The Arab Church: Now it’s Mission to the Muslims…
What the global church could learn from her?
Can the Majority World Church & Missionaries learn from our experience?

1. A biblical view of Muslims

The utmost desire of God’s heart is for “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). It is important for all, as members of the body of Christ, to take God’s calling on their lives seriously, to obey wholeheartedly, and to strive to accomplish the tasks He assigns: calling people to repentance; leading them to walk the narrow path that leads from darkness to light, from death to life. In short, the Lord’s ultimate purpose for His church appertains to bringing people to salvation and to the knowledge of the truth. God’s heart for people is reiterated in 2 Peter 3:9: “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” This has been His will from the beginning and throughout the ages, expressed through His miraculous works and the proclamation of His word through prophets and the Scriptures. As one considers God’s heart of love for mankind, it is also important to bear in mind that He created us for His glory and pleasure. As Millard Erickson states: He has provided the means of salvation in order to fulfill His love for mankind and His concern for their welfare. This, however, is not an ultimate end, but only a means to the greater end: God’s own glory. We must bear in mind that God is truly the Lord. We exist for His sake, for His glory and pleasure, rather than He for ours.  

Throughout the Scriptures we read of God’s love and mercy toward mankind. Pertinent to this thesis is the book of Jonah. Citing Desmond Alexander:

For Augustine, Luther and many modern writers, the narrative emphasizes the missionary concern of God, whose love and mercy was not limited to the Jews. Through Jonah, God not only rebukes those who would confine His saving grace to the Jewish people, but He also forcefully demonstrates His real interest in the salvation of ignorant, sinful pagans.

Jonah’s heart for the people of Nineveh can be compared to that of Palestinian Christian-background believers for their Muslim neighbors. As detailed in the first chapter, with a history of pain, suffering, and anger caused by invasions, oppression, persecution, and atrocities inflicted by Muslims through the centuries, Palestinian Christians have been reluctant to usher them into the Kingdom of God. With a view to the historical background of Jonah, the Israelites had suffered the devastation of warfare, the occupation of a foreign ruler, and captivity. Concerning Nineveh, Desmond Alexander notes in his commentary:

Why should Jonah object so vehemently to Nineveh?… The most obvious response would be that Nineveh, as capital of the Assyrian Empire, was responsible for the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Ki 17:1-23). This explains Jonah’s antipathy for Nineveh.

Yet, it was to the inhabitants of Nineveh that God sent him to proclaim His message of truth; to admonish those who refused to obey His commandments; to warn of divine judgment; and to call people to repentance. Jonah tried to flee from God and the task entrusted to him, but he could not escape and eventually proclaimed the message God had given him, albeit reluctantly.

In the first chapter of Jonah we read that rather than going to Nineveh as God commanded, Jonah boards a ship sailing to Tarshish. When God causes a violent storm, Jonah is cast into the sea and is swallowed by a great fish. In the second chapter Jonah cries out to God from the belly of the fish and repents. Then in the third chapter, he obeys God and prophesies to the people of Nineveh of God’s impending judgment. With the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit, even among the heathen, the people of Nineveh do repent of their evil ways and are spared from the judgment of God. God rejoices when any person repents and turns to Him; yet Jonah did not rejoice when the people of Nineveh repented. Instead, he was angry and displeased, expecting them to suffer judgment and punishment rather than experience God’s mercy and compassion. Jonah’s attempt to flee from God’s call, and his anger over the repentance of the Ninevites, reveals his attitude of resentment against them. His heart does not reflect the heart of God for all, whether righteous or sinful, rich or poor, or, as pertains to the Holy Land of today, Christian or Muslim. As Jonah learns that God has compassion not only for His own people, the Jews, but also the Ninevites, so Palestinian Christians must also realize that God’s compassion is not only for their people, those of Christian background, but also for the Muslims.

