If you’re a Christian, Ramadan is a significant time for you too: wherever you live, it’s a chance to build relationships with the Muslims in your world. 

Sound challenging? Remember it doesn’t depend on you. Nazanin Baghestani with Heart4Iran says sharing the gospel with a Muslim is like planting a seed. 

“Once we plant the seed, if they allow the seed to come into their heart, they start thinking about it. It is God who waters the plant. It is God who intervenes and let[s] the seed grow in their heart by speaking with them, by dreams, by miracles, by answering their prayers,” she says.

Heart4Iran’s 24/7 prayer and trauma counselors are receiving calls every day from those ready to put their faith in Jesus! (Photo, caption [edited] courtesy of Heart4Iran)

You still have a part to play though, so don’t hold back. Keep this in mind with your Muslim classmate, coworker or friend: “It’s very important to respect them, to respect their idea[s], to respect their rituals, to be friends with them, to be compassionate, and just love them and show God’s heart to them,” says Baghestani.

(See 2 Timothy 2:23-26 for similar ways Christians are to communicate with those who don’t know Christ yet.)

Baghestani adds, “Once we do that, even once we share our testimony, it helps them listen to us when we preach the gospel. It gives them a safe space, a safe environment, and a listening mind.”

Would you pause right now to pray? That’s the most important work. Ask God to reveal Himself to Muslims as the true God and Savior this Ramadan. Ask Him how He wants you to be part of that answer. Then, connect with Heart4Iran’s resources here. Their e-guide on reaching Muslims in your world may be just the encouragement you need.

“I am positive that in this year, after what [Muslims have] been through in the world, they’re questioning God,” Baghestani says. “They’re seeking God, [asking] God [to] heal them, protect their children. So many are grieving. These are critical times, and these are exact times where God can meet them, right where they are.”

Header photo courtesy of Heart4Iran. 

Chief academic office Martin Accad explains that these peace-building initiatives remain distinctive because they put faith at the center.

“The purpose is to allow your faith values [to] inspire living together across faith traditions and working together towards the common good,” he says.

Reconciling Communities

Included in these initiatives is the Friendship Network of Church and Mosque Goers. For the past two and a half years, IMES has worked to build a network of leaders across Lebanon that can bring people of both faiths together.

“With this group of 25 to 30 people, we explore themes around friendship,” Accad explains.

Photo courtesy of youssef naddam via Unsplash

The pandemic meant these groups had to stop meeting, but the health crisis combined with a severe economic downturn means unity and cooperation are more important than ever. Accad says the friendship network is using relief funds to help both communities. The network has had Christian and Muslim leaders take food packs to families together.

“We want to demonstrate that in times of crisis, faith leaders, out of their values, are able to think beyond the wellbeing of their own community,” he says.

Accad also explains delivering these food packages serves two important purposes.

“We will have an impact in certain families that we are reaching out to, but most importantly, we will be demonstrating that people of faith can collaborate together toward the common good,” he says.

“It doesn’t mean that all religions are equal. It doesn’t mean that we are trying to say that there are no differences. On the contrary, true dialogue and peace building is based on the recognition that we are different, and we can collaborate together despite our differences.”

Built on the Bible

The Friendship Network of Church and Mosque Goers offers a tangible picture of what building understanding between very different communities can look like. Ultimately, these peace-building initiatives are grounded in Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:9.

Photo courtesy of John-Mark Smith via Unsplash

“We believe that when Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,’ it’s not just a spiritual statement. It’s a very real statement,” Accad says. “We understand that when Jesus invites us to be peacemakers and reconcilers, he’s not just making a spiritualized statement. He’s really inviting us to transform our societies.

“It’s a very important calling that we take quite seriously at our institute with young people, with faith leaders, with faith communities, with our own constituencies, and even with political actors as we seek to transform not only the spaces inside the walls of our churches but also society around us and the [nation] as well.”

You can help support ABTS’s vital work by donating here. As Lebanon continues to struggle through the pandemic and economic crisis, your prayer support is more important than ever. Find ways to pray for ABTS, their initiatives, and the country here.

Header image courtesy of Marten Bjork via Unsplash

(Photo courtesy of Frontiers USA)

However, Perry LaHaie with Frontiers USA says they are seeing believers build relationships with Muslims in South Asia and the Holy Spirit is moving. For example, he shares the story of Nicole and Hassan:

“One of our Frontiers workers is Nicole and she teaches English in the Muslim world. And Hassan was in Nicole’s first English teaching class when she moved to Southeast Asia to teach at a Muslim university. She had moved…to not only teach English but to obviously to share the Good News of Jesus.”

