How to Share the Gospel with Muslims

The recent events in the Crimea have brought attention to the 300,000 Muslim Tatars who live in that area. Many people have asked me recently about Islam in Ukraine so I though this would be a good opportunity to share with you some of the facts and give you some tools to help you share the gospel with your Muslim friends.

Islam in Ukraine

The Crimean Tatars have been in the Crimea since about the 1400’s. During Soviet times many of them were displaced by the government and it was only in 1991 that they were allowed to come back to their homeland. The reason the Tatars do not want Russian to annex is Crimea is because they are worried that history will repeat it’s self.

Statistics

Muslims make up nearly a quarter of the earth’s population and Islam is considered the 2nd largest religion in the world and the fastest growing religion. Here’s how the statistics look between the US, Ukraine and Russia.

• US  -2.5 million or .8% of the population.
  • Chances are that if you live in medium to large city you have plenty of opportunities to meet Muslims.
• Ukraine -500,000 or 1.1% of the population.
  • Most of them live in Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• Russia, 9.4 million  or 6.5% of the population.
  • Islam is the 2nd most popular religion in Russia.

How to Reach Muslims with the Gospel

Last month I attended a seminar called “Heart, Mind and Soul -Muslims”. The seminar helped me overcome my fear of Muslims and equipped me to share the Gospel with them.   The information below was taken from the seminar.

-Heart

In order to effectively reach Muslims we must have a proper heart attitude toward them which means that we must love them! By simply building relationships and loving Muslims around us we can earn the right to be heard. We need to understand that most Muslims place a high value on two things.

• Community or Ummah
• Honor and its opposite shame

Community is all about relationships and honor is about how the community views those relationships, thus relationships drive Islamic values, it is even higher than truth. Americans tend to value independence, rights, privacy. If we don’t understand the significance of community and honor to a Muslim it is doubtful that we will be able to build a relationship with him. If we cannot build a relationship with a Muslim we will not have our best opportunity to demonstrate love and share the gospel with him.

-Mind

It’s also important that we understand what Islam is and how Muslims think. A Muslim is one who surrenders or submits to God or a follower of Islam. They are not about having a personal relationship with God, they are about obeying God.

15% Atheist/agnostic/ancestry only 35% Believe in name only -do not practice regularly 35% Believe and practice regularly 15% Fundamentalist (only a very small percentage are terrorist)

The 5 authorities of Islam What do Muslims hold as authoritative?

1. 1. Qur’ran: Muslims believe this was God’s final revelation
   2. Taurat/Zabur/Injil: Torah/Psalm/Gospels (Bible)
   3. Sunnah: The customs and practice of Muhammad
   4. Sira Rasul Allah: traditional biographies of Muhammad
   5. Hadith: collections of sayings, acts, approvals of Muhammad

Although they say they believe much of the Bible they may also say that the Bible is corrupted. If they say it’s corrupted you can just tell them, “Let me know when you find a place that is corrupt” and then move on. Important truths:

1. It’s OK that you don’t know it all. Start to engage Muslims in order to build relationships. 2. Be inquisitive and listen; these add to your credibility and are keys to building deeper relationships. 3. Similarities between Islam and Christianity are door-openers to spiritual conversations. 4. Sharing truth is a process; proceeding step by step is more important than downloading all you know in one sitting.

-Soul

Connecting with Muslims at a soul level means building redemptive relationships with them, loving them and praying for them.

• Establishing redemptive relationships provides the best context for opportunities to communicate love and truth.
• Involvement of the Word of God is critical. Let the Word of God speak for itself! (Hebrews 4:12).
• Respect for Muslims personally and their religion is vital.
• Listen, be humble, gentle and have a quiet confidence.
• Spend time with them, lots of it! This shows them that your relationship is important.
• Meet their needs with acts of kindness.
• Hospitality communicates powerfully.
• Get them into the Word of God: chronological studies recommended.

Resources

Below is a list of great resources that can help you effectively reach Muslims with the Gospel. I’ve also made a list with all these resources in one place on Amazon -All the Prophets have Spoke – John Cross –A Wind in the House of Islam – David Garrison -Understanding Islam and Christianity – Josh McDowell -What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Koran – James R. White -Is the Injeel Corrupted – Fouad Masri? -The Gospel for Muslims – Thabiti Anyabwile -Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus – Nabeel Qureshi and Lee Strobel -Breaking the Islam Code – J.D. Greear -Message of Hope –Bridges – Crescent Project DVD series

Follow up ideas

• Pray that the Lord brings Muslims into your life.
• Eat at a Middle Eastern restaurant – and talk to the owners/staff and give a good tip.
• Attend local ethnic festivals.
• Visit a mosque. (…learn and build relationships).
• Start and ESL program.
• University students: (holidays, dinner).
• Guide someone through the “Message of Hope”.
• Love them.

Question: Do you have any Muslims who live or work near you? Will you seek a redemptive relationship with them?