As the prophet exclaims in Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” When Jonah repented and prayed, God extended mercy to Jonah, protecting him in the belly of the great fish, saving his life and giving him a second chance to obey and proclaim His message in Nineveh. Jonah 1:2 speaks of the wickedness of Nineveh, and Nahum 3:1-2 refers to it as a “city of blood.” Nineveh was on the brink of destruction; God intended to annihilate Nineveh as He had Sodom and Gomorrah, angered by their iniquity. As a prophet, Jonah knew that the Ninevites deserved judgment; yet deep in his soul he also believed that God was a God of love, mercy, and compassion. Alexander makes this observation in his commentary on the book of Jonah: “The relationship between justice and mercy is clearly an important theme in Jonah.” This was a dilemma for Jonah and he questioned God’s decision to spare Nineveh.

The issue that Jonah wrestled with could also be that of prejudice; the perception that God was exclusively for His own people and against others he deemed unworthy. This was the attitude that Peter had toward Gentiles, an attitude that God dealt with in Acts 10:9 – 11:18. Through a vision God asked Peter to eat what he believed to be unclean, but God told him not to call anything impure that He had made clean. Jewish law forbade the eating of ‘unclean’ food, and also association with Gentiles. As Howard Marshall comments:

From what Peter says it emerges that he interpreted his vision, which dealt with regarding certain foods as ‘common or unclean’, as a means of teaching him also not to regard any man as common or unclean. He had come to realize that Jewish scruples were now countermanded by God.

God confronted Peter’s belief that only the Jews were worthy to receive the gospel of salvation and taught him that salvation was for the Gentiles as well. “Peter expresses his realization that God will accept anybody of any race who reverences Him and lives righteously. God is no respecter of persons.” Just as Peter needed divine intervention to accept Gentiles, so Jonah did to accept the mission he had been given—to proclaim God’s message to the inhabitants of Nineveh.

Jonah fled from God, unwilling to go to Nineveh, to an evil people he considered as unworthy. In the fourth chapter, even when he ultimately obeyed God and witnessed their response of repentance, Jonah was angry at God’s compassion. God then used a vine to teach Jonah an important lesson. As Jonah sat near the city to see what would happen, he made a shelter for himself and God provided a vine to give him shade from the sun. The next day, though, the vine withered and died; Jonah was angry. God spoke to him, reminding him that he had no right to be more concerned about a vine that he had not planted or tended, than the more than one hundred and twenty thousand people of Nineveh. God revealed to Jonah His heart of love and compassion for the people of Nineveh. Furthermore, “Jonah is forced to acknowledge the absolute sovereignty of God.”

The applications drawn from the examples of Jonah and Peter speak clearly to the evangelical church of the Holy Land. God loves all people, desiring to extend His mercy and compassion to all who would repent. Salvation is inclusive, not exclusive. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:28). It follows, then, that the biblical view of Muslims is that of a people loved by God, called to repentance and knowledge of the truth, that they might be saved.

2. The worldview of the Palestinian Muslim

The Muslim looks at life and understands history in a different way than the Christian. For the Christian, history begins with Adam, as recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus, God Incarnate, enters history as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets; through His life, death, and resurrection establishes the church in Jerusalem; and then commissions the church to spread the gospel throughout the entire world until His return, the climax of history. For the Muslim, though, history begins with Muhammad; Islamic theologians teach that through a succession of prophets, culminating with Muhammad, God reveals Himself to mankind: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, David, Jesus, and finally, Muhammad. God will bring the world to an end at the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe the biblical prophets to be Muslim as the Quran is the final and correct revelation of God, and God’s mandate is for all to be Muslim. For both Christian and Muslim, their theological understanding of history shapes their mentality and worldview.

