How Muslims come to faith

An inside look at how Muslims come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Representing over twenty nations, a group of fifty missionaries and practitioners gathered to consider how Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus. They shared an interest in understanding how God is at work in drawing people from the way of Islam to Christianity.

The contributors to this volume point to the various ways in which God is at work in the lives of Muslims. While the papers reflect diverse global settings, three core factors repeat: a demonstration of God's love, a sign of God's power, and an encounter with God's Word.

'Few consultations have been held that seriously investigate the phenomenon of conversion of Muslims to Christ. Being worldwide in scope, it gives a panorama of conversion issues that has never before been attempted by practitioners of Muslim evangelism. Excellently and provocatively done'.
Phil Parshall, author

The message of this consultation is: increasing movements of people, a growing desire for blessing in Muslim hearts, and the recognition that Christianity is a Middle Eastern faith by origin have combined to open things up.

Those who convert testify to the influence Christian lifestyle has on them, answered prayer, their experience of dreams, visions, miracles and the power of God, all meeting their dissatisfaction with the form of Islam or individual Muslims. Attractive features of the Gospel are inner peace, the assurance of forgiveness and salvation, the recognition of spiritual truth in the Bible, and a desire for fellowship in spiritual matters. These add up to freedom from fear and loneliness.

In chapter 7, Jean-Marie Gaudeul invites us to Learn from God's Ways
His survey research reveals how Muslims came to faith in Christ:

• Through an encounter with the person of Christ.
  "A decisive step is reached when one stops speaking about Jesus and starts speaking to Christ."
• Drawn by thirst for truth and certainty.
  Islam presents as "a religion of simple dogmas and strong convictions" but "It is public knowledge that present-day Islam is torn by quarrels and violence."
• Looking for a community of believers.
  Institutional inequalities within Islam are replaced: "in spite of its weaknesses, the Christian family lets Christ's presence show through 'earthly vessels...' The church has meaning only as the people of Jesus." Islamic education arouses the desire which Christ fills.
• Looking for an experience of forgiveness and redemption.
  Allah is the forgiver, but also the Judge and the Avenger. "Christianity also uses the term 'justice' and 'mercy' but in quite different proportions."
• Drawn by hunger for a personal encounter with God through prayer.
  Islam "arouses in people a great sense of God's majesty and a desire to get closer to him. At the same time, many experience a growing desire to meet this merciful God... Muslims find that Christianity fulfils the aspirations which Islam had aroused."

"What have they found which they could not have found elsewhere? Their reply is simple: a personal God who is interested in everyone and who wishes to be known and loved in himself; a God who is Father, to whom one can speak like a son or a daughter. They have found liberation and the rapture of being finally able to understand the words of their dialogue with God and to hope for a reply."

In short, Muslims who become followers of Jesus ...

• have seen and experienced sacrificial love shown by Christians
• have read some portion of Scripture
• have experienced a special manifestation of the power of Christ

Therefore we pray, using the framework of Acts 4:23-31. We pray with and for our Christian friends living and working amongst Muslims to be 'enabled to speak the Lord's word with boldness' and that the Lord would underline and confirm their witness by his powerful action. Verse 31 shows it this prayer is one God loves to answer.

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