"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them." (Deuteronomy 1:29)
The Bible tells us more than 365 times not to be afraid, do not fear. But do we hear Him? Do we believe God when He says He will be with us and that we should not be afraid?
The Muslim world terrifies many Christians. Images of hooded terrorists chopping heads off, of towers burning, of mobs chanting and lifting high their weapons seems to have immobilized the progress of the Christian Church into the Muslim world. Statistics speak this truth plainly. The greatest concentration of Muslims is in a place labeled the 10/40 Window which includes North Africa, the Middle East and Southern Asia. Many of these countries are predominantly Muslim. The Western Church sends only 1 out of every 40 missionaries to this region according to Jason Mandryk in State of the Gospel This means that in many Muslim countries there are less than three missionaries per one million people.
Why the imbalance...part of it is that many in the Western Christian Church fear the Muslims.
Yet “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7. The Church needs to believe in the power of God to overcome the obstacles Satan has placed in the 10/40 Window. The gates of Hades will not prevail against the Lord. We need to believe this and move out in trust, wisdom and power.
We also, as Christians, need to learn about the Muslims. What do they believe? What is their family life like? What makes them happy, sad, concerned? As we learn about them, God can begin to break our hearts for them. They need to hear of the love of Jesus. They need someone who is willing to cast aside fear, which so easily entangles, and follow the call of Christ into the Muslim world. Jesus is waiting, but He needs obedient servants.
There are many stories of how God uses the willing servant to reach the Muslim people whom He loves. One is set in a nomadic Muslim group in Sub-Saharan Africa, where a single woman is effectively training Imams (Islamic teachers) in the gospel. They perceive her to be non-threatening, 'just a woman.' Building upon a foundation of interpersonal relationship and Biblical knowledge, she does not give them answers herself, but directs them to the Word. The Lord has confirmed her teaching giving dreams and visions to these leaders. As they have been converted, they are now training many others. She is accepted as a loving, caring elder sister, who gives high priority to their welfare," (from Women in Mission by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman)
We can begin today by praying for them specifically during Ramadan, learning about them and then asking God how He would have us reach out to the Muslim world, be it our neighbor, a university student in our city or to an unreached people group half way around the world. Ask God to burden your heart for the Muslim people and to pray for them daily.
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