Missions to Muslims: Exciting Events!

Some years ago I was able to visit and preach in a country that is 86% Muslim. My contact there is a Japanese medical missionary, a great man of God in my view, though little known in the US. At that time my view began to change concerning reaching Muslims for Christ. Until then I had the typical American viewpoint, especially of my generation, that Muslims were extremely hard to reach for Christ. Seeing how God is using my Japanese friend changed my mind. I saw a national pastor there baptize 46 people, ex-Muslims and ex-Hindus! He has a correspondence course with around 1,500 people taking it at any one time.

Some years ago I corresponded with a young man from a radical Muslim country who I met right here on the BB, if I remember correctly. He is now a pastor in that country, and part of a church planting movement that has, at this point, 17 churches in it. The leader of that movement was recently here in our church to present his ministry, and it was exciting and enlightening. He said they can pass out tracts in one location for about 15 minutes, then they jump on their motor bikes and skedaddle, because by that time the mullahs know they are there and will send people to kill them. But they are reaching multitudes for Christ!

I just had a young man in my office for coffee who is from a Muslim country. His new ministry is to broadcast the Gospel into Muslim countries, and he has completed recording his first 90 sermons for that. I won't tell you his name or country, but you would be amazed! He is with an organization which has been asked by the government of Iraq to put up radio stations around that nation--Christian stations!

All this is to say that some incredible things are happening in Muslim evangelism right now. Never think that Muslims cannot be saved, or even that they are hard to reach for Christ. There are many factors involved. Here are some things I have learned and some thoughts:

1. Many Muslims nowadays are seeing dreams of Jesus Christ Himself. I have no theological problem with this when I consider what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus.

2. When ISIS was nearing Baghdad, the government there called a prayer meeting which was then led by an Iraqi evangelical pastor! ISIS was then turned back.

3. Iran is led by a radical Muslim government, but the people, especially young people there, don't share the government's radicalism. In fact, they are pretty liberal Muslims. I know of a ministry in Australia where literally hundreds of these Iranian young people have been led to Christ.

4. Other than Saudi Arabians and others in the Middle East who speak Arabic, the average Muslim cannot read the Quran/Koran. The religion requires the book to be read in the original language, and forbids translations of it. This is a huge error by Satan. When they do examine its teachings, Muslims are likely to reject them.

5. Many moderate Muslims have been completely repelled by the viciousness of ISIS, and are rejecting their religion because of that.

6. You may have heard that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. That is not true. It is still Christianity. The only way in which Islam is growing is that Muslim men are allowed to have up to 4 wives, and thus can have a lot of children.

Share: what have you heard?

 

Excellent post, Martin. Thank you!

 

Here is a ministry reaching out into many Muslim countries: Christian Radio International at Home - Christian Radio International

I recently heard (and saw) a very exciting presentation by George Zarris, the founder and leader of this ministry. It is incredible what God is doing and how open many Muslims are to the Word of God.

 

Ever hear of the Fulani, a Muslim people group? The daughter of one of our supported missionaries is currently translating the Bible into their language (Fulfulde, which she learned growing up). Her older brother recently married and has finished deputation to go teach these people. There is a wide open door to reaching them, since they are scattered across several open African nations.

When I was in Africa two years ago I met some Fulani, and they seemed to be a peacefuI group. have read on the Internet that there are Fulani terrorists, but those are up in Nigeria in what seems to be a local inter-tribal conflict, and the vast majority of them are peaceful herders.