadors. We call them missionaries. One of the most exalted titles in the world. People of whom the world is not worthy – no matter how many struggles they have."
John Piper in 2001 sermon
