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Religion Question
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name and Number
Instructor's Name
Assignment Due Date
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Application of CQ
1. CQ drive
My primary motivation for sharing God's story with Haneen is guided by the scripture,
which urges Christians to share the Gospel with every creature on earth. Matthew 16: 15-16 says
that "He [Jesus] said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He
who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned." As
Christian, we are tasked with this same mission; to go out into the world and make disciples for
Christ. Sharing the word of God gives others a chance to experience his mercies and doings in
our daily lives and turn on Him for guidance and protection in these tempting times.
2. CQ Knowledge
As I interviewed Haneen, I could not help but notice how attentive she was to learn more
about Christianity, even though it was a different religion from hers. She was open to listening to
my side of religion and giving constructive opinions in the process. While interacting with
Haneen, there are few insights I gathered from the experience. It is necessary to appeal to more
than just her politeness or curiosity to reach someone like her with the Gospel truth. Her
community is steeped in tradition, honor, and listening to those in authority, directly submitting
and lowering yourself to their position (including their family members). I would use the same
approach while talking to her about the story of God. I will also pay attention to her culture's
collectivism, kinship family systems, power distance, among others I gathered during my
interaction.
3. CQ Strategy
The Islamic religion is a mystical system because when bad things occur, it is due to that
specific person not living righteously in Islam. For instance, according to Haneen, this happens
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because they are not reading the Quran, praying, or respecting their peers. Therefore, it is
essential to follow the religious beliefs and customs to be good with Allah. Islam teaches that
one must live according to the will and path of Allah to have a chance of receiving blessings and
guidance in daily activities and engagements. In most cases, more so in the current world
situation, it is hard to follow such a spiritual path and mostly accompanied with challenges, but
with a hope for a better tomorrow. I can use the same approach in conjunction with themes such
as the suffering of Jesus in the Bible to establish common grounds for discussion.
4. CQ action
Haneen had various communication skills that I can harness while sharing God's story.
For instance, she maintained direct eye contact while talking and used many hand gestures to
drive her points. I will use the same skills while sharing the Gospel with her. Besides, she always
positively complimented others, a strategy that I will also apply in the conversation (Eckersley,
2017).
Outline of God's Story
The Pattern of the Kingdom:
- Creation
God's story begins with the Creation of the world and humanity. According to the book
of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The story also tells about how
God created man and woman. God saw all that he had made, and it was good." (Genesis 1:31). I
will use this story to explain that God is in charge of all the Creation, a concept that is also
appreciated in the Islamic religion (All, 2012).
The Perished Kingdom:
- Fall/Sin
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After Creation, God told Adam and Eve to rule over the garden; and that they could eat
anything but the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:17). However,
the serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit, which would make her like God according to the
serpent. So Eve ate the fruit and shared it with Adam, and brought sin into the world. As a result,
they were cast out of the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3).
The Promised Kingdom:
- Covenant with Abraham
After Adam and Eve's sin, He required sacrifices to atone for the sins of His people but
promised Abraham he would create a nation from Abraham's descendants and provide land for
them; that he would bless them and, through them, the world. (Genesis 12:1-3) (Roberts, 2012).
- Covenant with David
Abraham's lineage narrows down to David. David was not perfect, but because of his
repentant heart towards God when he sinned, God called him a "man after my own heart" 1
Samuel 13:14. God promised that through David, a king would be born that was even greater
than David himself. (2 Samuel 7:9-16).
The Partial Kingdom:
- Israel
Through the Israelites, God was weaving a salvation story; Salvation by substitution
(shown both at the Passover and in which sacrifices are used as atonement for sin) and salvation
by conquest (Roberts, 2012). Foreshadowed by the Israelite's escape from Pharaoh through the
red sea, and evidenced when Jesus later took power away from death with his sacrifice.
(Colossians 2:15)
The Prophesied Kingdom
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- The message of the Prophets
The Israelites sinned and turned to God for forgiveness on different occasions. God sent
His prophets to guide them and warn them of Judgement, and giving them hope for a better
future. Behold, I will create new heavens and new earth (Roberts, 2012). The former things will
not be remembered...I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.' (Isaiah 65:17-
18). He foretold that while Israel deserved Judgement, He would provide a sacrifice in their
place. I will use this story to show the mercies of God to his people.
