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1) Regard your Muslim friend as an individual who is in as much need of salvation as any other human being, including you. Every nonbeliever must be seen as a divine appointment sent to us by God. While some will not respond, others will come to faith in Christ. The Word of God says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20).
2) Make an effort to cultivate a genuine friendship with your Muslim neighbor and learn about his or her background.
3) Show genuine Christian love in word and deed. One of my favorite missionaries to Muslims, who was martyred for his faith, is Raymond Lull. He traveled to North Africa during the bitter days of the Crusades and understood that the only way to overcome hostile attitudes on both sides was to demonstrate the greatest Christian weapon: the love of God. He said, “He that loves not lives not, and he that lives by ‘The Life’ cannot die.” To Muslims he declared, “I come to meet the Muslims not with arms, but with words; not by force, but by reason, in both testaments. From the beginning, God promised the coming of the Messiah.
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4) Anticipate questions, inquiries, and objections to the unique teaching of the Bible. These must be explained in accordance with the teaching of the Bible. Be patient, ready to answer your Muslim friend’s objections as Christ did in His encounter with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman (John 3–4).
5) Don’t denigrate your Muslim friend’s faith. When Christ—the “bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16)—radiates, He will eliminate all shadows.
6) Introduce the life, teaching, and ministry of Christ. He is highly revered and exalted in Islam. The majority of Muslim converts testify that the most influential factor in their conversion was their exposure to the true words and life of Christ.
7) Introduce your friend to the Bible. The Word of God is the greatest tool for evangelizing Muslims. We must be encouraged by God’s promise: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).
8) If appropriate, share your personal testimony, and saturate it with the truth of Scripture. Underscore the crucial difference between being a legalistic person and being radically changed by the life, teaching, and power of Christ. Paul’s testimony in Philippians 3 is a profound example of this transformation.
9) Avoid using theological terms that are foreign to your Muslim friend. But if you must use them, try to clarify their meanings and emphasize their implications for salvation.
10) Introduce your Muslim friend to your pastor, and invite him to worship with you. Trust the Holy Spirit to bring the lost sheep into the fold.
This excerpt is from Bassam Chedid’s contribution to the April issue of Tabletalk magazine. Click here to read it in full. Each month, Tabletalk features articles from trusted Christian authors and teachers, daily devotionals, and a companion digital edition. Request your free 3-month trial today and receive a complimentary copy of The Dark Side of Islam, a teaching series CD from R.C. Sproul and former Muslim, Abdul Saleeb.