Conversation with Muslims about Christ
Should Every Muslim
Who Becomes a Christian Die?
Abd al-Masih
GRACE-AND-TRUTH
Order Number: FPB 8008 ENG
2nd Edition 2003
English Title: Should Every Muslim Who Becomes a Christian Die?
Grace-and-Truth l P.O.Box 2904 l Weirton, WV 26062 l USA
Internet: www.grace-and-truth.org
e-mail: info@grace-and-truth.org
The apostle Paul confesses with all those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Christ: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered (Psalm 44:22), but, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:36-37).
The apostle of the nations confirmed this confession by his death when he was beheaded in the year 63 AD, just like James, the brother of Jesus, who had been killed a year earlier. Peter, too, is said to have been crucified upside down in Rome in 64 AD. The risen Lord gives some of his followers the privilege of participating in his suffering (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 1:20-23; 2:16-17; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; 1 Peter 4:16.19).
Dying, as Paul writes, is a complex term, just as overcoming comprises all fields of thought and life of the justified ones. Converts from Islam should give up their former culture and the spirit of their religion step by step, as they grow in faith until they are fully integrated in Jesus Christ and his church.
I. The Spiritual Victory Over the Islamic Way of Life
Whoever talks to Muslims about Jesus Christ and his salvation can find that there are three steep barriers to surmount by any spiritual counselor who wants to tackle the main problems of Islam.
· Christ, the Son of the Living God
First of all, a Muslim rejects any concept of the divinity of Jesus Christ. With this attitude he excludes himself from recognizing and knowing God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He rejects the unity of the Holy Trinity and separates himself from the completed redemption. He denies justification by grace and does not want to hear much of the privilege of rebirth. A witness to Christ must therefore ask Jesus for helpful ways and methods to persuade a Muslim that the son of Mary is the Son of God who has saved us from our sins.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12)
It is neither wise nor helpful to start a conversation with a Muslim by insisting at once that Christ is the Son of God, because many Muslims misunderstand this expression as a biological fathering by Allah through Mary, and react negatively to it.
· The Cross of Christ
The second obstacle for a Muslim to understand Christ and his redemption is the rejection of his crucifixion (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157). A Muslim does not grasp the meaning of the death of Jesus in our place, nor of his expiatory sacrifice and our purification from all sins. No Muslim will therefore find forgiveness of his sins so long as he rejects the crucified Christ! Whoever talks to Muslims about the creation and the judgement, about Abraham and Moses, about Christ's miracles and his ascension to God has not yet touched on the core of the problem. We should help the Muslim understand that he is a sinner. Then we can explain to him that Christ has taken away our sins (John 1:29-31).
· The Authenticity of the Bible
The third barrier that makes it impossible for a Muslim to believe in God, his Father, is his deep suspicion that the Bible is forged. By this blow below the belt, the spirit of Islam has knocked out the trust of many Muslims in the Torah and the Gospel. They believe that whatever the Jews and the Christians say are fairy tales, fables and errors. Whoever wants to help a Muslim to grasp salvation that has been completed for him in Christ, has to create in him trust that the Bible is the true word of God and the changeless revelation.
These three obstacles are not merely intellectual problems that could be cleared by logical proofs and fitting arguments in the Islamic style. Here we find anti-Christian seductions and collective chains that can only be loosened by grace in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayers – with faith that these prayers will be heard – is just as important in outreach among Muslims as is a testimony in humility and truth, guided by the Spirit. The love of Jesus Christ, however, remains the language that penetrates the darkest prison.
Overcoming the Islamic Concept of God
When someone in the name of Jesus has surmounted these three preliminary barriers of Islamic rejection, he may have reached the central problem of Islam. The concept of Allah determines Islamic culture in all fields, in faith, life, law and habits. It cannot, however, overcome their fear of death, or their trembling at the coming day of judgement. All fields of Islam are concentrated in Allah. A Muslim is more or less a small image of his Allah. Whoever wants to help him outflank Islam must explain the Father of Jesus Christ as the spiritual answer of the Gospel to the understanding of Allah.
Who is Allah?
A Muslim confesses in his testimony of faith: There is no God except Allah. Allah is only one, never three! He is immeasurably great, unreachably far and the only powerful one. All theological thoughts about him are insufficient and wrong. His names and attributes overlap and sometimes cancel each other out. No human intellect can grasp the Sublime One. He has predestined everything and demands total submission of everyone. Allah is not a god of boundless love. He seduces whomever he wants, and he guides rightly whomever he wants (Suras al-An'am 6:39; al-Ra'd 13:27; Ibrahim 14:4; al-Nahl 16:93; al-Fatir 35:8; al-Muddathir 74:31). He is not a god of truth, because he calls himself the most cunning of all (Suras Al 'Imran 3:54; al-Anfal 8:30; al-Nisa' 4:142). He is the proud one (Sura al-Hashr 59:23). His mercy is bestowed only on god-fearing Muslims who offer their money and fight for the spread of Islam (Suras al-Baqara 2:195; Al 'Imran 3:76,134,148,159; al-Ma'ida 5:13,43,93; al-Tawba 9:4,7,108; al-Mumtahana 60.8 et al.). The spirit of Islam hates the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and rejects Trinity absolutely (Sura al-Ikhlas 112:1-4, et al.).
Our Father in Heaven
The central answer of the gospel to the Islamic understanding of Allah is the Father of Jesus Christ. The almighty God is our Father who has bound himself forever to us, the sinners who were made of dust, by the covenant of his Son Jesus Christ, who has anointed us with his Holy Spirit. Our gospel does not teach us a faraway, unreachable and incomprehensible Allah, but shows us the near and personal Father. He cares for every one individually and knows us better than we ourselves do. He has even counted the hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). He sacrificed Hhis only Son for us to save us from the final judgement. Through His Holy Spirit He wants to live in us. God is our Father who has adopted us legally and has regenerated us spiritually. The Holy Ghost guides us to glorify the name of our Father in our lives.
The difference between Islam and Christianity is as great as the difference between Allah and the Father of Jesus Christ. The conversion of a Muslim will lead, sooner or later, to a separation from and then a rejection of the heartless, arbitrary Allah, until the seeker is saved by falling into the outstretched arms of our Father in heaven.
Such a transition does not only happen intellectually, but by the entire existential transformation of a person. All fields of life should be reformed into the image of the Father. On becoming a Christian it is impossible for a Muslim to remain in his Islamic culture with its anti-Christian spirit for a long time. All fields of his existence have to be directed towards the Father. In prayer, he learns to talk to his Father who will answer him in the Bible. When a Muslim becomes a child of God, he must take off Muhammad and put on Christ! He will receive the privilege of growing into the culture of Jesus Christ and become a member in the family of our Father in heaven. This means the denial of his former life and a renewal through the Holy Spirit. Taking the first step at the outset means entering into a spiritual world unknown to Islam. The Spirit of our Father wants to penetrate all fields of his life. Without sanctification nobody will see the Lord! Without renewal no one can abide in Christ. That change remains an act of grace of our Father, as long as we listen to His Son and thank Him for calling us.