The Present Kingdom
- Virgin Birth
God tells Israel that he will send His son to earth. His name will be called Immanuel, and
He will be born of a virgin. This was fulfilled when the virgin Mary was told that she would
become pregnant before marrying her betrothed, Joseph (Isaiah 7).
- Incarnation and Deity (fully God-fully man)
While Jesus was born to a woman, fully human, He was also fully God's son. (Galatians
4:4-5) Born into sin, yet sinless, able to be a perfect sacrifice to restore the relationship between
God and man
- Jesus' Life (person and ministry)
Jesus spent 33 years on earth, preaching and teaching. It was His message that we had all
sinned and could not live up to God's standard (Romans 3:23). He made it clear over and over
that He was, indeed, the prophesied Messiah that was to come to stand in our place. (John 10:36)
He also alluded to the death that He would have to die and that He would then rise from the dead
on the third day. (Matthew 16:21). I will connect this story with that of Prophet Muhammed in
Islam.
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- Jesus' Death
Jesus was taken by the Jewish priests to Pontius Pilate and was sentenced to death for
claiming to be the Son of God. Despite his wife's objections, Pilate agreed, handing over Jesus to
be crucified in place of a prisoner called Barabbas. On the cross, Jesus cried out loud, "My God,
My God, why have you forsaken me?" and breathed his last breath. A soldier pierced his side
with a spear (fulfilling another OT prophecy), and Jesus' body was taken away by His disciples.
(Matthew 27). By dying on the cross, Jesus took our sufferings and the burden of our sins
(Roberts, 2012).
- Resurrection
According to Luke 24, angels appeared to women who went to Jesus' womb, whose stone
had been rolled. The angels told them that He had raised just like he had prophesied that He
would. He then went on to appear to His other disciples. (Luke 24) With his resurrection, he took
away the sting of death and sin and restored the originally intended relationship for Adam and
Eve. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
- Ascension.
Once Jesus had shown Himself to His disciples, He spent time with them, teaching them
about the scriptures that He had fulfilled. The Bible then tells us that in the presence of His
Disciples, Jesus walked to the edge of Bethany and ascended into the Heavens.
The Proclaimed Kingdom:
- The Holy Spirit
On Pentecost, the early Christians were gathered together when the Holy Spirit
descended upon them just as Jesus had promised. The holy spirit not only causes us to be reborn
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in Christ as Christians (much like a spiritual reincarnation) but also helps us spread the good
news of Jesus worldwide. (Acts 2).
- The Church
If we choose to accept Jesus' sacrifice in our place as we cannot pay for our sins
(Ephesians 2:8-9) and God's extension of His grace in taking that sacrifice in our place, then we
become part of His church or family. We become his children. It then becomes our job to show
others that we have been saved from a life of suffering, and they too can be saved.
The Perfected Kingdom
- Christ's Return
The Bible clarifies in the last book that Christ will return to perfect the kingdom
that God created so long ago. He will judge those who refuse to accept His plan of
salvation and defeat Satan once and for all.
Christ's church is urged to stay vigilant and faithful during these trying times, as
Christ will complete God's plan to return to His original plan
- Restoration
In the end, God makes the promise that He will make "the dwelling of God [is] with
men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be their God.' He
will make everything new and finally restore what was supposed to be at Creation. (Revelation
21:3-5) There will indeed be no more suffering on this earth. No pain, fear, or death. Christ will
have made a way to truly achieve something more significant than a Nirvana achieved by man
(Roberts, 2012).
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References
Roberts, V. (2012). God's big picture: Tracing the storyline of the Bible. InterVarsity Press.
All, F. D. (2012). The Big Picture. Genesis, 3, 7-14.
http://scatteredchristians.org/MusicBigPicture.pdf
Eckersley, R. M. (2017). Culture, spirituality, religion, and health: looking at the big
picture. Medical Journal of Australia, 186, S54-S56.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01042.x
