Reaching Muslims for Christ

With over 1.7 billion followers, Islam is the world’s second-largest religion and the fastest-growing major religion in the world. For many believers, they are apprehensive about sharing their faith with others from different religions, but for Perry LaHaie it is his passion. LaHaie hosts a nationally syndicated radio feature that is aired on more than 300 stations worldwide via the Internet. The program which is called “Cast Yourself In,” tells stories about how God is working in the Muslim world. LaHaie works with an organization called Frontiers, which is devoted to reaching the Muslim world. While LaHaie had struggles of depression and brokenness, he took those time to compose songs and provide comfort to others who are suffering as well. He shared with us three years ago about how he got his start in missions work and what he believes holds many Muslims back from understanding Christianity.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

LaHaie shared how God closed the door to living in another country so that he could use his background in radio to reach others.

“Frontiers was started by a guy named Greg Livingstone and has been around for about 30 years. It is the largest mission agency exclusively devoted to the Muslim world. Frontiers is in more than 50 Muslim countries and we have more than one thousand workers blessing the Muslim communities and sharing Jesus. L’ve had mainly three passions in my life; reaching people who have never heard the gospel, the love of radio and the love of music. I thought that my wife and I would end up going to another country and God surprisingly said, “No.” Which was strange to me because here I want to go where most people don’t, and He clearly closed the door. But what happened was I then went into radio and God continued to give me songs and develop my craft as a worship leader. That’s where I found my passion of reaching people in the world through radio. I contacted a bunch of mission agencies and asked if they needed a radio and music guy. Frontiers was the organization that we really connected with and we just found a kindred spirit with them…I packed all of our belongings and traveled two thousand miles to Phoenix, Arizona, so that I could use radion and music to reach the Muslim world.”

“He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ 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.” Acts 1:7-8

LaHaie explains why he believes many Muslims misunderstand Christianity.

“Muslims have a huge misunderstanding of Christianity. They think that Christianity is synonymous with immorality. They figure the West is Christian and they see the immorality of the West and automatically think that Christianity must be immorality. They associate pornography with Christianity; Madonna and Britney Spears with Christianity; they associate all the movies that come out of the West with Christianity, and it’s because most Muslims have never been a follower of Jesus. This is why it’s so important that we go and show them that we are passionate for holiness. When they start seeing that there is a difference between following Jesus and from being an American, or from the West, perceptions shift. That is a huge hurdle for them to get over.”

Risen Reflections

Pray to be an ambassador for Christ. Ask God how he wants to use your talent and background to reach others for Christ. While there may be opportunities to go to other countries to tell others about Christ, there are people all around us that need to hear about a relationship with Christ. It could be a classmate, neighbor, or co-worker. Pray that God would give you the words to share and questions to ask to start a spiritual conversation. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your conversation and protect it from distractions. Also, pray that the person would be open to receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Pray for missionaries. Pray for the missionaries around the world as they share Christ. Ask God to guide and direct their efforts and to protect them from the schemes of the enemy. Pray that God would provide for all of their needs. Take time this week to send a missionary an encouraging note and ask how you can pray for their specific needs. Commit to praying for that missionary and the people they are reaching out to for the week, each day.

Pray for the lost. Pray that God would soften their hearts and they would be open to a relationship with Him. Pray for a spirit of understanding. Take time this week to pray for a specific country or people group. It could be one that you have gone on a mission trip to, one that your church partners with, or one that is making news headlines.  Pray for countries that are closed to the gospel, that the Holy Spirit would reveal Himself to the people in supernatural ways. God wants to change our hearts and theirs as we pray.

To read our entire interview with  Perry LaHaie, click here.