Nicole kept in touch with Hassan and when Hassan’s mother died of cancer, he even called Nicole his ‘second mom’.

“Seeing the love of Jesus in Nicole deeply moved Hassan. All he saw in Islam where he lives was fighting. So he prayed, ‘God, show me the pure and true way,’ and for eight days he prayed this…and each night he had a dream of Jesus.”

As these dreams persisted, Hassan decided to call Nicole and ask her how to become a Christian.

“The very next day, Nicole and Hassan got together, they read God’s Word together, [and] Hassan put his faith in Jesus. This was just recently! Hassan is growing in Jesus and he’s sharing his faith with his Muslim family and friends. He’s facing persecution from his family, but he’s sharing his faith and he is a key to reaching his Muslim people.”

When it comes to Christians reaching out to their Muslim neighbors in South Asia, some are unsure of how to introduce their faith in Jesus. Frontiers offers training to equip these believers with tools and resources for evangelism. So if their friendships with Muslims do open conversational doors to the Gospel, they will know how to respond.

(Photo courtesy of Frontiers USA)

LaHaie says, “Recently in South Asia, two South Asian pastors invited our Frontiers team to equip their church to reach Muslims and to give them tools to reach out to their Muslim neighbors. In a lot of cases, nearby Christian believers are not reaching out to Muslims.

“For six months, we offered training in four cities and dozens of South Asian believers in each city attended the training. Over 80 people completed the course. Now at first, many of these believers thought reaching out to Muslims was impossible. They were really scared about reaching out to Muslims. But after they completed the training course, their fear had been changed to courage.”

They’re now sharing Jesus with their Muslim neighbors and discipling the new believers in Scripture.

One of the tools Frontiers provided in the training is called the discovery Bible study method. LaHaie explains, “It involves reading a Bible passage and asking questions to help Muslims discover God’s truth for themselves. So it’s not just feeding them what they should believe. It’s saying, ‘Hey, open the Word, read it for yourself, ask questions, discover Jesus in the Word.’”

Some of these South Asian believers are using the discovery Bible study method to hold Bible studies with Muslims.

“Imagine a group of Muslims together in a room, probably family members and friends, and they’re reading the story of the Prodigal Son and they’re asking questions about what God is like and they’re learning the story and repeating it back to each other. And then they’re saying, ‘How can I obey this? How can I share this with others?’ And because Muslims are so connected by family and friendship networks, that obedience part and ‘who can I share this with?’ is so important, because they do share it with their family and friends and other discovery Bible study method groups are formed!” LaHaie shares.

“These Discovery Bible Studies are leading to movements of Muslims coming to Jesus in the hundreds, in the thousands, and in the tens of thousands.”

So what about you? Do you know a Muslim family in your neighborhood? Have you been praying for an opportunity to share your faith with a Muslim friend or relative?

It’s easier than it seems to open that conversational door. “You don’t need to be a scholar regarding Islam and you don’t need to be a Bible scholar. Muslims are very relationship-oriented and I think they’re very hospitality-oriented. So I would just say engage the Muslims who may be around you in conversation. Reach out to them, say hello, be the one to initiate a friendship, and ask them about their family, ask them about their faith. In the process, learn about Islam.”

LaHaie also adds the Bridges DVD Series from the Crescent Project is a great resource if you would like to learn more about the Islamic faith and how to reach your Muslim neighbors with the Gospel message. Click here to check it out!

(Photo courtesy of Frontiers USA)

Also, he says to commit to praying for them, and even with them. “I think just in a conversation with Muslims, they’re very open about talking about their faith, so just saying something like, ‘Hey, is there anything that I can pray with you about?’ And often, they’ll say yes.”

But really, to sum it all up, LaHaie humorously adds, “It’s not rocket science. It’s just building friendships!”

Please pray for Muslims in South Asia to see the truth of God’s Word. Pray for the opportunity to build genuine friendships with Muslims in your community — friendships that could even lead to faith conversations.

If you’d like to keep up on what God is doing in the Muslim world, click here to go to Frontiers USA’s website and sign up for their weekly e-newsletter.

International (MNN) — Hate crimes and violence against Muslims are on the rise in the United States and Europe. Statistics from researchers at California State University revealed that since the start of 2015, hate crimes against American Muslims spiked by 78 percent — the highest rates since the aftermath of 9/11.

Police in Manchester stated that violence and hate crimes against Muslims rose fivefold in the wake of the recent concert terror attack, but there’s been a surge in London as well. Recently even, a man rammed a van into a group of pedestrians outside a London mosque. One person was killed and ten were wounded.

What’s at stake?

