The beauty of Jesus as an evangelistic factor

Chapter 20 is a fascinating case study about engaging with non-Arab people in the Middle East for over ten years. Abraham Duran and his team learned lessons well worth adapting and applying to any church situation. They noted seven factors when people from Muslim backgrounds came to Christ.

1They were ready for the gospel
As Scripture has it, it was the right time for them (eg Mark 1:15, Galatians 1:15-16 & 4:4).

2 Their prejudices were destroyed
Duran's group realised they could not please Christian colleagues and other Christian workers; instead, "we made a strong effort to belong to the people of our particular adopted group... We learned what their profiles were for an ideal man and woman, and we tried to fulfil those standards. We tried to walk, behave, eat, drink, talk, share, keep silence, sleep and relate in ways that our people group considered right, proper, and ideal... Not every team member could do this; some had to return home or needed continuous support from the team to stay... We strove to dispel their prejudices against the reliability of the Bible and about the meaning of Christian beliefs. We never initiated apologetic discussions, but we responded as appropriate, bringing conversations back to issues about truth, sin, love and Jesus' personality."

3 We built on what they knew
"We found many Muslims who love Jesus, even if they think that they cannot be his followers, and who even found him to be the most interesting character in the Qur'an... Muslims can better see... if the word we use for Jesus helps them to know that we are talking about one of their prophets."

4 They saw the beauty of Jesus
"The key word is attraction. Once misunderstandings and prejudices began to be destroyed, and building strongly on ideas accepted by all Muslims about Jesus, we presented the beauty of Christ's teachings about God, human beings, society, religious leaders, and God's kingdom before we talked to them about who Jesus is. This we learned from the Master himself, who spoke to the first disciples about many things before he taught about himself. When he finally did so, he started with a question: 'Who do you think I am?'... Jesus talks about the important things in life: like God, human nature, sin, family, lust and greed."

"We (also) focus on his personality. the Lord is a friend to the friendless, a provider for the poor and needy, a healer for the sick, a loving father for children, a helper of widows, a lifter of the untouchable, a rescuer of discarded and despised people, a champion against religious hypocrites and rich exploiters... We introduced him to them as the hero they were looking for, the one who did what they only wished they could do."

"We've seen Muslims, who believed everything orthodox Muslims are taught to think about Jesus, turn into radical followers of Jesus once they agree that they are sinners and cannot change themselves or society. When they do so, suddenly they have no major problems with Jesus as Saviour, Son of God, or even God. They know experientially that his word about other things is the lone true voice. Why shouldn't they trust him in the things he says about himself?"

5 We told them the truth about Jesus
"Once they were attracted to him, we concentrated on talking about Jesus and the essential role he has in the kingdom of God, the future of the world, and their own salvation. Using the example of Pilate, we encouraged them to make a decision of committing themselves to Jesus if they believe he is the salvation of the world, or to otherwise reject him."

6 They saw the manifestation of the kingdom of God
"It is not enough to talk about the kingdom of God; it must be demonstrated... characterized by righteousness, peace and joy and manifested by the expulsion of evil spirits (Romans 14:17, Luke 11:20) ... Remarkable answers to prayer brought the reality of the kingdom of heaven before the eyes of (the team's) friends - sometimes as dreams, visions, healings, and prophecy. Not everyone who experienced the kingdom in this way became believers... These phenomena still occur regularly but less frequently now that local believers do most of the evangelism, although remarkable healings still happen regularly..."

"Most Muslims are born into a community where they play, study, and suffer together, and in the end they expect to die there. Thus, from the beginning, we emphasized that to be born again in the kingdom of God is about relations, community, and mission - not merely about a 'personal relationship' with God."

7 They realized there was a community to support them
"The people among whom we lived did everything together and considered the good of the family or community above the good of the individual. While encouraging and working hard to keep (them) living with their family, we also, in a very deep way, became family for the first believers. This was extremely demanding but indispensable. How were they going to believe in the God of love whom we profess if we are less loving than they, or if we did not show love in ways they could understand in their culture?

We encouraged them to share as much as they could about God or Christ with trustworthy friends, family and neighbours... We told them about people of their own nation who followed Christ a hundred years before them... We talked to them about other believers (without telling them their names), and we encouraged them to meet as soon as they were ready ... Importantly, we also gave them the freedom to share Christ with others, celebrate as a community, and be bold about the Lord. We demonstrated that we were going to be there with them in the hard times, supporting them, and that same attitude passed on to the church."

In short, "The beauty of Jesus is shown in community ... If we want to share the good news of the gospel with our monotheistic, legalistic Muslim friends we must follow his example - a gradual approach that will lead people to discern the truth and beauty of Jesus' personality, teachings, and life, motivating them to be his followers."

From the Straight Path to the Narrow Way, Edited by David H Greenlee
Published by Authentic, 2005, ISNB 9781932805420