Evangelism that uses only the Koran. Now that's funny. Next you'll be sharing with Mormons with the Book of Mormon. Putting credibility in the Koran only adds to it's power. Why not rather share about what God really wants about sacrifice and the ultimate sacrifice, Christ, which the Koran equivocally denies with gusto.
Hi Mark, I agree that "only using the Qur'an" to lead a Muslim to faith in Christ would probably result in the convert continuing to view the Qur'an as authoritative for faith and practice. I don't have any case studies to prove that, it's just the law of unintended consequences. But I wonder if such an approach might prove useful for a Muslim who would never touch a Bible. Or do you think that "only using the Qur'an" would be worse than not even sharing the gospel at all?
I disagree with you that the Qur'an "equivocally denies with gusto" that Jesus died (you meant to say unequivocally?). The death of Christ is quite ambiguous in the (Arabic) Qur'an. Most Muslims I've known unfortunately just take for granted that Jesus didn't die. But we must not budge on this issue, for Christ crucified is the very heart of our message.
In my experience working with Muslims I have found this to be true.
1) Look the Muslim in the eyes and see if the Holy Spirit is doing something, if so, continue.
2) If a Muslim won't read the Bible, then the Holy Spirit hasn't brought them to that point yet, or won't.
3) I used to use the Koran as a bridge. Produced zero results. Actually zero. Just a lot of Muslims who left Islam, and never believed anything else. Yes, I did just say that. The quickest way to get a Muslim to leave Islam is to get them to read the Koran. I've had dozens do so. Yet that isn't my goal. Why should it be? Yikes! My goal isn't to get them to just leave Islam. My goal is to have Christ powerfully impact them and glorify himself through their salvation. So I found out this simply didn't take them where I thought it would.
4) I changed my focus, and started to just simply give Muslims the Bible, and reading it with them. I found almost no resistance. Some would do it just to please me, and you can tell that by looking in their eyes. Other's, ate it up like sweet water, and in their eyes you saw the Spirit of God burning.
I was shock by learning all of these things. I spoke to others about their experiences and it came to be about the same. Muslims aren't resistant to the gospel! We're resistant in giving it to them plainly. Yes, most don't come to the Lord. But hey, that's God's choice, not mine. But those who came to the Lord who had a focus on the Bible from the start had much stronger spiritual lives and dealt with sin issues much quicker than those who I had to 'wean' off of the Islamic teachings.
This goes against everything that modern missions gurus are teaching. Yet, when I actually talk to people in the field, using these bridging methods, the results are not as advertised. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:1-2, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Preaching the gospel, and the pure gospel seems amazingly biblical, and honestly, far more simple than what we've made it into. Muslims are not some freaky monsters. They are not some aliens from another planet. They are human, and the gospel was made for every human. Let's treat them as they are. They are desperately lost people who need to hear a message of truth, and power. We have that. let's give it to them and not waste time on things that stand between us and that gospel.
4 comments:
Evangelism that uses only the Koran. Now that's funny. Next you'll be sharing with Mormons with the Book of Mormon. Putting credibility in the Koran only adds to it's power. Why not rather share about what God really wants about sacrifice and the ultimate sacrifice, Christ, which the Koran equivocally denies with gusto.
Hi Mark, I agree that "only using the Qur'an" to lead a Muslim to faith in Christ would probably result in the convert continuing to view the Qur'an as authoritative for faith and practice. I don't have any case studies to prove that, it's just the law of unintended consequences. But I wonder if such an approach might prove useful for a Muslim who would never touch a Bible. Or do you think that "only using the Qur'an" would be worse than not even sharing the gospel at all?
I disagree with you that the Qur'an "equivocally denies with gusto" that Jesus died (you meant to say unequivocally?). The death of Christ is quite ambiguous in the (Arabic) Qur'an. Most Muslims I've known unfortunately just take for granted that Jesus didn't die. But we must not budge on this issue, for Christ crucified is the very heart of our message.
In my experience working with Muslims I have found this to be true.
1) Look the Muslim in the eyes and see if the Holy Spirit is doing something, if so, continue.
2) If a Muslim won't read the Bible, then the Holy Spirit hasn't brought them to that point yet, or won't.
3) I used to use the Koran as a bridge. Produced zero results. Actually zero. Just a lot of Muslims who left Islam, and never believed anything else. Yes, I did just say that. The quickest way to get a Muslim to leave Islam is to get them to read the Koran. I've had dozens do so. Yet that isn't my goal. Why should it be? Yikes! My goal isn't to get them to just leave Islam. My goal is to have Christ powerfully impact them and glorify himself through their salvation. So I found out this simply didn't take them where I thought it would.
4) I changed my focus, and started to just simply give Muslims the Bible, and reading it with them. I found almost no resistance. Some would do it just to please me, and you can tell that by looking in their eyes. Other's, ate it up like sweet water, and in their eyes you saw the Spirit of God burning.
I was shock by learning all of these things. I spoke to others about their experiences and it came to be about the same. Muslims aren't resistant to the gospel! We're resistant in giving it to them plainly. Yes, most don't come to the Lord. But hey, that's God's choice, not mine. But those who came to the Lord who had a focus on the Bible from the start had much stronger spiritual lives and dealt with sin issues much quicker than those who I had to 'wean' off of the Islamic teachings.
This goes against everything that modern missions gurus are teaching. Yet, when I actually talk to people in the field, using these bridging methods, the results are not as advertised. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:1-2, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
Preaching the gospel, and the pure gospel seems amazingly biblical, and honestly, far more simple than what we've made it into. Muslims are not some freaky monsters. They are not some aliens from another planet. They are human, and the gospel was made for every human. Let's treat them as they are. They are desperately lost people who need to hear a message of truth, and power. We have that. let's give it to them and not waste time on things that stand between us and that gospel.
Hi Mark, I commend you for wanting to preach the "pure gospel." I think it is very interesting that Insider/C5 proponents have the same motivation.
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