Years ago, I had a dream that I was standing in a desert with my hands tied behind my back. I was in a long line of fellow Christian men, all with their hands tied behind their backs, and men with machine guns stood on either side of the line in case anyone tried to run. We had been captured by Islamic terrorists because of our faith in Christ.
We were being led up to a small makeshift wooden stage in the middle of nowhere, where, one by one, men were being executed. I stood in line, completely helpless. I knew I was about to die. If I ran, I would be gunned down. So I waited my turn. I watched the friend in front of me die, and I clearly remember that moment.
“Would you still choose to follow me?”
I woke up with my heart racing. It felt like a memory, not a dream. And I felt the Lord ask me in that moment, “If it came to this, would you still choose to follow me?”
I answered like Peter: “Lord, to whom would I go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
I made a decision that day: no matter where following Christ leads, it is the only life for me. Since that dream, I no longer have any romantic ideas about martyrdom, and I certainly hope and pray it never comes to that. But if it did, I’ve already made the decision in my heart. There is no going back.
I’m not saying the dream was prophetic or a prediction of what will happen. I believe the Lord simply didn’t want me to commit to Him without understanding the potential cost. We were never promised freedom from persecution. He wanted me to know what I was signing up for. And with the rise of violence in our society, it’s a decision every believer needs to settle in their heart.
What I didn’t see coming
When I had that dream nearly twenty years ago, I had no idea we would see the rise of radical Islam in the West the way we have. Now we hear chants of “death to the Jews” on college campuses (chants against Christians would come next), along with growing efforts to bring Sharia law into communities in the West.
I believe the church is what is holding back that tide. If we don’t shine a light on the dangers of the ideology of Islam, it will sweep across the land like wildfire. And I believe that after the rapture, Islam will cover the earth and Sharia will become the law of the world, the “peace” the antichrist ushers in.
Love them enough to tell the truth
Don’t get me wrong. None of this is meant to stir up hostility toward Muslims. Christians should never seek to defeat, overthrow, or destroy Muslims. We should seek to rescue them. We should love them. And one of the main ways we love them is by sharing the truth of Jesus: boldly preaching the good news that there is a God who loves them, died for them, and passionately wants a relationship with them that will last for all eternity.
God wants to deliver those deceived by the violent ideology of Islam. But how will He do that if His followers are either too timid to speak the truth about it, or too full of hate for the people trapped in it to want to share the truth at all? We have to be bold, and we have to be full of love.
First, ask God to give you His heart for Muslims, and for the lost in general. Then ask for boldness to speak the truth that rescues this generation.
Lord, show us how. Give us revelation and guidance. Show us how to be Your hands and feet to the world You so desperately love.
