Religious Lostness Is Still Lostness!

My heart is sad this morning, friends.  I just spent three hours last night trying to win my Baha’i friend to Christ.  He is a local professional who is a leader in the movement.  His religious zeal is unquestionable.  He is in the middle of a nineteen-day fast (nothing to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset, not even a stick of gum).  We had supper together (after sunset) and talked about Christianity and Baha’i for the entire time.

If you know little about the Baha’i religion, you might go here.  One website defined Baha’i as “A sect of Islam evolving into a major independent religion with approximately five million believers worldwide. Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Bahá‘u’lláh and others are viewed as a succession of divine messengers. A 19th century Persian teacher, the Báb, (or “Gate”) predicted Bahá’u’lláh’s coming. Baha’i advocates a new global order of sexual equality, a one-world economic system to eliminate poverty, and a one-world religion.” (Watchman Fellowship).

My friend — let’s call him Michael — is thoroughly immersed in his religion.  I’ve never met a Christian more dedicated to his belief system.  No amount of evidence will convince Michael that he is following a false prophet — Bahá‘u’lláh — and, consequently, has the wrong view of Jesus Christ.  And that saddens me.

Baha’i wants to unite all the religions of the world, to put an end to religious fighting and killing, to establish a New World Order.  Michael admitted that he does not see Jesus as God manifest in the flesh, but simply as a manifestation of God (like Buddha, Muhammad, etc.).  There are thousands of ancient manuscripts which the Baha’i consider their authority, the Bible being only one among many sources.

Michael said that Baha’i parents do not teach their children that they are born sinners, but emphasize their nobility as made in the image of God.  I asked, “If you don’t talk about sin, then why would any of us need a Savior?”  He did not hesitate to state, “Jesus is my Savior!”  But when we began to define our terms, we were not in agreement on the gospel.

Three takeaways from my time with my Baha’i friend:

(1) We Christians must, absolutely must, spend time with people of other religious faiths.  They need our Savior!

(2) We Christians must know our Bibles and our doctrine so that we can show the other person the differences and why they matter.

(3) We Christians must get out into the world of lost people and share the gospel as best we can.

Would you pray for my friend Michael this morning?  And for my heart which is broken over his lostness?