Loving Muslims

18 www.ccca.org December 2017/January 2018®

WHY WOULD A MUSLIM MOVE

TOWARD CHRIST?

by Jon Stallsmith

®December 2017/January 2018 www.ccca.org 19 ®

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Several years ago, some

leaders from our church were

invited to North Africa to

participate in dialogues

between Muslim and Christian

leaders that would be

broadcast throughout the host

country. The entire event was

successful, and we were very

pleased to befriend a number

of the key Muslim leaders in

that country. �

LOVING YOUR MUSLIM NEIGHBOR

20 www.ccca.org December 2017/January 2018®

After the dialogues, two of theseleaders invited us to their offices in thecapital for more conversation through a translator who was doing her best tokeep up with our English. After wegreeted one another, there was a littlebit of an awkward moment, so I asked

a rather bland question: “So, where do the tourists go in your country?”

The translator furrowed her browand translated my question with someconcern. A moment later, one of ournew friends spoke a short sentence inArabic that our translator related to us:“We think they are in the mountains.”

I smiled and said lightheartedly,“Ah, I didn’t even know you hadmountains here!”

A moment later, it looked like a lightbulb turned on in her mind, and shesaid, “Ah, tourists. I thought you said,‘Terrorists.’ Do not go to themountains.”

The subject of Islamic terrorism

prompted our new friend to say several things that I have been thinking about until this day. He inter-rupted our uneasy laughter and said, “You know, thisradical, violent Islam is a great threat to the truth ofour religion. Our true religion commands us to bekind, fair and charitable. We cannot lose these things!Because of this, we have been studying your Christian

history. We know that you had a Reformation about400 years ago when your people returned to the truthof your book instead of many different traditions. Webelieve we need a similar reformation within Islam.”

But the final thing he said was the wildest of all.He said, “In the Qur’an, Muhammad predicted thatthere would be Christians who would come to usand they would be trustworthy and fair.”

Then he looked at us and said, “You might bethose people.”

This was a bold idea — a reformation withinIslam where Muslims are looking to Christians towalk with them toward truth.

For many of us, that seems impossible — beyondimagination — especially in light of the onslaught ofnews from the Muslim world that seems to frightenus in new ways every day.

It also might raise some unsettling questions. Forthose of us who follow Christ — do we know how to be those trustworthy and fair Christians to ourMuslim friends, Muslim neighbors and even ourMuslim enemies?

Jesus Set the ExampleEven if our answer is negative, it would not be thefirst time followers of Jesus have felt this way. In theGospels, Jesus’ disciples began with few ideas abouthow to relate to people from other backgrounds and religions. So Jesus had to teach them — overand over again. �

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MUSLIM PEOPLES OF THE WORLDSTREAMING TOWARD US AS STUDENTS, REFUGEES,IMMIGRANTS AND WORKERS, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

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EXTRA INFO

SHIFTING YOUR FOCUSPractical ways to love and honor Muslim neighbors

In our experience, these three shifts in our focus can be incredibly helpfulin building strong friendships with theMuslims in our community.

1. “Jesus” instead of “Christianity”

Regardless of what “Christianity” meansto most Christians, it is a loaded term inmany parts of the Muslim world. SomeMuslims I have met associate Christianitywith idol-worship (because of the iconsand statues they see used in worship oftraditional churches in their countries),with loose-living (because only Christianshops sell pork and alcohol, which areforbidden in Islam) or even with violence(including the recent military incursionsby “Christian” nations into Iraq andAfghanistan but also going as far backas the Crusades).

Jesus, on the other hand, is familiar tothem from His multiple and favorablementions in the Qur’an. Sharing storiesof Jesus’ life from the Gospels is awonderful way to begin talking aboutthings of faith. This is not to avoidChristianity, but rather as a way tocenter the conversation on the center of our faith: Jesus.

2. Community instead of individualism

In my own experience, the great major-ity of my Muslim friends tend to viewtheir lives, choices and futures throughthe lens of family and community first.This is a major difference from theperspective of many of my AmericanChristian friends, who tend to viewthemselves first and foremost as inde-pendent individuals.

When we talk with a Muslim friend, weare not merely in conversation with thatperson — we are also in conversationwith that person’s entire community andMuslim heritage. Decisions about faith orJesus or the Bible are almost never madein isolation, and understanding the

dynamics of shame and honor are essen-tial. I once met a Muslim man who hadbegun following Jesus. “I fear no one but God! Not other people, not otherMuslims, no one!” he exclaimed, trying to underscore the depth of his newfoundcommitment. So I asked him if he had told his mother about Jesus. He replied,quickly, “Oh, I could never tell mymother. It would be too great of a shamefor her.” How might we talk about Jesusin a way that He would be a badgeblessing rather than a point of shame for Muslims who embrace Him?

3. Honor instead of shame

In general, the huge emphasis on familyand community leads many Muslims to think and respond in terms of honorand shame. Simply put, honor is beingwelcomed and lifted up in relationships,and shame is being excluded and putdown from relationships. These twoconcepts dominate actions and deci-sions, often even more significantly than reason or rightness.

For example, more than a decade ago, I learned some strategies that weredesigned to promote Christianity byundercutting and insulting Islam. At first glance, these strategies seemedreasonable enough. But what I did notunderstand was that when I began sham-ing my Muslim friend’s heritage, reasonwent out the window. Our discussionbecame a debate focused on saving facerather than learning about Jesus.

My advice would be to lay aside anyshaming or critical apologetics againstIslam in exchange for a simple focus on Jesus. And if your Muslim friendscritique Christianity, don’t get defensiveor lash back. Simply stick to the beautyof Jesus revealed in His life, death andresurrection.

