Mission Act 1:8 ~ Day 42

Tuesday May 12, 2015, we had planned to do an extended area of Scottsville along Oribi Road, then King Edward Avenue, then . . . only for our LORD God to have the final say in ordering our steps. Marius and Gary had set out this morning and soon realised that GOD answers prayers, but HE accomplishes ALL according to HIS good will and pleasure as HE deems fit. We are reminded:

9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. ~ Proverb 16:9

We had parked opposite the Scottsville Clinic in a vacant parking lot and whilst walking along Oribi Road – our intention was to turn about at the traffic light at the intersection of Jesmond Road and retrace our steps in the direction we had come on the opposite of the road. We neared the intended ‘round-about turn’ when we saw some workers alongside the road. There was a truck parked on the grass area next to the road when Marius motioned to Gary to go and tract the driver sitting in the lorry. On approaching him, Gary saw he was reading the Qu’ran in Arabic. This African man, we quickly learned from our introduction, was a Malawian Muslim named Osten. He asked what we where doing and so the conversation commenced.

 

All praise be to the One and Only True and Living God Jesus Christ. As is customary with Muslims when trying to have a dialogue they like to “but-in” and change the way the conversation is going to suite themselves, and this was no different with Osten. It is a spiritual war that takes place against the Truth! So Gary firmly stated that he knew Osten’s intentions and that this is nothing new from the conversations we have had in the past with Muslims. So Gary firmly stated that Osten needs to listen and listen well and we were going to show him what the Qu’ran that he was reading teaches and says about Allah. The Holy Spirit was moving this conversation and Gary found himself taking out his Blackberry and under his “MemoPad” he opened the same to some notes he had copied some time ago, titled: “Allah – The Greatest Deceiver of them All” and started reading the notes. Osten tried to “but-in”, but Gary firmly asked him to listen what the Qu’ran says about his Allah. The Arabic words were pronounced for Osten to hear, like Makr which is “Deceiver”, so he was getting it firsthand in the language he was reading when our LORD YHVH had Gary approach Osten. This is what was read to him:

Sam Shamoun

The Quran describes Allah as the best deceiver there is, a liar who is not above using the same evil and wicked schemes of his opponents.

For example, the Quran calls Allah a makr, in fact the best makr there is:

But they (the Jews) were deceptive, and Allah was deceptive, for Allah is the best of deceivers (Wamakaroo wamakara Allahu waAllahu khayru al-makireena)! S. 3:54; cf. 8:30

Other texts that identify Allah as a makr include:

Are they then secure from Allah’s deception (makra Allahi)? None deemeth himself secure from Allah’s deception (makra Allahi) save folk that perish. S. 7:99

So they schemed a scheme: and We schemed a scheme (Wamakaroo makran wamakarna makran), while they perceived not. S. 27:50

The word for deception/deceiver/scheme is makr. The lexical sources define the term as:

Miim-Kaf-Ra = To practice deceit or guile or circumvention, practice evasion or elusion, to plot, to exercise art or craft or cunning, act with policy, practice stratagem.

makara vb. (1)

perf. act. 3:54, 3:54, 7:123, 13:42, 14:46, 16:26, 16:45, 27:50, 40:45, 71:22 impf. act. 6:123, 6:123, 6:124, 8:30, 8:30, 8:30, 10:21, 12:102, 16:127, 27:70, 35:10 n.vb. 7:99, 7:99, 7:123, 10:21, 10:21, 12:31, 13:33, 13:42, 14:46, 14:46, 14:46, 27:50, 27:50, 27:51, 34:33, 35:10, 35:43, 35:43, 71:22 pcple. act. 3:54, 8:30

LL, V7, p: 256 (Source)

And:

He practised DECEIT, GUILE, or CIRCUMVENTION, desiring to do another a foul, an abominable, or an evil action, clandestinely or without his knowing whence it proceeded. (Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon; source)

Lest Muslims accuse these lexicons of bias or distortion notice what Muslim scholar Dr. Mahmoud M. Ayoub says when he asks,

"how the word makr (scheming or plotting), which implies deceitfulness or dishonesty, could be attributed to God." (The Quran and Its Interpreters – The House of Imran [State University of New York Press [SUNY], Albany 1992], Volume II, p. 165; italic emphasis ours)

After listing several Muslim sources he quotes a renowned Muslim expositor named ar-Razi who wrote that,

"scheming (makr) is actually an act of deception aiming at causing evil. It is not possible to attribute deception to God. Thus the word is one of the muttashabihat [multivalent words of the Quran]." (Ibid., p. 166; italic emphasis ours)

Unfortunately for ar-Razi, the Quran attributes deception to Allah since it identifies him as the best makr there is.

Ayoub also sources one Muslim who actually boasted of Allah being the best conniver/deceiver/schemer etc.,

"Qurtubi observes that some scholars have considered the words ‘best of schemers’ to be one of God’s beautiful names. Thus one would pray, ‘O Best of Schemers, scheme for me!’ Qurtubi also reports that the Prophet used to pray, ‘O God, scheme for me, and do not scheme against me!’ (Qurtubi, IV, pp. 98-99; cf. Zamakhshari, I, p. 366)." (Ibid., p. 166)

And here, also, is how one of the earliest sources on the life of Muhammad interpreted Q. 8:30:

Then he reminds the apostle of His favour towards him when the people plotted against him ‘to kill him, or to wound him, or to drive him out; and they plotted and God plotted, and is the best of plotters.’ i.e. I DECEIVED them with My firm GUILE so that I delivered you from them. (The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, with introduction and notes by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi, Tenth impression 1995], p. 323; capital emphasis ours)

Thus, the Quran unashamedly calls Muhammad’s god the best liar and deceiver of them all! It even dares to say that ALL deception belongs completely to Allah:

And verily, those before them did deceive/scheme (makara), but all deception/scheming is Allah’s (falillahi al-makru). He knows what every person earns, and the disbelievers will know who gets the good end. S. 13:42

[The document continues, but this is where Gary ended his reading . . . ]

Whilst this was taking place, a Sotho worker drew-near and had asked for a booklet in his mother tongue, but we had no Sesotho tracts on us today. From the manner of this worker speaking to his “supervisor” in the name of Molimo (God in Sesotho) it was as if he was berating the Muslim man as the tone of their conversation was getting heated and louder. Then Osten came back to the conversation with Gary. We then concluded the conversation with Gary exalting our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by saying in part [for the list has been expanded upon for this report]:

 

– Jesus Christ healed the blind (Matthew 11:5; 12:22; 15:30; 21:14; Luke 7:22). Mohammed made men blind;

– Jesus Christ healed the deaf (Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:32,37; 9:25; Luke 7:22). Mohammed made men deaf;

– Jesus Christ healed the lame (Matthew 11:5; 15:30,31; 21:14; Luke 7:22). Mohammed made men lame;

– Jesus Christ raised dead men to life (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22), like calling out to Lazarus who was four days dead, “Lazarus come forth!” (John 11:43). Mohammed killed living men and made them dead. This practice is still continued to this day by Mohammedeans who follow his jihad teachings;

– Jesus Christ walked on water (Matthew 14:26,27). Mohammed could not;

– Jesus Christ performed many miracles (John 11:47; 12:37; 21:25). Mohammed performed none;

– Jesus Christ NEVER sinned or performed fornication. Mohammed did and he had a harem of women and even had sex with a nine year old – do you have children? Would you let a grown man have sex with your nine year old daughter? And Mohammed encouraged paedophilia!!

– Jesus Christ is sinless perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21). Mohammed was sinful and reprobate.

– Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God manifest in human form (John 1:1,14, 49; 6:69; 8:58; 10:36; 20:28,29; Philippians 2:10,11; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8,9; 1 John 5:7). Mohammed was a false prophet.

– Jesus Christ died and took up His life again and lives for ever (Matthew 28:6,7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6; John 10:17; 19:30; 21:14). Mohammed died and has rotted in the grave and hell.

– Jesus Christ will return in great glory (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; Act 1:11). Mohammed will not.

– Jesus Christ will sit on His Throne and judge every nation, tribe and tongue (Philippians 2:10,11; Revelation 20:12). Mohammed will kneel before Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as King of kings and Lord of lords and YHVH GOD above all gods.

 

Near closure of our conversation Osten then started asking us in broken English whether we have only one Bible. We were understanding him to be making reference to many translations so we told him that Islam also has the Qu’ran, the Hadith, and many other “scholarly” writings. He tried to explain this away, but referred again whether we only had “one” Bible! We then said yes, we agree that the King James Bible is the Word of God, and then we realised he was trying to ascertain whether we had “other” Bibles on us. At first Gary said “no”, but then was reminded by the Spirit of God of a teaching KJB New Testament in his rug-sack. On taking it out, Gary queried: “Do you promise if I give this to you you will read it?” He agreed and was happy to receive it, opening up at the Book of Matthew he said: “Yes this is what I want!” He was so happy to pose for a photo that he happily “embraced” the cross. He thanked us, and even Osten’s Sotho colleague who was now sitting in the passenger seat in the truck’s cab was all smiles! Please pray for Osten that God will speak to him through His Word – The Holy Bible!. We know:

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ~ Romans 10:17

Please pray for Osten’s salvation and that he will grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Returning back down Oribi Road, whilst placing Gospel tracts in the post boxes on the opposite side of the road, we beckoned an old Zulu man named Michael Radebe who was cleaning the garden to come receive some Good News literature. We gave him an isiZulu tract when he asked us where the envelope is for money. We told him that we are giving the material away for free – for mahala! Michael insisted on asking for the envelope, then he said we must wait and he went indoors. He returned later and gave us a “widow’s mite” – a R2 coin. We sincerely said to him that he needs the money more than we do and we are not doing this for money. He then said it is for God’s work – shumela – and not wanting to cause offense for him being a cheerful giver we humbly received his blessing! Let me tell you – Michael certainly gave more out of his poverty for the work of our LORD than many rich Christians give out of their wealth in the Church for the true work of evangelising the lost!!! [Not the prosperity gospel!!!]

 

Our next stop after tracting Oribi Road was the Scottsville Clinic. After consulting with security and asking who the head of the clinic was, Gary was shown to Matron Cheryl Sayago. We spoke about the reason why we were there and wanted to know if we could preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the patients in the general waiting room. GOD opened a door and permission was granted. Gary also found out that Cheryl was a Roman Catholic that also attends at the NCF (New Covenant Fellowship) church. She says she holds to her roots and attends other churches. It was made known to her of certain heresies that the RCC teach, and whilst she was listening and saying she still holds to her RCC upbringing one of her colleagues, an African Nursing Sister named Asanda Mfubu was in agreement with what was being said and was showing a boldness to disagree with her “superior’s” view points. This could well be one of the reasons GOD brought us into the clinic. However, the preaching of the Gospel went forth in the Scottsville Clinic’s waiting-room. The three part videos (in total +30 minutes) can be viewed hereunder.

 

Christian Brethren, please do keep every soul in your prayers. Saved, unsaved and them thinking they are saved!

 

The day’s route was: Oribi Road from Scottsville Clinic to Jesmond Road and back to Scottsville Clinic.

 

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

 

We are truly thankful for God’s Divine leading:

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! ~ Romans 10:14,15

Soli Deo Gloria!