Christians in the United States are particularly concerned with the persecution of minority Christians in other countries — and rightly so, as a report by Rupert Shortt shows that “Christians are targeted more than any other body of believers.” Because of this, believers are moved and encouraged when they see vulnerable Christian brothers and sisters protected by local Muslims, such as the recent terror attacks in the southern Philippines and the efforts by local Muslims to help Christians escape.

But when Muslims are attacked and threatened, when their freedom of religion is in jeopardy as minorities on our home turf, what would make them feel safe? How should Christians respond? What holds devout Christians back from taking the proper action to protect religious minorities in our own countries?

Emily Fuentes with Open Doors USA, a Christian organization that supports persecuted believers around the world, speculates, “Some Christians might feel a little uneasy about that, like, ‘Okay, is that promoting Islam? Is that saying Islam is okay?’ And it’s not. It’s saying that God has allowed us to have the freedom to choose Him and to follow Him. We have a choice to have a relationship with God and so the freedom to do that is vital and to be able to allow that for all people so all can come to Him.

“We want to witness to our Muslim neighbors, we want to show them Jesus, we want to love on them and hope they would join us in a relationship with Christ. But we can’t impede anything on them and…we want to make sure they’re protected in these societies to have religious freedom. There shouldn’t be violence against anyone, no matter what they believe.”

When we as Christians don’t take a stand and advocate for the protection of Muslims and other minority religions as well, it’s not our commitment to our own faith that is at stake. What’s at stake is our faithful witness before an unbelieving and lost world.

“We are calling for [religious freedom] in these nations where Christians are persecuted. If we’re calling for that, we need to ensure that the same thing is happening over here, or else we won’t be taken seriously in other countries, but also just because it’s the right thing to do,” says Fuentes.

Protecting and reaching out to Muslim communities may not only help elevate religious freedom for all — it could also have an eternal impact and lead Muslims to Christ as they meet believers faithfully pursuing the God of the Bible.

Playing into the hands of terrorists

There’s even the cycle to consider, that when people lash out with attacks against Muslim minorities, it’s often following an attack by Muslim extremist groups. But responding to terrorist violence with acts of violence against moderate Muslims is exactly what these terror groups want as well.

“People are distraught by what’s happening with ISIS, and they take it out on those who aren’t even affiliated with ISIS…. When this happens, ISIS is winning, right? It means that there’s a potential, [if] someone has had their family killed by an Islamophobic person, you know, the hatred or resentment grows. Not to say that everyone that this happens to would turn this way, but they’re more susceptible and if they see that everyone around them hates them, they grow more and more susceptible to hearing from those [extremists] who say, ‘They hate you, come join us.’”

Which is especially why, Fuentes says, “I think it’s vital to find ways to just show up and commune with your Muslim neighbors and let them know that Christians are there for them, and then soon there’s going to be opportunities for more talks and more relationships and it’ll be amazing to see what God does in some of those situations.”

Taking a cue from fellow Christians

Christian communities around the world have already been stepping up to advocate for hurt Muslim communities, to protect those vulnerable, and to condemn acts of violence against them. Here are just a few examples:

• In January, after a mosque was burned down in Victoria, Texas, four local churches and a synagogue offered their spaces for the Muslim congregation to gather, and local Catholic children visited the mosque and gifted the Muslim community with a tree.
• Hundreds of students at the University of Michigan, including several Christians and Jews, gathered to protect a group of Muslim students holding a public prayer after a Muslim student was threatened for wearing a hijab last year.
• In 2015, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders gathered along with the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom for a public two-mile walk through Washington, D.C. to promote unity and condemn extremism.
• After a massive outbreak of violence against minority Muslims in Sri Lanka that injured 80 people and killed three on June 15th, 2014, the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka publicly condemned the attack.
• The National Council of Churches in the U.S. spoke out against retaliation violence on Muslims following the terror attack at the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper in Paris.
  

  Christians forming a protective chain around Muslim protesters praying in Cairo, Egypt in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Nevine Zaki)

• In 2011 during the protests in Cairo, Egypt, Christians formed a protective human chain around Muslim protesters holding public prayer.
• Amidst terror attack threats in West Africa last year, Christians and Muslims in Cameroon came together to protect one another during their respective religious services.
• Catholic Christians in the Central African Republic sheltered Muslims who were vulnerable to attack by the anti-Balaka in 2014.
• Skye Jethani, a prominent Christian speaker and author of books such as “The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity”, has written about the importance of Christians defending religious freedom for Muslims.

