Global Missions Strategies To The Muslim World [Archive]

tudmuf2b

September 19th, 2002, 10:40 AM

The 10/40 window is the region in the Middle East/Asia (denoted by lines of latitude - or was it longitude? :lol ) where the Gospel penetration is almost nil. Of course the countries that make up that window are the Muslims ones and it's basically the final frontier in order to reach for Jesus and the biggest challenge for the Christian church of today. Many missions organizations have agreed that we've sent of a lot of people into regions where the Gospel already exists or can be "relatively easily accessed" (ie: a Kenya or a Columbia, etc), and many agree that the strategy going forward should be to send folks out to the 10/40 window.

I tell you it both was eerie and joyous to fellowship with Palestinian, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Afghani Christians in the US (who were formerlly Muslims) who prayed out loud for the reconciliation of the sons of Issac and the sons of Ishmael. Gosh, I wanted to cry when these MBBs (Muslim Background Believers) said that they loved the Israelis and desired for them to be united with them in the Gospel.

I posted these thoughts over in an End Times thread, but I'll re-post it here, based on some things that I believe the Lord has taught me in the past few months:

I mentioned in another post that I just came back from a conference for former Muslims who are now born-again Christians, and I learned a few things from them that I wouldn't have learned otherwise:

1. Christians need to be "win-some" in dealing with Muslims, and rather than try to win the argument with them (ie: the endless debating tough passages in the Bible vs the Koran vs. Mohammed's immoral lifestyle, etc), we look to win the war - against Satan. One of the speakers (former Muslim) mentioned that he used to be fiery debater when talking with other imams at organized debates, and he realized that while he made the Muslim preachers look bad (by debunking Islam), it didn't serve to win souls who were in the audience. Most Muslims have never understood the meaning of love (of any kind). It's all about duty, honor, etc, but when they see the love of Jesus in the lives of folks who walk with Him, they are astounded. One guy (an Iranian Muslim) became a believer in Jesus this past Sunday morning at that same conference, for just that reason. (Praise God).

2. The events of 9/11 have opened up the Gospel in the Muslim world more than ever! Many Muslims who have grown up "cultural Muslims" are now wondering what their religion is really teaching. Grant it, many Muslims who hated the USA and Israel were also galvanized to hate even more, but for the vast majority of Muslims, there is an open window in the Arab/Muslim world to get missionaries in there and to fulfill the Great Commission. Events such as Heather/Dana Curry (missionaries who were abducted by the Taliban), the church bombings in Pakistan, etc are now getting the full media attention that it would never get in "times of peace". Again, what Satan has used for evil (9/11), God can still use for His glory.

I dunno, I was really convicted at that conference to go to the Arab/Muslim world and be a full time missionary. I want to challenge you guys, as this is an End Times site, to remember what the Master said in Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." I know we can debate what the "Gospel of the Kingdom" means forever because of your eschatology stance, but the Master said those very words - and I would take them literally.

So my honest conviction is that we should stop speculating about when the end is - based on everyday current events, but do to our part and preach this Gospel.

And use words if you have to....

Lordschild

September 19th, 2002, 11:06 AM

Awesome tudmuf!

I have close friends down here, who have an Iranian Christian neighbor!!

Kamakiri

September 19th, 2002, 12:05 PM

So 10/40 is the last place that Jesus needs to be preached? If this is the case I don't think he will just let Christians walk in there easy.

But God can do ANYTHING. Choose me God. It would be awesome going in there with the creator on your side.

tudmuf2b

September 19th, 2002, 12:57 PM

Lordschild, praise God for the Iranian believer. There are quite a lot of them in the world actually. A lot of Iranian Christian that I know believe that the Ayatollah in '79 did more for the Gospel in that region than in the centuries prior, because by persecuting the Christian church, it only led more to Jesus Christ. Again what Satan uses for evil, God redeems!

I've learned a few facts by taking a Missions class called "Perspectives On The World Christian Movement", and it's being taught all over the place in the US (optional seminary credit), and the website is: http://www.perspectives.org . They have pretty well-seasoned and famous missionaries come each week to teach the class including David Howard (Elizabeth Eliot's brother) and mobilize the students to either "GO" or to encourage others to go.

I've learned that we've reach 2/3 of the world now in some form with the Gospel, as they are about 24,000 people groups and we've been able to either get a Bible or a Gospel translated into about 16,000 of those people groups in whatever dialect they speak (there is an estimated 6500 languages in the world and Wycliffe Bible Translators is kickin' butt in the work that they are doing to continue getting the Word out into ALL the languages.

The bad news is that only 1 in 9 on the planet claim to be true Bible believing Christians. :(

We also have the means to evangelize the entire world now with the technology of the Internet, radio, etc, but we still need the people to go (the old fashioned way), as Christ said, "The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few."

I dunno I'm just excited and I'm glad that there are others out there who are as well! :)

Joshua's Gen

September 19th, 2002, 01:33 PM

I think its rather ironic..
almost where Christianity first began..
is the last place where it has to penetrate.

LisaAnn

September 19th, 2002, 05:02 PM

Well....my calling isnt the foreign mission field but it was my parents. They served 5(?) years in the bush of Jamaica back in the early 50's. Lots of funny stories about bugs flying in their mouths while singing a special song in service and swating bats away from them while preaching. My dad taught the adult womens sunday school class. He said that they would just plop down on the floor and start nursing their babies right there. Remember, this was back in the up-tight 50's ;) . He said that he did more preaching to the clock at the back of the room because he didnt know where else to look :lol . The house that they lived in just got electricity about 12 years ago. They collected water on top of their house in a big resivoir. Today the fruits of their labor is paying off. One of the babies that Dad dedicated has started his own missions right here in America, New York City. Two of his very best friends were children in his church over there and now they are ministers that preach in Jamaica and America. Wonderful men of God who are frequent guests in their home. My dad passed away last november and they had a special Homegoing service for him that we attended in May. It was 3 1/2hours long (I wont complain about my long-winded preacher for a long time! :D ) but it went by so quickly! And several hundred people attended...it was very touching to see all of those people who's lives he touched so long ago and who still cared for him and us so much!
Best wishes in your future. You will touch so many lives for Jesus.
Lisa

Lordschild

September 20th, 2002, 12:15 AM

What an awesome story Lisa. :)

tudmuf2b

September 26th, 2002, 10:56 AM

Just finished reading a book called "Planting Churches in Muslim Cities" by Greg Livingstone, and it's opened my eyes to what God has been doing recently in the 10/40 window. The book talks about the mistakes that many missionaries have made (which are very helpful for the next generation of church planters), and I won't get into them too much here, but I recommend that those of you who are interested get a copy of that book and peruse yourself.

Basically the most successful movement presently in the 10/40 Window is probably in Algeria right now. The reason why is because the national Christians (mostly Arabs) were taught to "think church", rather than just be a Christian (ie: just win converts and that's it)

It's a lofty goal, but one that Paul and Barnabas modeled for us in the book of Acts. The missionaries will raise up nationals who become mature elders in house churches, entrust the church leadership to those nationals, and they in turn multiply and so on. We see this working model in the underground chuches in China, and wonder and marvel, as this is how the Gospel spreads. The church is growing my friends in Algeria (after years of oppressive persecution and civil war), and Satan can't stop it! :)

Another good idea from Livingstone's book, is to "target" the male elder of a Muslim household with the Gospel. In the Acts model, the father/husband of the household was usually targetted by the Apostle, and if they accepted the Gospel, usually the whole family in turn would accept the Gospel. In the past, the youth were targetted (and they need the Gospel too of course), but usually they were pre-occupied with "getting married", etc, that even if a conversion was made, it didn't spread to the "think church" model, and just stopped with the individual. We have been learning that once a entire household gives their life to the Lord, it creates immediate fellowship, with the potential leadership to spread the Gospel movement forward.