—Jon Stallsmith

22 www.ccca.org December 2017/January 2018®

One of the best examples is in John 4, where Jesusmeets the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. As thestory unfolds, it becomes clear she was beset by manyneeds that she would prefer to keep concealed. Also,she was a Samaritan — a sworn enemy of the Jews.Jewish-Samaritan relations at that time were oftenviolent — indeed, some of the clashes were similar to current terrorist attacks. But Jesus bursts throughall these barriers and baggage and leads her to Him-self as the living water and Messiah. She leaves her jar at the well to tell her village the Good News. Justthen, the disciples return from a trip to find food. The Scripture continues:

[The Samaritans] went out of the town andwere coming to [Jesus]. Meanwhile the discipleswere urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But hesaid to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to oneanother, “Has anyone brought him somethingto eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to dothe will of him who sent me and to accomplishhis work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet fourmonths, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tellyou, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields arewhite for harvest.” (John 4:30–35)

That last line was always confusing to me. Whatkind of crop is white? Were the Samaritans growingcotton? Years later, I learned that traditional Samari-tan clothing was white. And at the very moment Jesustells His disciples the fields are white, Samaritans —

the sworn enemy of the Jews — are walking towardthem. Jesus isn’t merely employing a pleasant agricul-tural metaphor. He’s teaching His disciples how to seethe people who are walking toward the well. Jesus

does not say, “Here they come! They’regoing to try to establish Samaritan lawand take over our country!” He does notsay, “You can’t trust them because theyhave permission to lie to you!”

Instead, He tells the disciples, “I’vebeen at work, sowing here. Do you knowhow to join in what I’m doing?”

That question resonates again to us as followers of Jesus today. Do we knowhow to be trustworthy and fair andhelp walk with misguided monotheiststoward the kingdom of God?

Muslims Searching for AnswersTwo years ago, I was again in the Muslimworld, this time in the heart of one of itsmost war-torn cities. There I got to meetwith a young Muslim man around myage who had come to Christ. He is animam, and he earned his Master’s degreein Sharia Law.

Now that he trusts Jesus as Lord andSavior, he uses his position and platformto create resources about how theQur’an encourages Muslims to read theBible and believe in Jesus as Messiah.

I asked him what he thinks of theupheaval we see currently in the Muslim

world, from the Arab Spring in 2010 tothe crisis with ISIL in Iraq.

He said, “The young people in Islam— the next generation of Muslims —

THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN ISLAM — THE NEXT GENERATION OFMUSLIMS — ARE REALIZING THAT THE FAITH THEY HAVEINHERITED NO LONGER WORKS IN THE WORLD. THEY ARE

THIRSTY. … THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS.

December 2017/January 2018 www.ccca.org 23 ®

are realizing that the faith they have inherited does not answer all of the questions they have in the modern world. They are thirsty. … They aresearching for answers.”

I said, “But what about the violence we see?”He replied, “A very few people are reacting to this

realization angrily and violently. They are peoplewith no hope, so they join violent organizations totry to become something in the world. But the ArabSpring and the uprisings are all signs that Muslimsaround the world are trying to find truth. This iswhy I believe they are open to Jesus and why I amdoing what I am doing.”

He believes we are living in unprecedented times.Is it possible we are living in unprecedented times?

Is it possible that the current violence we see —while unspeakably evil — is a sign not of the advanceof worldwide Muslim domination, but rather a sideeffect of worldwide Muslim upheaval? Could it be anindication of incredible spiritual thirst?

Muslim Movements Toward ChristAt our local church, our interaction with Muslimfriends during the last 10 years suggests somethingspiritually unique is happening. Wider researchagrees. In his 2014 book, A Wind in the House ofIslam, researcher David Garrison writes, “In morethan 60 separate locations in at least 17 of the 49countries where Islam holds sway, new communitiesof Muslim-background followers of Christ areemerging. Each of these movements has seen at least 1,000 baptized believers, and at least 100 newworshipping fellowships, all of whom have come to Christ in the last two decades.”

To put this in perspective, he continues, there weretwo voluntary movements of at least 1,000 Muslims to Christ in the first 13 centuries of Muslim-Christianinteraction. In the 1960s, there was one in Indonesia.In the 1980s and ’90s, there were eight more. So at

the end of the 20th century, we know of only 11 movements of Muslims toChrist. In 1,400 years. Since 2000, however, there have been more than 70. Garrison estimates that 86 percent of all Muslim movement to Christ inhistory has occurred in the last 14 years.

When you look at the Muslim peo-ples of the world streaming toward us as students, refugees, immigrants andworkers, what do you see? Muslim individuals and families seeking oppor-tunity and refuge are spreading intonew areas of Europe and the West inunprecedented numbers. As they comeinto traditionally Christian areas, whatdo you see? Fear or fruit? Do you seeopposition or opportunity? Do you see hatred or do you see harvest?

There is no doubt in my mind whatJesus sees. It’s the same as what He was trying to teach the disciples tosee in John 4.

What will it take for us to welcomeand love the people from the deserts, thecities and yes, even the mountains? l

Jon Stallsmith

pastors Grace

Fellowship Church in Snellville, Geor-

gia. He has been engaged in kingdom

work with Muslim communities both

locally and abroad, and was part

of the team that developed Jesus

and the Qur’an (JAQ), a weekend

training seminar to equip local

church people to share their faith

with Muslims biblically and effec-

tively. Jon married his wife, Amy in

February 2011, and they have two

beautiful girls, Bethany and Maggie.

DO WE KNOW HOW TO BE THOSE TRUSTWORTHY AND FAIRCHRISTIANS TO OUR MUSLIM FRIENDS, MUSLIMNEIGHBORS AND EVEN OUR MUSLIM ENEMIES?

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