A Cultural and Religious Trap
If someone does not separate himself from Allah, but also tries at the same time to bind himself to God the Father, the new faith only stays in his head, but does not reach his heart. Many a conversion stops halfway. One convert said, "I have recognized and believed that Allah is my father in heaven, who granted me everlasting life." That man tried to reconcile Islam with Christianity. He was a Christian with the Christians, but on seeing his wives with their children and their relatives he turns Muslim among Muslims. The outcome was a kind of spiritual schizophrenia. A clear distinction between light and darkness, between death and life, is in the long run imperative. The link by faith with Jesus Christ compels a Muslim to turn away from Allah, and to abide in the Father. But most Muslims hesitate to complete that turning away at once; they do it mostly step by step, as they grow in faith. But there is no getting home without turning around.
What does Grace Mean?
In the Qur'an the word "grace" occurs 38 times. Muslims believe that they are living under the permanent grace of Allah. But in Islam, grace means something different from the Bible. Allah's mercy rests on those Muslims who are strong, successful, healthy and honorable. Someone who has many sons, herds, cars, racing camels and money has been privileged be Allah in receiving grace upon grace. Allah led Muhammad toward Zainab, the wife of his adopted son Zaid, while still married to him (Sura al-Ahzab 33:37That development is called a grace of Allah!
In the gospel, however, grace means, first, forgiveness of all guilt! Jesus freely grants us righteousness, because he suffered and died in our place. Often, lowly, sick, old and sad people grasp this grace of God faster than the rich, the strong and the beautiful, who remain spiritually empty. "Blessed are the poor in spirit!" (Matthew 5:3). In addition to justifying grace believers receive the gifts of grace, which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). A convert must learn that material riches, secular values, worldly honor, "being right" and possessing power are often contrary to the spiritual filial gifts we received from our Father in heaven.
Sin or Sinner?
In Islam there is a long catalogue of graded sins: small sins, tolerable actions, unpopular offences, real sins, offences against the law (Shari'a), crimes, evil deeds, great sins and unforgivable guilt. The Qur'an teaches that a Muslim can wipe out each of his sins by special good deeds, except those in the last category (Suras al-Tawba 9:111; al-'Ankabut 29:7). He does not see himself as a sinner! That word would degrade and offend his whole family! It would be considered a shame to say that a Muslim is a sinner!
Real Christians know that they are sinners and lost when they compare themselves with the goodness and holiness of their heavenly Father. "Nobody is good except God" (Matthew 10:18). We are full of faults, failures, lost and condemned in our human nature. No human being is good in himself. The perfection of our Father proves our guilt (Matthew 5:48). Our sins and trespasses come out of a bottomless rottenness. Only the grace of Jesus Christ is our hope. His blood cleanses us from all our sins, and His Spirit builds a new creature in us. If a Muslim does not recognize his rottenness in the light of God he does not know that he is a hopeless case, but continues to think that he does not need a savior or a sacrifice in his place!
Predestination or Election?
The Qur'an teaches Muslims that Allah is the Almighty, the Omniscient and the All-Wise. The theological consequence out of these attributes is that he must have predestined everyone and everything to the smallest detail (Suras al-Furqan 25:2; al-Qamar 54:49; al-Talaq 65:3). A child in its mother's womb is fully determined from the 40th day of its existence (Sura al-Najm 53:32). All the sins, talents and events in its life are programmed in advance. The Qur'an insists that Allah even predestined all Muslims for purgatory in hell (Sura Maryam 19:71,72)! After that, however, Allah will save some that feared him, or sacrificed a lot of money and fought in the Holy War. A deep fatalism looms over the Islamic world, often interrupted by emotional eruptions.
In the epistle to the Ephesians (chapter 1:3-4) Christians can read that our heavenly Father has elected us in Jesus Christ to live a holy life before Him, in His love, in order to be conformed to the image of His beloved Son (Romans 8:29-30). This election does not cover us like a suffocating shroud, but it activates us so that we love, praise and serve with zeal and uprightness. It is our Father who predestined us in Jesus Christ, and not a tyrant-god full of capriciousness! His basic program is seen as early as in Genesis 1:27 together with its spiritual expansion in Matthew 5:48 and John 14:9-11.
Truth or Lie?
In Islam you are officially allowed to lie under four circumstances: in Holy War (when talking to Non-Muslims), when two Muslims should be reconciled with one another, a husband to his wives, and a wife to her husband. Hasty oaths can be broken (Sura al-Tahrim 66:2). Allah himself deceives those who deceive him (Sura al-Nisa' 4:142). It is not surprising that in the Islamic world trade and life are not based on reliability, truth and loyalty.
Jesus said: "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). Jesus himself is truth (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is truth (John 14:17; 16:13). Our Father in heaven is truth (John 4:24). His word is truth (John 17:17). A convert must – like us – learn to be true! Love without truth would be a lie, just as truth without love would constitute spiritual homicide. We must learn to speak the truth with love, and to combine the service of love with the truth of the gospel.
Polygamy or Monogamy?
The Qur'an allows Muslims to marry one, two, three or four wives, as long as a man is able to care for them equally (Sura al-Nisa' 4:3). (This law has been repealed in Turkey, Morrocco and Tunisia). Even so, most Muslims are not able to marry more than one or two wives because they do not earn enough money. However, marriage in Islam is not considered to be a union of equal partners. A husband can discipline his wife, and when she remains obstinate he can beat her (Sura al-Nisa' 4:34). The husband stands higher than the wife, just as, in court, the testimony of two women is of the same value as that of one Muslim (Sura al-Baqara 2:282). In addition he is legally allowed to take concubines from his female slaves whenever he wants. The Qur'an allows a man to rule his harem like a mini patriarch. The unity of husband and wife to solve the problems of life together is not a topic in Islam. Islam rather means subordination, also in marriage.
Christ confirmed monogamy as having been ordained since creation (Mark 10:6-9). The apostle Paul confessed that a wife shall subordinate herself to her husband, but the husband should sacrifice himself for his wife, just as Christ sacrificed himself for His church (Ephesians 5:21:33). The subject of a Christian marriage is not who reigns, but who loves and serves his partner more! As great as the difference is between Allah and the Father of Jesus Christ, so great is the difference in the understanding of marriage and practical family life in the two religions.
Teachers at School
In former times – and sometimes even today – a Qur'anic teacher forced the different Suras of the Qur'an upon his pupils with the stick. They had to learn them by heart. The teacher sat over his pupils like a little Allah on his throne. He did not encourage individual thinking and understanding, but more learning by heart and reciting. Generations of Qur'an teachers have shaped Islamic culture as a static way of thought in Muslims.
In a Christian environment, a good teacher is a fatherly friend who tries to lead his pupils to their own understanding, thinking, analyzing and synthesizing. His personality can form the pupils more than his teaching. He does not sit on a throne above them, but stands among them. Christ said of himself: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). The idea of faithful service penetrates all Christian fields of life, rather than the desire to reign. This demands a complete turnaround, not only in the lives of the converts from Islam, but also in every person, because the prideful desire to be right is deeply ingrained in everyone.
