Ministering to Muslims: Be Bold

I was very impressed with how Keri Folmar answered these questions, especially the one I am re-posting below. We often give similar advice to teams who come to minister to Muslims and Tibetans in western China:

What’s the first thing you tell Christians visiting from the West about ministering to Muslims?

Be bold in talking to Muslims about the gospel and get them to the Scriptures. Unlike in Western countries, people in Islamic countries enjoy religious conversation. Their language is filled with talk about God. The standard greeting here means “The peace of God be with you.” If you ask someone how they are, their answer in Arabic means “Praise God!” They are happy to talk to Christians about God. They also highly venerate their holy book, the Qu’ran. The Qu’ran tells them to venerate the Injil, the Qu’ran’s word for the New Testament.  So Muslims are not likely to be offended when you ask them to read the Injil with you if it’s done in the context of a genuine friendship. God’s Word is able to make one “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). We have seen many Muslims given this wisdom through God’s Word. Our regular practice is to study a Gospel with a Muslim who is willing. If they avoid studying together, we give them a Bible in their language as a gift of our friendship. Our Holy Book is always received as an honorable gift.