With so many Muslims living right here in our own backyards, how can we reach them with the saving gospel of Christ? Stewart Binns offers are few ideas.
There are many situations in which you can encounter Muslims: they could be work colleagues, neighbours, strangers in the supermarket or diners at your local restaurant. The more strict Muslim women are easy to spot because of their head coverings; detecting the men may require a little more skill. It is easy when the men are with their wives, when they’re visiting a particular area (e.g. halal food shops) or when their language gives them away.
But perhaps you’re wondering how to break the ice and build gospel relationships with them. It’s actually very easy and non-threatening. There are a few rules that make relationships more congenial. Firstly, men should try to speak to men, and women to women (but this rule is not fixed and there are ways to overcome cultural differences). Secondly, you will most probably need to make the first step. I usually start by saying, “Salam, my name is…” Thirdly, remember it is a great honour for a Muslim to have you visit their home. When entering their house, remove your shoes. Don’t worry about making cultural mistakes; just smile and apologize if you happen to cause a problem for them. Be natural and talk about anything on your mind: topics such as family, cultural differences, country living and food are all good conversation-starters.
At the moment, I am trying out a little tract called Camel Tracks written by Kevin Greeson.1 It looks at the part of the Qur’an which is about Jesus (Isa) from Surah Al Imran 3:42-52. In these verses, Jesus is shown to be more than a prophet with special authority from Allah: he speaks from infancy, heals the sick, raises the dead, and even makes a bird out of clay and breathes life into it. He is the Word from Allah, and is called by Muslims ‘Kalimat Allah’ (the word of God). In Surah 3:50, Muslims are called to obey Allah and Jesus. Jesus is now with Allah: he’s the only person to have this position and he decides who will enter paradise. The final aim of the tract is to get Muslims reading passages from the Bible to learn more about Jesus.
It isn’t difficult to give Muslims this tract. It doesn’t cause offence because nearly everything in it is from the Qur’an. To reject the tract is to reject Muslim beliefs. What I then ask them to do is read the booklet and then come back to me with comments. Sometimes I ask them if they would like to know from the Qur’an how they can have eternal life—something they are not sure about in their religion. On the back of the tract I write my email address in case they want to speak to me in secret at their leisure. Of course, they may not want to dialogue with me, but that’s okay. I now have the opportunity to come back to them and ask if they found the tract interesting, and if they have any comments. This then becomes the beginning of a dialogue in which I can introduce Christ’s gospel of salvation.
However, one problem you may experience is that your Muslim contact has been briefed on topics by an Islamic evangelist and scholar called Ahmad Deedat. Deedat has developed many arguments which he thinks debunks Christianity. It’s advisable to get some training to understand Islam and the Muslim mindset. One effective course is Cross and Crescent by Colin Chapman.2 It has a workbook and an accompanying DVD in which Colin covers topics such as relating to Muslims, understanding Islam, entering into discussions and dialogue, facing fundamental issues, and sharing your faith. He presents ways to deal with Muslim questions about Christianity and the authority of the Bible. There are five sessions which can be done individually or in a group. Why not ask your ministry team to run it at your church?
One helpful thing to remember is that you are working in cooperation with God. It is not your job to save; your job is to introduce your Muslim friend to the true Christ. So your behaviour must be an example of Christ’s love. God will prepare the hearts of those he has called, and his Spirit will convict Muslims of the truth; you are just a worker in the harvest.
This is why prayer is an important part of this ministry. Why not join with other members of your church or Bible study group, and pray for opportunities to speak to Muslims about Christ? If you want help in starting up a prayer group, megpartners@gmail.com is happy to help. They have resources which train those who want to pray for Muslims and a free quarterly newsletter for prayer group leaders called MEGazine,which contains book reviews, testimonies, upcoming events and articles on Islam.
Above all, smile and show you are interested in your Muslim contact as a person. Be willing to listen to and learn from them, and be ready to give an account of what you believe. In my experience, most Muslims are gracious people, happy to share themselves and what they believe.
Endnotes
1. You can obtain a copy by sending an email to megpartners@gmail.com. Kevin Greeson has also written a training book on this tract called Camel.↩
2. This is now available from Moore Books.↩