An understanding of the ancient history of the Holy Land is also relevant to worldview, and thus to ministry among Palestinian Muslims in modern times. Looking back to biblical history at the time of Jesus, the vast Roman Empire stretched from Spain to Iraq and from northern Africa to Britain, and was centered in Rome. Therefore, during the time of Jesus, the Jews lived under the occupation of a pagan authority. Following Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, His followers spread Christianity during the 1st century AD throughout the known world and even penetrated the city of Rome. During the 2nd century AD, when Jewish patriots revolted against the rule of Rome, the Roman army crushed the opposition, destroyed Jerusalem, exiled the Jewish inhabitants, and the emperor, Hadrian, renamed the land Palaestina in an attempt to erase the Jewish name (Judea) and identity of the land. Later, the Roman name became Palestine in the English language.

Christians were persecuted under a succession of ruthless Roman emperors, but the seed of the gospel bore fruit and Christianity continued to spread. Finally, in 313 AD, “Constantine’s assumption of power as sole ruler of the Roman empire wrought a transformation to the status of Christianity. No longer was it an outlawed and persecuted faith; in fact, it would soon become the Empire’s official religion.” From that time Palestine became entirely “Christian” as impressive churches and buildings were erected, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, by order of the emperor, Constantine, and under the auspices of his mother, Helena. Pilgrimages to these sites began in the 4th century and continue to the present time. During this golden age of prosperity, security, and culture, Christianity spread and flourished politically. The Jewish presence in the church diminished, while great numbers of pagans converted to Christianity.  

“By the 5th century, Jerusalem’s official status within the church hierarchy was also enhanced. Coinciding with the appointment of the city’s bishop, Juvenal, as patriarch, Jerusalem was made a patriarchate, joining Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria.”  

Palestine was influenced by Hellenistic and Byzantine traditions, and except for a brief period of Persian rule, was governed by the Byzantine empire until it was defeated in 638 AD by the Muslim Arabs as Islam spread from Arabia. Jerusalem was revered by Muslims because of the story of Muhammad’s miraculous night journey to Jerusalem (Al-Aqsa), and after four months of battle between the Byzantine Christian and Muslim Arab armies, Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem proposed a peace treaty with Caliph Omar, the Muslim leader. From that time Palestine became part of the Islamic empire.

This was not an easy period for the Palestinian Christians who were not of Arab descent. They were ethnic Christians of the Greek, Byzantine, and Roman empires, influenced by these cultures; Greek was the common language at that time. Now there were two conflicting cultures; one culture dominated the other by force and imposed a foreign language and religion. Most of the Christian inhabitants of Palestine were forced to convert to Islam, but the Christians of Jerusalem were an exception; according to the Jerusalem treaty, Christians of Jerusalem were not forced to convert. The treaty (which still exists at the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem) states:

This is what was given by the Ameer il Mumeneen (the prince of the believers; Omar) for the residents of Jerusalem (also called Iyelya by them). He gave them peace and security for themselves including their money, their churches, and their crosses. Their churches will not be destroyed, nor dwelt in by Muslims. Their crosses will remain and they will not be forced to convert to Islam. Also none of the Jews should live with them.

After two years, Sophronius died and: a little over a half century later the Umayyad Caliph Abdil Malik erected the first, and forever the most beautiful, of Islamic shrines, the Dome of the Rock… It was a supreme monument of Arabization, a moment of climax in the unfolding of history.

As one Islamic dynasty followed another, Christians were treated with varying degrees of tolerance, and over the next three hundred years life improved as they became “Arabized” and compliant to the authorities. The churches, for the most part Orthodox under the Constantinople Patriarchate, kept their traditions through a separate “status quo” agreement. When the Seljuks (of the nomadic tribes of Turkestan near Turkey) converted to Islam, though, they mobilized their army toward Syria and Palestine with overwhelming power, and proved to be an “enemy that had no mercy.” One of the strongest Sultans, Jalal al-Din (also called Shah), took over all of Palestine in 1072. Shah was known to be “fierce and powerful.” The political powers of the world changed as several “Christian” countries of Europe became stronger, and ordered by the Catholic Church, a holy war was declared to liberate Jerusalem. On July 15, 1099, Jerusalem was taken by the Crusaders after a siege of five weeks. The victors massacred the inhabitants of the city, both Muslims and Jews, without mercy. After 460 years of Islamic rule the Crusaders restored Christian rule, and the city was declared as capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The city’s population underwent a significant change. Western culture now took center stage, with French the day-to-day language and Latin the language of prayer. European and Eastern Christians replaced the Jewish and Muslim inhabitants, and Jerusalem once more assumed a Christian character, as Christian traditions were renewed and churches and monasteries rebuilt. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the prime destination of the Crusaders, was magnificently restored in stone, in Romanesque fashion.

