Clash of Culture and Faith
PRAYING FOR MISSIONS
October 2021
By a member of SEND’s Diaspora | North America team
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If someone told you everything you had learned or known about God was wrong, how would you react? I suspect that it would come as a shock to you, and you would automatically reject such a claim.
This is the dilemma we face in sharing about Jesus Christ with Muslims. But if what we are sharing with them is true, and we believe it is, then it means that what they believe is false (and no one wants to hear that their position on anything is wrong, let alone in matters of faith).
This is why it is so important for us to remember that Jesus worked with his disciples for three years, teaching them and demonstrating his relationship with the Father. Many disciples, if not most, did not get his message at first. Some didn’t ever get it and gave up when it became too hard to follow. Early on, Jesus called 12 disciples to be in his inner circle to spend additional time with them. I think he did this because he knew they were each on a spiritual journey on the way to understanding who he was. He called them to, "Come and see.” He called them into a relationship, an intense relationship. Even after all of that, some of his closest companions still missed the point of his time on earth (before he ascended into heaven, they were asking if he was going to restore the political kingdom of Israel at that time!)
Shifting someone’s way of thinking and belief takes time. Of course, God can and does change hearts in a moment, but sometimes he chooses to reveal himself over time through a long journey. Some questions we need to ask ourselves are, "Are we partners with him in that journey for others? Are we willing to commit to the time and energy to be a friend to someone over the long haul as God opens their eyes and heart to him? Or, are we too busy with our activities and hurried lifestyle for him to use us to draw others to himself?”
Most Muslims don’t come to Jesus in a single encounter. While it is certainly possible, it doesn’t seem to be the norm. Muslims often come to Christ over several years (or even longer). They have to think about the claims of Christ and process letting go of all they have believed and known. They have to process how to continue to relate to family members they still love dearly. They have to process the inconsistencies they see in the West among those who profess faith in Christ, yet are silent on so many issues. Are we willing to engage with them and be their friend, not just once they have come to faith, but all along their journey? Are we willing to walk with them through the good days and the bad?
A very helpful book on understanding this spiritual journey is Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. It took Nabeel many years of hearing the gospel and seeing it lived out in the lives of several people before he finally yielded his life to Christ. Are we being that witness for someone? Are we allowing God to use us in the lives of Muslims in our community? It is easy to sit on the sidelines and watch. It is something altogether different to jump into the fray and say, “Here I am, God. Use me to shine your light into these peoples’ hearts and lives.”
Today, Afghan refugees coming to our cities present an opportunity to engage Muslims for Christ, but there are already many Muslims here who also need to hear and see the gospel lived out. May I challenge you to pray and ask for God to lead you to step out in faith, relying on the Holy Spirit for strength and courage to be the light of Christ to Muslims in your town?
This is the dilemma we face in sharing about Jesus Christ with Muslims. But if what we are sharing with them is true, and we believe it is, then it means that what they believe is false (and no one wants to hear that their position on anything is wrong, let alone in matters of faith).
This is why it is so important for us to remember that Jesus worked with his disciples for three years, teaching them and demonstrating his relationship with the Father. Many disciples, if not most, did not get his message at first. Some didn’t ever get it and gave up when it became too hard to follow. Early on, Jesus called 12 disciples to be in his inner circle to spend additional time with them. I think he did this because he knew they were each on a spiritual journey on the way to understanding who he was. He called them to, "Come and see.” He called them into a relationship, an intense relationship. Even after all of that, some of his closest companions still missed the point of his time on earth (before he ascended into heaven, they were asking if he was going to restore the political kingdom of Israel at that time!)
Shifting someone’s way of thinking and belief takes time. Of course, God can and does change hearts in a moment, but sometimes he chooses to reveal himself over time through a long journey. Some questions we need to ask ourselves are, "Are we partners with him in that journey for others? Are we willing to commit to the time and energy to be a friend to someone over the long haul as God opens their eyes and heart to him? Or, are we too busy with our activities and hurried lifestyle for him to use us to draw others to himself?”
Most Muslims don’t come to Jesus in a single encounter. While it is certainly possible, it doesn’t seem to be the norm. Muslims often come to Christ over several years (or even longer). They have to think about the claims of Christ and process letting go of all they have believed and known. They have to process how to continue to relate to family members they still love dearly. They have to process the inconsistencies they see in the West among those who profess faith in Christ, yet are silent on so many issues. Are we willing to engage with them and be their friend, not just once they have come to faith, but all along their journey? Are we willing to walk with them through the good days and the bad?
