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Resources & Links > Bible Studies > Evangelism and Witnessing

Evangelism and Witnessing

How to Speak to Muslims (or any non-Christian)

by Pastor Mason Okubo

Build a Relationship

A. Learn about Islam.

We tend to fear that which we do not understand. When we fear we will shy away from personal encounters, or at best, take an aggressive role of tying to show them where they are wrong. This, however, will not bring them to Christ.
One of the thing you can do to alleviate fear is learn about Islam. If we can understand how Muslims view the world, we can understand "why" they do things. We might even get to the point of feeling "Wow, if I believed that, I might do the same things."
Another thing to do to alleviate fear is to remember that God loves all Muslims, too. Jesus died for them. Our primary goal is to share the Gospel with them, so that they might have a relationship with God. Your motivation to evangelize is based out of a love for that person.

B. Get to know the person.

More often than not the person you are talking to doesn't even understand their own religion. But listening to them is a sign of respect. They will be more open to listen to you if you understand them.
We also need to understand their heartfelt needs. As we understand their heartfelt needs, later as we share the Gospel, we can show how Christ meets those needs.

C. Discuss what we have in common.

Discussions of the differences between Islam and Christianity will not bring them into a relationship with Christ. Start by talking about what we have in common...

Ask about Salvation

D. Ask the question "What do you need to do to be saved?"

The answer will typically be some list of things they "have to do" to be saved. All religions except for Christianity demand that you do something to gain heaven or please God. This is called "works righteousness". Christianity alone says that salvation is by grace. It is a free gift.

E. Ask "Does God expect us to do these things completely and perfectly?"

The answer should be "yes." (This is important!) A perfect God expects perfect obedience.

F. Ask "Can YOU do it perfectly?" or "Can you know that you have done enough?"

This is where building a trusting relationship is important so they feel comfortable enough to be honest with you and to be honest with themselves. If they are honest with themselves the answer will be "No." No one is perfect. If they try to say something like "doing the best you can is enough" refer to part E.

Share the Gospel

G. The Gospel

If you can get them to realize the failure of "salvation through our works", then they are ripe for sharing the Gospel. The good news is that God sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Salvation is a gift, free to us, bought by Christ's death on the cross.

H. Ask them to act

Pray with them.
Give them your church business card or church info.
Ask them to read a Bible or at least a tract. Give them a Bible.
Invite them to church. Bring them or get a commitment to meet them.
Ask them to get baptized.
Ask them to join a Christian church (find one for them).

The person you are talking to is not just "a person to evangelize." Think of them as your future brother/sister in Christ. They may even be your future "best friend". We have many Christian brothers and sisters who are not yet part of our family. We are still waiting for them to join. Let's invite them!

Addendum

Fearing Islam

If you watch the news you may think that all Muslims are violent. It's clear Muslims are trying to make a statement but we don't understand the message. Why are they so mad at us? Why are they so mad at Israel? When we don't know the answer, we can fear.

Why are they so mad at us? In 1942, the Allies (U.S., Great Britain, etc.) created the state of Israel as a home to all displaced Jews from WWII. This required the displacement of indigenous Palestinians (the Muslim).
Why are they so mad at Israel? See above. But there has been a tension between Arabs and Jews for thousands of years, since the time of Abraham. It started with the conflict between Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham. Jews trace their line through Isaac and Arabs through Ishmael. The Bible prophesied that their descendants would be in conflict.
Are they all violent? The Koran speaks of Jihad, a spiritual warfare between good and evil. The Shi'ites (also called Shia) tend to think that physical war (terrorism) against non-believers is a reflection of the spiritual war. The Shi'ites are only about 10% or all Muslims.

Theological Differences

Triune God. We both believe in one God. Muslims believe there is only one person, who they call Allah. We believe there is one God but He is made up of three persons: the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit.
Christ is God. Muslims believe Christ was just a prophet. But according to His own words in the Bible, He is God.
Salvation by grace. Muslims believe that those faithful (in works) will attain heaven. We believe that you do not work for your salvation. It is a gift. We do good works because we are Christians, not in order to be good Christians.

Resources

Hahn, Ernest, "How to Respond - Muslims." Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO, 1995

Fellowship of Faith for Muslims, PO Box 65214, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4K 3Z2

Philoxenia/Hospitality Ministry, 3081 Grenville Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5A 2P6

Š2009 Immanuel First Lutheran Church

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