The Crusaders built a palace for the Patriarch of Jerusalem who became a Catholic, and the Christians took over the Islamic Dome of the Rock, making it a Christian shrine. A group of monastic knights resided there and controlled it. The Crusaders ruled Jerusalem for almost 90 years, influencing worldviews and attitudes of almost three generations. Their influence extended to language, ethnic norms, religious practice, and understanding between east and west. However, resentment also ran deep within oppressed Muslims and Jews.

The Muslims did not lose their desire to return Palestine to Islamic rule, and in the second Crusade the Europeans faced Saladin (Salah al-Din) in battle in July 1187. Saladin, originally from Tikrit in Iraq, lived and studied in Baalbak, Lebanon before going with his uncle, Asad al-Din, to Egypt. In Egypt, Saladin led several victorious wars against the Crusaders and due to his success, he was sent to Palestine. Saladin’s initial battle took place in Hattin near the Sea of Galilee. It was an ambitious advance for the Muslim army and their victory returned Acre, Nazareth, Caesarea, Haifa, and Nablus to Islamic control. Saladin’s brother (prince of Egypt) sent another army from Egypt and waged a fierce battle against the Crusaders, recovering Majdel, Jaffa, and Ashkelon. They met together as they marched toward Jerusalem, and after besieging Jerusalem, the city surrendered. “Saladin entered Jerusalem in October 1187; he took it and ruled there.” Saladin treated his enemies differently than those who preceded him. He was comparatively kind and just. Frequently following the example of Caliph Omar (638 AD), he treated the Arab Christians well and gave special consideration to peaceful foreign clergymen.

In 1260 the Mamluk rulers of Egypt conquered Palestine. While “Mamluk Jerusalem” held prime religious importance, politically it was insignificant. The Mamluks were soldiers who had been brought to Egypt as property of the ruler from the Central Asian steppes. Since they had been brought into the fold of Islam, they felt a deep commitment to that religion. This was reflected in intensive building in Jerusalem, which has left its mark on the Old City to this day, particularly around the Temple Mount. The worldview of Palestinian Muslims is shaped by both theology and history as is that of Palestinian Christians. As summarized above, 1300 years of intense religious and political conflict in the Holy Land involving Jews, Christians and Muslims, have left indelible scars. Understanding these influences on culture and society, mentality and worldview are relevant to ministry in Palestine today. Understanding the concept of mission is vital for the growth of the evangelical church in the Holy Land.  

3. Missiological Issues

1) Implications of the Missio Dei for the Palestinian church

The Palestinian church is called to carry the message of the gospel to the Palestinian people, both near and far. In order to fulfill that calling, the church must understand it well in all its dimensions, and also know intimately the one who sends us, God Himself. God’s general calling upon our lives is to go and take the gospel message to the entire world as Christ's ambassadors, calling people to repent and to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Thus, with His Spirit and the gospel message, we are enabled to accomplish what He has called us to do. It is important to understand the key elements of the church’s mission in order to carry it out effectively.

2) The theology of mission

The theology of mission refers to the study of the core meaning of the mission: its purpose, motivation, and origin. The words of the phrase “theology of mission” are significant. “Theology,” according to etymologists, means “a treatise, doctrine, or theory” regarding “the science of divine things.” “Mission” implies a compelling divine commission, including the facets of sending and going with a central purpose.

