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If this quote from the pastor wasn’t so ignorant I’d laugh.
(The sign is a) “message of awareness, of opportunity to talk and to rethink.” -
Yep, posting signs on your church lawn stating Islam is of the devil, will really present an opportunity for you to have a conversation with Muslims.
God gives us wisdom folks, if we’ll only listen and be led by the Spirit. I can tell you right now, ‘wisdom’ (or plain ole common sense) tells me this is not a productive way in which to present Christ and the Gospel..
Wisdom tells me this pastor can’t really be interested in winning Muslim’s to Christ, but most likely has some other motive.
Christians and non-Christians alike are protesting a sign posted by a Florida church..
Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., posted a sign early this week that reads, “Islam is of the Devil” on its front lawn. Its pastor, Dr. Terry Jones, told local news station WCJB that although most people consider the sign a message of hate, his church sees it as a “message of awareness, of opportunity to talk and to rethink.”
He also said the sign is the church’s way of expressing love to Muslims by informing them that Christianity is the only way to heaven, according to The Gainesville Sun. Jones says Islam is deceptive in presenting itself as a religion of peace.
He also said the sign is the church’s way of expressing love to Muslims by informing them that Christianity is the only way to heaven, according to The Gainesville Sun.
Local residents, however, have reacted with shock and have staged protests outside the church.
“I was really shocked to see ‘Islam is of the devil’ on their sign,” said Brandon Schneider to the local Action News station. “I’m Jewish but I still take offense to that.” (more here)
Original story at the Gainesville Sun:
Senior pastor, Terry Jones, “say(s) it’s a way to express their religious beliefs and is a message of “a great act of love.”
Dove World Outreach runs the Lisa Jones House, an outreach effort that provides necessities such as furniture, food and clothing.
Jones said, in spite of what the sign says, the church’s outreach effort doesn’t look at a person’s faith when it comes to offering help. Anyone in need can come and receive free food and clothing, he said. “We are in no means in that way prejudiced or against them,” Jones said
You know, its Christ and the Cross which brings offense. We should expect it…
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent…For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1Cor 1
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Isaiah 8
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.. 1 Peter 2
But this is not about Christ or the Cross. Its about fear:
Jones says Islam is deceptive in presenting itself as a religion of peace.
When we read of the Gospel and Christ being presented by Paul, we see he didn’t mind wounding or offending his listeners with truth; but it was still always about Christ. His ultimate motivation in evangelizing was in seeing people come to Christ and be saved:
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. Acts 17
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.. 1 Corinthians 15
The lost won’t know they are in need of a Savior until they know they are sinners, and understand what sin is:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (See Romans chapters one and two)
When in Athens, perhaps Paul should have confronted the idol worshipers by carrying a sign stating ‘You are of the Devil’ instead of reasoning with them and presenting Christ:
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Acts 17:
enough said…
Filed under: Jesus, Man Says God Says, Musings | Tagged: Ambassadors for Christ, Led by the Spirit, The Gospel, The Lost
where is the wisdom? where is the discernment?
Not operating in this pastor, that’s for sure.
Yet another sign that the blue-collar syncretists (Judeo-Christianity) are trying to defeat the white-collar syncretists (3 Abrahamic Faiths: Judeo-Islamo-Christianity).
Both are theologially unitarian, and so is America’s ‘God.’
It is all about Jesus- and only Jesus.
He is the only way to salvation and people must be told the truth. Islam is from the devil- not the people but the spirit behind it – that is what you must see. God wants that the people who are captivated by this islamic spirit to be set free. This is the point.
You see how far the christians in America have come when they cannot accept this basic fact. It is sad that christians sit around and judge each other and gossip about each other instead of uniting together to reach the lost people and really build the kingdom of God.
I agree with Dr. Jones %100 .
If we don’t speak the truth who else will?
So are any and all false religions someseriousstuff…
Well, i don’t believe this example will set anyone free, and i cannot possibly believe someone, especially a pastor, thinks it would either.
Preaching Christ and him crucified is what sets people free.
What they might as well say:
http://media.uniuslibri.com/iiotd.jpg
Did you know that if you take the anagram of “Islam Is Of The Devil” you can sepll the word “idiot”?