More later....

Lordschild

September 26th, 2002, 11:03 AM

Awesome!!..

Dh and I were discussing the Church last night.

I believe the same way the church started, is the same way its going to end ........:)

tudmuf2b

September 26th, 2002, 01:42 PM

Lordschild, thanks for the encouragment. Again, I'm hoping to be able to mobilize folks here at RR to think about and pray about missions - especially to Muslims, as our God is a Global God, and tho' the current events of the world are exciting and we may very well be at the "end" of the End Times, the Master did say to preach to every people group before He comes back. :)

We need to be encouraged, that God will reach all the people groups because Revelation 7:9 says "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." It will be done, and we're NOT alone in this quest. God is with us!

Anyway, some interesting tidbit about financial giving for world missions, is that 90% of the checks that are written for missions in the world actually goes to only 10% of the needy people groups. In other words, a lot of money (and resources) have flowed to concentrated areas in the world where there is already a Christian presence (a Kenya for example), but not to where unreached people groups are - such as tribal religions, animists and of course the Muslim world. I'm not criticizing this, just stating the facts, and the major people involved in global mobilization for missions (Operation Moblization, International Missions Board, etc) are asking for folks to re-strategize that approach in terms of money and resources.

Well, about the subject, I've been learning that a good strategy that missionaries are toying with in the 10/40 window is to not baptize a new believer, until there are multiple new believers within the community, and then to baptize them all at once!

Basically, a baptism in the Muslim world is viewed upon as treason and quoting others, "it is like for a Western Christian to have a sex change". The fanatics in the Muslim world do not really go crazy when a missionary talks to someone about the Bible as it compares against the Koran, but a real life baptism, changes those rules!

So, by baptizing en masse, it enables an immediate fellowship of believers to share a common bond, instead of an individual forced to struggle alone in making that public committment to Christ.

Talking to a missionary recently who has extensive experience in the Arab world, I learned that Arabs really don't trust one another (we see in the Palestinian areas where "collaborators with Israel" are killed, but it really is just a family feud, and a reprisal killing of some Arab's uncle getting killed by someone else's family and so on), and because they're raised in a "don't shame the family, and never lose honor" manner, it is hard to network believing Muslim converts to each other individually. The mass baptism hopefully addresses that.

carmen

September 27th, 2002, 01:21 PM

I haven't had a lot of exposure to Islam, so this thread is especially interesting to me. Especially the part about showing love to win them, rather than just logical arguement. Thanks for sharing this info, Rich.

John 3:16

September 27th, 2002, 04:13 PM

Do we have any foreign missionaries at RR?

If you (tudmuf2b AND Kamakiri) feel lead, let us know so we can keep you in our prayers daily at RR- especially in the prayer forum.:)

JoshuaGeneral,
I also find that very ironic, and told someone so not long ago. Unfortunately, he believes Christianity originated in ROME with the RCC.

Cattt

September 29th, 2002, 04:25 PM

Tudmuf2B, wow! i admire u so much for doing this! Fear must be something that doesnt rule ur life for you to be able to communicate with others. I love ppl who go to other countries to evagelize because it's not an easy job. In my prayers i always pray for Missionaries so i will pray for ya. I hope we can stay in contact! :D :D

tudmuf2b

October 1st, 2002, 11:13 AM

Hey Everyone! :)

I just want to say first to the Admins, thanks for pinning this thread and I pray that with all of the discussions that the Name of Jesus would be magnified and glorified!

I want to share about suffering as it relates to a "Missions mentality", and some of the thoughts that have been going on in my life.

I've really been convicted recently that in my life I have been afraid of suffering and have avoided any kind of suffering like it was the plague, rather than let the Lord be magnified thru it. I guess the Holy Spirit has shown me that I want to be a Christian that "bears the fruit" of the Apostle Paul, but without desire to suffer for it. And that goes against everything that the Gospel teaches, as the early disciples suffered, and of course our Lord had the Ultimate Suffering at the Cross.

When I think of brothers and sisters that suffer daily for the sake of the Name of Jesus in Nigeria, the Sudan, Pakistan, it just grieves my heart that I just complain and whine when I have a little headache or a belly ache. We are called to be Globally-minded as His followers, and the Lord's been hitting me with that.

I've been learning that the 2 forces that Satan has on Christians in terms of limiting the effectiveness of preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth are:

1. The fear of suffering
2. The fear of death

I'm not saying I'm perfect and I'm past those 2 fears, but once we grow in our love for Him and realize that we are strangers on this planet, and that our citizenship is in heaven, and not to 'fear those who can harm the body, but fear Him Who have the power to condemn us to an eternity without Him', it gives me a different perspective on things.

I get angry (rightfully) when I read about the massacres of God's children - especially in a Muslim country, and the atrocities that are committed (the latest Christianity Today has an article about the torching of 88 Christian villages in Nigeria), and when I realize that these people - instead of giving and converting over to Islam to save their hides - stood their ground, looked to the skies (like Stephen did in the book of Acts) and suffered disgrace for sake of His Name. It was a temporary disgrace, and whatever Satan's flock did to them in the moments leading up to their deaths - it is finished, and now they are receiving the true reward that will never perish.

I guess I wanted to share this, as those who go into the Muslim world, or even the many other hostile areas in the world, really need to look at the skies and in the mirror, as suffering for the Lord is nothing new, and is probably expected of us. Remember the Lord said to Ananias in regards to Paul's conversion, "I will show him how much he must suffer for My Namesake".

This being said, please do not put missionaries on any pedestal, as we are all called to be missionaries, whether in the work world or out in the field. I'll share a little later about the real missions field to Muslims even here in North America that God has given to us, and how we can interact and spread the Good News to them.

:)

tudmuf2b

October 1st, 2002, 05:06 PM

As you can tell, I have become a "wannabe" bookworm of late :) and will recommend another book called "The Gospel For Islam - Reaching Muslims in North America" by Roy Oksnevad/Dotsey Welliver. It was written pre-9/11. It talks about the rich opportunity to witness to Muslims who are here from the "forbidden" countries (forbidden to preach the Gospel that is), like a Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates and some of the strategies that can be used to minister to them.

The book addresses the Muslims who either come to the US (or another Western country) as immigrants due to hardship from their former countries or folks on student visas or working visas. It makes no bones that some of these students are easy pickings to join a terrorist group and we only need to remember that fateful Tuesday to see that as a fact. But of course, what Satan uses for evil, the Lord uses for His glory. Many MBBs (Muslim Background Believers) that I've met came to this country in that fashion, as a student, and then the Lord met them here and they gave their lives to Him. How did this happen?

1. Christians practiced true love and hospitality to them, showed them that the misconceptions about true Christianity from their home countries are just that - misconceptions. Because (as most of you know) Islam is tied into everything, government, family, etc, they see the Western world as Christian, so our sex-filled TV shows, music videos, etc, etc shape their world view that we are "infidels" and need to be destroyed. A tip I've learned is tell an inquiring Muslim that we are not Christians in the Western sense, but followers of Jesus. Many missionaries in foreign countries says those very words, and it has been effective to get over the negative stereotypes of Western Christianity.