It is noteworthy that, according to Weiss, “Theology is not primarily concerned with tenets that merely receive mental assent, but with truths that reach into the heart and affect the life. Any treatise or portion of theology that fails to do this is of little practical value.” Any biblical theology of mission must deeply affect our personal lives.

A “missionary,” therefore, is one who is sent with a message. Johnstone defines this word well: “This word, missionary, of Latin derivation, has the same basic meaning as the wider use of the term ‘apostle’ in the New Testament, which is derived from Greek. The Christian missionary is one commissioned by God and a local church to evangelize, plant churches, and disciple people away from his home area, and often among people of a different race, culture, or language."

Modern usage is rather different. We now use this term for all those who are sent across cultural barriers for Christian service of any kind, even though they may not necessarily be apostles in the biblical sense. In recent terminology, “missionary” often refers to a Christian believer who is committed to carrying the message of the gospel to other people. The Christian mission also derives its understanding and meaning from its originator and commissioner, God Himself; God, by His nature, is a missionary God. God’s purpose and activity in what He has done and what He is doing is missionary. If the goal of the divine mission is to carry the message of eternal salvation, and accomplish the purposes of God throughout the nations of the earth, the missionary participates in what God is doing. God, in His triune nature, shares this mission. This is what we call the Missio Dei.

3) The Missio Dei

The Latin term Missio Dei means the “mission of God.” God, in His character and nature, is missionary. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit act together in unity to bring the mission to its completion. Since the fall of man, God has been choosing and sending people with His special message. One example is Abraham and his call to be a blessing to the nations. Abraham yielded his life to the will of God and left his home for unknown lands to obey God’s call. There are other people and prophets in the Old Testament who also carried the message of God to people near and far. New Testament examples include the Lord Jesus Himself and the apostle Paul.

These examples, and many others, help clarify for us God’s nature and purpose. Through them we begin to understand His purposes and destiny for the nations of the world. The mission of God began in the heart of the Father. Through His Spirit, God sent persons equipped with His word, as recorded in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “For you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto all the earth.” Jesus the Son took upon Himself the mission of God as His very own. His coming from heaven made Him the greatest missionary ever to walk the earth. Jesus fulfilled the plan of God for the salvation of mankind throughout history.

Christian mission gives expression to the dynamic relationship between God and the world, particularly as this was portrayed first, in the story of the covenant people of Israel and then, supremely, in the birth, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth. A teleological foundation for missions… is only possible if we continually refer back to the ground of our faith: God’s self-communication in Jesus Christ.  

We need to understand that missions itself throughout history is a divine activity. It is God working in the midst of history through His triune presence within the people of God revealed as the Church. All the emphasis of missions should be on “what God does. God is busy with the nations. Mission is God’s work.”

Reading through the Scriptures book by book, one sees how much God interacts and works among His people; the Father is at work, the Son is at work, and the Holy Spirit is at work. In the very nature of God there is mission. In the present dispensation mission is the divine nature. There is a missionary mandate within God’s nature.

This He has done by His mighty acts; through the Law; through oracles delivered by the prophets; through dreams, nature, miracles, writings; but supremely through Jesus Christ. While God has not revealed Himself fully, the remarkable fact is that He has revealed so much. He is clearly a God who desires to be known. This alone is a significant missionary impetus.

The comprehensive nature of this study may take a long time to acquire and understand, but this is the task of theology. Theology seeks to understand God more and thus His mission. Mission, then, begins and ends with the nature of God. Mission springs from God’s grace and loving nature. Mission is God’s mandate, God’s plan, God’s provision, God’s power, and God’s intent.  

The Biblical teachings on the nature of God inform and inspire all believers to missionary efforts. We go because He loves all humans; we witness because He calls the lost; we succeed because of His power. This is His mission in which He graciously allows us to participate.  