Kirby, i can’t get your link to work!
oopsie. Try now.
I want signs that say “CHURCHIANITY & RELIGIOSITY IS OF THE DEVIL!” to put on the lawns in front of the local denominational churches & other Christian groups & isms here in the city where I currently reside. The list of likely candidates are the usual suspects one might find in America.
Let’s see there’s quite a few Baptist’s, five or six of them, plus your garden variety of Lutheran’s, Methodist’s, Presbyterian’s and Episcopalean’s – a baker’s dozen signs should just about cover them.
These churches are predictable in appearance – inside and out, with their broad wooden pews, massive pulpits, robed choirs, each typically with a cross on the side with the steeple and stained glass. Things are pretty much by the board, by the book per status quo, with their prepared sermons that pastor’s need not even spend a minute studying or praying about – there’s no shockers here or there. They all get their hand out bulletins from the same company, with the same literature from the usual sources, laying in wait on a table in the foyer.
This is snoozeville in any event and The First Church of the Frigidaire in ambient atmospheric temperature. All the mens shoes are brightly shined as they sit in their cushy pews showing off their fine attire wearing finely pressed suits, matching jackets, buttoned vests & sharply creased slacks, starched white shirts, spiffy ties, golden tie clasps & pins, matching cuff links, fine time pieces adorn their wrist or hang by golden chains from vest pockets. Women make the men look like the lesser of the species in terms of wardrobe, with their colorful long flowing dresses and gowns, sporting flashy open toed shoes and hose, coiffured hair & well placed items of jewelery including strings of pearls that adorn plunging necklines and diamond earing studs that enhance their made-up faces.
There’s a couple of Assembly of God churches including the BIG Temple job with it’s sprawing landscape & towering steeple, visible from the Interstate Freeway, and near the Country Club with it’s sad looking ill kept golf course where the pastor tees off every minister’s Sabbath with his board at their usual tee time, not far from miles of prime shopping & thousands of acres of cracker-box housing! Let’s not forget the struggling AOG work by the young poorly trained pastor who passed his corespondance course AND the oral exam! He lets his wife do all the speaking parts in service except for the sermon – that is, IF he decides to preach that morning! He is a pale shadow of his father who pastors a small struggling AOG down the road a few miles outside of town where he rants, yells & throws things on the platform, usually preaching to the choir, abusing them verbally all the way to the stroke of the clock signaling it’s time for lunch.
Like other Christian churches here there is little going on in many them nor do any of them bring any real presence in the community, save for one who is said to operate a pantry for the less fortunate. Kudos for them! Other than that, I don’t see or hear of any community outreaches, no Christian concert events or street witnessing efforts or door to door canvassing as was once the norm for churches on the rise.
One thing most have in common at this late hour in this latter days stage of history as it unfolds right before our eyes is that they’re all like little hamster cages with their habitrail treadmills the pastors run on leading the flock. The flock runs on it as they follow him. Each with it’s self contained agenda, it’s mini-bless-me-club dynamic, with the worker bees drawing a paycheck, tithing the dreaded tenth to keep the lights on where the pastor can continue to collect those tithes to keep the electric bill paid up. There’s no growth, no pattern for ministry or plan for life outside the cloistered walls & stained glass panes. Nobody is going to the world outside with the Good News or any other news for that matter. They’re all cozy in their sheltered existance. It’s all about them & it’s all good.
Their Christianity is about church and their churches are full of dead religion! There’s little if any real life in them.
Going to church and going thru the motions of traditions & ritual is not Christianity! Church activities & programs are just examples of religion – there’s no Christianity in any of it unless there is pure unadulterated worship of the Lord in Spirit & Truth! If there is no teaching of the word of God led by the anointing of the Holy Spirit then the flock is under-nourished, underfed & over-bloated with meaningless talk of other things which fall outside the category of teaching, exhortation or fellowship. As Bonhoeffer so aptly spoke, “Endless chatter is not true fellowship!”
It’s time for the Body of Christ to get on God’s timetable, on His agenda & on His program. It’s the one that works