It's so hard for Americans to practice hospitality, because we are taught and shaped by our upbringing to think individualistically. The books talk about how a lot of students came here, and how no one (Americans that is) invited them over for a dinner for Thanksgiving or some other holiday and they were left alone in the dorms. In America, we do not go over someone's home usually unless we are invited in, but in an Arab country, they invite themselves over, and the host is expected to provide dinner and their time for the unexpected guest. Many missionaries have been taught lessons of true patience when their inquiring Muslim friend comes over to their home and stays there for hours without "getting to the point" of why they came over in the first place! :lol We need to get over that barrier to reach Muslims. I recommend that if we engage in conversation with a Muslim, to take off your watch, put it away and give that person your full attention. They carefully observe our mannerisms, if we look bored or un-attentive, to them it is an insult and they take it much more seriously than we would.

It's like judging a book by its cover, and you are the book. Since they treat the Koran like the Holy Spirit (no exaggeration here), if they see that you leave your Bible on the floor, to them, you are not serious about God. Really. Looks really matter....

In a poll taken of what attracted ex-Muslims to Christianity (and led to the subsequent conversions), the number one reason was the Christian love they saw up close and never experienced while growing up in the Muslim world. Number two was the assurance of salvation by the way. Just FYI, Supernatural phenomena actually came in last place in that poll (ie: dream or vision of Jesus Christ, healing, etc). I got this info from Livingstone's book, "Planting Churches in Muslim Cities" (which I mentioned earlier).

Also, we need to learn not to treat a Muslim as a "project" either. But to love them, unconditionally, even if they never accept the Lord as Savior. This is a hard concept to take in, especially if years are spent in developing a relationship with them, and "nothing happens". Remember you are witnessing to them in obedience and reverence for Christ. Only the Lord can regenerate the heart, you are an agent of His for that purpose and more importantly His glory.

2. Christians did not argue with them, insult their Prophet, etc, etc. But spoke about the differences between Christianity and Islam respectfully. I've learned that many Muslims especially in debates like to embarrass Christians in order to prove that Islam is superior because it is easier to follow (works based - 5 pillars), it encompasses redeeming our lives here (Sharia law - while Christians speak of "another country" - heaven of course), etc, etc. I've learned that we can lose the battle, but aim for winning their soul, or at least the souls of those in the audience - by our love, which there is no rebuttal for. When working with Muslims, chances are that God has a few of their names written in the Book of Life, and our job is to find them and God will lead us to them.

3. When debating Islam, often Christians have tried the intellectual approach, which actually doesn't appeal to the average Muslim. The 4 Spiritual Laws (from Campus Crusade I believe) work wonders when talking with another Westerner when debating absolute truth, but most Muslims are interested in the spiritual world which consists of jinn (their version of demons). One approach is to proclaim Christ as the Victor over Satan and his horde of followers (this is from the Reaching Muslims in NA book). Because this moves the conversation away from an apologetics debate, and right to the fact that there is Power in the Name of Jesus (and none other!), and start from there. They cannot argue that Jesus is Mighty, because in the Koran their Jesus (Issa), is a great prophet. When we talk to them about the Jesus of the Bible being the one in which all things, demons, whatever, submit to, it will challenge your Muslim friend to think, and we move away from the "tit-for-tat" looking around for inconsistencies in the Bible or the Koran, and right to heart of the matter of Who Jesus really is.

tudmuf2b

October 2nd, 2002, 03:14 PM

That term in the heading, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t” is from John Piper, and basically means that Global Missions is a temporary state in human history which will end when the Lord returns, yet it also explains God’s original purpose for missions - which is: He longs and desires for people from every tribe, tongue and nation to worship Him at the Throne of the Lamb, and because He desires that to happen, we as Christians should have our hearts burning “white-hot” to accomplish that for His Glory. We're not there quite yet, but we will be.

When we read through the Bible, it kind of seems strange at first that the last thing that Jesus tells us to do before His Ascension is to go out and preach the Gospel to ends of the earth. For many years in my own faith, I wrestled with that, as it seems like it is such a huge burden that He left with the Church, and it didn’t seem to be quite right with what was going on in the writings of the Old Testament before it.

Yet, when we closely analyze Scripture, we see that the Great Commission, didn’t just happen at the end of Matthew, but was there in the Beginning of time. In my seminary class (Perspectives On The World Christian Movement), they call it “Top Line – Bottom Line” teaching:

Top Line – Bottom Line Teaching

This means that when God speaks in His Word, more often than not, there are two intended blessings. One blessing is for us, and the other is for all of the nations (for them to see His Glory that is). And both the “TOP LINE”/“BOTTOM LINE” parts of the verse(s) are equal in God’s eyes.

For instance, this is Genesis 12:2-3 (God calling Abraham to Himself), and it says:

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Often we only see the first part (God will bless Abraham or if we even apply this to ourselves, God will bless me – “TOP LINE”), but fail to see the second part (the rest of the people groups on earth will be blessed too – “BOTTOM LINE”).

Another example is Psalm 46:10, which says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The first part of the verse we’ve all heard before and probably quoted to other folks before, but what about the second part? It talks about God’s glory among the nations and in all the earth.

So the point is, Jesus didn’t just make up Global Missions in the New Testament, but it’s been there since the Beginning. Sometimes, it was rather obvious (Jonah preaching to the Assyrians or Elisha healing Naaman the Syrian), but like the commercials for the old (and bland tasting :lol) spaghetti sauce – Prego - “it’s in there”.

I was looking at another post today that discusses the merits of a statistic that says 98% Christianity is lukewarm, and I have to conclude that there are three reasons (and they all build on each other):

1. We forget that in His Word, God speaks to us in a way that blesses us, and also to bless others (nations that is) as well, and that we are blessed to be a blessing for others. It is so easy to focus just on the TOP LINE (God bless me spiritually and materially!), and not see the BOTTOM LINE (Bless them too Lord and be exalted among the nations!). I think when we truly evaluate how we interpret His Word in our lives, we see that we were not made to have God serve us as a “blessing-machine”, but that His Perfect Purpose is to use us to bring the nations to Himself. Though the TOP LINE is not completely wrong, it’s an incomplete picture of what I believe God would want for us. We’ve also seen Christianity - in many ways - get “Benny Hinni-ized”, so that we focus on the TOP LINE (God bless me) and that’s it. I think when we look at both parts carefully, God will stir up a fire within us that will never go out.

2. The second reason for the lukewarm-ness (and I’m a little biased here I must confess), is the lack of fire for Missions and to spread His Word amongst all the people groups. This ties into the first point, because the focus is no longer on ourselves, and not even on other people - but on God Himself – Who is Author of Missions, and when we go out (whether in your own neighborhood, the 10/40 Window, at college or wherever), we have a passion to Obey and that passion leads us for search for the lost and grieve when souls are tossed into Satan’s flame. The Muslim world (or even the Muslims who are here in the Western world) are in that dire situation. Do we grieve for them? Or do we want to see them lost forever? It’s easy to hate, because of what we see in Israel everyday, or even just remember 9/11, and it’s not wrong to desire God’s justice, but I want to tell you that more than a few missionaries told me that their Muslims friends and neighbors (in the countries they are serving in) came over to their homes on 9/11 and mourned with them for our nation. These are the folks that are most receptive to the Lamb’s voice, don't we want to see them in the Kingdom as well? I sure do.

3. Lastly, we forget how powerful prayer can be. I struggle with my prayer life, just like probably most of you, but I’ve been convicted that prayer is a true weapon of war, and we are at war (with the devil and his angels) my friends until Jesus Christ returns. I think it’s easy to think that we’re at peace and then we get "lazy", and start praying only for the TOP LINE stuff, for His blessings, to be free from pain and suffering, etc. But when we realize that we are in full-blown warfare, we get to our knees immediately and fight with the Armor of God. There is no lukewarm-ness at that point. This is why churches that face daily persecution flourish and grow. They pray. This is why MBB’s (Muslim Background Believers) in this country and especially in the 10/40 Window are so on fire for Christ, it’s because they face persecution and overcome it by the power of the Lamb, because they commune with God in prayer. And even if they perish and die for their faith, they win....

