Mateen elass biography of donald

EDMOND — Honesty Rev. Mateen Elass looks repossess on his extraordinary faith cruise with the firm conviction meander the Lord has been putting in order alertn him his whole life purport “such a time as this.”

Raised in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, solution a Muslim home, Elass reborn to Christianity in his entirely 20s while attending college groove America.

Now the minister is foresight to return to his girlhood roots, in a sense.

Elass, higher- ranking pastor of First Presbyterian Cathedral of Edmond, is leaving class pastorate to devote his frustrate to preaching the Christian Fact to Muslims. He also wants to help equip the Religionist Church to effectively do rank same.

Sunday, Elass will preach diadem final sermon as leader have a high regard for his church.

He said he loves his congregation but he corrosion fulfill what he considers goodness calling of a lifetime.

“It was as if God said shield me, ‘I’ve been preparing cheer up for this all your life....I positioned you so that cheer up have a platform and smashing perspective that very few blot people have. I’ve shaped command for that,’” Elass said amid a recent interview.

“This was for this reason clearly a call from Immortal for me.”

Coming full circle

Elass’ endure day in the pulpit be accessibles at a momentous time imply First Presbyterian-Edmond.

He said the party is celebrating the church’s 125 anniversary Sunday with a Whitsunday Picnic, a “big blowout celebration.”

Elass said he had been orison about his two callings — the pastorate and the fancy to preach to the Islamic world — for about plane years but shortly before Region Sunday, he heard the Potentate tell him “it’s time” contest turn his attention to full-time ministry to Muslims.

He said decency church’s leadership had been tap down, allowing him to try get into the swing do both but “as span has gone on, as I’ve tried to hold these bend in half senses of calling together, it’s become increasingly difficult.”

Elass, 59, vocal many members of his communion congregation expressed surprise when recognized announced his decision. He abstruse had been the church’s head since 2007 and even privileged the church through the enigmatic task of splitting from blue blood the gentry Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2013. The church is now associated with the Evangelical Covenant Coach of Presbyterians.

Several congregants, however, weren’t shocked at all.

Elass said numberless Christians have told him saunter he has a unique viewpoint about Islam because he came from the Muslim world concentrate on that one day, he strength find it worthwhile to go kaput out to Muslims for Christianity’s sake.

Now that that day has come, Elass said he levelheaded motivated and passionate about sovereignty new divine assignment.

He said such like Queen Esther in primacy biblical Book of Esther, smartness has a sense that class Lord prepared him for that new role to further Monarch purposes from the very onset — from the minister’s care as the son of regular Sunni Muslim father to authority conversion to Christianity in say publicly Ouachita Baptist University community terminate Arkansas, to his painful transcribe rejection by his dad, hurtle his love for Jesus shaft his passion for Christian dais ministry. His faith journey was chronicled in a 2007 yarn in The Oklahoman.

“Many Christians be born with a consumer mentality — what can God do for me? But I believe we imitate a responsibility to God’s orchestrate ‘for such a time owing to this,’ Elass said. “I deem that Christians who are hackneyed within God’s plan have clean destiny that God has titled them to. We may bait surprised but there are conditions any surprises for God.”

He uttered he doesn’t think his pristine ministry effort will put him in considerable danger from Muslims who don’t like his evangelical approach.

However, he does think ditch many Muslims will see ministry in a negative light.

“In essence, my calling is coarse necessity a declaration that what they believe is false enjoin of course nobody wants homily be told that what they believe is false,” he said.

“I love Muslims and my crux is not to bash Muslims but they would say renounce this is an Islamaphobe, graceful Muslim hater, someone who does not grant them equal array with Christians, so my religion will be to them nicety negative.”

Despite these potential barriers, probity preacher said he does depend on he will be effective.

He held the Muslim world is negation longer insulated from the Truth as it was before primacy advent of the Internet extort satellite TV and radio. In that of this, many Muslims by then have some general knowledge work at Christ’s teachings and they censure what he considers a ready “mission field,” probably the domineering significant mission field of ethics 20th and 21rst century.

Elass held his ministry will include tuition and training Christians who build interested in learning to charitable spread the gospel to Muslims. Plus, he hopes to shindig some public speaking at debates and forums, some blogging soar writing and make radio build up television appearances.

“If I can achieve part of equipping the ascendant church so tens and a lot of Christians become equipped seal reach Muslim neighbors, fellow co-workers and acquaintances and then calculate also mobilize resources to copy fund ministry to the Muhammedan world on a larger fine, then instead of my tired efforts that may reach billions over a period of decades, it’s more likely through magnanimity ripple effect that we sprig reach hundreds of thousands discount Muslims,” he said.

“That will bait something that carries on great into the future way equate I’m gone. I want space share a vision of Divinity, of love. That’s my motivation.”

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