God desires all people to come to Him. Following Jesus’ exaltation and the coming of the Holy Spirit, He has chosen to work through the people He has chosen as His elect, responsive people of the earth to be a praise unto Him. God has entrusted the success of His mission to this elect group of people, known as the universal church.

4) The Church

God has chosen the church to carry the message of salvation to all the people of the earth in each generation. Thus, He has chosen us and is working through us in our generation. Jesus Himself is empowering the church with His Spirit to be a genuine witness concerning His salvation (Acts 1:8). He has elected the church to be a “kingdom of priests”. 1 Peter 2:9 speaks of “the goodness of Him who saved them by His blood and brought them out of darkness into light”. The church is, as Bosch puts it, “the mystery of God’s presence in the world… The church is not presenting itself imperiously and proudly, but humbly; it does not define itself in legal categories, or as an elite of exalted souls, but as a servant community.”

Like God, by its very nature the church is missionary. The church is indelibly stamped with missions by the creator, savior, and founder of the faith. The church was created and sent by God to do what He does. To fulfill her purpose, the church must do what He does and what she is called to do by Him. We in ministry tend to think that the church is the sending body; but actually it is God who sends missionaries, and as a whole, the church is sent into the world by Him. Therefore, being involved in missions should be natural for the church. God initiates missions by revealing Himself to people and saving them for His glory. Involvement in missions is natural to Him: The church is imparted with His nature and character too. “Since God is a missionary God, God’s people are a missionary people… it’s impossible to talk about the church without talking about its mission.” The church does not participate in missions merely because God commands it; for although He did indeed command the church to go into the entire world and reach all nations for His sake, the church goes into the world because of His very presence within the church on earth. The Holy Spirit within the church is intent on introducing people to their Creator and Savior. Thus, the church not only should, but must willingly offer to all people the knowledge of God. As the church knows her Savior, so she calls out to make Him known. By proclaiming Christ, we offer to all people the possibility of understanding what God is doing in history. By its witness in word and deed and common life, the Church makes witness to the work of Jesus and His salvation.

The word “church” derives from the Greek word ekklesia meaning “to come apart”. In the New Testament, it is a body of believers set apart by baptism and the profession of Jesus as Savior and Lord. Once saved, these early believers instinctively took the message they received and began telling others. They were visible to other people. They gathered in communities. They formed a fellowship marked by love and humility. The church bears witness not only in what is said, but also in what is done. Her social concern bears witness to her divine reality and God’s love to the entire world. This is her calling and her mission; bearing witness to the salvation of God and living for His glory. Her life and activity is derived from her existence. The church “exists by mission just as fire exists by its burning.”

Finally, on this topic I would quote Terry, Smith and Anderson:

The missionary purpose of God’s people is inextricably entwined with the nature of New Testament churches. That purpose admits of no abstract understanding of the Church. It’s expressed in tangible terms in the metaphors of People of God, Body of Christ, and Temple of the Holy Spirit. The missionary purpose of the Church is God’s redemptive activity on earth. The Church participates in that divine activity through evangelism, discipleship, worship, and social ministry. Each of these activities forms part of the mission of the Church, which is then expressed in the actions of missions by the churches. Furthermore, we have endeavored to describe the missionary purpose of the People of God in terms of its foundation (God), nature (cultural and evangelistic mandates, with priority on the latter), motives (glory, redemption, wisdom), and calling/responsibility (evangelization of the lost, edification of believers and establishment of New Testament churches). God indeed has written His mission into the Great Commission which He gave to His people through His Son Jesus Christ. The Church is a people charged with a marvelous privilege and a grave responsibility. If world evangelization is to be accomplished in our generation, we must renew our commitment to the divine purpose, rededicate ourselves to the redemptive task, and intensify our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission.

