Ramadan, 2009 - "What Muslims Believe About the Cross"

30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

Ramadan 2009 / 1430: August 22 - September 20

"What Muslims Believe About the Cross"

Saturday, 5 September

"Loving Muslims Through Prayer"

Most Muslims believe that death by crucifixion was not a worthy death for a good prophet like Jesus. Based on the Qur’anic passages, the majority of Muslims in our day say that Jesus never went to the cross. It is commonly thought that He was taken up into heaven without dying and that someone else died on the cross in His place. There are several variations on this theory, but many Muslims say that Judas, the disciple, was actually crucified instead of Jesus. Supposedly he was made to look like Jesus and was crucified as a punishment from God because of his betrayal. Other Muslims believe that Jesus was crucified but He survived and died later or that He survived, then was elevated to heaven and did not die at all.

Prayer Starters:

• Believers in Jesus need to explain Christ’s death and resurrection simply and with much care. Muslims need to understand why the Messiah needed to die and how His resurrection brings us new life.
• Pray especially that Jesus would be increasingly revealed to Muslims as the victorious one who has overcome our sin and guilt, bondage to evil spirits and the horrors of death to bring us salvation.
• Pray for Muslims in your region, country and elsewhere according to:
1. (Luke 24:19-26) "And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"
2. (Acts 3:13-16) "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
• Perhaps you can cut a cross out of material with your kids and encourage them to remember to pray for Muslims today.

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