how to witness to muslims copyright by norman geisler 2003

How to Witness to Muslims

Copyright by Norman Geisler 2003

Outline

• I. Overcoming Misunderstandings

Outline


• II. How Not to Witness to Muslims

Outline



• III. How to Witness to Muslims

I. Overcoming Misunderstandings• A. About the Trinity


• B. About Christ


• B. About Christ

• C. About the Bible


• B. About Christ


• D. About the Cross

I. Overcoming Misunderstandings• A. About the Trinity: Muslims believe:


– 1. The Trinity is God, Christ, and Mary



– 2. Three Persons in God is Idolatry




• B. Response




• B. Response– 1. The Trinity is Not God, Christ, and Mary

I. Overcoming Misunderstandings• A. About the Trinity: Muslims believe-




– 2. We believe in only one God

I. Overcoming Misunderstandings• A. About the Trinity: Muslims believe-




– 2. We believe in only one God

– 3. Three persons in one God is not impossible

Father

Holy

Spirit

SonHuma

nNatur

e

DivineNatur

e

Father

Who³Who²

Human Nature

(Divine Nature)

Who¹

What²

What¹

(Son) (Holy Spirit)


• B. About the Christ


• B. About the Christ–Misunderstanding: Christ is the son of

God in a physical sense (walad)


• B. About the Christ–Misunderstanding: Christ is the son of

God in a physical sense (walad)

– Correction: Christ is the Son of God in a figurative sense (ibn)


• B. About Christ



• B. About Christ


• Misunderstanding: The Bible is corrupted.


• B. About Christ


• Misunderstanding: The Bible is corrupted.– Correction: It is not corrupted because:

– Muhammad commanded Christians to read it (2:136; 4:163; 5:56), and--


• B. About Christ


• Misunderstanding: The Bible is corrupted.– Correction: It is not corrupted because:

– Muhammad commanded Christians to read it (2:136; 4:163; 5:56), and--

– The Bible today is the same as in his day.

We Have Every Verse from the Original Bible

Sir Frederic Kenyon Wrote:– “The number of manuscripts of

the New Testament, of earlytranslations form it, and ofquotations from it in the oldestwriters of the Church, is so largethat it is practically certain thatthe true reading of everydoubtful passage is preserved insome one or the other of theseancient authorities. This can besaid of no other ancient book inthe world” (Our Bible and theAncient Manuscripts, 55).


• B. About Christ


• D. About the Cross


• B. About Christ


• D. About the Cross– Misunderstanding: God would not allow

His prophet to suffer such a shameful death.


• B. About Christ


• D. About the Cross– Misunderstanding: God would not allow His

prophet to suffer such a shameful death.

– Correction: 1) God can do anything He wants; 2) Abraham sacrificed his son.

Abraham’s Sacrifice of His Son

• “[Abraham] said: `O my son! I see in a vision that I offer thee in sacrifice;… For this was obviously a trial--and we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice”(Sura 37:101-107).

Outline



Outline• II. How Not to Witness to Muslims

– A. Don’t argue with them (to lose, is to lose face--which is very humiliating for

them).


– A. Don’t argue with them (to lose, is to lose face--which is very humiliating to them).

– B. Don’t use a marked Qur’an or Bible (it is a sign of disrespect).


– A. Don’t argue with them (to lose, is to lose face--which is very humiliating for

them).


– C. Don’t put the Qur’an or Bible below your belt or below other books.


– A. Don’t argue with them (to lose, is to lose face--which is very humiliating for them).



– D. Don’t criticize the Qur’an orMuhammad.


– A. Don’t argue with them (to lose, is to lose face--which is very humiliating for them).



– D. Don’t criticize the Qur’an or Muhammad. – E. Don’t take them to church until they are ready (they will be

offended by men and women sitting together and touching each other).

Outline• III. How to Witness to Muslims

– A. Get personally acquainted with them.



– B. Pray with them and for them.




– C. Stress your personal relation to God.





– D. Quote the Qur’an.






– E. Read from the Bible (especially the Gospels).






– E. Read from the Bible (especially the Gospels).

– F. Use the parables of Jesus.


– A. Get personally acquainted with them.– B. Pray with them and for them.– C. Stress your personal relation to God.– D. Quote the Qur’an.– E. Read from the Bible (especially the Gospels).– F. Use the parables of Jesus.– G. Speak to them one-on-one.


