EVANGELIZING THE "HOSTILES"

Part Two: The Method... Searching for a Man of Peace

Serving as peacemakers is what we seek to do. First, between the Christian and Islamic faiths, but ultimately our prayer is that Djoula Muslims will find the peace they earnestly seek with their Father, Who seeks them. That being said, how do you evangelize a people who are staunchly against being evangelized and acutely aware of the consequences (not just from conversion, but even in seeming to show interest)?

Hence, we generally avoid going door to door or setting up a stage in the middle of town with microphones. For most Muslim Background Believers (MBBs), accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a process... and often a long one at that. Typically, we, the American Church, understand conversion to Christianity as an event. The Gospel message is presented and one either accepts it or doesn't. A Muslim who has been hearing the message put it best, "you prepare the soil, you plant the seed, you wait for rain and then pray that it grows." (Interestingly, this man has yet to be baptised, but expresses the process well... even using biblical imagery - 1 Cor. 3:6-7) We start by preparing the soil, loving our neighbors as Jesus would.

What initially drew most people to Jesus during his ministry? His ministry of compassion and healing brought people into contact with the power and love of God. The crowds not only heard messages about the Kingdom of God, but witnessed the difference this kingdom made in people's lives. It's equally important to note that this ministry of compassion and healing was not just for Jesus, but when he commissioned his disciples to go out preaching about the kingdom of God, he also empowered them to do the same ministry as well. (Luke 10:9)

Often, the soil is hard when initially working with Muslims. It can be difficult breaking through the hard layers of mistrust that have compacted over many years. That's why you serve people at their greatest felt needs. That's why we have a clinic open to all people, treating each person with dignity, respect and love that they deserve regardless of their ethnicity, social status or religion. It's why we engaged people on the street and visit them in their neighborhoods, trying to relate to them where they live, not waiting for them to come to us. It's why we seek to help communities start CHE (Community Health and Evangelism) programs to bring about both physical and spiritual transformation. It takes time to work hard soil, but the seed we carry is worth the effort. Its fruit produces eternal life. However, you can't bear fruit if you don't plant seed.

After engaging people with the compassion and love of Jesus, we also seek out those who are ready to receive the seed. In Luke 10, Jesus gives us an essential model to follow when sowing seed. He tells his disciples, "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house." Literally, this is our prayer, that God will lead us to men and women of peace whose hearts He has prepared to receive His message of the kingdom.

So what do we specifically do? Having developed a relationship with an individual or family (we try to reach out to entire families if possible), we ask them if they would be interested in learning what the Bible teaches. For those who accept our offer, we start a CBS (Chronological Bible Storytelling) group teaching about God's story and plan for mankind starting in Genesis and culminating in the resurrection of Jesus, his Son. Some accept the message, others want to continue the dialogue, while others choose not to make a decision.

Our teammates, the Jones and Hauser families (the Jones are heading back home on furlough and the Hausers are now working with the Djoula in Burkina Faso), have headed up the Djoula outreach in Abengourou, ministering to their Djoula friends and contacts. We will continue following-up with these folks. I am also excited about our new project that Dr. Bernie and I are heading up and hope you will join us in praying for a great outpouring of God's Spirit among the Djoula. This month we have been meeting with local leaders from Cocoterrain (translation: Field of Coconut Trees), a district in Abengourou that is heavily populated by Djoula and hit hard by the effects of poverty. On May 25th we will be doing a health screening, assisted by a short-term mission team from FAME and Hazel Dell CC, in Cocoterrain and hopefully following up by starting a new CHE plant in that community.

Pray that our efforts might prepare the soil well for future seed sowing and that God would prepare their hearts to receive His message. Pray that we will find men and women of peace, where we will be welcomed. Pray that good contacts will be made for learning the Djoula language and culture. Pray that the love of God would permeate all that we do.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)

EVANGELIZING THE "HOSTILES"

(That’s for all you fellow LOST fans out there)

“How does one start a church among a people who have been hostile to the church for many centuries?”  On more than one occasion someone has asked me this or a similar question in regards to our evangelistic outreach among the Djoula Muslims.  From our Western, especially American perspective, this question seems incredibly valid.  If there is a part of the world that is most hostile to the church or the “American way,” it is the Islamic world.

Since there is a lot to this question that I would like to tackle, I think it will be best to address it in three parts.  Part one I will discuss our mindset, Part two will cover our method we use and Part three will discuss our message.  My hope is that it might help us understand Muslim people not as hostiles, but like anybody else, those in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Part One: The Mindset… Our Struggle is not against Flesh and Blood

It is really easy to slip into an “us” vs. “them” attitude, no matter what the situation may be.  We tend to be self-centered in our thinking… whether we like it or not.  Throw in a history of negative interactions and bad feelings, and you get a situation ripe for mistrust and suspicion.  It’s the Christian and Muslim world’s version of the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s family feud.

 Like many other conflicts, the problem often isn’t those cited on the surface level, but what lies underneath, unseen that poses the greater problem.  Usually we want to point out the “great differences” in theology and doctrine, but when compared to other religions in this world, the differences are small.  The real problem, we have a history… and a really negative one at that.  (If you want to know more, study the history of the Crusades, not exactly the church’s crowning moments.)  So how do we overcome deeply rooted biases against one another?  We overcome them by building bridges… loving our enemies, admitting the faults of our ancestors, seeking reconciliation, serving as peacemakers.

 Paul reminds us that we are in a war, but our enemy is not who we think it is.  He tells us to prepare for battle, putting on the full armor of God, but he reminds us that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV) 

 A Muslim person is a husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter who has concerns to deal with, needs to be met and a heart needing to love and be loved by their Creator and community.  In other words, they are a lot like you and me.  Their kids get sick, their rent comes due and they work hard to earn a living… we do what we can to help make their lives fuller.  We love our neighbors no matter who they are, where they worship, or how they pray. 

 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NIV)