Hard Labor and Social Care
In Europe people smile and say that the one who knows what work means and does not avoid it, must be mad! In the Orient many people live according to this principle. In Islamic countries a worker is usually treated nearly as a slave. In rural areas, which have not been touched by socialism yet, the landlords of farms are honored like little gods. The dependants kiss their hands and feet. Often the workers get their salaries two or three months late so that they can't run away. Once, when the workers of a factory in a town went on strike, the owner simply sold his factory and sacked all his employees.
In the Sudan, militia sometimes surrounds villages in the south, shoot the men and take the women and children as slaves. The law of slavery in the Qur'an and in the Shari'a has yet to be abolished. Muslims understood themselves as a class of lords. Animists should be killed or made slaves. Jews and Christians can exist as "protected" second-class citizens and are allowed to serve their Islamic masters (Sura al-Tawba 9:28-29).
Christ, however, lived among us as a servant. He is humble and gentle. He worked as a carpenter, and not as a trader. Jesus called penitent fishermen to follow him, who were used to hard work. Christ does not appoint lords, but servants. Our God is gentle and full of love. He who follows him will be conformed to his likeness. A believing employer will care for his employees and will not exploit them. Socialism could only grow where Christianity has prepared the way for it.
Is Democracy Anti-Islamic?
In Lebanon, parents sometimes give their children strange names: Napoleon, de Gaulle, Bismarck, Stalin and Nasser. These can be found on the enrolment lists in schools and on certificates. Once a teacher called across the street to another teacher: "Hitler has not yet paid his school fees!" When asked, he confirmed that the name of the father of a girl was indeed Hitler. Many people in the Orient are waiting for a strong man who will sweep away corruption with an iron broom. Gamal Abd al-Nasser, Khomeini and Saddam Hussein were much adored dictators, followed by the masses. "Saddam is the king of the world!" could be read sprayed on a wall in an Islamic slum in Secunderabad, India! Muslims are waiting for dictators, little Allahs, not for democratic presidents who can be voted in or out. They are prepared to fight for their idols, just as Hisbollah and Hamas sacrifice their lives for Allah.
But Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world. I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears me (John 18:36-37). A Muslim must learn to understand what Jesus said to Peter: Put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will be taken by the sword (Matthew 26:52).
He who comes to Jesus will be changed: The proud will become humble, the lazy industrious, the fanatic meek, and a dictator in a family can become a servant of all. Faith in Jesus changes us into the likeness of our Father in heaven. When we pray: "Hallowed be thy name," this request should cause a spiritual revolution in our hearts, in our churches and in individual converts. A spiritual change is imperative for anybody who wants to become a mature Christian. It can only be realized in the power and the love of our Father (Romans 5:5) through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
II. Remaining in or Separating from the Family?
People in the Middle East and many Muslims in general do not function as individuals first. They are closely connected to their families by blood, soul and custom. They live as "we" together with their relatives in line with the same principles, the same religion, and in a mutual responsibility for one another. Many were married or chosen for higher studies, or entered into influential positions in the government by the decision of the clan. Without his family or clan the individual in the Orient is nothing and feels lost.
In big cities a person lives lonely and detaches himself slowly from the bonds of his clan. So the Orient today is moving away from the "we" to the "I." Muslims are becoming individuals. But their relations with their village are still stronger than their being absorbed in a great city.
A person in the Orient has not yet fallen to the level of a nonentity in the masses. He does not regard himself as a number. He has not yet slid down into being nameless like many in the Americas and in the industrial countries of Europe. He is still a member of his clan.
Evangelists should be slower in calling individual Muslims to make a decision for Christ. They are not yet an "I," but still live as part of their "we." Not only do their own hearts have to decide, but also the other members of their clans will have their say.
The Clan – The Greatest Obstacle to a Conversion to Christ!
The traditional bond within the clan is the strongest barrier for a Muslim to overcome to become a Christian! The family does not allow him to step out of line. No speck of dust should fall on the honor of the clan; much less can anyone of them become a renegade, an infidel or a convert. If a Muslim becomes a communist or an atheist that may be tolerated and considered to be a spiritual deviation in his development. But woe upon the member of a clan who becomes a Christian! An Islamic sect maintains that the breaking away of a son or a daughter signals adultery of his or her mother! By all means the clan wants to impose strict obedience on each one of its members, in regard to religion and society.
If anyone wants to evangelize Muslims he should visit the family of an interested seeker if possible, and not separate the individual from it. Parents and relatives should see that the new friends are reliable and honest people. It is important to avoid distrust since sects, parties, fanatics and gangs also try to attract individuals.
You read in the Qur'an that a Muslim should not make friends with Christians or Jews because they won't leave him in peace until he becomes like them (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:52.57 et al). But at the same time you read in the Qur'an that the Christians are the best of the Muslims' enemies because they sympathize with them and are not arrogant (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:82).
Experience shows that in most cases an entire clan will not agree to be evangelized. Nevertheless we should try, even if only in five to ten per cent of the cases an entire household will be won over to Jesus when you approach the clan. It really happens sometimes!
The Painful Breaking Free from the Clan
When a parent sees that a child is reading the Bible or other Christian books they do not object to this meditation at once but tolerate and sometimes even welcome it. In the age of science and media everyone should be informed of everything – but not believe and yield to it! Biblical knowledge is accepted, but they stress that any deeper sympathy for and any spiritual binding to Christianity is taboo.
As soon as it becomes evident that a youngster or adult seeker is seriously interested in Christ and His Gospel, an uncle is usually asked to talk to the person in question. The uncle calls him back into conformity with the clan, warning him or even threatening him in order to obtain a promise to leave the blasphemous unbelief of the Christians.
If such a warning by the family does not have any effect, a series of small but increasing penalties are put into action. The pocket money is stopped, clothes are hidden, school attendance is interrupted, letters are withheld or the postman is bribed not to deliver them, there are beatings and tension and quarrels erupt in the family. His friends and teachers are informed that they would put pressure on him, physical injury through severe beating is the penultimate measure. Girls are locked into small rooms without food and water where daily beatings enforce their unconditional submission. In extreme cases a person is reported to the police with false accusations, which can bring merciless torture until it becomes clear that the crime is "only" religion and not smuggling, homosexuality or treason. Threats of death should be taken seriously if they come from the seeker's own family members. All this is carried out with hate, bitterness and fear. The apostle Paul writes: "Indeed, we face death all day long, but in all those things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Everlasting Life has No End
In order to show how spiritual counselors should not act in these threatening situations, we relate the story of a true event:
In Bangladesh a foreign missionary had found access to a group of teenager boys aged 16 to 18. Some of them accepted Christ. The enthusiastic missionary advised them: "Go home and tell your families that Jesus has given you eternal life!"