– A. Get personally acquainted with them.– B. Pray with them and for them.– C. Stress your personal relation to God.– D. Quote the Qur’an.– E. Read from the Bible (especially the Gospels).– F. Use the parables of Jesus.– G. Speak to them one-on-one.– H. Have a Bible study with them--in John.

III. How to Witness to Muslims

– I. Focus on the Sermon on the Mt. (Mt. 5-7)


– J. Stress agreement with the Qur’an on the facts about Jesus that:

• He was virgin born



• He was virgin born• He was a prophet



• He was virgin born• He was a prophet• He did miracles



• He was virgin born• He was a prophet• He did miracles• He bodily ascended to heaven



• He was virgin born• He was a prophet• He did miracles• He bodily ascended to heaven• He will return again


– J. Stress agreement with the Qur’an on the facts about Jesus that:• He was virgin born• He was a prophet• He did miracles• He bodily ascended to heaven• He will return again• He said to consult the Bible

Sura 5:68 Say: "O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord."

Christians Should Stand on the Bible


– K. Share evidence that the Bible is not corrupted (Geisler, General

Introduction to the Bible, Part 3)


– I. Focus on the Sermon on the Mt. (Mt. 5-7)

– J. Share evidence that the Bible is not corrupted (Geisler, General

Introduction to the Bible, Part 3)

– K. If they ask “Do you believe in the Trinity,” then ask what they mean by“Trinity”?

The Need to Reach Muslims • One fifth of the world’s population is Muslim (1.2 billion).

• Only one-tenth of one percent of Christian giving goes to win the Muslim world.

• Most mission money is spent on our own churches here in America.

• There are more missionaries in Alaska than in the entire Muslim world.

• “We cannot substitute praying for obeying.” A.W. Tozer

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this age…. Therefore take up the whole armor of God…. Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” (Eph. 6:12-18).

Remember:We are in a Spiritual Battle

The Call of Muhammad

“Muhammad had not moved from his spot when revelation came to him accompanied by the usual convulsions…. Muhammad recovered, he sat up and began to wipe his forehead where beads of perspiration had gathered.” (Haykal, 337)


“Stricken with panic, Muhammad arose and asked himself, ‘What did I see? Did possession of the Devil which I feared all along come to pass?’…He feared the cave might be haunted.” (Muslim biographer, M. H. Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, 74)


“As she did on earlier occasions when Muhammad feared possession by the devil, so now stood firm by her husband and devoid of the slightest doubt…she said to him, ‘Joy to my cousin! Be firm. By him who dominated Khadijah’s soul I pray and hope that you will be the Prophet of this nation.’” (Haykal, 75)

MUHAMMAD

Not Virgin Born

JESUS

Virgin Born

SinlessNot Sinless

Not Messiah

Not Word of God

Called Messiah

Did MiraclesNo Miracles

Called Word of God

Body in Grave Body in Heaven

ACCORDING TO ISLAM

Consistent with Teachings of the Qur’an (Sura 9:5)

Contrary to Teachings of the New Testament (Mt. 26:52)

Contrary to Example of Jesus Christ

Consistent with Example of Muhammad

Logical Outworking of Islam

Illogical Outworking of Christianity

Christianity grew by use of the sword on it

Islam grew by use of the sword on others

Use of the SwordJIHAD CRUSADES

On Innocent On Guilty

An act of GodAn act of Man

For Religious Reasons

On all Unbelievers

For Moral Reasons

As a Last Resort As a First Resort

On some Unbelievers

Commands to KillGod who gives life can take it

QUR’AN OLD TESTAMENT

At any Time At a Specific Time

For Redeeming EveryoneFor Redeeming No One

Confirmed by GodNot Confirmed by God

ISLAM GOD: absolute one

CHRISTIANITYGOD: 3 persons in 1 essence

HUMANITY: sinful by natureHUMANITY: good by nature

JESUS: major prophet who performed miracles but was not God

DEATH OF CHRIST: Judas, not Christ

SALVATION: Work toward salvation; good deeds must outweigh bad ones

JESUS: second person of eternal Trinity; added humanity in the incarnation

DEATH OF CHRIST: died and rose in same physical body

SALVATION: Free gift of forgiveness and physical resurrection via faith in Christ’s atoning work

BIBLE: corrupted BIBLE: Word of God

how to witness to muslims copyright by norman geisler 2003

Documents

trinity slide

christ slide

overcoming misunderstandings

bible slide

mary slide

idolatry slide

response slide

christ misunderstanding