Some practical steps

(Photo courtesy of Frank van Leersum via Flickr)

One way you can show support to your Muslims neighbors is just to reach out to a local Muslim community or nearby mosque to ask what their needs are and how you can help. And if you see or hear someone threatening Muslims and their religious freedom, say something.

You can also engage in community events where you can meet your Muslim neighbors and strike up conversations.

Fuentes shares one of her personal experiences engaging with a local Muslim community.

“I live in Anaheim, California, and we have a section of town here called Little Arabia. For the past 10-15 years, it’s been a huge immigrant population collectively from Lebanon, Egypt, [and] Jordan, so it’s a settlement and lots of Arabic restaurants and Muslims, of course, as a result. Right now Ramadan is going on and iftar is the feast that Muslims do to break [fasting] at sunset. So tonight they’re holding a special iftar event for refugees and just for the community to come break bread with them and just commune with them.

“For me on a personal level, it’s important whenever there’s an opportunity to jump into a community relationship like that, to join and just to be present, to say, ‘Hey, this is a Christian who wants to show you the love of Christ.’ It may not even have to be overt, like ‘road to Romans’ kind of evangelism, but it could be just simply showing up and saying, ‘Hey, here’s a Christian neighbor who loves you, who wants to have a relationship with you.’… Be the light of Christ. Be ready and open for these conversations with them.”

Finally, you can love Muslims by praying for them. Pray that they would be touched by acts of kindness of hospitality from the Church and that it would stir a curiosity to learn more about the God of the Bible. Ask God to open the eyes and hearts of Muslims to redemption and grace through Jesus as Savior, and even pray that God would use you in relationship with Muslims to lead them to Christ.

As Fuentes says, “Those kinds of relationships don’t happen if we don’t show up.”

(Photo courtesy of Operation Mobilization)

Finland (OMI) — [EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an article posted from Operation Mobilization’s Web site. Click here to learn more about this ministry and how you can get involved.]

“When we returned to Finland after three years with Lifehope [OM’s ministry in Birmingham, UK], I wanted to repeat the experience of living in a neighborhood with a majority of immigrants,” said *Beth. “In the UK, we had learnt how to make friends with people of many nationalities, and while Finland has a much smaller number of immigrants, the issues are mostly the same.”

Beth and *Sandi, mothers in the OM Finland team, started inviting immigrant mothers to an international friendship group. Many responded, and soon group gatherings were underway.

The ladies in the group help one another with language skills, as well as explain social codes and norms of Finnish culture. For instance, how do you make a Finnish friend? How do you keep warm in the extremely cold winter? How do you cook Finnish food? How does the local library work?

While these practical skills are helpful, Beth and Sandi know it’s even more important to offer a listening ear. Each lady is given time share her life story, sometimes with the help of a translator. What was life like in her home country? What happened that eventually led her and her family to Finland? What are her struggles? What does she believe and why?

The women come from a range of different countries, such as India, Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan and Israel. Many have experienced extreme situations before arriving in Finland. Beth and Sandi recognize that it helps the women process past traumatic events when they’re able to share with a listening audience and receive support from others who may have had similar experiences.

“The group has given me fellowship with other women, and we are learning from one another,” said *Katarina from South Sudan.

Katarina’s life includes two wars, abandonment, poverty, and the loss of her grandparents whom she grew up with. She eventually fled to Egypt with her young son. Her story is one of loss and sorrow, but also of hope and happiness.

Since moving to Finland 11 years ago, she realized that security and peace were not enough to make her happy. Though Katarina knew little about Jesus and the Bible, she had grown up in the Christian tradition.

“In Sudan,” she explained, “I worked for some years in Khartoum and tried to ask the Muslims there about their faith. They did not want to share information with me unless I first became a Muslim.”

In Finland, she attended Bible school after watching Christian television programs and realizing her need to learn more about her faith.

In the group, Beth and Sandi also share their personal stories, which provides them an opportunity to share about their faith and answer questions about Christianity.

“However, this is about friendship first,” emphasizes Beth. “The group knows we are Christians and from the church, but we meet on equal terms as women sharing with women.”

(Photo courtesy of OM)

Finland is receiving an increasing amount of refugees. In addition to the expected numbers of those selected from refugee camps are those arriving directly to Finland, having made their own way north. With the Syrian crisis, the number of refugees could easily exceed the 15,000 refugees expected.

Sandi and Beth have started a 3-day training course for Finnish people about how to make friends with immigrants. They hope that the course will prove to be a useful tool for local churches to reach out to their new neighbors and become connected with the growing immigrant population. Through this, they hope to see refugees and other immigrants find open hearts, homes and churches in Finland.