I pray that hearts will continue to be stirred and that God's Holy Spirit would touch all of us, as we continue to learn more about His Will for each of us.

:)

Now You See HIM

October 5th, 2002, 03:01 PM

I'm not sure how much this will help, but you may want to visit Mission Network News' site (www.mnnonline.org) and click on "Mission Groups". There, you will find some information on many organizations--at least one of which hopefully will meet your needs. (The one that I'm most familiar with is Gospel for Asia [www.gfa.org], which isn't a perfect fit but does reach out to South Asia and has some specific Muslim-outreach efforts. GFA's main thrust is to build and maintain "native missions" run by locals.) MNN also runs the "Short-Term Missions Database" (www.stmdb.org), although it doesn't look that good to me. (Somewhat-similar resources are on the Mission Frontiers site [www.missionfrontiers.org].)

In addition, Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries (www.pfm.org or www.prisonfellowship.org) has recently been doing some specific programs reaching out to Muslims in prison. Finally, you may want to visit www.answering-islam.org/Christians for some other ideas.

I know this is starting to get a bit off-topic, but I do hope that it helps.

Joshua's Gen

October 6th, 2002, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by Lordschild
Awesome!!..

Dh and I were discussing the Church last night.

I believe the same way the church started, is the same way its going to end ........:)

Then that would entail turning the world upside down. (Acts 17:6)
Signs & wonders, too.

Hmm..?

;)

tudmuf2b

October 7th, 2002, 10:32 AM

Hey Now You See HIM, thanks for the information. When I get a chance, I am going to write about more strategies with working with Muslims and to even subdivide that into various ethnic groups (ie: Kurds, Iranians, etc) as well, including how to work with Black Muslims that have been especially targeted in the prisons.

A lot of the Elijah Muhammed/Louis Farahkan (sp?) brand of the "Nation of Islam" really has some strange beliefs that the Orthodox Islamic world just scoffs at. There has been a lot of "reform", and now most blacks who are Muslims are Sunnis and follow a relatively orthodox brand of Islam. But I'll get into that a little more later.

I want to encourage you all about the power of prayer, and again how it is a weapon of war, and we're definitely at war to play a small part in winning these souls for Christ against the enemy's onslaught of darkness.

One thing I suggest is that we each "claim" a country and ask that God would mobilize missionaries to go there and work thru the national Christians there to further the movement, build churches and then even send people out to other regions! Here's a short list of countries in the 10/40 Window that you can pray specifically about, and ask for His Spirit to dwell and mobilize the hearts of the believers!

Algeria
Tunisia
Yemen
Egypt
Iran
Libya
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Malaysia
Indonesia
Jordan
Lebanon
Syria
Pakistan
Oman
Tajikstan
Sudan

and there are others of course in that region, especially in the former Soviet Union that are predominantly Muslim.

Pray for each country, or just choose one that you will adopt. We know that in the end people from every tribe, tongue and nation will worship at the throne of the Lamb, so we have the confidence and the hope that God will do it.

There's nothing wrong with praying that the movement begins now! Actually it already has in a few of these countries. :)

Just like the quote I have below, "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God". :)

RUReady

October 8th, 2002, 01:16 AM

My husband is a pastor of a church in a college town that is very missions minded. We host a perspectives course every semester and support several missionaries to some of these regions. We've even had the privilege of going and ministering to mission groups in some of these areas. I am so encouraged by your desire, but mostly by your call to prayer. I know for myself that I so often fail in this area, and yet am so convinced that this is where the battle is won!!!

You didn't include Afghanistan, but that is the country that I want to adopt to pray for. I am meeting with a girl that trusted Christ almost a year ago that was born in Afghanistan. Her father was in the administration of the Pashtoon tribe (sp?) from which the Taliban comes from. They fled the country when they were
invaded by the Russians, and sought refuge here in the states. They went back and spent time in Pakistan. It is a miracle that she is a believer!!! She is beginning to feel the stirrings about going back to her people to take the gospel.

I know you're not asking for takers, but it is helping me to think about committing to adopt a people group or country to intercede for. I am making a committment to pray for the gospel to penetrate Afghanistan. I will pray for the Lord of the harvest to send His workers to that area. Maybe the Lord will burden others to adopt people groups to pray for as a result of this thread!

May God call intercessors for every tongue and tribe and nation!!

YSIC

tudmuf2b

October 8th, 2002, 08:57 AM

Egads! I did forgot about Afghanistan (and almost all the other 'Stans! :lol) . Good catch there RUReady! :) I'm sure I left out a bunch of others as well! A good book to see what's going on in the world is the book, Operation World which lists the statistics of every country on the face of the earth and what God's doing there among the people groups.

I actually have a good friend going in pretty soon to A-stan. So much work to be done, but people there are hungry for the Gospel and after decades of tragic war, they are hungry for true Christian love as well. Keep on prayin'!

Perspectives, as you know is a fantastic course, and the creators of that course have just introduced a new one called Muslim Perspectives and I think a class just started in Philadelphia this semester and may permeate across the nation. I hope and pray for more interest, and that class is focused primarily on the 10/40.

Cattt

October 9th, 2002, 12:16 AM

RuReady wow! That's so nice to hear about missionary minded people in a college town! :D

Rayday

October 17th, 2002, 02:36 PM

Let's not forget about praying for those who do not know Jesus. Everytime I pray I always ask Jesus to touch someone who is not saved, anyone, with His divine grace and bring them to Him! His grace is what saves them in the end! When we pray for them we are planting seeds of salvation even if we are not evangelizing face to face. Let's keep them in our prayers and let Jesus do His thing!!!

In the service of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Rayday

Defenders of the Word.com (www.defendersoftheword.com)

greenoak7

October 17th, 2002, 09:12 PM

hello everyone. Pray for the muslims at Ramadan. see:

http:/www.30-days.net

tudmuf2b

October 18th, 2002, 01:38 PM

I apologize that I haven't been able to update this thread in a couple of weeks. I've been a tad busy with my seminary course, as I am going to write a 18 page paper on how to plant churches in Saudi Arabia (amongst the Wahhabists). Pray that God would give me wisdom and some creative strategies to break thru that incredibly dark, Satanic stronghold.

In my readings so far, I've learned a few things:

1. Just about every Friday during their noon prayers, public beheadings can be seen in cities such as Medina, Riyadh, etc. Most of the time, it is for conversion to Christianity, but will be reported in their media as "adultery" or some other crime. Undercover missionaries have witnessed these beheadings first hand, despite what their spin-doctors on the American media might say otherwise.

2. Many of the persecuted are Filopinos who either convert to Christianity or have active house churches. Many have been thrown in prison or have had their children kidnapped (by the "vice and virtue" police) to be used as ransom in order to find the whereabouts of secret believers. Unfortunately, ex-patriate Westerners are not immune to their "police" force. The thing that usually saves the lives of Americans is our "special friendship" with this country.

3. About 1/3 of the population of Saudi Arabia are ex-patriates who go there to work for the oil companies, or do relief work. The gov't there won't admit this, but they would rather let a Christian come in to the country, rather than a "morally-deprived drunkard Westerner" (in their words), so it's interesting what could happen because of that.

