After returning from Arizona we plunged back in the urban speed way that is NYC. While walking home our southwestern saunter was like slow motion in comparison to our neighbors. Thankfully and to my surprise, our little apartment felt a whole lot like home. What felt foreign? Being surrounded by people from far flung nations around the globe. Engaging the unreached for the first time in a while unearthed an old familiar feeling… FEAR.
So, we prayed and prayed some more. Having braced myself, I went out at night and followed up with a Hindu friend. His Hindu co-worker and I talked. We talked about different faiths: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. “Islam views Jesus as prophet but Christianity views Jesus as savior and God. This is why…” Comparing religions helped me share some of Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection!
On the way home I talked with some Muslim acquaintances. We were invited, as guests, to attend a final Ramadan (Islam’s holy month) meal—a great opportunity to share Jesus with new people.After the meal, I hung around the mosque and found myself being asked whether I was interested in, “following Islam the truth path of God.” I shared with five Muslims, “In Surah 1 the Qur’an says lead us to the straight path. In the gospel Jesus says, “I am the path, the truth and life no one comes to the father but through me.” As a result, three younger Muslims sat down with me and asked about my views on Jesus. I then shared the gospel.
Prayer and faith helped me overcome fear and take the plunge once more. Like an athlete who’s a little rusty, evangelistic muscles need to be stretched time and time again. Sometimes jumping back into the game is a scary moment. Christians in Arizona, Missouri and elsewhere take this evangelistic plunge with us because Jesus’s kingdom must continue forward. “Making disciples who make disciple that plant churches who plant churches,” forms our heart beat.
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