Nur ul-Alam was obedient, went home and said to his father: "Daddy, Jesus has given me eternal life!" The father stared at his son and asked: "Who has given you what?" The boy answered: "The son of Mary has put his spirit and his love in my heart." The father then called for his older sons: "Bring the bamboo sticks!" and ordered them to beat their brother until the evil spirit would leave him. Nur ul-Alam later said: "They beat me until they were tired." Then his father came and asked: "Are you now free from the foreign spirit that has entered you?" The son answered: "Dad, the eternal life in me is eternal. It will not leave me." Then the father called his brothers: "Bring the knives!" They tore the clothes off his body and cut crosses in his skin, from the neck down to his legs. When the boy stood in front of them bleeding, the father came again and asked: "Are you now free from the spirit of eternal deception?" But the boy answered in tears: "Dad, you can kill me. But I will live in eternity. The new life in Jesus never goes out of me." Angrily the father ordered his older sons: "Bring salt and pepper!" They rubbed hot spices into his skin from head to foot. He screamed in pain. They cried with him because they wanted to save him from hell. They could not endure the procedure any longer and left him lying in the salt and pepper and left the room. After a while the boy was able to escape into the night, he threw himself into the river to wash the spices from his sores, found a small boat and punted to the missionary's house, knocked on the door and waited.
When the man opened the door and saw the blood-covered boy before him, he was shocked and said: "It is better for you not to enter my house because they are surely after you. Go on a few kilometers to the house of a faithful family of our community, they will take you in." The boy, marked with many crosses, had to go out into the night alone!
Missionaries should not exploit young converts as multipliers with western methods, but must understand their environment, feel and suffer with them and take responsibility for them.
Wisdom and Faithfulness are Necessary
A beginner in faith should not be called on too soon to give his testimony openly; a newborn baby cannot yet walk and talk. The new believer should first mature in word, wisdom, prayer and love, until he – with the right words, at the right time – can confess his new faith. Often he cannot speak openly to his family, but he can testify through his way of living, his serving, his kindness and his prayers that something new has entered his life.
A convert should not leave his father's house because of tensions and pressure. If he is thrown out by the front door he should enter by the back door. No one loves him more than his parents! His active silence, his eloquent service and his reverence for his parents often speak more clearly than words that could generate hatred and anger. However, as soon as his life is in danger, the responsible spiritual counselor, the group or the church to which the convert belongs, must take him in, protect him and stand up for his rights. But in offering such help they must beware of harboring underaged people, since the law does not allow it.
Partners in marriage will be threatened with divorce if they believe in Christ. Falling away from Islam is one of the few cases when a woman can demand divorce. In that case the children belong to her alone. If a husband divorces his wife because of her belief in Christ, she loses all rights to her children and can be driven from the house. We can hardly imagine what some mothers suffer for Jesus' sake in the Islamic world.
Escapes and Detours
Muslims rarely act in such an extreme way as to torture and to kill their own family members. Two thirds of all Muslims are more or less liberal and care little about religion. But in order not to lose their reputation and acceptance in the Islamic society they cannot afford to keep a renegade in their midst. They try to separate themselves from the one who has stepped out of line, or if possible send him abroad.
But one third of the Muslims vent their hatred when one of their clan members turn to Jesus. They must punish him in order to save him, or they should try to destroy him. For both parties it is painful when one of them becomes a Christian, but only a minority of clans are fanatical enough and prepared to kill a renegade.
Nowadays new believers in real danger do not wait too long, but run away before they are killed. They hide with friends or escape to countries under assumed names.
A convert who is not yet an independent "I" and lives in the "we" of his clan wishes to lead his closest relatives to Jesus when he has received the spirit of Christ's love after his conversion. But that exactly is their reason for rejecting him and hating him all the more (John 16:1-4). Nevertheless, new believers cling by faith to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, who challenged the prison warder, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, so you will be saved – you and your household" (Acts 16:31).
Should we not spare the converts this suffering? Again and again believers ask: "If turning to Jesus causes such pain, isn't it more merciful to let Muslims remain in their own religion?" If one argues in that way he has understood neither Muhammad nor Christ. In Islam there is no salvation, no assurance that sins are forgiven, no redemption, no peace, no Holy Spirit and no life everlasting. A Muslim without Jesus Christ is lost and spiritually dead! The Son of God alone was able to say, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). There is no way to the true God apart from the cross! If you want to keep converts from suffering you are like Peter who wanted to keep Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:22-23). The severe answer of Jesus applies to all those who want to keep new believers from suffering.
Our Lord clearly says, "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for me and the Gospel will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-30; Mark 10:29; Luke 18:29). Jesus even goes a step further and says, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:37-38; 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-26; John 12:25).
It is easy to speak or write these words to others, but it is very hard to endure them. Therefore it is our plain duty to accept all believers who are persecuted for Jesus' sake into our spiritual family and care for them until they can care for themselves.
At the time when a convert is advancing spiritually and is breaking away from the "we" of his clan, he faces special temptations which he has to overcome, although still a beginner in faith.
What is the True Revelation?
As a Muslim, a convert had thought that all revealed books like the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Qur'an come from the original book in heaven and harmonize with each other. But it does not take long until a convert finds unbridgeable differences between the Bible and the Qur'an. The Gospel testifies that Christ is the Son of God 50 times, the Qur'an denies it 17 times. The last day in Jesus' life is reported most exactly with all his suffering and death. But the Qur'an claims, "They did not kill him, they did not crucify him. It only was made to appear so to them" (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157). The Gospel reveals 187 times that God is the Father and our Father. The Qur'an, however, says that Allah is no father, and there is none like him (Sura al-Ikhlas 112:1-4). In the Bible we read about monogamy, about divorce being forbidden, about forgiving one's enemies, and about the Holy Spirit dwelling in those who follow Christ. In the Muslims' Holy Book, however, Allah allows polygamy, divorce is a right of the husband whenever he likes, there is a divine duty for revenge or for paying blood money, and it is impossible for anyone to receive a divine spirit – Allah alone is great! All others are his slaves – even Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
The convert therefore is confronted by the question: Which book holds the true revelation and which one is a hoax or a lie? That question need not come from outside. It rises within him, from the heart. We should not give neat answers. He himself must recognize the truth, in order to be able to withstand the attacks of his clan and his friends. We must accompany him in prayer, to guide him to helpful passages in the Bible, to think with him in all his difficulties, until he himself recognizes through the Word of God: The Bible alone is the true Word of God! It is full of life and power. The Qur'an is misleading, it is a forged revelation and the product of an anti-biblical spirit.
Unforgivable Sins
A second temptation can affect the spiritual existence of a new believer. The Qur'an indicates that three sins can never be forgiven:
Everyone is cursed who adds another god to Allah (Sura al-Tawba 9:29).
Everyone who leaves Islam and becomes a Christian is cursed three times (Sura al-Baqara 2:161).
The wrath of Allah falls on the one who kills a Muslim on purpose, without a reason for revenge (Sura al-Nisa' 4:93).
Whoever invites a Muslim to Jesus, at the same time calls him to commit two unforgivable sins, which in Islam correspond to the sin against the Holy Spirit in the Gospel. If a Christian would be asked to blaspheme against the unity of the Holy Trinity, he would not contemplate but indignantly refuse it. The inner obstacle that a convert must overcome is similar. He must voluntarily sin against something that was sacred to him before, in order to gain Christ and eternal life. We should never press him to make a hasty decision, but should accompany him with prayers and counseling, and help him to get deeply rooted, assured and comforted in the Gospel (Romans 8:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:2-3).
