It\u2019s not hard, in America, to share the Gospel with Muslims. Just walk onto any secular college campus and you\u2019re likely to find quite a number of polite Muslim students interested in discussing spiritual issues. You can\u2019t do this in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan or Iran; rather, you could try it once or twice, perhaps, but you would lose your liberty or worse. But here we enjoy a vast international mission field.<\/p>\n
In contrast with older folks, college students are often willing to engage in a discussion of worldviews, whether they are Christians or atheists or Muslims or none-of-the-aboves. So why not try? Here\u2019s a short summary of a typical encounter I\u2019ve experienced with Muslim students:<\/p>\n
Approaching a student sitting on a bench under a shady tree . . . From here it\u2019s a simple Gospel presentation, explaining the cross, the Resurrection, and the necessity of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (As I\u2019ve detailed in other essays on this site, and in my free e-book on evangelism.)<\/p>\n The outline above is virtually identical for anyone religious, including Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses. Although the simple responses by the Student above reflect the attitude of someone who is not too zealous or argumentative or self-righteous about his faith. Yet I\u2019ve noticed that a good fraction of Muslims (and others trapped in works-based religions), when you catch them alone, 1-2-1, are willing to reveal their uncertainties regarding the religion of their youth.<\/p>\n Modern evangelicalism despises what they call \u201cconfrontational evangelism.\u201d As a matter of actual policy in many evangelical churches, those few church members who actually do share some Gospel truth with the lost on rare occasions, are to do it in the context of relationships built up over time. Bah! Of course we should be doing that. So go ahead. Count up all the relationships you\u2019ve got. If you\u2019ve got any love for those lost friends and acquaintances and any sense of urgency<\/strong>, then make some time very soon to insure that they know how to be saved, how to become a child of God, and how to escape damnation in Hell. Guess what? You\u2019ll be done in about two weeks. If you\u2019re a real social animal, I\u2019ll give you four weeks.<\/p>\n So what are you going to do with the rest of your life? Hey, how about walking up to someone that you would never be able to develop a \u2018relationship\u2019 with, and simply offer him a tract and share the Gospel in just a few minutes?<\/p>\n Not all Muslims are so easy to talk with. Some, like some atheists, some Roman Catholics, etc., will engage but may be a bit feisty in challenging you. Great. That\u2019s just an opportunity to help someone over his stumbling blocks. As Peter did at Pentecost and as Paul did on Mars Hill. Their arguments were different, because the Jerusalem Jews suffered barriers of belief different from the Athenian pagans.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the preaching of the Gospel, modeled in the New Testament, is primarily a 1-way communication of Truth. Sure, we see examples of dialogue as preambles to a Gospel presentation, as with the Samaritan woman at the well and when Nicodemus sought a private conference with the Lord. But the objective of the preacher in every preamble is to open the door for a direct presentation of Truth. In this area also evangelicals, unfortunately, are trained to get very clever in apologetic dialogue, asking brilliant questions that challenge faulty logic, etc. But at some point the evangelist must have something direct to say. The Biblical pattern is not, \u201cWell you might consider an alternative point of view,\u201d but rather, \u201cWake up and face reality!\u201d<\/p>\n Hey, I love apologetics! I have shelves of books! I love it for the opportunities to help someone see through the dark clouds of misunderstanding that prevent the lost from seeing the simple obvious Truth of the Gospel. But never lose sight of the need to confront the lost with his sins, his certain coming judgment, and His need to repent and trust the Savior. Deliver the truth as if it is self-evidently TRUE!<\/p>\n Back to apologetics . . . I just finished reading Understanding Islam & Christianity: Beliefs That Separate Us & How to Talk About Them<\/em>, by Josh McDowell and Jim Walker. It\u2019s a solid resource. I won\u2019t take time here to discuss the book\u2019s strengths and weaknesses; I\u2019d rather focus on one quite useful chapter, entitled \u201cThe Quran Confirms the Christian Scriptures,\u201d which addresses a class of objections typically offered by Muslims of the more feisty variety.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the issue: Muslims generally believe that our Bible has been corrupted, motivating them to discount the Gospel truth we want to share with them. They believe that the Quran is the \u2018pure\u2019 word of God and that the Quran rejects the Bible. However, Muhammad and the early Muslims believed and taught that the Bible is the word of God, a teaching repeatedly confirmed in the Quran.<\/p>\n The 19th century Christian scholar, Sir William Muir, wrote a book that identified 131 Quranic verses that affirm the Bible\u2019s integrity. Muir summarizes:<\/p>\n \u201dThe Old and New Testaments are everywhere in the Quran referred to as extant and in common use; Jews and Christians are exhorted to follow the precepts of their respective Scriptures; and from first to last both portions of the Bible are spoken of in terms of reverence and homage consistent only with a sincere belief in their genuineness and authenticity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Just one example to illustrate:<\/p>\n 3:3 He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.<\/em><\/p>\n There are no stipulations that run counter to the trend. For example, no caveats like, \u201cI confirm only that which agrees with the Quran.\u201d Again and again, the Quran confirms the Scriptures of the Christians and the Jews.<\/p>\n Now, historical and manuscript evidence is clear that the Old and New Testaments available in the Arabian peninsula around 600 A.D. were just those that form the basis of the Masoretic Hebrew and Received Greek Texts from which the King James Bible is translated. Namely, the Bible was NOT corrupted after the time of Muhammad. It also could not have been corrupted before Muhammad\u2019s time . . . in a rational Islamic worldview . . . because Muhammad in the Quran, the Hadith, and other writings, continually affirms the truth of what we call our Bible.