Five Insights on Evangelism from an Arab Christian

By Hikmat Kashouh
An excerpt from Following Jesus in Turbulent Times (Langham Global Library), 2018.

We should be careful never to treat the people we meet merely as potential converts.They are people created in the image of God, and as such they deserve our love and care. But unfortunately, we sometimes go to the opposite extreme and fall prey to our own fears and do not share Christ with others. If it is true that 95 percent of believers in the world do not lead one person to Christ in their whole life, we are in serious trouble. This statistic would seem quite accurate; otherwise, why would God have to visit people in dreams and visions if we were all sharing our testimony faithfully? 

Our calling as believers is not merely to visit and to listen to others, it is also to speak in the way Paul encouraged when he said, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29). We should speak remembering that our Christian witness is a duty and a privilege. Christ has commanded us to do it, and by obeying his commandment, we receive the honor and the undeserved privilege of being part of his divine purpose.

1. Telling Your Story

The best way to start a spiritual conversation is by sharing your story, and how your story plays its part in God’s metanarrative. I have shared my conversion experience with many Muslim friends and strangers in the Arab world and in Europe, and not once do I remember any of them turning aggressive. People love to listen to stories, and personal stories are never threatening. It is when we are aggressive in our witness that people react badly. 

I tell people that during the Lebanese civil war my father was sick and I had no peace. I was lost and in despair. I was working day and night to provide for my family. A friend of my father came to visit me in my shop. He was kind, and he shared his story with me. I became inquisitive and visited church with him. During the service God gripped my heart with such a message of love and peace that I responded by surrendering my life to Jesus. The peace I experienced was unexplainable and unbelievable. I tell them how I went to friends and relatives telling them about this amazing peace that filled my heart. I can still remember the love I experienced towards everyone – I was in love with Jesus and became in love with people, all people, even strangers walking past my shop. This peace, that I first experienced the night I gave my life to Jesus, is still present for me today, especially when I am deep in his presence. 

That is my simple story; it is true for me and no one can take it away.

2. Listening to Their Story 

In the Arab world, declaring one’s faith by saying al-Shahada is foundational. People are accustomed to expressions of faith. Thus Christians should find it easy to share Christ boldly and with great confidence. The culture welcomes it. But it should be done with respect for the listeners. Respecting the beliefs and value systems of others starts by listening attentively and wholeheartedly to their beliefs, faiths and convictions. People like to share about their own religion in the Arab world, and they also like to give their opinion about other religions…

It is very important that we allow Muslims to speak for themselves about their own faith and belief. Islam is not a monolithic religion, and people should be granted the right and freedom to speak for themselves about what they believe and why they believe it. Our job is to listen, to ask questions and certainly to challenge, but not to tell them what they believe. 

3. Proclaiming Christ 

Some of those who do not want to be perceived as aggressive in their witness jump to the other side of the spectrum and hide their lamp under a bowl. But freedom of belief should not lead us to withhold our witness; rather, freedom of belief should include the freedom to share our beliefs. 

We do, however, need to make a clear distinction between aggressive evangelism and active and passionate evangelism. A passionate proclamation of the gospel bears long-term fruit; an aggressive approach creates division and animosity. Faithful Christians want the world to follow Jesus, but they will never use unethical means to achieve their goal or slander other people’s faiths and beliefs, or deny their dignity. Deception, coercion, and abuse of power are all unacceptable methods of evangelism. 

Effective proclamation in the Arab world takes place when we treat others with great respect and speak truth with love. It is love that brings people to Christ, and it is truth that keeps them in Christ. Our job is not to convert people, our job is to proclaim Jesus and invite people to follow him; it is the Spirit’s job to convert people and transform their lives. …

4. Answering Their Questions 

The apostle Peter said that we should be “prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness” (1 Pet 3:15). When Muslims ask us about the oneness of God, the Trinity, the corruption of the Scripture, the meaning of the Son of God, the prophethood of Muhammed, redemption and salvation, we should be ready to give answers. But our answers should be presented in gentle and respectful terms, for gentleness and respect are the vehicle that will carry our message when we defend the faith. Defending the faith should never include attacking other people’s religions. 

I once took a taxi to an airport in North Carolina, and the taxi driver happened to be Iranian. I introduced myself to him, and we had an interesting conversation. I asked him about his faith and I gave him the opportunity to share about his religion. He told me that he was not a very religious person. Then we had a conversation about whether someone should follow the teaching of Christ or of Muhammed. I asked the taxi driver to describe Muhammed to me and then I described Christ to him. At the end of the conversation, I asked, “Suppose you had been born in an atheist home, and that when you grew up you heard about Christ as revealed in the Bible and Muhammed the prophet of Islam, and you had to decide between the two of them. Who would you choose?” He replied that on the basis of what I had told him, he would follow Christ. 

Of course, this kind of scenario is not typical, but the point I am making is that we can never enter into dialogue with someone like this taxi driver, or proclaim Christ, or defend what we believe without first respecting them as a person and their faith. 

5. Praying for God’s Inviting 

We can take courage from the fact that we are not acting alone when we ask people to believe in Jesus. God is at work before we are. He is the one who takes the initiative to draw people to Jesus. 

Many Arabs are choosing to follow Jesus nowadays. People are encountering him in visions and dreams. Some are seeking him because of a deep thirst and hunger for truth. Others are coming to him because of the love they see in the lives of their Christian friends. Others are experiencing deliverance, peace and freedom when someone prays for them in the name of Jesus. Still others are reacting to Islamic radicalization by seeking to become Christians. Our Christ is so unique and attractive that we cannot be silent or idle. People are coming to Christ from every direction. Even Jihadist leaders are being drawn to him. We are called to be proactive and invite the world to believe in Jesus, to put their trust in him, to change direction, and to follow him faithfully. 

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