4. The gov't uses the most advanced technology to block out hundreds of thousands (maybe millions by now) of websites that either promote Christianity or even discuss Islam! The average Saudi cannot even debate whether their "Wahhabi" brand of Islam is correct or not. It's just brain-washing and it's time for the veil to be lifted in my opinion.

Great idea to pray (and perhaps fast) during the month of Ramadan for God's Spirit to be with Muslims that He's called for salvation. Pray that God will get to them via the missionaries, the Christian radio and perhaps even a visitation from the Lamb of God. The number of "visions of Jesus" that have been reported are so numberous, that not even the "frozen chosen" Baptists can debate if it's from God or not.

Sorry to pick on the Baptists, but I have contacts at the IMB (International Missions Board) which is part of the Southern Baptists, and they would appreciate this. :b

Do lift up Saudi Arabia in your quiet times, perhaps the darkest place on the planet right now, but we know that the Lamb has some Saudis whose names are written in the Book of Life.

tudmuf2b

November 8th, 2002, 01:12 PM

Like I said, I've been doing research for a paper to tackle the problem of the Wahhabi Saudi Arabians, and how to start a Christian movement reminiscent of what we're seeing in China right now. It's my opinion that the government must be overthrown for a successful church planting movement to begin there, as the status quo - of having a "legitimate totalitarian" (at least in the worlds' eyes), must change before an explosiveness of growth can occur).

Anyway, here's the first page (it's a draft - so pardon the typos!), to let you know how my life has been lately and how my times been spent! :)

-------------------

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is literally the “Mecca” of both Islam and the appalling and blatant abuse of human rights. The two mere facts that there are no official churches in this secretive, totalitarian theocracy, and that no religion other than Wahhabi-Sunni Islam can officially be practiced, should sound the alarm to pray for God’s hand to mobilize His laborers that are desperately needed to confront this wickedness. The need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is evident, and this paper will attempt to discuss the strategies involved in beginning a successful church planting movement, and to see the Lord bring Saudi Arabians - whose names are written in the Book of Life – into His glorious Kingdom.

Since Saudi Arabia is the location of the “holy shrines” of Islam, and all Muslims around the world literally face the city of Mecca during their times of prayer, the strategic value of creating a strong Christian presence in this country and among the heart of Wahhabi Islam cannot be underestimated. If Muslims around the world saw this happen, they would initially react angrily to this, but as we are presently seeing in the Arab country, Algeria (where Christian churches are multiplying at a very healthly rate), God’s hand cannot be stopped by whatever mankind or Satan can do.

The current leadership, under the ailing King Fahd Bin Abd Al-Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is almost without a doubt the most repressive Islamic theocracy in the world. The fact that the Saudi government itself spends millions of dollars (in oil money) to pay off Western public relations firms to silence international criticism of its policies should alert the Christian world to take action. Also, the issues of unlawful torture and imprisonment will be discussed in the next section.

One only needs to be reminded of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, to see the fruits of the Wahhabi brand of Islam. The fact that Wahhabism actively promotes intolerance, and the ideology of global domination through religion - by forcing its adherents to literally practice what the ancient Islamic Prophet Muhammad preached, has been the fuel and the fire which has driven the Satanic evil into the hearts of the millions of Muslim terrorists that we are all confronting in our day and age.

The status quo is not acceptable. The fact that the West is overly dependent on Saudi Arabian oil has hamstrung governments around the world into a state of impotence. The leaders of the world do not even dare to say anything negative about this government and their practices. Also, the fact that Saudi royals have literally billions of dollars invested into our stock markets, has silenced any secular media coverage, which may have normally criticized the appalling behavior that is emanating within the borders of that country.

We - the Christian Church - with our hearts set on completing the Great Commission, must confront this theocracy. We must make more than a small dent into this domain of Satanic evil. With God and our side, and the promise that we will one day see His Kingdom come, we will attempt great things for God, and expect great things from Him as well.

---------------------

Pray that God would raise up the laborers, and for the strategies that many missions organizations are looking at. We may need a Afghanistan-like change (overthrown the Royal family) to open up a window for the Church to move in. Many Saudis are not satisfied with their religion, and I firmly believe that God wants us to reach out to them.

tudmuf2b

November 19th, 2002, 12:51 PM

We also forget (most of us being raised in a Western democracy) that Muslims are all basically born into a shame society, and that "personal honor" is more important to them, then someone confronting them with "truth". There are places in the Muslim world, where if you (a Westerner) were to accidently see someone's sister or daughter by accident without her being covered, they will stone you to death on the spot! Because honor (at least their version of it) comes before anything else.

So in confronting them with our truth (the way we would evangelize an atheist or a New Ager), it just doesn't work the same, because it's not a matter of simplicity. Each person (and false religion) is complex, and we have to work under those rules, and see how His Spirit can penetrate that darkness.

We offend their honor when we "dig up the dirt", and we have to understand our worldviews are completely different from theirs and we have to work within that framework - free of any feelings of egocentricity/superiority that we feel we have over them. I think we all agree that as Western Christians, we look at the entire Muslim world, as being nothing but a third world, totalitarian and inferior society. It's natural, because it's what we know (our worldview). That has to go out the window in Muslim evangelism....

Just because a white American in Idaho can be confronted with truth (again with all due respect to the previous poster :) ), doesn't mean an Asian/Arab Muslim person can be as well. It's a strong Satanic barrier over them, that only the Lord can free them from, and it takes time, patience and lots of prayer!

I'm not an expert on Islam or Muslims, but I've been around them for a while, and have seen many who have become Christians out of that environment. It's a given, that we are Westernized Christians, must change our worldview in regards to Muslims, and only then can God begin to work thru us.

I believe Scripture says that it's thru our weakness that He's made strong and is further glorified. We can use this form of weakness as a weapon against Satan (sounds strange right?). My own motto to friends is "lose the argument, win the soul" when goaded into a debate with Muslims, Mormons or whoever. Win them. Not the argument.

:)

Now You See HIM

December 13th, 2002, 08:39 PM

I just stumbled upon this organization (although, of course, I'm not assuming that others here have not heard about it already)...

Arab World Ministries (www.awm.org or www.gospelcom.net/awm)

Also, Persian World Outreach (www.persianwo.org)--which I don't think has been brought up already in this thread--might also work.

tudmuf2b

December 19th, 2002, 02:06 PM

I respect AWM alot. They focus a lot of their energy on working with M's that are in large urban cities outside of the 10/40 Window (like a Paris, etc.).

Now You See HIM

December 19th, 2002, 07:19 PM

Originally posted by tudmuf2b
I respect AWM alot. They focus a lot of their energy on working with M's that are in large urban cities outside of the 10/40 Window (like a Paris, etc.).

Obviously, I wouldn't know for sure. But, a cursory look at their website just now indicates that they apparently do have a significant presence within much of the "window" (including their original focus of North Africa), in addition to cities in Europe and North America. Maybe they've been expanding recently?

P.S.: One other group that I had heard a little bit about but didn't know too much about until recently is SAT-7 (www.sat7.org); it's a television broadcaster covering much of the Middle East, but it may not be the most appropriate here because it looks like its primary focus is on people who are already Christians. (Of course, there's a very good chance you already know much more about them than I do. :) )

MikeJ

December 20th, 2002, 11:30 PM

Tudmuf2b,

Thank God He's given you a heart for missions! Have you considered short-term missions at least while you're in Seminary?

I'm not a real missionary but have been on seven summer outreaches. The last one was in a Muslim country and was so exciting it would almost be boring (not really) to go to a country where it's legal to give the Gospel. The highlight of the trip was attending a cell Church meeting. It was such an honor. The spiritual darkness and physical poverty there made me meditate much on the grace of God. One of my teammates likened the necessary covertness of the mission to being a spy (like James Bond in his words).

