Every false religion or philosophy of life produces a crushing load. Isaiah declared, “The way of peace they do not know” (Isaiah 59:8 NIV). This is true even in a religion that wraps itself in peace. “There is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace’ (ibid).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to true and lasting peace. “For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14 NKJV). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NIV). This is our message of love to those in the Islamic world who do not know true peace.

I made a short list of some of the tragic products of Islam. It would include:

•       The plight of women. Muhammad taught that they are genetically and legally inferior to

men. He said the majority of people in hell would be women. Husbands are encouraged

to beat their wives to keep them in submission.

• A false hope of salvation/heaven. Muslims believe you must be 51 percent good to reach

heaven. They have to work harder, live better, give more, in hopes the scales will tip in

their favor before they die. There is no concept of sins being forgiven or atoned for. Sin is

weighed on the balance scale of works. When a Muslim dies he does not know if he will

go to paradise or hell. They have absolutely no assurance of salvation. Compare this with

1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so

that you may know that you have eternal life.”

• They don’t know that God loves them. Allah is not loving and forgiving. “For Allah loves

not transgressors” (Sura 2:190). Compare this with John 3:16. “For God so loved the

world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish

but have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Former U.S. Attorney General John

Ashcroft said, “Islam is a religion in which God requires your son to die for him.

Christianity is a faith in which God sends His Son to die for you.”

I believe that love is the answer to all who have been crushed by the tempter, for love is the greatest power in the world.

        Down in the human heart,

        Crushed by the tempter,

        Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;

        Touched by a loving heart,

        Wakened by kindness,

        Cords that are broken will vibrate once more.

From The Biblical Roots of Islam comes the story of Brother Mazeed.

1. He was crushed by the tempter. He felt the weight of his sins but could find no release in his religion.
2. Some Christians visited him and told him about the love of God. And they prayed for

him.

3.      He providentially entered a church and heard a minister preaching about grace and

forgiveness.

4.  The minister patiently and painstakingly took time to visit with Mazeed and show

him his need of Christ.

5.       His life was changed forever because he was “touched by a loving heart.”

Prayer, patience, and love can do much.

       Rescue the perishing,

       Duty demands it,

       Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;

       Back to the narrow way

       Patiently win them;

      Tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died.

Jesus is mentioned in The Koran 93 times. He is called the Messiah 11 times, the Messenger 10 times, and the Word of God three times. It is best to use names from The Koran when referring to Jesus. Connect Messiah with Isaiah 53. Connect the Word of Truth with John 14:6. Use names for Jesus from the Bible: Lamb of God, Light of the World, Bread of Life, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and the Life.

Muslims do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. “It is beneath the dignity of Allah to have a son.” Jesus called God His Father over 100 times in the book of John. The Father-Son relationship is strong. I Dared to Call Him ‘Father’ by Bilquis Sheikh.

They do not believe Jesus died on the cross. Allah changed Judas to look like Jesus and he was the one who was crucified while Jesus ascended to heaven. They do not believe He atoned for sins, or that it is even possible. “No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another” (Sura 39:7). They do not understand how one person could take the punishment for all people.

They do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

They do believe that Jesus will come again, kill all who do not accept Islam, reign for 40 years, then die and be buried next to Muhammad in Media. Then he will be resurrected with everyone else to face the Judgment.

Suggestions for sharing the gospel with Muslim friends. (Remember: prayer, patience, love is needed. Few Muslims are won the first time someone shares Christ with them.)

• Make sure God’s love and Spirit are seen in your life. Be completely humble.
• Learn what might offend your Muslim friend (respect for the Bible; titles for Jesus).
• Ask, “What has Muhammad done for your life?” May I share what Christ (Messiah) has done for my

life?

• Ask permission to share. May I share with you what it’s like to know that all my sins are forgiven? Wouldn’t you like to know that all your sins have been forgiven? May I talk to you about how Christ’s death on the cross was God’s way of forgiving our sins? Did you know the Bible teaches we can actually become a part of God’s family and go to heaven? Are you sure you are going to paradise? Doesn’t Islam teach that a person goes to paradise if his good deeds outweigh his bad deeds on the scale of justice? Are you sure your good deeds outweigh all your bad deeds? Would you be interested in hearing about a way you can be 100 percent sure? Do you know who has told us more about hell than anyone else in the Bible has? (It was Christ!) Can I talk to you about what Jesus said in regard to escaping a destiny in hell? Can I tell you why I know I’m going to heaven?

     Those who are experienced in winning Muslims to Christ agree that the one thing that got their attention is the Christlike love of Christians.

Muslims need to know that God is full of love for them. A converted Muslim said, “There is much fear in Islam because God is not recognized as a loving father. Once the Muslim has a real taste of the divine love of God the Father, all his fear will vanish, and he will be ready to be introduced to the salvation available for him through Jesus Christ.” The Koran teaches that Allah loves only those who are obedient to him while the Bible says that God loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8) and that He loves us with an everlasting love. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16).

One good way to talk about the cross is to tell the story of Abraham’s sacrifice. God provides a ram to die as a substitute for Abraham’s son. Jesus, the Lamb of God, died for our sins. Show that both stories ended in a great victory, not a defeat (Muslims see the crucifixion as a defeat ending).

Have faith in the power of God’s Word. Bilquis Sheikh asked her Christian chauffeur to get her a Bible. The first verse she read started her on the path that brought her to Christianity.

I will call that my people, which was not my people;

            And her beloved, which was not beloved.

            And it shall be, that in the place where it was said unto them,

                 Ye are not my people,

            There shall they be called sons of the living God. (Romans 9:25, 26 Phillips)

 

Presented at the Tulsa Workshop, March 23, 2012. Victor Knowles is founder and president of Peace on Earth Ministries, editor of One Body magazine, and author of The Biblical Roots of Islam. www.poeministries.org