Witnessing to your Muslim Friends
 

Let me first encourage you with some facts. Do you know that there are more Muslims came to embrace Christ in the last four decades than in the previous 1,400 years? And although evangelism to Muslims still has a long way to go, it is incorrect to say that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. The Bulletin of the U.S. Center for World Missions reported that "For the first time in history, there are fewer non-Christians within the unreached peoples than there are within the reached groups. As missionaries succeed in establishing church movements in more unreached peoples, that is exactly what you would expect to happen. One of every ten people on the planet is of the Bible-reading, Bible-believing stream of Christianity. The number of believers in what used to be "mission fields" now surpasses the number of believers in the countries from which missionaries were originally sent." Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "I will build my church, and the gates of hades will not over come it...And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come..."(Matthew 16:18 ; 24:14).

Still, the challenge here at home is enormous. We have seen that Islam in America is growing and millions of Muslims still unreached. They live next door and you can readily share the Gospel with them. Here are some suggestions:

  1. Regard your Muslim friend as an individual who is as much in need of salvation as any other human being.
  2. Make effort to cultivate a genuine friendship with your Muslim neighbor and learn about his background. A workable knowledge of the Islamic faith and culture proves helpful in witnessing to Muslims.
  3. Show a genuine Christian love in word and deed. One of my favorite missionaries to Muslims who was martyred for his faith is Raymond Lull. He traveled to North Africa during the bitter days of the crusades, and understood that the only way to overcome hostile attitudes on both sides is to demonstrate the greatest Christian weapon-the Love of God. He said: "He that loves not lives not and he that lives by 'The Life' cannot die." To Muslims he declared: "I come to meet the Muslims not with arms, but with words; not by force, but by reason, not in hate but in love."
  4. Anticipate some questions, inquiries and objection to the unique teaching of the Bible. These must be explained in accordance with the teaching of the Bible. Be patient, ready to answer your friend's objections as Christ did in His encounter with Nicodemus and the Samaritan Women (cf. John 3,4).
  5. There is no reason to criticize or denigrate your friends faith. When Christ, the "Bright Morning Star"(Rev. 22:16) radiates, he will eliminate all shadows.
  6. Introduce Christ in word and deed. He is highly revered and exalted in Islam. The majority of Muslim converts testify that the most influential factor in their conversion was their exposure to the words and life of Christ.
  7. Introduce your friend to the Bible. We must be encouraged by God's promise: "So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Is. 55:11). Keep in mind the following foundational truths as you witness or disciple your Muslim friend:

•  Establish the authority of the Bible in order to dispel Muslim objections. The Scripture is God's Word, wherefore its source is divine and its authority is final and timeless. Both the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God the Holy Spirit (Exodus. 17:14 ; 2Timothy 3:16 ; 1Peter 1:10 -12).

•  Emphasize that the Bible as a whole is one revelation with a singular goal. The overall theme of the Bible is the redemption of sinful man. The Bible is salvation history; it moves progressively, culminating in the coming of Christ. Underscore that Christ is the central figure in both Testaments. From the beginning, God promised the coming of the Messiah. The following are some of the major prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament with their fulfillment in the New: Gen 3:15 (Gal.4:4); Gen 17:1-10 (Acts 7:5; Rom 4:13 );Deut. 18:15 (Lk 7:16 ); 2 Samuel 7:13 (Acts 2:30 ); PS. 16:10 (Acts 13:34 -35); Is.7:14; 9:6-7 (Mat 1:22 ; Lk 1:2735); 53:5, 10 (Mk 15:3-4); Jer. 31-34 (Lk 22:15-20; Heb 8:8-12);Micah 5:1-5 (Matt. 2:1-6); Zach 9:9-10 (John 12:13 -15).

  1. Share your personal testimony and saturate it with the Scripture. Underscore the crucial difference between being a religious person and being radically changed by the life, teaching, and power of Christ. Paul's testimony in Philippians 3 is a profound example of this transformation.
  2. Avoid using theological terms that are foreign to your Muslim friend. But if you must use them, try to clarify their meanings and underscore their implications for salvation.
  3. Introduce your friend to your pastor and Invite him to worship with you. Trust the Holy Spirit to bring the lost sheep into the fold.