Mike

tudmuf2b

December 24th, 2002, 02:28 PM

I believe AWM used to be called "North African Missions", and then changed their name in the early 80s and also spun-off "Frontiers" which is focused only on the 10/40 Window. The bulk of their work (AWM) is to minister to the millions of Arabs that are scattered in large urban cities mostly in Europe, and to hopefully equip converts to go back to their countries and do effective evangelism in their mother tongue and culture.

They do have folks all over and some in the 10/40, and I respect them immensely as that kind of work (in urban cities) is needed.

MikeJ, I am looking at going on a short term trip in the new year, and have made contacts with a sending agency already, so we'll see how things go. I'm excited about the possibilities! I'd love to hear about your trip to the 10/40. PM me if you want. :)

tudmuf2b

December 24th, 2002, 02:42 PM

There are different scales of evangelism that missiologists have created, and this might be helpful as we look at our lives and examine the type of ministries that God has us working in. All are important btw.

E-0 - is evangelism "within the walls" of your church, and is focused on strengthening those who are already Christians or are nominal in their faith. Sunday service or a Bible study in a dormitory room in college, for example are considered E-0 evangelism.

E-1 - is evangelism that is "outside of the walls" of your church, with someone from a very similar background as yourself. Culturallly, ethnically or linguistically. This is the kind of evangelism we want to see in Muslim countries in which missionaries are used by God to enable "people movements" to Christ, where the national believers can evangelize their own people as there are no barriers with language, race, etc. This is the most powerful (and most desired) of all the scales.

E-2 - is evangelism with someone that is similar to you, but yet is from a different culture. For example a Chinese-American who speaks fluent English and only a little bit of Mandarin, goes and becomes a missionary in China, where the spoken language is Mandarin. There is one barrier that must be crossed as the language must be mastered. This is considered a strategic type of evangelism.

E-3 - evangelism in which multiple barriers are in the way, including language, race and culture. This is like a Caucasian missionary from Ohio, going into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and doing missions work. Many barriers, but this is the most needed and most strategic, because through E-3 evangelism, we hope to see converts in turn do E-1 evangelism among their own people.

What's E-1 to someone maybe E-2 or E-3 to someone else, but if we want to present the Gospel in a way that is not culturally threatening, these scales are important to think through and God will use this kind of strategic thinking for His glory.

Now You See HIM

December 24th, 2002, 02:53 PM

Glad you're going to be able to go soon, tudmuf2b! If you haven't already, you may want to load up on a few copies of the Answering Islam website on CD (http://www.answering-islam.org/ordercd.html); of course, you may need to hide or disguise them--depending on where you're going! :)

lookinupval

January 3rd, 2003, 09:46 PM

I have such a heart for missions.

I went on a short-term missions trip to Vicente Guerrero, in the "middle of nowhere" 4-1/2 hours south of the California/Mexico border.

We built a house for a family who has been on the list for over a year. The conditions they were living in were HORRIBLE. Devastating.

The family didn't speak any English, but I picked up enough Spanish to be able to let them know that their house wasn't from us, but it was from Jesus Christo.

We showed them Christian love all week..the house dedication had everyone...even the guys...in tears. I can't wait to go back!

My dream is to learn better Spanish, then go back and hold an "Alphabet School" for a couple of hours each morning (there is a certain degree of downtime during the building process). If I can teach the kids to recognize the alphabet, then they will be able to learn to read...I plan on distributing Christian children's Bibles and storybooks as well.

There is a lot of paganism mixed in with Catholicism and Christianity down there, and they certainly need to see that Jesus is the true savior.

I would recommend anyone considering missions to go to either YWAM (Youth With a Mission) for discipleship training, or to IDT (International Discipleship Training).

On the Mexico trip, we went on a YWAM-organized trip, but stayed at the IDT camp.

YWAM has helped our church prepare young people for missions trips in various parts of the world...one young man went to Thailand and South Africa. We have two young women who are almost ready to go out and about...not sure where they are going. We also have a woman who goes to Guatemala 2 weeks every year to minister to the people who live in/on the dumps/landfills.

Don't think that YWAM is only for youth...i'm 44 years old! They do have special courses to train older missionaries for long-term missions (but I have an 8-year-old son, so I really can't leave for long-term assignments).

By the way...I took my son on the Mexico missions trip. Neither one of us were the same person when we came back. People from the West Virginia, Washington, Oregon and California were on our particular trip. Our luggage was a lot lighter when we came home, because you literally want to give all of your possessions to the folks living in the labor camps.

My church is planning 5 trips to Mexico in 2003 (and two to Israel). The cost is only around $200 each...the place of departure is San Diego. The cost of one house is $700. There is a list of extras you can buy for the family, like running water, eletricity, furniture, etc. ... just depends on how much money you raise before you go.

Tudmuf, i really admire your desire to go to the 10/40 window. I don't feel I know enough about scripture to take on something like that!

antsinmypants

February 2nd, 2003, 07:46 PM

Way to go Val.

I feel the same about Spain. I was raised for three years (11-14) in Chipiona.

We still have missionary friends there and I feel a tug in that direction all the time, but no means to go.

I need to relearn my spanish, and learn alot more to be able to assist them in any way possible as a hands-on means. But I know I can pray for them daily.
Their church is small, but the work is great.

tomcone

March 11th, 2003, 07:13 PM

I have endured the hostility of quite a few people from this board since disclosing my background (raised athiest in a Turkman family in a historically Muslim region of China). If you are going to witness to people you all need to shut down some of your hostility. I recently converted (Syriac Church - second oldest church with services in Arabic) but many of my questions have been dealt with hostile and intolerantly. So just a few recommendations (I am resigning from this board after being physically threatened and spammed).

1. The stories you know from the bible are well-known to Muslims. A very different interpretation of the Jesus stories are in the Koran. Muslims believe these came from God, though they probably came from Jewish traders in Arabia. Rather than getting angry, try to understand Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth and other things. Explain the stories of Jesus and the Apostles and show how the Koran has misunderstood them (hmmm - much as Peter and Thomas had problems with interpretations).

2. Islam has declined considerably in the past three hundred years, but there are still many Muslim scholars that take the Koran's vision of paradise as a parable. This was the easiest way to describe the undescribable to uneducated peasants.

3. Most Muslims are ***NOT*** Arabs. Iranians are not Arabs. Turks are not Arabs. Malays are not Arabs. Afghans are not Arabs. Would you get upset as an American if everyone kept calling you British?

4. Women tend to be much more religious than their husbands.

5. Be prepared for very detailed discussions of theology. Most Christians I met could not answer very basic questions (the Trinity for example). After my conversion, I found myself explaining this concept to several of my Christian friends.

6. Most Muslims are nice, decent folks that you will find have a lot in common with you. They are more than happy to talk with you. Just remember you are in a foriegn culture that has no idea WHY they should even consider Christianity

7. AND FINALLY - Learn some history. Know were Saudi Arabia is and how it was created. Learn how the west conquored the Muslim world. Learn where things came from. Learn about the people.

antsinmypants

March 12th, 2003, 08:27 AM

I agree Tomcone. This is how my family and three missionary families I know went at it in Spain.
We learned the history, what "brand" of language is spoken in the region we were to live, and what religious practises were practised- and how they are implimented in everyday life.

We learned as we went, and were much the better for it.

tenderheart2

March 28th, 2003, 11:36 AM

We could also fast and pray every friday at noon that is when the muslims stop to do their prayers.