For Islamic ears there are several warnings in the Qur'an to the effect that everyone who breaks off from Islam will lose the merits of his good deeds and have nothing to show at Allah's judgement that could balance out his sins (Suras al-Kahf 18:105; al-Zumar 39:65; et al.). But Christ assures him: "My grace is sufficient for you! Your deeds are not enough to justify you anyway. My shed blood is your righteousness!"
Sentenced to Death
The bitter pill that every convert must swallow is the verdict that, according to the Shari'a, a renegade must "die" (Sura al-Baqara 2:217). Strangely enough, the Qur'an does not say that he must be "killed". This fact led the Islamic lawyers to look into Muhammad's traditions as to whether any of his "oral" statements required the killing of a renegade by an Islamic state. But since sentencing a Muslim to death for a reason that is not clearly mentioned in the Qur'an is not legal, the lawyers have pushed through the order to kill converts by way of consensus of the Islamic legalists. They differ only in the question on how long the period for reflection in prison may be before executing the death sentence. Some say three days, others a whole month, during which Islam should again be explained to an apostate to bring him back to his roots. If he definitely refuses the repeated call, the death penalty should be carried out.
Most Islamic states, however, do not carry out the execution of the converts! Universal human rights oppose the Shari'a. Therefore liberal Islamic states refuse to execute that Islamic law. They point to the one single verse in the Qur'an that speaks of the "death" of a convert only, but not of "executing" or "killing" him (Sura al-Baqara 2:217). "Allah will judge him and will let him die one day; the government does not have the mandate to kill him," some legal advisers state.
Fundamentalists among the Muslims however think differently. They demand the total implementation of the Shari'a at once and the execution of every single renegade without mercy. For that reason new believers in Christ accused of untrue suspicions, are imprisoned, examined, tortured, and their release is held back for months, until eventually foreign politicians or presidents put in their word to get them set free. When they were in prison, some of them were promised: if you again confess the Islamic creed twice you will be released at once. One imprisoned mother replied, "I prefer to remain arrested with Jesus Christ instead of looking after my children without Christ." When the father, for his children's sake, confessed the Islamic creed twice, they laughed at him and told him, "You only pretended to have accepted Islam again for your children's sake. In your heart you remain a Christian. So you will not be set free."
Most Christians in the West and in Korea have no idea what it legally means for a Muslim to become a Christian. While liberal states may not kill the apostate, his fundamentalist clan is obliged to wipe the disgraceful spot off their name and to kill the 'godless' character. In Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and other conservative Islamic states, the death penalty is publicly carried out with proven apostates. The former King of Morocco, Hassan II, when questioned by a delegation from Amnesty International, answered with the following: "In our country we have the basic law: Allah, the king and the country. When somebody comes and maintains that there is a better religion than Islam, we have to examine him at the hands of medical specialists to see whether he is still right in his mind. If this is the case and he goes on propagating his unbelief we have to punish him."
Are all Christians Muslims?
The most wily temptation a new believer will face comes from the part of benevolent missionaries. In the Qur'an they came across two verses claiming that all followers of Christ are Muslims (Suras Al 'Imran 3:52; al-Ma'ida 5:111). Those naive readers of the Qur'an, however, did not see that these two verses were an open trap, laid by Muhammad, for a Christian delegation from Northern Yemen. In these verses he let the apostles of Christ confess that they were good Muslims already, so that the bishop and the king from Wadi Nadjran should understand: If the apostles of Jesus were Muslims – then we also should be Muslim-Christians! Then we will be left in peace and not be persecuted. But the king and the bishop were spiritually alert and did not fall into the trap. They remained Christians and were subjugated and driven out from their country a few years later. Today Muhammad's tempting whisper has been spread in all the Islamic countries again: "You need not turn to Christ openly and one-sidedly. Believe in Allah and also in Muhammad! You can be a Muslim and a Christian at the same time. Just as there are Messianic Jews, there can be Muslim Christians, too!"
Those false prophets know neither Islam nor have they considered the decisive words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Islam is an anti-Christian spirit (1 John 2:21-25 and 4:1-5) and represents a wrong revelation through a fallen angel (Galatians 1:8-9). Muslims are bound in a collective spirit and need to be released through the power of Christ. If you think you can evangelize Muslims without the crucified Son of God you will be judged by the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-33; 16:23-25; Romans 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 et al.
The late Sudanese President, Turabi, exploited these two verses from the Qur'an and officially announced that all Christians in Sudan were Muslims and that Christian men could marry Sudanese Muslim girls. In doing that he followed the footsteps of Balaam who advised Balak to identify his people by mixed marriages with the Israelites. Thus the customs of the clan would swallow up all Israelites within a few years (Numbers 31:16; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). Turabi was condemned by Saudi-Arabian religious jurists for his anti-Islamic approach.
Contextualization – An Error?
The aim of the teachers of contextualization is obvious. If a convert appears as a Muslim and remains a Muslim, but is a Christian at the same time, he will not suffer persecution, pain and death, and he will deliver his church from trouble, danger and sacrifice. But those teachers ignore the fact that one cannot mix water and fire, and that night flees from day. Dusk appears only as a transition, not as a permanent state of affairs!
In Egypt, a contextualizing missionary won an officer of the secret service for Jesus and assured him that he could remain a Muslim and be a Christian at the same time. The officer found this idea thrilling because that way the doors to both social classes were opened to him. He won numerous Muslims for this syncretistic way. But one and a half years later he felt that he was neither fish nor flesh, neither a good Muslim nor a true Christian, and demanded to be baptized in another church. Afterwards his colleagues from the secret service accused him of having fallen away from Islam and punished him with all the tortures he had used before to bring back renegades to Islam. But he remained faithful to Jesus and was able to escape abroad with the help of friends.
A little while later the entire contextualizing group blew up and landed in prison. The daily newspapers wrote angrily with mocking headlines: "Christian wolves in Islamic sheepskins try to seduce ignorant Muslims!" Foreign families in custody were set free by the embassies of their states some weeks later and were expelled from Egypt.
Those well-meaning, credulous friends perhaps never noticed that mission among Muslims is understood as seduction and as a breach of peace. According to the Qur'an this offence is more severe than murder (Sura al-Baqara 2:217). Whoever creates trouble in a country can be killed or crucified. Also, the amputation of one of his hands and of the opposite leg may be inflicted on him, or he could be expelled from the country (Sura al-Ma'ida 5:33). According to the Qur'an and the Shari'a, mission is a capital crime. The seducers as well as the seduced should be sentenced to death, whether they acted as tentmaker missionaries or lived as Muslim-Christians.
A witness of Christ who dresses as a Muslim and pretends to be a Muslim but actually is a servant of Christ, is considered legally to be a renegade Muslim, according to Islamic law, and is subject to the death penalty. In addition he is branded as hypocrite, defrauder and heretic. According to the Shari'a he can be killed on the spot, without a verdict.
A Muslim often does not know the detailed laws of his Shari'a. Whoever serves among Muslims should not lead seekers to Jesus too fast and superficially. Above all, they should not be baptized too early. A young believer should know what it means to become a Christian. Spiritual maturity is more important than attractive reports of the many baptized. Quality should come before quantity!
