“I used to argue with Muslims and insist on showing them why they’re wrong,” said Zakaria, my local Christian-background friend and ministry partner. “But now I see there’s a better way.”
Zakaria and I had just finished reading through Deuteronomy 6, in which Moses instructs the Israelites to obey, cherish, and teach God’s commands to others.
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
For several weeks, Zakaria and I had been talking about helping Muslims discover Jesus in the Word. And Zakaria is applying what we’ve been learning. He no longer tries to argue with Muslims. Now he sits and engages people with Scripture.
More than ever, my teammates and I are convinced that God wants to use us by raising up local leaders like Zakaria who will be more effective and run faster than we as outsiders ever could.
In other words, we no longer see ourselves as God’s main strategy for bringing Muslims in this region to Jesus Christ. When we think of the sheer millions here and the variety of languages and dialects they speak, we know His strategy can’t just be about us.
So, in addition to trying to engage Muslims with the Word, we’re also training local believers—from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds—to help catalyze movements to Christ.
Zakaria and I recently put released a nine-part discipleship series to help Muslims discover the truth of Jesus in the Bible. As they study God’s Word, groups of families and friends are learning to ask the sort of questions that lead to discovery of Jesus and sharing truth with others.
The stories in this discipleship series begin in Genesis, and they include passages about Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, and the new covenant. Moreover, these series are giving Muslims in this people group their first opportunity to hear God’s Word in their own language.
Already, the Word is multiplying, as this resource is spreading quickly through mobile and social media platforms.
“This story [the Passover] shows that for those who believe in God, He will give blood to pass over their sins.” – Muhammad, a group leader
We’ve already seen several new groups of Muslims start meeting to go through the Bible series—including two groups of Syrian refugee families and a group led by an imam in a mosque. Muslim men and women are eager to know God’s plan and discover Jesus Christ!
Ahmed is a participant in one of the refugee groups. At the end of a recent study, Ahmed said, “I’ll go through this passage with my wife and kids so we can all understand God’s real purpose for relationship with man.”
Pray with us that the Word takes root in the hearts of Ahmed and others who—for the first time in their lives—are discovering God’s redeeming purposes through Christ Jesus.
**This account comes from Matt, a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Original article: FrontiersUSA.org/blog/article/gods-word-the-best-tool-for-making-disciples-among-muslims
