When facing the prospect of sharing Jesus with someone, most of us shrink back in fear. When faced with sharing Jesus with a Muslim, the fear intensifies significantly. This fear comes as a result of depending on our own abilities rather than trusting God to speak through us. Satan himself often engenders this type of fear as a way of keeping us from fulfilling the Great Commission.
God’s Word declares, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind” (1 Tim. 1:7). Furthermore, God has provided the spiritual weapons by which we can defeat the Enemy. God’s Word is the foremost and indispensable weapon and should always be accompanied with praying in the Spirit at all times (Ephesians 6:17-18). The fear we encounter when sharing Jesus with Muslims—or any person who does not know Jesus—reflects the spiritual war in which we live. Satan does not want Christians to share Jesus and uses fear as a major deterrent.
Fear can bind us and keep us from sharing Jesus with people—especially Muslims. When that ungodly fear rears its ugly head, we must realize this is a spiritual battle and turn to the Lord for His help. This requires that we keep our heart in tune with the Holy Spirit so we can discern what God is doing and what we should say at that moment. Jesus gave the following instructions to His disciples as He sent them out:
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:16-20, emphasis added)
We must rely heavily on the leading of the Holy Spirit as we share Jesus with Muslim people rather than leaning on our own knowledge, expertise, or strength. In our moment of fear, let the words of Acts 1:8 flood our minds: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (emphasis added). The Holy Spirit will empower us to do what is difficult, unnatural, out of our comfort zones, and fear-inducing. Why? Because the Lord desires for “everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
When we see sharing Jesus with lost people through this lens, we realize that we have an awesome privilege that can radically transform the eternal destiny of people who have never had the opportunity to hear the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ! Let’s squelch the fear for the sake of the lost!