2 Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Evangelizing Muslims
Reflecting Christ to Muslim Neighbors
We are called to bring the gospel of hope to our Muslim neighbors, but there are some mistakes that Christians can make—intentionally or unintentionally—that we should avoid.
Number one, your goal as a Christian is not to win a debate. Avoid this urge to be argumentative—I want to win—because this is actually the same attitude most of our Muslim friends have—We want to prove Islam is better than Christianity. We don't want that.
Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel
A. S. Ibrahim
In Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel, A. S. Ibrahim seeks to provide his readers with insight and practical tips to engage and share the gospel with Muslim friends and neighbors.
I speak the truth, I don't compromise the gospel, but I don't want to come to a conversation with a Muslim with an argument to win. I am reflecting Christ and I need to maintain this goal because whenever you enter this domain of clashing and fighting, I don't think you will be that prone to be calm in presenting the gospel as you should. Don't argue to win, number one.
Another thing that we need to avoid is we don't need to waste time before presenting Christ to our Muslim neighbor. And we don't want to rush presenting Christ. We need to create a balance. For example, if you are with a taxi driver that you think is a Muslim, you can always present the gospel. But it takes time, it takes friendship, it takes developing conversation with a Muslim around the gospel.
One pitfall is thinking that I must present the gospel immediately. Well, sometimes you need to bring Christ into the conversation because you will not see that person again. But some other times, don't rush. Take time. Meet with this person over coffee or a meal several times. And every time, plan for the next time, for the next visit, saying, Okay, next time I have a story to tell you about Jesus who healed this person, so you are planning on sharing the gospel the next time you see them.
A. S. Ibrahim is the author of Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel.
Related Articles
3 Misconceptions That Many Muslims Have about Christianity
Muslims love to talk about religion, and I write this to encourage you to talk with your Muslim neighbors about meaningful spiritual matters that concern salvation and eternity.
5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Sharing the Gospel with a Muslim
We should be prepared to avoid particular pitfalls in dialogue with our Muslim neighbors. We need to be focused and avoid distractions. Our goal is to reflect and proclaim Christ, not to defeat competitors.
The Most Effective Way to Start a Conversation with a Muslim
The wonderful thing about our Muslim friends is that they are not really reluctant to talk about religion. If you don’t talk about religion in the first two minutes, they might bring it up.
What Muslims Misunderstand about Christianity
There are a lot of misconceptions about Christianity that are coming from the Islam side. Christians need to be prepared to engage the cultural and theological misunderstandings.