Christ Centred Mission
By Beth Peltola
Christ centred Mission among Western Missionaries to Islamic lands is a surprisingly controversial topic. Historically Christians held Christ close and proclaimed Him clearly to nations who denied His divinity. But trends in the late 1990s and early 2000s produced an obscure Jesus for the Muslim world. That trend is fading, and a clear and true presentation of Jesus is more prevalent, and yet, still some Christian institutions prefer an obscure Jesus and a hidden Church.
At the One Truth Project we join with the historical Church to proclaim Christ as our true and only Saviour. He is the escape from bondage, the one who is calling all Muslims out of Islam into His eternal family…
We proclaim that Christ is the Saviour of us all.
For years I worked on a mission team who openly and freely met with Muslim missionaries to the UK to discuss Christianity and Islam. I use the word ‘discuss’ lightly, because conversations with passionate people from Arabia, North Africa and parts of Asia would be deemed ‘aggressive’ ‘loud’ ‘obnoxious’ to many in Church circles made up of mono-cultural and average to upper level income people. For the rest of us - the majority of the world - such discussions are normative and provide a freedom to dig deep into the issues of life that matter most.
Discussions usually came down to ‘Who is Jesus?’, ‘What is the Trinity?’, and ‘Is the Bible a reliable portrayal of history?’ Those years of discussions with Muslim missionaries were exciting and informative. My knowledge of Islam accelerated simply due to those weekly interactions with some of the most Islamicly literate clerics on planet earth! That said, many other clerics and Islamic leaders would disregard their ideas and rhetoric, especially those advising British governments, and those who belong to government cabinet circles. Yet the arguments of the Moderate Muslim would struggle to cut through the toughened arguments of the street-savvy Islamic missionary to the West.
For the Christian involved in those interactions it became apparent to truly know Christ and be purposeful in proclaiming the beauty of the Holy Trinity. To know our Heavenly Father, His love, the gift of His Son Jesus, and the indwelling power and prompting of the Holy Spirit, had to be front and centre in the hearts and minds of those who engaged well-informed Muslims.
When crowds of Muslim missionaries surround an unsuspecting Christian in an exchange of ideas, those with wishy-washy ideas and a lack of conviction of who the Christ is, will struggle to stand firm on the grounding and security of the Gospel. That wonderful Good News declared by Jesus the moment Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), and preached through every age since, to lead people to salvation, (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
“…from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
(2 Timothy 3:15)
That ‘Holy Scripture’ refers to the Old Testament testimony of Christ and His work through the ages, interacting with, and saving people across the nations. Check out our short Course on Jesus through the Scriptures, coming very soon!
Having a clear vision of Christ the saviour, Christ the rescuer of broken hearts, the healer of weary souls and broken lives (Isaiah 61:1-3), steadies us when we must present a clear explanation of what the Bible teaches and what every true Christ-follower believes (1 Peter 3:15):
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you”
(1 Peter 3:15, NKJV
This same Christ must be apparent when we live among peoples who know nothing of the Saviour. I recall the weeping of a Muslim friend over family trauma and her loss of hope. Allah could not abide with her and minister to her deepest heart-needs. Jesus however, was waiting nearby for her cry of help. I asked my friend if I could pray for her in the name of Jesus. To which she agreed. As we lifted her burden up to the Father, in the name of His Son and through the Power of the Holy Spirit, we knew the Lord was with us in that room. The Holy Spirit would not have made her holy yet, as she had not put her trust in Jesus, but the Holy Spirit is dwelling in me, just like every other child of our Heavenly Father. I had heard the prompting of the quiet voice of God’s Spirit, “pray to the Trinity”. I knew my friend’s religion adamantly denied the Trinity, and presented a God I do not recognise. It meant from my perspective I would pray in a way she might not understand, and yet, the Holy Spirit knows the hearts and minds and needs of people who cry out for help, when we don’t entirely understand, and so I prayer to the Trinity.
In that moment we knew the Heavenly Father heard us, loved us, and was calling us to trust Him. The reality of the presence of Christ was tangible as we acknowledged His presence in that room. The Holy Spirit was working to help us both connect to the Living God, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In recent years I cannot hide the good news of Jesus. How can we water down the only hope and remedy we have from the world’s current catastrophic rumours of wars, poverty, and anxiety.
Missions is empty and useless without the goodness of Christ, which makes us ‘wise for salvation’ when we trust Him. My Muslim friends won’t be saved without a deep and wonderful relationship with the Christ. Nor will we. A ‘Christian’ who does not live and speak in the light of Christ becomes a clanging gong, a loud noise that disturbs and leads to death. While a Christian whose life and speech breaths out the beauty of Christ, becomes part of the solution to heal the brokenness permeating the world’s generations.
Christ Centred Missions has one outcome, and one result - eternal life given to many. It may not be perceived in the life-time of the Christ centred Christian, but it will have eternal value. This we can be sure of, as the Christ delights in and gives hope through the life and speech of all who love Him…
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
(Isaiah 58:11-12)
Every month the One Truth Team reads through these verses, and asks our Lord Jesus to guide our minds and actions, as we seek to serve the nations. Our prayer is this “Oh Lord be the centre and guide of every action, every resource, every word.” Oh I am sure we will not always get it right, but our hearts desire is to always remain part of Christ-Centred Mission to a world which simply needs the wisdom for salvation, found only by trusting and proclaiming the Lord Jesus as God, Saviour and Friend.
If you have any questions about trusting and following the Lord Jesus Christ, please do not hesitate to contact us.