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s going on? Let\u2019s look at Sura 9:30 . . . The Jews say Ezra is the son of God, while the Christians say the Messiah is the son of God. Such are their assertions, by which they imitate the infidels of old. God confound them! How perverse they are!<\/em><\/p>\n Muhammad thought<\/em> that Jews and Christians were making up false claims and repeating them \u2013 \u201ctheir assertions.\u201d Muhammad rejected doctrines like the deity of Christ and His death on the cross because he thought the Christians were inventing them, not realizing that the Bible is crystal on these truths. He apparently had great respect for the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, but did not know them! He must have heard many stories and much discussion from his early interactions with Christians and Jews, but he never understood Biblical doctrine or its basis in Scripture.<\/p>\n When encountering such objections from Muslims, a concise answer might look like, \u201cBut Muhammad \u2013 in the Quran and in the Hadith \u2013 always affirmed and respected the Biblical Scriptures. There are over 100 suras in the Quran that prove this, with nothing to contradict. You see, Muhammad thought the Christians of his time were making up stories about Jesus being the Son of God and dying on a cross. He didn\u2019t realize that these facts are in the Scriptures. He never taught that the Bible was corrupted. I can provide you references if you\u2019re interested. You ought to make sure, after all, that if you claim that God\u2019s word is corrupted, that you\u2019re on solid ground. Muhammad would have been angry that you attack the Bible!\u201d<\/p>\n Do such objections come up often? With the feisty Muslim, it\u2019s quite common. The more you learn, the more you can help someone. And you don\u2019t need encyclopedic knowledge, but rather just a factoid or two on any topic that comes up regularly, and a willingness to search out a reference for someone who wants to take the next step.<\/p>\n Usually, such objections are not the prime cause for the unbelief. (It\u2019s a love for sin!) But a chink in his foundation may grow over time. Be a co-laborer with the Holy Spirit. Preach the Gospel with all the compassion, fervor, and knowledge that you can bring, and trust the Holy Spirit to do the convicting work in the heart.<\/p>\n And give someone a tract this week \u2013 someone you don\u2019t have a relationship with!<\/p>\n – drdave@truthreallymatters.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s not hard, in America, to share the Gospel with Muslims. Just walk onto any secular college campus and you\u2019re likely to find quite a number of polite Muslim students interested in discussing spiritual issues. 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\nDoc: \u201cGood morning! Here\u2019s a free gift.\u201d I hand him a tract. \u201cIt\u2019s about the big issues: where we came from, where we\u2019re going, what life is all about. Do you ever think about the really big stuff?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cSure. Who doesn\u2019t?\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cSo here\u2019s the \u2018big question\u2019 . . . If today is the last day of your life on Earth, and you die, where will you be after that?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cThe usual choices are Heaven, Hell, non-existence, Ascended Master . . .\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cI\u2019m a Muslim, so yes, I hope to be in Paradise.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cI\u2019m a Christian, so we both believe we\u2019re accountable to God and we both believe that God will judge us by the laws of Moses \u2013 you know, the Ten Commandments.\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cOf course.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cLike, \u2018Thou shalt not kill.\u2019 Have you ever murdered anyone?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cNo, of course not!\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cHere\u2019s what Jesus said about 2,000 years ago. I know you believe that Jesus was a prophet sent from God. I believe that He is much more than that, namely God Himself who became a man. He said that if you get angry with someone, or call him a fool, you\u2019ve committed murder in your heart. God judges who we are on the inside, not just whether we act it out. Ever get angry?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cYes, many times.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cGod won\u2019t let that sin into Heaven. Murderers, even if only in the heart, are condemned to Hell. Jesus said that if you look at a woman with lust \u2013 sexual desire and she\u2019s not your own wife \u2013 you\u2019ve committed adultery in your heart. Pornography counts, too. Ever look with lust?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201c(grunt)\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to tell me. God knows your every thought, word, and act. Jesus also said that liars will be cast into Hell. Ever tell a lie?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cEveryone has.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cI\u2019ve just hit you with 3 of the 10 commandments. You\u2019re like me, busted, 3 for 3. If we went through all 10 commandments it would be 10 for 10, and not just once each, but thousands of times. Do you know how many sins it takes to wind up in Hell?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cJust one?\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cRight. God is holy and righteous and won\u2019t let sin into His presence. The Bible says, \u2018Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.\u2019 Have you noticed the world is in trouble? Whose fault?\u201d
\nStudent: \u201cOurs.\u201d
\nDoc: \u201cNot just \u2018ours\u2019 in general, but you and me in particular. Nobody wants God telling him what to do and we all care about ourselves more than anyone else. If we get what we deserve, it\u2019s not a perfect God in a perfect Paradise. You and I deserve Hell. But God loves you and wants to save you.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n