Jesus commanded His disciples, “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” (Matthew 28:19, 20). Jesus’ command is simple and clear. He has not only made it plain as to what His followers were to do, but He has provided the Holy Spirit to enable His chosen to carry out His instructions. The church, as well as being set apart and sent out as missionaries, should be motivated, not by a desire to make an impact on society, but by obedience to God’s Word and a desire to please Him, who lives within them. The church is called to reach the lost for Christ and His glory. As Jesus says to His disciples in Mark 16:15: “go into all the world •••” This is our mandate: to go to the nations of the world to preach the good news of the Kingdom. The good news is about Jesus who came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).

The church was enjoined to be active in going into the whole world to be a witness to the nations, beginning at Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). It was a challenging concept for the disciples of the early church to realize; the message was not only for them, but also for the entire world. It took them some time to comprehend that the gospel was not reserved for the Jewish people alone, but included the nations (Gentiles) as well. When they did, though, the early church eagerly proclaimed the good news to all. It is naive to assume that this mission was easy; there were many challenges before them. There was the challenge of antagonistic Jewish leaders who had endorsed Jesus’ crucifixion. There was the challenge of the native Samaritan communities who were enemies to the Jews. There was the challenge of the foreign Roman occupation. There were also various challenges to face from elements within the Roman culture. God’s challenge to us is: to look beyond our immediate surroundings and acquaintances and to see the whole world as our field of labor. It is a tremendous challenge because such an undertaking requires great resources and lays upon the Christian enormous responsibilities from which the flesh naturally recoils. In working with the Palestinian people there are various and difficult challenges to face; there is no easy road in missions.

4. Ecclesiological Issues

1) Why the church needs to work among Muslims

Christianity is only one of many religions in the world. People may be instinctively religious, but may not have heard the message of the gospel. Jesus sends His church into the world as His missionaries. Believers are called to go first to their own people and nations, and thus the Palestinian church is called to reach Palestinians. Since Islam is the major religion of the Palestinians, it follows that the Palestinian church must work among Muslims, reaching out to the adherents of Islam, not the religion itself. A common Arabic saying, “Let everyone follow his own religion and may God help him!” accepts that all religions are good and one should not interfere with another. Prominent leaders of the traditional churches in the Holy Land say openly that Islam, Judaism and Christianity are all heavenly religions. Is this pluralistic attitude correct? Is Christianity unique? Merely as a ceremonial religion it may not be, but Jesus claims to be the truth and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Christianity is presented to the world in a number of ways. Traditional and mainline churches usually hold an inclusive theology, one that subscribes to universalism: all ways lead to God; there is not just one way, but all religions offer salvation; everyone believes in the same God, even though one may describe Him in different terms. Evangelicals, however, are more likely to hold an exclusive theology that boldly adheres to the truth that the Bible is the only authoritative word of God, and that Jesus is God Incarnate. Jesus is acknowledged as the only way, truth and life. To paraphrase John 3:36, in Jesus alone is there life for all; without Him there is no life, but only eternal condemnation.

Devout Muslims believe that Islam supersedes Christianity, and their faith in Islam is unquestionable. Although Jesus is revered as a prophet, Islam sees a chronological succession of prophets: Adam, Abraham, Moses, Isa (Jesus), and Mohammed, the last of the prophets. Hence, over the past fourteen centuries Muslims have had a very different understanding of the biblical Christ. Reaching Palestinian Muslims with the gospel of Jesus is a great challenge, but God has placed Palestinian Christians who speak the same language to live among them. Thus, the Christians of the Palestinian church are more than qualified to be the missionaries to reach out to the Palestinian Muslims.

