During the month of March, almost 2 billion Muslims (24% of the world’s population) are observing Ramadan, one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. For about 30 days, Muslims will seek the favor and reward of Allah through their merits including the daily reading of the Quran, prayer, offerings, and fasting from sunrise to sunset. For Christ-followers, Ramadan provides a great conversational starter as we seek to befriend our Muslim neighbors and lead them into a biblical understanding of the true Jesus, the Son of God.
Having lived in an Islamic country for almost six years now, I thought it might be helpful if I shared a few lessons learned when it comes to making friends and sharing the gospel with my Muslim neighbors. Admittedly, I’m a bit of slow learner, but by God’s grace I’ve gained some new perspective in regards to the timing and approach when seeking meaningful discussions.
The first lesson learned pertained to the amount of time it was going to take to build true friendships with my Muslim neighbors. I knew that most Muslims are taught from an early age to distrust the Bible but what I didn’t know is that many have an underlying distrust of those who believe and follow it. It became evident that gaining the trust of my new friends was going to take more time than I anticipated. But by exercising patience and sacrificial acts of hospitality, kindness, and compassion, the theological discussion would eventually come.
Another lesson I learned had to do with the approach I was using when having those deeper theological conversations. Rather than going straight to Bible verses or challenging their beliefs about Muhammad or the Quran, it was more effective when we first identified some common ground in our beliefs. This approach lowered defenses and allowed more openness to them hearing what I had to say.
One commonality found in the Bible and Quran is the necessity of “qurban” (sacrif
ice) as a covering for a person’s sins. The idea that we cannot save ourselves is a fundamental teaching in both faiths. By agreeing that we all rely on God to save us, deeper discussion can then be held on exactly how He goes about it. This particular commonality is especially effective during Ramadan when Muslims are more focused on their short-comings and need for God’s mercy.
While I still have much to learn when it comes to building friendships and sharing Jesus with Muslim neighbors, my encouragement to you is to first be mindful of the amount of time necessary to gain the person’s trust. Then, when the Holy Spirit gives you the green light for deeper theological discussions with them, use an approach that builds bridges rather than burns them. You can then share the Good News of Jesus while resting in the fact that it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict the person of their sin and wrong beliefs.
The Bible is clear that God the Father desires that all Muslims would repent and put their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Since this is the Father’s will, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to use our words and loving actions to soften the person’s heart and draw them back to the true God and Savior. Who knows, by God’s grace you may end up getting to call this person your brother or sister in Christ and standing with them giving praise and worship to King Jesus! What a glorious day that would be! Amen?
For information on how you can play a part in getting the Good News of Jesus to unreached Muslim groups in the Middle East and North Africa, click on the Join Us! button below.
For God’s Global Glory!
