Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1056515
11 22 Scott Klingsmith, PhD Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missiologist in Residence T oday we hear credible reports that more Muslims have turned to Christ in the past 30 years than in the previous 1,300 years. ousands of Muslims have met Christ, many after experiencing a dream or a vision of Jesus appearing to them. Some Christians in the West doubt these reports. ey are convinced that God doesn't, or even shouldn't, reveal Himself in this way. ey argue that the Bible is God's finished revelation, and that missionaries are needed to take the gospel to people who have never had the chance to hear. However, these stories shouldn't surprise us. God is in the business of making Himself known, whether through the Scriptures or through Christian witnesses or through a direct encounter with Jesus. Matthew records just such a situation. We read of the Magi, wise men from Persia, who said to King Herod, "We have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him" (Mt. 2:2). ey didn't have the Hebrew Scriptures to point them to a coming King. ey didn't have specific revelation to tell them to expect a royal birth. Instead they had the evidence of the stars. And based on that evidence they chose to seek Him out. Most of the Muslims coming to Christ are introduced to Him in a dream, but their experience doesn't end there. It's often the beginning of a journey of discovery, not the end. Usually they somehow come in contact with a Bible, which can give them the big picture of the gospel, or they meet a Christian, who tells them more explicitly about Jesus the King and Savior. In this way, they can come to a fuller understanding of who He is and what He has done. ey need to hear about His death on the cross and learn about His resurrection from the dead and His provision of salvation by grace. In the same way, the Magi needed to learn more about the newborn King. ey knew enough to get to Herod's palace, but they needed special revelation to point the way to Bethlehem. ey knew enough to seek Him, but they didn't know who He truly was. ey needed to meet the child Jesus so they could worship Him. Even today God doesn't leave Himself without a witness. His desire is that people from all nations learn to worship Him alone as the true king of the universe. "AFTER JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM IN JUDEA, DURING THE TIME OF KING HEROD, MAGI FROM THE EAST CAME TO JERUSALEM AND ASKED, 'WHERE IS THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN BORN KING OF THE JEWS? WE SAW HIS STAR WHEN IT ROSE AND HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM.'" - MATTHEW 2:1-2 God Still Reveals Himself to the World 6 December