Islamic Terrorism and Muslim Terrorists: A Prayer Guide for Christians

I'm writing this to help Christians in America think how to pray about terrorism and how to pray for terrorists.

Terrorism

Simply put, the terrorism we are experiencing in the world today is designed to create fear in the hearts of people. And many are afraid of terrorism. The threat is real. There are people in the world who are investing great resources into planning and executing acts of violence on a mass scale.

Terrorism also causes confusion. People ask why would anybody want to use acts of terror? There are a lot of different answers people give to that question. Sorting through all the possible answers is confusing.

These are the two hallmarks of terrorism: fear and confusion.

Those who use terror as a weapon understand that when a whole society is thrown into fear and confusion then the terrorists are able to advance their cause.

Terrorism is a great evil. It is the fruit of spiritual darkness which has its roots in the sinful nature of humanity. Islamic terrorism is the fruit of the spiritual darkness of Islam.

Islam denies that Jesus is God and Islam denies that Jesus was crucified and risen from the dead. The Bible calls this denial of the person and work of Jesus Christ the spirit of the antichrist.

Of course, Islam is not the only ideology that denies who Jesus Christ is, but the point is that as we look at Islamic terrorism we must be fully aware of the fact that Islam is diametrically opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This will help us as Christians understand the spiritual realities of what we are dealing with when we talk about Islamic terrorism.

Terrorists

Muslims are those who follow the teachings of Mohammed, the founder of Islam. For the Muslim who is serious about his beliefs, the life and teachings of Mohammed are the example to follow. Muslim terrorists justify their acts of terror with specific examples from the life and teaching of Mohammed. Muslim terrorists are simply following an ideology which promotes spiritual through fear and confusion.

State and Church

So how should the Christian pray about Islamic terrorism and pray for Muslim terrorists?

Before I answer that question, I want to mention something about the distinction between the role of government and the role of the church, the body of Christ.

This is the context in which I want to answer the question, how should the Christian pray about Islamic terrorism and for Muslim terrorists?

It is good and right for the government to pursue justice against those who plan or commit acts of terrorism. Government is the God ordained institution which bears the sword for the purpose of justice.

The Church has not been given the responsibility to bear the sword. I believe the Church should indeed be a voice to the government as the institution, in part, to hold the government accountable for living up to its God given responsibility. The Church itself, however, does not bear the sword.

Christians should be involved in government. When Christians participate in pursuing justice by the use of the sword, they are doing so as agents of the government. Their actions, whether in the military or law enforcement, are acts of justice.

But the actions of the military and law enforcement do not represent the fullness of response to terrorism which God expects of the Church.

In other words, if the body of Christ responds to Islamic terrorism by only participating in the actions of the government, then the Church is failing in its God given responsibility to be salt and light at this time in history when Islam is the great challenge to the entire world.

Prayer

So what can Christians do? How can the Church respond? What is the role of the body of Christ? The answer is to pray. Every Christian can pray. Some can do more, but everyone can pray.

So how should the Christian pray about Islamic terrorism and pray for Muslim terrorists?

Here are some answers.

ONE
Since the government has the responsibility to bear the sword, we should pray that God would grant success in pursing justice by tracking down and catching terrorists. This is dangerous business, both physically and spiritually. So let us pray for those risking their lives and those working hard behind the scenes to promote justice against evil doers.

TWO
Since Islamic terrorism is designed to cause fear and confusion, we should pray that God will give us peace and wisdom.

There is no reason why any follower of Christ should be captivated by fear. And there is no reason why any Christian should be confused about the fact that Islam is a spiritually dark ideology which is of the spirit of the antichrist.

As non-Christians are thrown into fear and confusion as a result of Islamic terrorism, Christians have the opportunity to allow God to give us peace and wisdom. The peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ is beyond human understanding and is therefore a powerful witness to non- Christians.

We must seek God through prayer and Bible study for this peace and wisdom in our hearts and minds in response to Islamic terrorism.

THREE
Since Muslim terrorists are trapped in spiritual darkness, we should pray that God will open their hearts and minds to truth and light.

How many Christians in America have prayed for Osama bin Laden and other Muslim terrorists? I don't know.

The Changed Hearts of Terrorists

The New Testament tells about a terrorist called Saul of Tarsus. He was planning and committing acts of terror against Christians. He deliberately sought out the Christians to kill them. And what happened to Saul of Tarsus?

He met Jesus Christ and was dramatically changed!

We know him as the great Apostle Paul. He went on to establish many churches and wrote many of the books in the New Testament.

I personally know a number of former Muslims who fought for the Islamic cause. They, and many others in our generation, are now our brothers and sisters in Christ!

I've also met many Muslims who are working hard to oppose the gospel of Christ and I've been able to tell them something about Christ that they didn't know. I believe that God's word given to them now can bear fruit years later.

God is in the business of changing peoples hearts. The Holy Spirit draws people to Jesus Christ. Their hearts and minds are opened to the truth and light by the grace of God.

The terrorists, blinded to the truth and planning evil deeds of violence, are those who can be transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God's own Son!

This is not the role of the government – they can't do these things. It is up to us as the body of Christ to pray about terrorism and for the Muslim terrorists.

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