A very helpful book on understanding this spiritual journey is Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. It took Nabeel many years of hearing the gospel and seeing it lived out in the lives of several people before he finally yielded his life to Christ. Are we being that witness for someone? Are we allowing God to use us in the lives of Muslims in our community? It is easy to sit on the sidelines and watch. It is something altogether different to jump into the fray and say, “Here I am, God. Use me to shine your light into these peoples’ hearts and lives.”
Today, Afghan refugees coming to our cities present an opportunity to engage Muslims for Christ, but there are already many Muslims here who also need to hear and see the gospel lived out. May I challenge you to pray and ask for God to lead you to step out in faith, relying on the Holy Spirit for strength and courage to be the light of Christ to Muslims in your town?
10/10 Prayer Initiative
- People around the world have joined together in praying for 10% of the Muslim world to come to Christ in 10 years. This movement began in 2018 and has been ongoing for almost four years! Visit the 10/10 Prayer website to find prayer themes and ideas for groups and individuals. Please feel free to ask others to join you in interceding for the Muslim world as we call for God to perform a miracle, drawing many to himself.
- Afghan refugees have poured out of Afghanistan to the rest of the world and, in particular, to the USA. Please pray for churches to set up Welcome Teams to receive a family and prayerfully help them adjust to life here. God is bringing the nations to us! Has your church set up a Welcome Team yet? Maybe you need to step up and call others to join you.
- Afghanistan continues to reel under the boot of the Taliban. While many local Christians left, there are still some who have remained. We pray for God’s grace to daily sustain those remaining, that they may shine light and truth in a dark and difficult place.
- Pray for missionaries continuing to seek ways to share Jesus in a Covid world. Pray for stamina as everything is harder, especially for those confined to homes and apartments month after month in hard-hit countries.
Your prayers launch missionaries out to unreached peoples and give them success through the power of the Holy Spirit. Subscribe to Intercede & SEND
, our monthly global prayer calendar.
- Download a free bookmark with daily themes to help you pray for your missionary friends and their children.
- Sign up for SEND Hope & Light , and get prayer prompts for the Muslim world delivered to your inbox every month.
Additional Posts
"This probably looks impossible, but you serve a God who is greater." These are the words of Abigail Niles, a young woman who followed the Lord to Romania.
March 7, 2025 Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God. But many Muslims won’t be able to keep the fast through the whole 30 days. The reasons and excuses are myriad. Sometimes they will continue to claim to be fasting, but in reality, they are eating behind closed doors. To gain God’s favor, they must fast through the whole month, not just part of it. So, they live with the guilt and shame of not fulfilling the requirements of Islam. What was supposed to help gain their salvation now stands in condemnation. A Feast Within the Fast To complicate matters even more, Persian New Year’s Day is March 20, right in the middle of the fasting month. Persian New Year is one of the most important cultural holidays for most Iranian and Afghans, as well as many others with a Persian background scattered throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. In fact, many people with Persian heritage don’t just celebrate on one day. Their New Year’s celebrations extend over two weeks! How do they reconcile these two weeks of festivities within Ramadan? For Arab Muslims, it is a non-issue. But for the Persian world, it IS a struggle. The hard-core Taliban will try to push people to keep the fast. However, many will lean more towards keeping their more ancient pre-Islamic traditions of New Year’s. I would encourage you to take time to explore with your Muslim neighbors and colleagues why they fast. Then share why Christians fast. Perhaps read Isaiah 58 with them, summarize it, and ask for their thoughts on this passage. One more thing to note during Ramadan is the Night of Power. Each year, during Ramadan, on or about the 27th day of the month, there is a special time called the Night of Power. This year it will happen on or around March 26. Muslims believe the Night of Power is when Mohammad first received the revelations of the Quran from the Angel Gabriel. Prayers offered up by Muslims during Ramadan—especially prayers in a mosque—are believed to be weightier than prayers at any other time. However, prayers on this special Night of Power, prayed in a mosque, are considered infinitely more valuable than any other prayer. Many Muslims will stay up all night praying on the Night of Power to earn extra points with God. There is a small problem in all of this, though—Muslims can’t agree on which night is actually the Night of Power. It is sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan, with tradition stating that it is on the 26th or 27th night. There are several resources to help Christians and churches pray for the Muslim world through this month of Ramadan. I would encourage you to connect with some or all of them. Please make others in your church aware of these resources. Perhaps you could even host a special prayer time at your church, utilizing these resources. Ramadan 30-Day Prayer Guide Booklet – This can be purchased as a hard copy or PDF. Prayercast – A wonderful website with many videos on the Muslim world. If you sign up, you can receive daily prayer videos that also work great during a Sunday worship service to help raise awareness of the need for prayer for the Muslim world.
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
