No special photo, but once again a bit about KFC – not Kenya, but Kentucky Fried Chicken – is included in this week’s Prayer Update! This is not what I had planned to share today, but Jack asked a question last night that led to a detour. His question: “Have you thought of including something in your Ramadan Prayer Nudges about the faithfulness of the early Muslim Arab traders? They not only brought their wares to East Africa centuries ago, they also brought and established their faith!”
As we talked, I remembered a review (1) of the new KFC in a local paper last Sunday. Complimenting the new restaurant, the writer shared a quote from the store manager: “We have done no advertising apart from the signage by the road (the huge rotating basket of chicken) … But (since opening) there has been a queue … It’s the special taste that people talk about.”
Now a few questions in today’s detour: What if our Christian witness, through our lifestyle and our planned times of sharing our faith, was as affective/ effective as the faith sharing of the early traders to East Africa? What if our Christian witness was as impressive/notable as many find KFC experiences? What if when we are scattered, running about our daily lives or when we move to new places, situations, jobs, etc., we imitate the early Christians “scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1) and other parts of the world (Acts 11:19-20)? What if we “preached the word wherever (we) went” (8:4)? What if we told “the good news about the Lord Jesus” (11:20) to ALL we meet in our life journey? What if we act like we “are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)? Would people note our “special taste” and talk about us and our faith? I believe the answers are found in Acts 11:21, “The Lord’s hand was with them , and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”
Sorry, I’m not trying to preach/ teach today! Preparing the 2011 PRAYER NUDGES FROM EAST AFRICA (2) during Ramadan has required much research on other faiths and as I read and learned, I have being challenged to look at my own life and how I live my faith. One thing that I discovered this week was a website with easy to understand answers to questions Christians may ask about Islam (3). It was the ATTACHMENT that one can download at Islamic Articles/ Ramada Schedules (4) that led to my re-evaluating my own commitment (click at bottom left of Excel page for separate pages on Commitment, Planning and Time Table) as a Christian to prayer, reading/studying/memorizing God’s Word, worship, time with other Believers, and on and on!
Some of you may also want to view Loving Muslims (5) which includes lots of stories, resources, prayer nudges, etc., for Christians who want to learn how to pray for and share their faith with those of other cultures who do lack the assurance of salvation that we have! I know that with recent world events many Christians may not want to “love” those of some faiths, but as I shared in the August 22nd Prayer Nudge, one of the ways that I have challenged (taught, rebuked, corrected) this month is God’s Word linking loving my neighbor as myself (Luke 10:25-27) with my ability to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)!
If you have made it through this entire longish Prayer Update – I think you have lots of ideas of how to pray for and with us! Pray that we and other Christians will “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that (we) have … with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 – CLICK here for today’s Prayer Nudge and more). Pray that we will be affective/effective sharers of our Good News and that those who are not Believers will note that we“are the salt of the earth” and want to talk about our faith! BERT YATES
(1) The Kentucky Fried Chicken Kenyans are Queuing up for – http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/lifestyle/The+Kentucky+fried+chicken+Kenyans+are+queuing+up+for/-/1214/1222276/-/121w74x/-/index.html
(2) This month’s PRAYER NUDGES found at:
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150148173250130.351345.685050129&l=47f55a92ab&type=1
(3) Information on Islam – http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/Islam.htm
(4) Islamic Articles/ Ramada Schedules – http://www.jannah.org/ramadan/ramadanplan.html
(5) Loving Muslims – http://www.lovingmuslims.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment