“I Made You Prove You Knew God”
“Do you serve foreign students out of obedience or out of love?” Al–, a young Muslim graduate student asked a question overflowing with significance.
No one knew for sure what would happen as we invested every Friday night through the Fall building relationships with foreign students studying at Portland State. Many students each week crowded into the small church basement across from campus.
In addition, our staff poured hundreds of hours into simple acts of service and friendship: moving students, looking for furniture, cramming the furniture through the world’s smallest halls and doorways, finding an apartment, arranging stays with American host families, pairing up conversation partners or just “hanging out” for an afternoon.
Al– participated in our activities quietly over several months… and watched. On a well chosen Friday night he pulled us aside to pop the question, “…obedience or love?”
In his life’s experience, Al– observed the law of the Koran because he was told to. In his mind, “obedience” was the foundation of Islam, which means “submission”. Love or affection for God has little to do with this. In fact, fear was always his primary motivation when it came to understanding or serving God. Now he confronted the reality of his own worship– empty and meaningless without this aspect of love.
Was it the same with Christians? He wanted to know.
That night we shared the answer. Our service comes out of our love for Jesus. Before that, it flowed first from God’s love for us. Obedience to “love the foreigner in our midst” is the expression of that relationship with Christ and the Father.
“I made you prove you knew God by testing your lives…”. Al– made this new comment more than a year following his question about “obedience.”
Now he is a regular part of the International Student Fellowship meeting in our home. Since arriving at PSU he closely scrutinized many Christians over two years living out their profession to Christ.
Two weeks ago, Al– confided to me, “I now am considering myself a follower of Jesus… I have prayed to ask God for the kind of relationship you have with him… It all started as Al– made the Friday coffeehouse a regular part of his week.
Author Profile: Vic is Oregon and Pacific Northwest Area Director for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, part of the Leadership team of FOCUS at Portland State University, a writer, blogger, usually an INFP (with "E" overtones), a long time resident of urban inner southeast Portland, the husband of one wife for more than 30 years, a Dad, grandfather, and mentor & friend to all kinds of young adults. Read more from this author