2) How the church may need to change to be prepared to welcome Muslims into their fellowships

It is not enough for Palestinian Christians to share the gospel with Palestinian Muslims; Palestinian evangelical churches must also be prepared to receive new believers from Muslim backgrounds into their congregations. It is essential for new Muslim converts to be discipled and to be part of a church family. The experience of a young woman, a believer from a Muslim background known by the author, proves that the Palestinian church is not yet prepared to embrace them. Her letter to Palestinian evangelical Christian leaders speaks very clearly of the need for change:

After becoming a believer in Jesus, she studied at a Christian institution in Bethlehem and lived in residence there. In this setting she lived among Christians—the majority were believers from Christian backgrounds. Ironically, she suffered because of her Muslim background, and along with the few other students who were also believers from a Muslim background, shed many tears. Although she was an excellent student, she was not accepted as equal to the students of Christian background. In discussions with one of her teachers, also a local pastor, she was wounded by comments questioning the sincerity of her faith, and even her right to be called a follower of Jesus. Living in residence was also painful when the managers regarded her with suspicion, doubting that anyone from a Muslim background could be a genuine believer. They assumed that such people were traitors and liars. She found it incomprehensible that Christians who worked for a Christian organization, and even evangelized among Muslims, actually thought that Muslims who come to faith are not faithful and are only interested in personal gain. She emphasizes in her letter that she did not choose to be born into a Muslim family and culture and cannot be held responsible for her background, yet she embraces what God has done for her and His plan for her to worship and follow Him. Further, she challenges Christian-background believers to consider the high personal cost for a Muslim to follow Christ: they suffer the rejection of their families and even their lives can be threatened. She writes that she longs to share her faith with family members, but would not want them to be treated by Christians as she experienced. She concludes with the poignant question to Christians: What is our future with you? How long will it be before you accept us?

In addition to this first-hand account, Roland Miller writes in Muslims and the Gospel of the need for Christian churches to be supportive of new converts of Muslim background. Although Miller refers to churches in general, and this volume is not written in the context of the Holy Land, he does address issues applicable to Palestinian evangelical churches. The following quote expresses well how the church may need to change to welcome Muslim converts: “For the relationship to work well, there must be a second conversion—a conversion to each other. It all comes back to the church.” He elaborates that since believers are the church, according to the Scriptures, the matter is one of mutual relationships within the family of believers.

For a church to be supportive, Miller identifies four problem areas to address as common among new believers of Muslim background: “loneliness, insecurity, economic deprivation, and inadequate grounding in the faith.” As noted in chapter 1, in Islam, every Muslim belongs not only to their nuclear and extended family, but to the umma, the community of Islam, where one finds security and identity. If a Muslim chooses to follow Christ, that person is excluded from the family of Islam, and is therefore in a very lonely and insecure place. The church, then, must provide genuine friendship and be a substitute family for new Muslim converts. To that end, Roland Miller suggests biblical teaching to help the congregation develop a greater awareness of the concept of family love, and to extend it to those outside one’s own family. The example of Lazarus, Mary and Martha welcoming Jesus as part of their family could encourage a spirit of adoption within the congregation. Concerning economic hardship, Miller also asserts that it is possible that part of the cost of a Muslim’s decision to follow Jesus is loss of employment or family support. Among the varying views as to how to help in time of need, some Christians are reluctant to provide financial aid to a new convert so as not to link their faith with material benefit. This was a concern as the Jerusalem Alliance Church began a relief ministry in Palestinian Muslim villages during a time of crisis; but we would contend that with prayer, prudence and wisdom, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, a church must be prepared to support Muslim-background believers through a time of need. According to Paul’s own example: "You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’" (Acts 20:34-35).  

Finally, an important role of the church is discipling new believers. To provide Muslim converts a good grounding in their new faith, a supportive church must develop contextual materials and methods to effectively disciple them.

5. Conclusion

In summary, a change in the heart and vision of the leadership of the church is key to a church that will embrace Muslim-background believers. Confronting church leaders with the missiological and ecclesiological issues explored in this chapter, and with the pain of rejection experienced by Muslim-background believers as recorded in this section, may be the motivation to initiate change.

Practical Steps:

1. Train Missionaries
2. Work side by side with the Middle East Church
3. Mobilize a major prayer movement in the Majority World