INTERVIEW: ‘Muslims are precious to God’

Rob* has a big heart for people and longs for everyone to know God personally. He is one of many Pioneers workers crossing cultures to share Jesus with Muslims in the UK.

How would you describe your ministry?

I love Muslims and seek to lead them to Jesus. Jesus said to go and take his message to all people, which includes Muslims. But I don’t view them as a project but as people precious to God. They are His creation, just as much as you and me.

Do you have a particular approach?

Only one: Love. Jesus told us to love the Lord our God and love our neighbour as we love ourselves. For me, that’s a model for how to reach anyone, especially Muslims. We should allow our amazing relationship with God to be seen by others through our love and care for them. It’s less about finding a hook, and more about demonstrating genuine Christ-like love with friends.

“We should allow our amazing relationship with God to be seen by others through our love and care for them.”

How do you begin spiritual conversations?

The first word to every spiritual conversation is always ‘hello’. So many times, ‘Assalam alaikum’** has opened up beautiful, deep chats about faith.

Most days, I pray, ‘Lord, show me the person whose heart you are preparing’. Then I say hello to people and take it from there.

On one occasion, after not getting very far in spiritual conversations, I stopped and asked the Lord to clearly guide me. Right then, a Muslim man came round the corner and walked towards me.

I said to him, ‘Assalam alaikum’.

He replied, ‘Alaikum assalam. Are you a Muslim?

I explained that I’m a follower of Jesus the Messiah [or Isa Al Massir] and that I love Muslims very much. To clarify my introduction, I pointed out that not everyone who says they are a Christian, truly take their faith seriously. In contrast, I love and follow Jesus and actively seek to obey His Word.

What advice would you give us?

We need to start by loving Muslims. I passionately believe that we need to display Christ clearly in our lives, so that people become jealous (in a good way) of what we have in Him. This way, Muslims will hunger and thirst for the things of God. Remember that there isn’t one particular way of doing things; it’s about being available and obedient to the Lord.

When in spiritual conversations, I seek only to proclaim Christ. So, I never speak negatively about their prophet or their book but simply point to Jesus. Often the discussion ends with my Muslim friend gladly accepting a copy of the New Testament to explore. My desire is for them to see Christ through me and then encounter Him in the Word for themselves.

*Name has been changed and library image used for illustrative purposes only.
**Assalam alaikum is a universal greeting among Muslims and means, ‘Peace be upon you all’. The standard response is to reciprocate the peace, ‘Alaikum assalam.’

You can be involved too

Are you developing a heart for reaching Muslims? Ever felt that you would appreciate guidance in how to share Jesus with Muslims in appropriate ways ?

We would recommend the book Engaging with Muslims as a great next step for growing in confidence, and being equipped for mission.

Previous Articles