And I’m not actually talking about judging people in the way that we might normally talk about. In this context I mean that as Christians we often make a judgement on behalf of someone else. Let me explain…
If I sit next to someone on a plane and they look like they could be from a Muslim background, in my mind I might naturally think, “They’re not interested in talking about Jesus.”
But that’s not true. In my thirty years of having conversations with Muslims, more often than not they are very open to talking about life’s bigger questions. There’s not the sense of taboo or discomfort that people from other backgrounds might react with.
I once asked a group of young students whether they spoke with their Muslim classmates about Jesus, and they responded saying, ‘No, they’d get upset.’
‘Did you talk with them?’, I responded. ‘No’, they said.
I would say that most of the Muslims I meet are nominal at best. Often their religious practices are based on family expectations as well as ‘shame and honour’.
I have Muslim friends who tell me they observe Ramadan because they always have, and it’s expected from their family and wider community.
Just as many nominal Christians may never have read the Bible – many Muslims won’t be familiar with the detail of the Qur’an.
All of this is to say, not to make a judgement about how someone will react.
Philip is a good example of this, as we read in Acts 8, when he shares the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch.
He saw someone from a different country, a different skin colour, a different continent. There would have been guards protecting him. And the Holy Spirit says to Philip, ‘Go, get closer.’
Philip simply asks, ‘Do you understand what you’re reading?’
The strength of Philip was that he obeyed. Not that he had a PHD in evangelism.
One of the things we talk about is the importance of baby steps. Often, we think that evangelism involves a huge leap. No, we need just one step at a time. 30 seconds of obedience can change someone’s life.
This is something to be prepared for. When religion is mentioned, people often gravitate towards politics. Often it’s someone’s most familiar point of reference when it comes to religion. But this can be a distraction.
Before you know it, the conversation can be focused on Arab-Israeli conflict, or the war in Iraq. Suddenly you might feel out of your depth.
It’s good to be prepared for this, and be ready to bring the conversation back to the question, ‘Who do you say that Jesus is?’ Try to explore their personal beliefs and show them what they are missing without Jesus.
This might be the biggest one.
It’s right to be angry about things that we see on the news. Whether it’s the killing of a woman in Iran because she wasn’t wearing her head-dress correctly or a terrorist attack.
We must keep our hearts in check. Be angry and do not sin, Paul reminds us in Ephesians.
We are all sadly prone to hatred in our hearts. I know this all too well – when I was 18 my best friend was killed by Palestinian militants, and my response was hatred. When I became a Christian I surrendered this hate – but it’s something I have to do every morning…
I pray, ‘Jesus, give me your love, your patience, your eyes. I want to see people the way you see them.
It’s when we do this that we see people as the same as us, and in need of a Saviour.
Christ can save people without our help. But his beautiful plan is that you and I are his ambassadors.
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
Registered Charity No. 247186