Kim

antsinmypants

March 31st, 2003, 10:35 PM

Actually, they stop and pray three times every single day, and usually pray longer on Fridays, as it's nearing Sabbath- and friday nights & saturday afternoons because it is Sabbath.

We are told to "pray without ceasing"... not just three times out of every day.

Maybe we should pray always for our enemies and those who aren't yet believers...? ;)

Now You See HIM

April 16th, 2003, 06:01 PM

Here are a few odds 'n' ends--the first couple of which I've been forgetting about until now...

(1.) I know I've mentioned Gospel for Asia earlier in this thread--but I omitted Christian Aid (www.christianaid.org) and Advancing Native Missions (www.adnamis.org), which both do similar activities, although throughout much more of the region and the world as a whole. The more I think about it, the more I believe that this is the best way to go in many different regions.

(2.) The online-store component of the SIM website has a section of books concerning this topic (http://secure.sim.org/catpgF.htm)--although, of course, the focus of that area is to sell the books, so you may need to do independent research on them elsewhere first.

(3.) Here's an item from today's edition of "Mission Network News" (www.mnnonline.org) that gives some food for thought:

We begin today with a story from Africa that could have a huge impact on the Muslim world. Global Advance recently completed two Frontline Shepard's conferences in northern Kenya. Global Advance's David Shibley says pastors in that region gathered together and made a significant pledge. “They made such a strong commitment to planting churches in the Islamic world. And, in both conferences in both Isiolo and Kukuyu where almost 1,200 pastors came together, they determined that they would go into the northern nations of Africa.” Shibley says this could be the turning point for evangelism in these countries that have long been closed to the Gospel. “The only way into some of the unreached peoples of northern Africa are if fellow Africans will go to them with the Gospel. Many times it is almost an impossibility for North Americans to go and in particularly in a heightened climate of hostility.”

lookinupval

April 25th, 2003, 11:14 PM

If we're still around, I'll probably train for the 10/40 window when my son gets into college (he's 9 years old right now). I should have a really good grasp of scripture by then, although admittedly, I don't believe we'll still be here at that time. It's good to have a Plan B though!

I went on another missions trip to Mexico since my last posting. It was so incredible...

A friend and I did a lot of one-on-one witnessing to the "neighborhood" in the labor camp. Sat down and had coffee with a local woman and her husband who ran the clothing closet for the local church. She said we were the first missionaries to take up her offer of coffee, out of a few hundred possibilities over the last 2 years.

PEOPLE DIDN'T VISIT them and have coffee out of fear of drinking local coffee out of local coffee cups! The Lord is very specific about us not going in fear. Not only did JoAnn and I have coffee with this family, but we had homemade Mole con Pollo at a neighbor's house! Not insulting these people was much more important than chewing on a few dozen Immodium for a few days in case we did get sick, which we didn't.

There is a lot of paganism and witchcraft in the area we went to...ONE HIGHLIGHT: A 10- or 11-yr-old boy rode up to me on his bike on the first day, and I asked him if he knew Jesus. He shook his head no and rode away. He came back at least 3 times a day every day, and every day it was the same thing. I'd pray for him as he rode near me, tell him Jesus Christo loved him, and pray as he rode away. It was all very strange, but I loved that boy in the name of Jesus every time he came near me.

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread!

RE: The 10/40 window ... I've been a bit interested in learning some Arabic, but need to refine my Spanish first. I figure the next few years doing Mexico missions, and then venture into the real hot seats.

A good friend of mine bought me two boxes of the Gospel of John in Spanish! I'll bet you could get the same thing in Arabic, knowing of course that it would be illegal to distribute them in some countries. Anything is possible when you are covered by the Blood of the Lamb.

I met a missionary who, as a teenager, had gone behind the Iron Curtain to smuggle Bibles and Worship songbooks to Syberia! His stories were AMAZing, how the Lord supernaturally made people look the other way at critical junctures in his trip. When he got there, his contact didn't speak English and he didn't speak Russian, but they both loved the Lord. That's pretty much all it takes, isn't it? A great love for the Lord and a desire to do his work?

May the Lord bless all of you with a heart for missions, and with a heart for praying for missionaries. We are all cogs in the same wheel, and there is no part great or small that isn't important to the Lord's work.

Hi Sparklecat!

lookinupval

April 25th, 2003, 11:20 PM

Hey, Sparkle, that was an AWESOME witness you gave to the Arab! Praise the Lord!

Let us know if you hear back from him, on whether Jesus is the son of Allah ;)

It took me a couple of years of being saved to fully understand the concept of the Trinity. There was a good section in the back of my bible, and I also bought a book on the Holy Spirit by Billy Graham (wonder if you can get that one in Arabic?).

I recently saw clips of a revival in Pakistan, and, OH!, I forgot the woman's name. I thought she was one of the prosperity teachers, but she was doing awesome work for the Lord in Pakistan. She was the first person ever to be allowed to use the sports arena for a revival/religious meeting. There were tens of thousands of attendees (Muslims) each evening.

She said the key was in healing. She said Jesus was only mentioned twice in the Koran, and it was in a healing capacity, so that is a fast way to reach the Muslims in the name of Jesus (it isn't quite as easy as I make it sound, I'm sure). The whole revival was truly remarkable.

Val

antsinmypants

April 26th, 2003, 02:04 PM

I don't agree with *Everything* "Jack Chick" has to say, but he does have some really good tracts online about the Muslim religion, and one that I've heard has helped witness better to those Muslims who read both the Qu'ran and the Bible (which from one that I knew years ago, said was a mandate- though the Bible was "ridden with mistakes"...).

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0059/0059_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0042/0042_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1004/1004_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5020/5020_01.asp

antsinmypants

April 26th, 2003, 02:13 PM

Forgot these:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5004/5004_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0029/0029_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0274/0274_01.asp

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0062/0062_01.asp

Now You See HIM

June 22nd, 2003, 01:02 AM

Something I just stumbled across is a small section on the Christian Missions Network site (run by two missionaries with SIM) that deals specifically with Islam. There isn't a whole lot there--and some of it has been dealt with already in this thread--but it still is worth a look...

www.christianmissions.net/islam

Now You See HIM

June 24th, 2003, 07:50 PM

Here's a current article from Christian Aid's "Christian Mission" magazine along these lines...

http://www.christianaid.org/cm/031arab.asp

Ministering the gospel among Muslims in Arab countries takes special grace. Foreign missionaries are not allowed, though some gain entrance to Islamic countries in "tent-making" positions and hope to be a witness for Christ in their life and work. Those born and living in the culture have the greatest advantage, but they share their faith at great risk to their and their families' wellbeing.

Open evangelization of Muslims is forbidden. In many countries, Muslims are forbidden to attend Christian church meetings, and in some places, religious or civil authorities place spies near church entrances to see if any Muslims enter. Generally, a Christian can answer a question about his faith if he is asked, but in some countries, even that is forbidden. Christian meetings of any kind are banned in some places, especially in Saudi Arabia.

Some Arabic-speaking countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon have thriving evangelical churches and active Christian ministries. The "accepted" churches in many other countries are old-line traditional churches, but there are vigorous underground evangelical churches in all of them. In fact, it is rumored that many secret believers exist in Saudi Arabia.

CAUTION ADVISED
So how do Christians communicate their faith within Islamic countries? Very carefully. Yet bold Christians do find ways to share the gospel, usually one-on-one. They often do so in the public transit systems.

Electronic media provide opportunities. Though many Internet Service Providers filter out all Christian programming, Christian telecasts and radio broadcasts blanket the region and many Muslims hear the gospel in the privacy of their own homes. When they want to learn more, they write to the program sponsors or for a Bible or correspondence course that is offered.

