Lies, Lies, and More Lies

We’ve heard that Satan is a liar. But how many of his lies do we actually fall for? In this episode, Nik Ripken advises against believing the lie that the Bible is nothing more than a record in past tense of what God used to do. He is still very much active in this world today. God is with us, and His influence matters the most in some of the darkest places.

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Biblical Miracles Today

When it comes to modern-day miracles, this story of a Muslim man struggling to keep his family together is truly inspiring. Desperate for help, he felt that he had nowhere else to turn. After asking for counsel from the spiritualist of his jungle village, the man had a dream where a voice spoke to him. “Find Jesus, and find the Good News,” the voice instructed:

We Westerners knew of three men – believers – out of 17 million people. No families, no women… three people. The Holy Spirit of the Living God took that man from his bed, over the mountain, up the coast, and to the door of one of those three believers.

This dream led the Muslim man to Nik Ripken, an American missionary who could provide answers. After meeting Nik, the Muslim man was thrilled to learn about Christianity. Despite his illiteracy, he returned to the jungle, changed his lifestyle, and rebuilt his family.

God is Still With Us

Nik reminds our audience that God is still with us! He maintains that we have to look for his miracles in the most unexpected places. He encourages us to fulfill the Great Commission and travel to lost nations, where we can often find evidence of God’s power:

If you want to see the miracles of God, such as the ones that are in the Bible, you might have to get in a bus, a car, or an airplane and go where God’s doing those miracles. Why would God need to do overt miracles in the midst of a church that has full access to the Kingdom of God?

Nik claims that America is experiencing a cultural problem of “Jesus Plus,” wanting both Jesus and a luxurious lifestyle with success and wealth.

While our faith tells us that God is a very real part of our lives, we can fall away from Him if we focus too much on materialism. When we no longer see a wealthy lifestyle as a blessing from God but as something we deserve, we may end up abandoning biblical principles.

What Do Muslims Believe About Jesus?

Muslims believe that Jesus is one of the most important and revered prophets of God. He is an integral part of Islamic history and literature, with many stories about His life found in different texts. However, there are some significant differences between Islam and Christianity when it comes to understanding His life story.

According to Nik, Muslims often decide to make a spiritual pilgrimage in search of answers:

Muslims will go to one, two, and three countries until… if they are literate, they’ll find the book. Muslims will read it three to five times before they say “Yes” to Jesus. It will take them 30 or 40 encounters with people like you and myself. They’ll get a story here, a story there, and it’s a great day when they find the Jesus film in their language.

For many followers of the Islamic faith, conversion to Christianity is often seen as an act of betrayal and apostasy. Nik suggests that Muslims often convert to Christianity after claiming to have met Christ in their dreams or visions.

How Can We Know God?

The Bible serves as one of the primary guides for Christians looking to better understand God’s will. Studying biblical stories provides believers with examples on how we should live out our faith. But how can Muslims know God, especially when they may be illiterate or trained in Islam?

Many find it challenging to know how to experience Him in a connected way:

They’re saying, “No, how can I understand if I have no one to explain these things to us?” That’s why God is leading them to folks like us. We’re connecting them with believers in their culture that they had no way of knowing they were there.

Missionaries like Nik Ripken work with Muslim-background believers in their own cultural contexts. Doing so helps them to understand and embrace Christianity while maintaining their native culture.

Nik also connects these new believers with other Christians in their communities. This gives them a support network as they grow stronger in faith.