If anyone thinks about these different steps of how individual Muslims come out of their Islamic society, clan and family, he can understand that a convert can identify himself with the words of the Apostle Paul:
we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep
to be slaughtered.
But, in all those things
we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced
that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation
will be able to separate us
from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
III. The Integration of Converts into Existing
Integration into existing churches appears often as the most sensitive part of the three great problems which people from Islamic origin, who follow Christ, may suffer. Most Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches in Asia and Africa, and sometimes even in Europe, are not inclined to accept new believers from Islam. A variety of reasons for this decision can be listed as follows:
· Sometimes Muslims await financial help and are ready to change their religion like a T-shirt for the sake of some money – but superficially, and only as long as the money lasts. "Whose bread you eat, his song you sing!" That principle is valid in the world of Islam, too.
· Now and again a girl, believing in Christ, brings along a young Muslim to be baptized, so that she can marry him. They know that a mixed marriage is not welcomed in their society. Such an intention may be proper on both sides, but the clan, the law and society are against it. This kind of 'conversion' is often dishonest, and can cause a lot of trouble.
· According to the Islamic regulations for minorities, any kind of missionary work among Muslims is forbidden to native Christians (Suras al-Baqara 2:217; al-Ma'ida 5:33). A parish that tolerates evangelism amongst Muslims by "one" of its members should be punished and eventually shut down. We can understand that priests, pastors, and bishops pay careful attention so that no member of their parish will participate in any evangelistic work among Muslims openly or by mandate of the governing body of their church, because in that case their church could be closed by government.
· Some foreign or national evangelistic teams occasionally take interested Muslims to a local parish so that the pastor can baptize them and take in the new believer. Then they are surprised that the responsible elders show no interest and refuse to accept the newcomer. That is understandable, for an outreach team should not work without the knowledge of some elders, who further their service and support it. Those elders should be informed beforehand, so that they can support the services of the active group by their prayers and would be prepared to accept the new believers into their families to protect them from all attacks, and guide their further steps.
· A bird wanting to lay an egg builds her nest first, not the other way round! All friends who are prepared to do evangelistic work in Islamic countries should first build prayer groups within or outside the existing churches, which support the ensuing services, needs and responsibilities. If one gathers such prayer groups he will see more fruit in the long run than an adventurous type who soon will leave the field again. There are a few people in all churches who are in favor of outreach among Non-Christians. You must pray to find them.
The Fellowship with the Community
If a Muslim, during his spiritual transformation and after his painful expulsion from his clan and his society dares to approach a fellowship of believers or a church, or tries to contact Christians, priests or pastors, he is often deeply shocked. He feels: they do not trust me! They think I am a beggar, or I want to seduce one of their girls, or they suspect I am a spy! It is as if a bucket of ice-cold water is poured out over him while he is just entering the door to Christianity!
Of course, Muslims use a different vocabulary in everyday life than most Christians and, if they use the same words, they carry different meanings. They dress and behave differently from Christians so that the natives quickly notice the differences. Both parties feel the invisible wall.
The first thing a convert needs is trust, understanding and love! Believing, praying brothers and sisters should come and meet him, talk to him, invite him to their homes and make him feel like he is a brother and belongs with them! But such an invitation should not be made by a family with marriageable girls, because in that case the invitation would be misunderstood.
The parish, however, ought to be the nest where a re-born convert can feel at home. The fellowship with those who follow Jesus is the new "we" for him, which he seeks and which he needs after being expelled from his clan. The parish is his new family apart from which few can survive. It is as important to prepare the community to accept converts, as it is to actually reach out.
Elders and pastors should not encourage nor allow the new believer to give a testimony of his faith from the pulpit or from elevated desks. It would be counterproductive to make a convert seem great and important - he would soon burst like a blown-up balloon. He should be given small services in the community and responsible tasks in the group, so that he feels that he has been accepted and treated like others. Like us he is a justified sinner by the grace of God.
When a family of Christians accepts a convert they should also protect him. Hospitality in the Near East is sacred to Muslims and Christians. There was a brother who barred the way to avenging relatives at the door and told them: only over my dead body can you reach our fugitive brother! They retreated without success, frustrated by the Arabic custom of hospitality.
By the Sweat of your Brow you shall Eat your Food!
When a Muslim becomes a Christian and still lives in a Muslim neighborhood he will usually lose his job because he is looked upon as being cursed by Allah, his angels and all Muslims (Sura al-Baqara 2:161). For them, he has become unclean (Sura al-Tawba 9:28). No Muslim should have fellowship with this eater of pork and drinker of wine any more nor give him work!
It is an urgent task for the pastor of a parish or an evangelistic leader to find or create jobs for the new believers in Christ. It is not enough to invite new converts for lunch into the families in turns. In the long run, that is a degrading matter. Also, converts should not be handed small or large gifts of money. That would be considered as a disgrace for an honorable Muslim! They are not beggars, but brothers and sisters. What they need is a solid job or training for an occupation. Some of them must even learn to work hard. There are many problems in this area.
A pastor had his church hall painted several times a year, in order to create work for converts. He wanted to help them by any means. That way he gave them the feeling of having done a valuable job. Other pastors asked them to chop wood, dig in the garden, clean the house and the courtyard, work as messengers, type manuscripts, do translations, sell books or do other jobs, in order to give them real work and not just baksheesh.
Converts often lack occupational training or a completed education at school. Some girls need training in sewing, young men in computers, tests as a taxi driver or a scholarship to finish school. All that costs money. That money should not be given away unconditionally, but provided only as loans to be paid back. In the beginning, no big sums should be given. Only when small sums have been paid back faithfully, we may expect greater loans to be repaid. "Whoever can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (Luke 16:10).
On an occasion a Muslim appeared at a Bible society in an Islamic town and asked for Bibles to sell them in the market on the sidewalk. When the agent hesitated, the Muslim said: "Try me and give me two Bibles only, then I will bring back the money for one of the Bibles, and I will keep the money for the second as my payment." The very same day the street vendor brought the money and got four Bibles to sell. Two days later he brought the money for two Bibles and received eight Bibles. He was faithful with the small amounts, so that there was no risk in trusting him later with 16 or 20 Bibles, which he sold in open market where no Christian could dare offer Bibles.
When new jobs have to be found or created it has proved worthwhile to have a prayer group backing the evangelistic team. Since most of the praying people also work, they are most likely to know where and when there are vacancies.
An evangelistic outreach among Muslims not only means spiritual counseling but also caring for their physical needs. After a team of Bible school students, who served on the island of Fort Lamy in the Indian Ocean, had come back depressed and downhearted following on a futile crusade, a young Muslim from that island appeared at the door of one of the students a week later. He told him that he had picked up and read one of their tracts, which had been thrown away. Simply because of his interest in the tract, the fanatical islanders expelled him. The Bible school student, at whose door the expelled fellow had knocked, asked his teacher: "What shall I do with this young man now?" When he heard the answer: "You have found a brother," he quickly answered, "Yes, a spiritual brother!" When he was asked what he would do if his own brother knocked on his door as a fugitive, he said, "I would open the door wide and tell him: 'My bed is your bed and my fridge is open for you.'" When the Bible school student was told that the expelled Muslim was not only a spiritual but also his real brother for whom he was responsible, he bowed his head in shame because he understood that mission among Muslims not only means spiritual service of the Word, but also substantial sacrifices.