When a Muslim contact has apparently proven his sincerity his name and address may be given to an experienced Christian minister native to the area. The Christian leader then makes a personal call upon the individual and sizes up the person's commitment. Only after the leader is satisfied that the person is a sincere follower of Christ does he introduce him to other Christians. In some countries, Christians never meet as a group for fear of being discovered and apprehended by authorities.

In Algeria, 21 people a day accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, according to statements published in the Arab press. Many of them meet in underground house churches. If their meetings were discovered, they could all be secretly hurried off to prison and possibly never heard from again.

At the same time, about eight churches are officially recognized by the government in Algeria. These churches exist among the Kabyles-a tribal region that is not considered fully Arab.

BOOKFAIR BONANZAS
One bright spot for Christians in the Arab world is the book fairs that are held in several countries. In January, 2002, the Bible Society of Egypt had purchased hundreds of videos on the life of Abraham professionally dubbed into Egyptian Arabic. Just days before the fair began, the permission they had been given to sell them was suddenly rescinded. An urgent bulletin went out and Christians around the world prayed. Finally, authorities told them they could sell them-as long as they weren't screened publicly at the fair.

The Bible Society agreed, and at the same time was able to place a very large advertisement for its "Abraham" video on the front page of Egypt's most popular daily newspaper. The ad offered home delivery service and by the end of the day the Bible Society had received more than 150 orders! Thanks to the book fairs, large quantities of Christian books, cassettes and other publications are made available.

Another Christian ministry in the region has extensive outreach throughout the area. When book fairs occur in neighboring countries, it brings in not only college textbooks printed in other countries but Bibles and Christian books as well. It also operates an extensive relief aid program, taking food, clothing, and other necessary items to impoverished Christian families who are victims of the economic crisis in Palestine and Iraq.

THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION
Several seminaries and Bible Schools are scattered throughout Arabic-speaking countries. They exist in Cairo, Beirut and Amman, Jordan. Most of these are not permitted to accept Muslim students.

The theological seminary in Jordan one time received governmental approval to teach Bible lessons even to Muslims. In recent years their freedom has been whittled away and foreign students and teachers from other Arab lands have not been able to obtain visas to attend. Still the school continues to be an effective trainer of Christian workers in the region.

At one time a small group of Christians mounted a campaign to conduct a children's ministry in 11 small villages in a strong Muslim area. All the mosques preached against it and irate Muslims took to the street shouting, "The Christians are attacking us." The whole story got printed in the local Arabic newspaper-including "how to become a Christian!" And the activities of these brazen Christians were debated in the country's national assembly.

Another time in another country, Arab Christian missionaries entered the area of three major tribes that had been kidnapping foreigners. It was a desert area with no roads. Suddenly they were surrounded by armed men and taken to a castle where their captors gladly received New Testaments.

In some places of Sudan, missionaries showed the "Jesus" film [www.jesusfilm.org] to small villages. When the locals saw Jesus in the film they cheered. When the watched Jesus being nailed to the cross, many cried. The "Jesus" film is a powerful medium to take the gospel to millions of people, and especially to the illiterate.

CULTURAL BIAS
Christians are at a decided disadvantage in Arab Muslim cultures. First of all, Arab TV always portrays Christians as being bad people-they smoke, drink and hug and kiss in public. And when a Muslim becomes a Christian, his or her conversion is rarely recognized by the government. A woman who becomes a Christian, for example, is still officially considered a Muslim and has little recourse but to marry a Muslim man. And a convert's children will still be required to attend Islamic classes in the public school system.

Some Christians know English and can find work with foreign companies. Christians also tend to be open-minded and entrepreneurial and are able to develop their own businesses.

At the same time, active Christians in the Arabic-speaking world find it difficult to acquire the necessary papers to get a good job. Many work two low-paying jobs just to survive. In court, a Muslim's testimony will always outweigh a Christian's. Yet the stigma on Christians is more cultural than official. Muslims control the government offices, so they hire Muslims.

Arabic-speaking Christians gladly give their tithes and offerings to support the Lord's work and workers. But their giving is insufficient for the great needs and opportunities before them. That is why Christian Aid is collecting funds to help specific indigenous Christian ministries in Islamic lands. Your gifts will help meet the needs of God's people and help Christian ministries plant seeds of the gospel in their own lands.

snowbird

August 17th, 2003, 07:38 PM

The http://www.bibleleague.org has received a request from a contact of the ME underground church.

They say they could use 50,000 NTs, today.

Now You See HIM

August 31st, 2003, 12:56 AM

Here's a little item from the Religion Journal site--although this might refer more to witnessing to Muslims living in the West...

http://www.religionjournal.com/showbrief.asp?id=359 (fourth item from the top)

It takes time to win Muslims to Christ, says Carl Ellis, co-founder of Project Joseph [www.projectjoseph.org], a nondenominational group that educates the church about contemporary issues. "Microwave conversion just doesn't work," Ellis said during a speech at the National Conference on Islam Aug. 15-17 in Ridgecrest, N.C.

Ellis offered guidelines for Christians to share their faith with Muslim friends, according to Baptist Press. He recommended engaging Muslims through day-to-day encounters and casual conversation rather than insisting on immediate conversion. Be a good listener by asking questions about the situations that led them to Islam, and allow them to reveal their concerns and fears at their own pace, he advised.

Be respectful of Muslims and their beliefs, Ellis said. Try to understand Islamic doctrine from Muslims' perspective, and recognize that "the Christianity Muhammad encountered was corrupted." He advised careful handling of the Bible: Never use a Bible that has any marks, never put it on the floor, and never hold it in your left hand, which is considered unclean. Pictures of Jesus or any other biblical figures should be avoided, because Muslims consider that to be idolatry.

Use wisdom in applying God's Word to the issues the Muslims choose to share, Ellis said. "The Bible addresses every life issue. When we are able to demonstrate how practical and relevant the Word of God is, we've come a long way in leading our Muslim friends to Christ."

katt

September 7th, 2003, 05:38 PM

You have a couple of PM's..Please check your mailbox..:D:

snowbird

September 20th, 2003, 08:41 PM

I've read that many young women in Iran carry a NT concealed under their black robes.

One missionary offered a NT to a woman and she told her friends and several asked discretely for a copy.

It's risky business, but the demand certainly is there for the people with the contacts.

Now You See HIM

September 22nd, 2003, 07:36 PM

An interesting ABP story I saw linked from Christian Monitor today...

http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=704

Ninety-five retired Southern Baptist missionaries who served in the Middle East and North Africa recently signed a resolution calling for U.S. Christian leaders to quit making inflammatory statements about the faith of people who live in the region.

They mailed their admonition in a letter to former Southern Baptist Convention President Jerry Vines and Richard Land, executive director of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

In a sermon Vines preached at the 2002 SBC Pastors' Conference, he called Mohammed, the founder of Islam, "a demon-possessed pedophile." He also implied Allah, the Islamic god, turns people into terrorists.

The missionaries' letter also cited Land's endorsement of President Bush's pro-Israel policies.

Both actions are particularly distressing to missionaries, the resolution said.

"Because of the deep and continued concern for all the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, we, the retired missionaries of this area, urge Christian leaders in America to respect the faith, values and aspirations of all the peoples of the entire area, and to reflect this respect in their public and private statements," the resolution said.

The retirees represent more than 1,625 years of combined experience with the SBC International Mission Board. A group of current IMB workers in predominantly Muslim countries issued a similar call for restraint last January.

Vines and Land did not respond to requests for comment. Likewise, the International Mission Board declined comment.