Please pray that the women in the group find their comfort and belonging in Jesus Christ. Pray that the churches in Finland and other parts of Europe will open their homes to immigrants seeking friendship and love.  

A developing OM project, called Safe Passage, focuses on meeting refugees at their initial entry points in Europe, providing information as well as water, food, and essentials. To give to OM’s relief efforts, or for more information about how to get involved, please contact your local OM office.

*Name changed for security

Everything they do is designed to build friendships with their neighbors in towns and villages out in the bush. They are involved in Bible distribution, Christian education, hosting short-term medical workers, drilling wells, and working with the national evangelical church.

In order to avoid accusations of coercion, these TEAM missionaries don't freely distribute the Bible and other Christian literature. Instead, they charge a very small amount–about 20 cents–and give them only to those people that ask.

A complete translation of the New Testament into the local language should be done by the end of 2012. It will be printed into one book, which will make it even easier for people to read the Bible.

Michael and Ann are also active in the private Christian school in town. The school serves around 600 children in grades one through nine. The school openly shares God's word, even though 80-85% of the students are Muslim.

The students who attend get the highest grades in the province on the national tests. Christian, non-Christian, and Muslim parents are eager to send their children to the school because of its high-quality education.

Michael and Ann are building strong friendships. One man who has become a friend they call "the teacher." He helped them with their Arabic language skills when they first moved to Africa.

"He is very open to sharing his culture– the good and bad of the culture," Michael said. The Teacher introduces Michael and Ann as "people of the Book" to his numerous friends and acquaintances.

The Teacher has brought on many opportunities for Michael and Ann to share with the people.

Pray that their words about Christ will be heard by many. Pray that the education program continues to get high scores. Pray that the children from the school will share Christ with their parents.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Teamed with Mike
Henderson, a missionary who is experienced in tribal church planting, and Aaron
Hefner, a missionary from Senegal, Housley flew into an Inapang village to encourage the
believers as well as assess the church's growth.

Before returning  to the U.S. on home assignment, he wanted to
make sure the literacy teachers had all the supplies they needed and that they
were looking to the Lord for strength and guidance.

The Inapang villagers are excited
about ownership of the ministry. Already, they have plans for teaching. The
chief and the literacy supervisor said, "The Lord is helping us….because
you all taught us well and have put it in our hands like you said you
would."

In fact, they have plans to step
out of their comfort zone and teach literacy. Housley says, "This year, there's going to be an outreach to the
next village. One of the goals this year is to get enough Bible lessons
and translation down there to where we can do the outreach."  

According to the ethnologues,
there are fewer than 3,000 speakers of the Inapang language. The next step is to preserve the written
language by getting a Bible translation ready.

Housley says, "I've been
working on it for about a year now. I'm
thinking that when I get back, I'll have about five more years and then another
year with the printing.  I'm hoping that
in about six years, they ought to have a copy of the Bible in their
hands."

Pray for the Inapang believers as
they begin their first literacy outreach. Pray that they will look to God for
strength and guidance.

Michiko became a believer during a church meeting in which she heard the song "You're Born To Be Loved." Michiko's heart began softening and opening to God, and she began to hear God's call on her life.

"As I heard that song, I could not stop my tears," she remembers. "The first thing the pastor said is, 'The reason you're born is that you're loved by God.' I realized the reason I'm here is because God made me and loved me."

Michicko and her husband are now believers. She believes God has taken the life she wasted and turned it into something beautiful, and He is rebuilding her marriage on Christ.

The general position taken by the people of Japan is one of indifference and conformity. A Japanese proverb sums it up best: "The nail that sticks its head up is the one that gets hit." Because of this fear of stepping out of the box and having views that are different than everyone else's, many don't have a relationship with Christ.

This type of atmosphere and cultural expectation makes witnessing in the nation of Japan very difficult. Less than half of one percent profess to have faith in Jesus Christ. Missionaries seek to witness and connect with people through relational evangelism – joining sports clubs, quilting and cooking classes, and business groups.

Southern Baptist International Mission Board Missionary Buddy Brents, formerly of Odessa, Texas explains: "There are so many spiritual strongholds. … [Japanese people] are so locked up in fear of what other people will think about them if they become a Christian."

Japan is called the "land of 8 million gods" and for good reason. Most people claim to believe in religions that are a combination of Shintoism and Buddhism. The Shinto religion's main emphasis is ancestor worship and fear of gods. It also involves various prayers and superstitious practices.

Pray that more people would come to believe in Jesus Christ and that the Gospel message would be spread. Pray for strength, courage and encouragement for the missionaries in Japan. Pray for the faith and boldness of Michiko and her husband to increase so that they could witness to their friends.