It is not Good for a Man to be Alone!
Anyone not yet married as a young man or woman at 30 years-of-age in the Islamic world is looked at with suspicion by their own clan and friends and is considered as unhealthy or abnormal. It is necessary for any male or female convert to find a partner in marriage who believes in Christ.
Several Muslims consider baptism only as one of the many ablutions a Muslim should perform before praying. But when he gets married to a Christian girl the breach between himself and the clan and the Islamic society (Umma) is final. Marrying a Christian woman means a deeper severance for many Muslims than baptism.
It is a pity that Christian parents rarely let their daughters marry a convert. They fear that, because of his Islamic background, he might beat their daughter – or worse. In event he pronounces the Islamic creed twice while in a rage and he relapses into Islam, all the children will belong to him only, and his wife could inherit only one eighth of their common possessions.
On the other side, former Muslim girls prefer to marry foreign Christians in order to be able to emigrate. So they leave the native believers alone, unmarried. Hence the latter are commanded to marry Muslim girls. Then the faith of a convert is in danger, because his Muslim wife can ask for a divorce at any time since he has left Islam, whereupon all their children and all their possessions belong to her.
Wisdom and merciful guidance from Jesus Christ is necessary so that two believing partners – if possible, both from Islam – find one another. Only then is a blessed family life in the name of Jesus ensured. This could also be the basis for a new house church. Only if both partners agree on taking the risk of secret meetings in their flat can those meetings take place. If such meetings are discovered, both partners can be imprisoned and their possessions confiscated. Marriage in the name of Jesus Christ has far-reaching consequences and is a way of founding new home churches.
The brothers and sisters who are responsible for existing churches should provide contacts between Christian young men and marriageable girls, so that they can meet and talk. That is quite complicated in rural Islamic areas but no problem in big cities any more. The way in which young men and girls live together at universities, libraries, at airports and in parks clearly shows the trend.
An example, which looks old-fashioned, may challenge us to do it better:
In Morocco there lived a handsome Christian man who was the headmaster of a school. He could not find a suitable partner for his life. So he said, "I have made 'the bond of Adam' with God. Just as the Creator let Adam fall into a deep sleep, then took one of his ribs, and created Eve from it, the most beautiful woman in the world, and presented her to him afterwards, in this way I will no longer look out for a wife, but will wait for the Lord to present me with the best of them all."
And the Lord sent him an old missionary sister who greeted him and said, "Emir, it is time to get married!" He replied, "Thank the Lord!" She went on, "I have got a list with the names of 80 Christian girls who all want to marry a follower of Christ." - "Excellent," Emir answered. The old lady continued, "Now you choose one of these for yourself." Emir replied, "But I don't know these girls." The missionary said, "That is unimportant. You take your pencil, close your eyes, pray and let your hand sink on the paper. The one on which the tip of your pencil points, that is the girl the Lord has prepared for you." Emir uttered, "I am dying!" The old lady answered, "Never mind. Now it is time to marry." Emir sighed, took a pencil, let his trembling hand fall on the paper, opened his eyes and read the name of the chosen one. "Where does she live?" he gasped. "500 km from here, in the south, on the coast," was the answer. "Take your car, drive down to her and tell her, 'God sent me to you so that we can get married.'"
Half in a shock, Emir took his car, went off, arrived at the place where she lived, found her house, rang the bell, and – a miracle – she was home. He stammered his message and indeed – they got married a little while later.
After some months, however, Emir wrote to his friends: Pray for me that I may learn to love my wife, for she has a hard head and does not want what I want, and when she wants something, I don't want that either. Our living has become a continual dying. As a Christian, I neither want to beat her nor divorce her. Pray that I may learn to love my obstinate wife. Today they have several children and are a blessed couple after having worn down each other's sharp edges.
Not everybody will admire that old sister's method, and we neither recommend nor carry it out! But she united more Christian partners in marriage than many clever theologians. Many a young man has sighed and said, "Alas, may the Lord send me such an angel, too!"
In purely Islamic countries like Morocco, there are no civil marriages; they can only be made in front of the sheikh in his office. But in most cases a special gift helps him to sign the necessary paper without being present in the ceremonial rite, so that no one has to lay his hand on the Qur'an. But the children from such a marriage remain Muslims. In countries like Morocco there is no legal way to change one's religious affiliation recorded in a passport!
When a convert and a believing woman marry this also means in many Islamic countries that two clans are unified. Talks, research and negotiations are necessary until the dowry for the bride has been paid and all sides are content. After the family ceremony that joins the two clans, Christian young couples often celebrate a second marriage rite in their underground church, which they consider as the true beginning of their married life.
Apart from the problem of looking for the suitable partner in marriage, there are often other problems in Islamic countries:
Married converts sometimes cannot be accepted in congregations because they have four wives and numerous children. In Sudan, a parish decided to baptize such big families and to accept them, if the head of the family confesses in front of the community that he sinned without knowing and followed a wrong law. He cannot divorce his wives and children because he is responsible for them. He must openly consent to the fact that, in his unbiblical status, he cannot take any responsibility as an elder of the church.
In India, a medical doctor with four wives and 20 children became a Christian. He decided to evangelize his wives and to keep the one that would accept the Gospel. He divorced all the others who rejected the Son of God, but kept all the children with him. The revenge of the eldest son of one of the dismissed mothers was to bury his father after his death in the Islamic way!
Joining a parish, finding a job and conducting a Christian marriage are three important steps to integrate converts into a Christian church. The problems connected with these practical steps sometimes need more prayer, faith, time and strength then the evangelization of the Muslim and his separation from his clan. Many converts hide their faith in Jesus Christ from their relatives partly or wholly, until they are self-supporting and can live in their faith with a Christian partner.
Critical Developments
After his conversion to Christ a young convert is still far from being a mature Christian. He needs time to grow in faith, in love and in hope. He should, as we should too, read the Bible regularly and make his decisions in prayer. He should learn to forgive others, just as Jesus has forgiven us (Matthew 6:14-15). Christ's order not to judge other people's offences is included (Matthew 7:1-5).
A convert quickly notices the weaknesses of other Christians. He sees how the pastor steps onto the pulpit with his head high and preaches from the pulpit in a tone different from his normal way of speaking. He sees that there are rich and poor Christians at church and that the rich ones are respected more, whereas the poor ones are overlooked and hardly noticed. The fashion show at the Sunday service is just as obvious to him as is the talk behind the backs of the people who are not present. But when the person they have talked about appears, they all pretend to be very friendly. "They are hypocrites!" the convert soon says. Some pastors behave like peacocks that show off their feathers. You see little love, much pride and indifference. He will soon say, "Christians are not better than Muslims! There are divisions, ambition and crudity to be seen, all around."
What a convert must learn is the secret of mutual forgiveness, of prayer for others, of self-denial, of self-accusation in front of God, and a spiritual humility. The secret of Christendom is to forgive, not to be perfect! We should forgive a brother and a sister daily up to 490 times only.
