Bringing Gospel Clarity to a Feelings-First World

The most important question we can ask ourselves about life is, “What do I really believe to be true?”

There’s one thing that’s ultimately true for any belief: it’s not a mental exercise. It’s an action.

You don’t simply believe truth. You live it.

That concept came naturally to Abdu Murray. He grew up Muslim in Detroit, Michigan. In that culture, even Muslims who don’t read the Quran, pray five times a day, or immerse themselves in the traditions of Islam consider their faith part of their identity. It’s who they are.

So, when Abdu met people who said they were Christian, he assumed their beliefs formed the foundation of their worldview. That wasn’t always true. Which was fine by Abdu. Illiterate Christians gave him opportunities to share why he thought Islam was true and why Christianity was false.

Then, one day, Dave and Pete knocked on Abdu’s door. They were going door-to-door, talking to people about Jesus. They got a lot of doors slammed in their faces, but Abdu invited them into his apartment. Over the next few weeks, they developed a friendship of mutual respect and admiration. And Abdu discovered that Dave and Pete lived what they believed.

They helped Abdu piece together a coherent belief system about God that enabled him to open his heart to Christ. For example, Abdu and Dave and Pete all agreed that God is by definition the greatest possible Being. If that’s true, then He would by definition express the greatest possible ethic – love – in the greatest possible way – self-sacrifice.

Then Abdu read John 15:13, which says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” And Romans 5:8, which says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Abdu realized that believing in a God who was truly great required him to believe in the God of the cross. In John 14:6 Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” And in John 18:37 Jesus says that He came into the world “to testify to the truth.”

Many Christians are familiar with 1 Peter 3:15 which says, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” But we can’t miss the next part of that verse which says, “yet do it with gentleness and respect.” It was the respect Abdu felt from his friends Dave and Pete that opened the door for him to discover the heart of God.

The mission of every Christian is to live the truth of Christ and to lovingly communicate the hope found in Him to a world that has redefined truth into something of a dirty word.

Abdu Murray is the senior vice president for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and hosts a radio program and podcast called The Defense Rests. I had a great conversation with him about his incredible salvation story and about how to witness effectively to someone with a worldview that differs from Christianity. You can hear our discussion on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Bringing Gospel Clarity to a Feelings-First World” on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

Abdu Murray is the author of the book Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World. I’d like to offer you a copy for a gift of any amount. Give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459). Or visit our website for more information.

You may also be interested in a free online booklet we’ve written called, “Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God’s Family,” which explains what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.