As mentioned last week, this is the time of year when Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims throughout the entire world. This is the perfect time to be praying for Muslims to come to know the One true God and praying over our fellow brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith. It is also a perfect time for us individually to delve into resources that encourage connection during Ramadan and beyond with our Muslim neighbors!
Resources to Encourage Connection during Ramadan and Beyond
This life is all about building bridges so we can share Jesus with everyone! Several years ago, I heard a sad statistic. I would assume that it is still true and may actually be worse now. According to a speaker who came to our congregation to encourage us to reach out to Muslims,
Overseas there is 1 missionary for every 1 million Muslims!
The next statement that was made, convicted me even more:
Maybe that is why God is sending Muslims to the U.S. If we are to scared to go and share the gospel with them in their country, maybe God is bringing them here to hear his Good News!
Do we need more reasons to connect with the Muslims in our community than they need to know God? They are searching to know God better, and if God has put them in our path, He is probably answering their prayer through you.
Let’s not be scared to reach out and make a connection. Fear has no part to play when we are serving our Lord, but that’s a post for another day!
The Bible
Yep, the bible is always an amazing resource! Often times we overlook it for other resources, but this is the first resource we should always come to.
The Book of Acts
Especially for those who are scared to reach out, read the book of Acts and be encouraged by how the disciples prayed for courage:
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”
-The United Prayer of a Group of Believers, Acts 4:29
As you go through Acts look at these faith builders:
- Read through each chapter and take note of how the Holy Spirit guided them.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you build connections to share God with others.
- Read about how God intensely provided for those who followed Him with so much grace and mercy that even as they were being beaten for their beliefs, God protected their spirit!
- Read how God empowered and protected Stephen in his final moments on earth. It is powerful and reiterates that only God can protect our soul.
- Pray that God will enable you to share his good news with great boldness.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
-Jesus, Matthew 10:
The Book of John
Now, the book of John is a beautiful and powerful gift to give to Muslims with whom you are making connections. The Koran encourages Muslims to read the Bible, so gifting them the book of John will encourage their hearts in many ways and give them more detail about who God really is and how He loves them! The Koran speaks of Jesus but does not go into details and it’s truly the details that bring them to know the true God!
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God…
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1 & 14
Bridges: Christians Connecting with Muslims DVD Study
This powerful DVD series, which I had the opportunity to watch with our church family a few years ago, opened my eyes to many wonderful ways of building connections with our Muslim friends so that we can encourage their hearts as they are seeking God. “Bridges teaches how to use similar concepts in Christianity and Islam as a bridge to understanding and open hearts.”
God loves Muslims. Muslims are not the problem. Muslims are many times the victim of a system that locks them in and they need to hear that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives.
I would encourage you to gather a group of believers together, maybe in your church or in your home, and prayerfully delve into this study. Ask God to open your heart to seeing how to make these connections and how to build relationships with your Muslim neighbors.
Seeking Allah, Finding God
This is a compelling biography that also details out the Islamic religion in a way that is easy to digest. Nabeel explains many of the rituals and celebrations including Ramadan in a way that will help us connect with the Muslims around us. This book is so well written that it draws you in and is difficult to put down.
Written by Nabeel Qureshi , he explains how he grew up in a loving Muslim family. How he learned from an early age how to love Allah and defend his faith. In his journey to find truth, he found Jesus. Much of this was due to a follower of Jesus who became his good friend. Over the course of many years, Nabeel, a devout muslim, and his Jesus’ loving friend were able to engage in open faith discussions.
Isn’t this what we want to do with everyone?
We want to engage in meaningful, respectful conversation that points people to Jesus!
Let’s continue to look for ways to share the gospel with everyone without fear, and as we have the opportunity let’s connect during Ramadan or other times with our Muslim neighbors in order that they may know God better!
What resources have you found helpful to encourage you to reach out to our Muslim neighbors?
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
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