WHEN WITNESSING TO MUSLIMS ...

WHEN WITNESSING TO MUSLIMS ...

“I stand at the door and knock.”

Contrary to what is often thought, it is possible to lead Muslims to Christ. Christian witness to Muslims needs to take into account the context of Muslim culture and religion. In that sense our witness to Muslims will be different from that to other people. The message is the same, the means of proclaiming it is different.

General principles

1. Prayer. Pray for Muslim friends and acquaintances. We cannot emphasise enough our total dependence on the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

2. Have a specific goal. God wants to use us to make Jesus Christ known to Muslims through the gospel. Our goal should be to make the message understandable and accessible to our Muslim friends.

3. Be open to personal and human contact. We must love Muslims sincerely, manifesting our love through kindness and respect in our relationship with them. Our goal should be to establish a genuine friendship and share our faith in that context. As with all true friendships we need to take time to understand, appreciate and help our Muslim friends.

4. Be patient. While we can speak freely of our faith from the beginning of our relationship with a Muslim, we should keep in mind that most Muslims will need to hear us many times before they even begin to consider believing in Christ. Do not be discouraged by objections.

5. Explain the gospel in a very simple manner. Use words and terms which will be understandable to Muslims. Explain the Christian meaning of terms such as sin, prayer, God, Son of God and faith. These often convey another meaning for Muslims.

6. Give your friend a New Testament or a Bible. Reading these books give Muslims new perspectives on Christianity. Encourage a regular reading of the Gospels in particular.

7. Emphasise God’s perfect holiness. God calls for righteousness. Man is generally unrighteous and in slavery to sinful attitudes. Neither education nor moral teaching can change this situation. Man needs to have a new birth.

8. Speak of God’s interventions in our own lives. Tell of His faithfulness, His love, His justice. Muslims do not understand God as one who gives and keeps promises. Your testimony of a real and active faith is very important.
9. Answer objections with kindness. Do not let yourself be carried away into passionate discussions.

10. Do not be naïve if our Muslim friends express a belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible. In one sense Muslims do believe in Jesus and the Bible; however, their faith is very different from what the Bible teaches us. They do not believe that it is possible to be in a real relationship with God as we believe. Jesus said that eternal life is to know God (John 17:3). It is not just knowing certain things about God, but to know Him personally.

WHEN WITNESSING TO MUSLIMS ...

What should we avoid?

1. Do not attack the person of Mohammed, but do not accept him as a prophet either.

2. Do not criticise the Qur’an.

3. Avoid politically-sensitive subjects and praising Israel.

4. Do not insist on Jesus as being the Son of God. A Muslim will not understand or accept this affirmation. Later, when he has read the Bible or the gospels, you can give him the necessary explanations.

5. Do not enter into discussions about pork and wine. We, as Christians, are sent to proclaim Jesus.

Specific guidelines

1. Initially focus on areas of agreement. In your first contacts with Muslims and even later it is useful to be in agreement as much as possible with Muslims about our common beliefs. They believe that there is one God, the God of Abraham. In Arabic the word used for God is “Allah” (Christian Arabs also use this word for God). Muslims believe that God made the world, that He knows all things, that He is all wise and very powerful. Muslims do not believe in the Trinity. They believe in angels and in prophets such as Abraham, Moses, David, Noah and Jesus. They believe in the last judgment. In a general sense we can agree on these points, without forgetting the differences. Muslims often feel rejected by Westerners. Affirming our common beliefs enables them listen to us with greater understanding and openness.

2. Have a simple and clear way of presenting Christ. For instance, take a passage of the Bible. John 5:24 and Romans 6:23 have been used with good results.

3. Use stories. It is important to tell the stories about the life of Jesus and other men and women mentioned in the Bible. Muslims often use stories in speaking about their own faith. Most Muslims have never had an opportunity to read the Scriptures (many have never fully read their own book, the Qur’an). Learn to use parables, stories and examples from daily life to share your message. In this way your Muslim friends will also retain your words better. It is important to understand their culture, their way of thinking and their historic and religious background. Learning some of their language could be very useful as well.

4. Literature. Keep an assortment of Gospels, the “Jesus” film, cassettes, CDs and DVDs available in various languages.

5. Seek them out. Do not be afraid to visit them in their homes and invite them to your own home. If you invite them for a meal buy your meat in a Muslim butcher shop or serve fish. Do not serve alcoholic beverages to Muslims.

6. Argument. You have little chance of convincing Muslims by reasoned argument. Western logic does not carry the same weight with Muslims and may not even be understood by them. Love your Muslims friends and avoid getting into discussions which push them to defend Islam.

7. The Qur’an. You may read it, but do not necessarily use this as the unique basis of witness. Muslims need to meet the Jesus who is revealed in the Bible. If you reads the Qur’an or visit a mosque it is advisable to pray for God’s protection and understanding (Eph 6:10–18).

8. Men witness to men and women to women. Extended witness across gender lines is discouraged, even by correspondence.

9. Prepare them for their first visit to church. It is advisable to prepare Muslims for their first visit to a Christian church or gathering. You need to explain to them briefly what will happen and what they should and should not do.

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God created us in His image. We can reflect the Trinity by our manner of communicating, by our friendship and our shared love.
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We are not called to fight Islam but to make every effort to make Jesus known!
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WHEN WITNESSING TO MUSLIMS ...

Muslim opposition to Christianity

When you witness to Muslims they will probably raise objections which form the basis of their conviction that the Christian faith is unacceptable for them. Christians need to know about these objections and be prepared to deal with them correctly.

Common problems:

1. The Bible. Muslims believe that the Bible has been altered and corrupted. They will deny its authority because they see it as not being authentic.

2. The Trinity. Muslims believe the Holy Trinity implies a belief in three gods. Many Muslims believe that the Christian Trinity is made up of the Father, Mary (the virgin) and the Son (Jesus).

3. The divinity of Jesus. They believe it is blasphemy to affirm the divinity of Jesus and to give Him the title “Son of God”. Many believe this implies that God had sexual relations with Mary and that a son was born physically through this relationship. (This idea is also unacceptable for Christians.)

4. The cross. Muslims believe it is impossible that God would allow His prophet Jesus to die on the cross. For Muslims, the cross is scandalous and foolish. One should not speak of the cross without speaking of the resurrection. Christ was victorious over sin, death and the devil.

5. Knowing God. Muslims believe that God is the God of Abraham, but also that God will not allow people to draw near to Himself or know Him in the Christian sense.

6. Christians are deceived. Muslims often believe that Christians are deceived and that they have an obligation to lead them to the truth of Islam. For many Muslims, the word “Christian” signifies materialism, a lack of spirituality and moral failure. Because of this they reject many things that come from Western society and which they consider perverted. For Muslims, alcohol consumption, pornography, a liberal lifestyle and a lack of religious practice are sure signs of the failure of Western countries. Muslims associate Christianity with Western culture.

On the other hand, many Muslims do not practice their own religion. They find themselves torn between Islam and Western culture. The relationships between Muslims and Westerners are often very tense. Each has attitudes of suspicion, rejection and feelings of injustice toward the other. In many situations this leads to hatred.

The differences between the two cultures are the cause of many problems and misunderstandings. May God cause Christians to become people who make peace (Matt 5:9).


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