Page 129 - World Religions I - Islam

Ask Your Muslim Friend to Read from the Gospels
Give your Muslim friend a copy of the New Testament and ask him or her to read through one of the Gospels. Each Gospel
is good for a different purpose.

• The Gospel of Luke is a great place to start.
o Luke contains themes the Muslim is familiar with.
 The angel's announcement to Mary that she would bear Jesus.
 The birth of John the Baptist.
o Luke contains many interesting stories and parables.
 The story of Jesus calling Levi shows that Jesus accepts people who are considered the worst of
sinners.8
 The parable of the lost sheep shows how God rejoices when a sinner repents, and how God is
the initiator in bringing lost people to himself.9
 The parable of the lost coin shows how God seeks sinners and rejoices when they turn to
Him.10
• The Gospel of Matthew may have strong appeal because of some of the themes it addresses.
o Familiar themes in Matthew include:
 Ritual prayer.
 Fasting.
 Almsgiving.
 Social justice.
 Marriage.
 Divorce.
• The Gospel of John is great for focusing on Jesus' deity.
o Be sure to discuss what Jesus says about himself, especially concerning the "I am" statements.11
 Talk about the meaning of Jesus' words in John 8:58: "I tell you the truth...before Abraham was
born, I am!"
 Share that Exodus 3:14 tells us that God's name is "I am."

Understand the Obstacles
When sharing your faith with Muslims, be patient, prayerful, and respectful. Don't ever put pressure on a Muslim to
become a Christian. There is a much at stake, and Muslims must overcome a number of powerful obstacles before putting
their faith in Christ.

• Religion and culture
o Because Islam is tied into every aspect of the culture, seekers may have a hard time disconnecting the
two.
 Rejection of Islam can be akin to rejecting the culture in which one has lived their whole life.
• Distrust of non-Muslims
o Muslims are warned not to believe in anyone outside of their religion.
 "'And believe no one unless he follows your religion.' Say: 'True guidance is the Guidance of Allah:
(Fear ye) Lest a revelation be sent to someone (else) Like unto that which was sent unto you? or
that those (Receiving such revelation) should engage you in argument before your Lord?' Say: 'All
bounties are in the hand of Allah: He granteth them to whom He pleaseth: And Allah careth for all,
and He knoweth all things.'" - Al-Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:73
• Apostasy
o An apostate in Islam is one who abandons the "truth" outlined in the Qur'an for another religion.
o The Qur'an warns against apostasy.
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