On the other hand, so-called "mature" Christians should learn not to condemn converts hastily. Many Islamic phrases cross their lips, but are better left unsaid. In their married life, military-like manners of the husbands must die, and the Christ-like will to serve others must grow. They need time to learn to work industriously for eight hours a day, so that they may earn a living for their families. In politics they should not condemn their adversaries, but love them and pray for them. The collective hate of the people for neighboring states needs profound redemption. The filthy propaganda on television, in magazines and on posters calls for the power of the Holy Spirit to shut off the TV and to overcome the unclean dreams that stem from it. Passivity in fatalism should be conquered by a conscientious responsibility in Christ. Without sanctification a convert will not see his Lord, either.
Where is the solution to these problems? As Christians, we need the eyes of a mother when we deal with converts, not the eyes of a police officer. The latter sees the offence and writes his report. The mother also sees the mistakes of her child, but she will punish it with love and hope for its improvement!
A mother changes her baby's diaper several times a day. That is not a pleasant task. But the mother and sometimes even a father do this task of love as a matter of course. For how long—a week—a month—Three months? And then do they get tired and become fed up and throw the diapers together with the baby into the trash? Impossible, perverse! Why? A mother is a mother and a father is a father. They clean their child many times, for one year, two years, and longer, if necessary. A deep love compels them to do so.
We should serve a former Muslim spiritually for years to become fully-fledged, sanctified and prepared to serve in the name of Jesus. The ongoing power of the Son of God is stronger than we think; Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)
The love of Jesus Christ compels us to go on serving those whom have abandoned the spirit and the habits of Islam and have accepted Christ and his ethos. The example and the faithfulness of many Christians is decisive, as Pastor Iskander Jadeed, a former Muslim, wrote:
If all Christians were real Christians,
no Muslim would remain a Muslim any longer.
Q U I Z
Dear reader!
If you have studied this booklet carefully, you can easily answer the following questions. Whoever answers 90% of all questions in the eight booklets of this series correctly, can obtain a certificate from our center on
in helpful ways for conducting conversations with
Muslims about Jesus Christ
as an encouragement for his/her future services for Christ.
1. What are the three main barriers that servants of the Lord have to overcome in order to guide a Muslim to Christ?
2. What is the biggest problem that separates Islam from Christianity?
3. Who is Allah in Islam?
4. What does the Father of Jesus Christ offer His children that Muslims know nothing about?
5. Why can Allah in Islam never be considered to be our Father in heaven?
6. What does grace in Islam mean and what does it mean in Christianity?
7. Why can a Muslim ask Allah to forgive his mistakes but at the same time hardly ever consider himself to be a sinner?
8. What is the difference between being predestined in Islam and being chosen in Christianity? Why do Muslims often "explode" emotionally in spite of their fatalism
while Arab Christians tend to be more active, clean and patient?
9. Why is there no Spirit of Truth in Islam? Under what circumstances do the outlines of the Shari'a allow a Muslim to lie and even to break oaths?
10. What are the differences between Muslim polygamy and Christian monogamy?
11. How are lessons taught in school under Qur'anic teachers? Why do children there acquire more knowledge than skills of reasoning and problem solving?
12. Why has the Qur'an and the Shari'a not abolished slavery, allowing Muslims in Western Sudan today to rightfully possess slaves? How does the spirit underlying these principles influence the relationship owners of factories or farms have with their respective workers?
13. Why will democracy always remain Anti-Islamic? Why does Holy War in Islam invariably aim at establishing a religious state?
14. How long does it take for a Muslim to restructure his mind, abandon his Muslim culture and become a mature Christian? Why is superficial contextualization counter­productive in a Biblical outreach among Muslims?
15. What does it mean that many Muslims still live in the bondage of their clans and have not yet become individuals? How should this reality influence the strategy of our outreach?
16. Where does the Qur'an say that Muslims should not take Jews or Christians as friends or partners in business?
17. Why can a Muslim family allow its members to read Christian literature but hardly ever allow them to become Christians? Who in the clan is usually chosen to warn seekers from following Christ by faith?
18. What long list of punishments will be inflicted by conservative parents in order to save their offspring or relatives from abandoning Islam?
19. Why should a convert not leave his Muslim parents and family too soon? How should he behave if he cannot openly speak about his new faith?
20. What percentage of Muslims are liberal and how many tend to be conservative, obeying the Qur'an and the Shari'a?
21. How can a Muslim find out which books claim to be of heavenly origin and contain real revelation? Is the Qur'an a divinely inspired book?
22. Which three sins in Islam can never be pardoned? What does it mean for a convert when he is called to Christ?
23. Why is every convert from Islam to Christianity legally regarded as sentenced to death even if the Qur'an does not demand his execution?
24. Are all Christians "Muslims" as the Qur'an claims? What is the aim of this Muslim trap and what dangers does it entail?
25. How should biblical contextualization be distinguished from unbiblical and humanistic contextualization? (read Matthew 16:21-23)
26. Why is love without truth a lie and truth without love killing?
27. Where can one find many churches that are not ready to accept converts from Islam into their membership?
28. What are the main reasons why church leaders and elders hesitate to accept converts from Islam into their communities? How can we overcome this terrible attitude?
29. How should we accept faithful converts into our fellowships so that they can feel at home with us and find their new clan and "nest" in communion with us?
30. Why is it more useful in some Muslim countries to first gather seekers in satellite fellowships before bringing them to the main church meetings?
31. Why should church elders make jobs available for converts and how should untrained converts be prepared for a vocation? Why must they learn to work as hard as we do?
32. Why should we in the beginning not offer seekers or converts unconditional financial gifts (Baksheesh) and instead help them with small loans?
33. How should we help converts from Islam find a Christian spouse for marriage? Why do Muslim families often consider marriage with a Christian believer as more serious than baptism?
34. Why is a Christian marriage in some Muslim countries neither possible nor legally binding, making followers of Christ and their children remain Muslims according to their passports?
35. What must the board of a church decide if a Muslim with two, three or four wives asks for baptism? Should he divorce his additional wives? And what about his children from the different wives?
36. Why should a convert from Islam marry a Christian believer and not a Muslim? What is the probable outcome in each case?
37. Why are Muslim converts often shocked by the behavior of church leaders and other members of the church? What is the spiritual secret in a Christian community?
38. Which mistakes in the behavior of converts from Islam may shock some conservative Christians?
39. How long should a convert be forgiven his serious mistakes while still considering him to be a real Christian?
40. What is the great secret for successful outreach among Muslims? Why is follow-up more time consuming than evangelistic outreach?
Every participant in this quiz is allowed to use any book at his disposition and to ask any trustworthy person known to him when answering these questions. We wait for your written answers including your full address on the papers or in your e-mail. We pray for you to Jesus, the living Lord, that He will enlighten, call, send, guide, strengthen, protect and be with you every day of your life!
Yours in His service,
Abd al-Masih and his brothers in the Lord
Send your replies to:
Weirton, WV 26062
or by e-mail to: info@grace-and-truth.org