Muslim Ministry Immersion

One of every ten Filipinos is a Muslim. Plus, Muslim peoples comprise the country's last "unreached people groups"¹. They represent the last frontier of Philippine missions. And what's more, there's a growing population of Maranaos in Metro Manila. Just walk around Greenhills, and you're sure to see them selling their wares!

Many people are alarmed at this, but I'd rather focus on the fact that God has sovereignly brought our Muslim neighbors much, much closer to us. We don't have to fly to Mindanao to tell them about Jesus Christ and the gospel!

That's why I was excited to observe the Muslim outreach ministry of one of HRCC's sister churches. They've been conducting it for over 20 years, so I knew we'd have a lot to learn from them. And they didn't disappoint!

Our Take Home

I can't share the details of our trip here, but I think it's enough to put down what I and the rest of the team learned during this trip.

First, evangelizing Muslims takes love. Many Christians are wary of Muslims, and are afraid to witness to them because of their reputation for being proud and fierce. True, there are many good reasons for that reputation, but we need to remember that they, too, are people. They, too, are our neighbor. And therefore, we need to love them, too (Mark 12:31). (I have been praying for years that Christians who are geographically or socially near to Muslims would grow in love and compassion towards their neighbor, and by doing that, break down long-standing stereotypes and social barriers, and adorn the gospel of our Lord, Titus 2:10.)

It also takes commitment. Few churches take on this kind of ministry because it is more expensive than other kinds of outreach, and it takes much longer to see visible fruit. But when the Lord said, "the harvest is plentiful," (Mat 9:37) he didn't mean "everywhere except with the followers of Muhammad". I was reminded of this when I met families who were culturally "Muslim" but confessed Christ as Lord, Savior, and the Son of God, and studied the Bible as the word of God.

But, at the end of the day, ministry to Muslims takes nothing special. Here's what I mean. Love and commitment aren't things that only super-spiritual, uniquely blessed saints have. Every believer is called to practice these very things. Therefore, if a believer who is walking with God, is serious about Scripture and prayer, and has godly character, there is really nothing stopping him/her from witnessing to Muslims as opportunities come. In fact, there's nothing stopping a believer from actively looking for such opportunities!

A Second Step...

I took these lessons into my heart and back with me to Metro Manila, but I didn't know how soon I'd be able to apply them.

The next day, I decided to start getting acquainted with the new security guard in the building where the HRCC center is. After a few short exchanges, I started to walk toward the elevator, but I asked him what his name was. "Ali Bakr², sir," he responded. I literally stopped in my tracks. Abu Bakr?!  It turned out that he was from Mindanao, and that he spent several years in Saudi Arabia, and, yes, he was a Muslim!

I was so excited! And guess what happened next? He started to evangelize me! I was so thankful to the Lord for orchestrating this! In light of what I learned from the immersion, I decided not to share the gospel with him right away, but rather, I would witness to him more gradually, even as I build a friendship with him.

I'm really looking forward to it!

Notes

1 "Unreached People Groups" = Those who are without an indigenous church that is mature enough to evangelize its own people. (Joshua Project)

2 Not his real name.