Loving Your Muslim Neighbor

Since Ramadan has begun this week, we have already heard of stories from Gateway members who have had conversations about God with their Muslim friends and co-workers. Ramadan is a time of soul searching and spiritual passion for Muslims. These friends and neighbors desire to talk about their faith and about truth. It can be a meaningful and sweet time of connecting with people who, like us, are passionate about God. There are many parallels between Islam and a biblical faith in Christ that can be bridges to friendships and a search for truth. Definitely take these opportunities to make a friend, earn respect, learn Muslim values and beliefs, and ultimately present the gift of Jesus for all peoples.

If this is a bewildering and perhaps a fearful task, we encourage you to purchase a copy of Loving Your Muslim Neighbor by Tim and Miriam Harris. The authors (who are friends of Gateway by the way) explain their experiences of loving and engaging with Muslims in short story form, teaching the basic values, beliefs, pitfalls and tools to build bridges with Muslim friends. The book is VERY readable and insightful. We highly recommend it.

If you would like to go deeper, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus will show you a man’s agonizing, logical and spiritual journey from Islam to faith in Christ. It also is an easy and fascinating read, yet presents the crucial issues that must be addressed when considering Islam or Christianity. This is written by the late Nabeel Qureshi. Nabeel also wrote No God but One, which is more topical in nature, but has a fantastic analysis of the two belief systems and the evidence that points to the truth.

Finally, if God has put Muslims in general on your heart, you probably need to take an online course called “Encountering the World of Islam” which is produced by Pioneers. This is an excellent course that will provide a great overview of Islam and how we as Christ followers can love our Muslim friends in a wise and discerning manner, drawing them to Jesus. Jamie Ramge, a Gateway partner, produces this course for the Spanish-speaking world.

If you have had conversations with friends who believe that Allah is God and Muhammad is his prophet and need some help with ideas, answers and resources, please contact the Go Department. We would love to encourage you, find answers with you and pray for you. PLEASE continue to pray for Muslims worldwide (think Prayercast!) during the month of Ramadan. God loves everyone and longs for Muslims to see the freedom and joy he has provided for them in Jesus.