When a person is asked how they can affirm and establish their identity, for a disciple who earnestly follows Christ, the answer must inevitably be rooted in their relationship with the triune God. Yet compared with Islam, the Christian faith is generally not woven as deeply into every aspect of daily life. Islam, by contrast, strictly regulates life, encompassing language, community architecture, clothing, dietary restrictions, festivals, marriage systems, patterns of social interaction, funeral rites, and even ways of thinking and behavior. Therefore, when a Muslim leaves the Islamic faith, they lose not only their entire sense of identity but also the network that has supported their way of life.

        Edward Ayub, who was born into a Muslim family in Bangladesh, points out that within Muslim communities, discipleship is often more difficult than evangelism. What follows is a synthesis of the challenges and approaches he has identified, together with my own observations and understanding, in the hope that the NPAC family will pray more for ministry among Muslims.

       Many Muslims, after openly professing faith in Christ, immediately face hostility and persecution from their parents and relatives. As a result, they often adopt a double way of life: “living like a Muslim among Muslims and like a Christian among Christians.” Yet such a way of life can easily lead them to retain former behaviors and customs that are immoral or inconsistent with the truth. When Muslims attack the Christian faith, they may neither dare nor be able to defend it. This attempt to have a foot in both camps leaves considerable room for them to return to Islam eventually. One new Muslim-background believer told me that he hopes to study biblical truth diligently and openly profess his faith to his family within three years. May God protect and uphold him!

       Whether Muslim-background believers should retain certain aspects of a Muslim way of life is highly controversial in ministry among Muslims. Even missionaries on the field disagree over questions such as whether they should wear headscarves, veils or burqas (long robes), and whether they should enter mosques and pray together with Muslims. As for how to walk alongside Muslim-background believers as they replace Islamic cultural practices with expressions of the Christian faith, this presents an enormous challenge for missionaries. Yet, it is an issue that must be faced. May the Lord protect Christ’s ambassadors who share the gospel with Muslims, giving them the courage to make clear the pressures people may face after coming to faith, while at the same time communicating the peace that comes from the presence of the Lord Christ and the eternal hope in Him.

        One Muslim-background believer remarked that, in seeking to lead Muslims to faith in Christ, we must also care for their practical needs, because they may be ostracized and forced to leave their own community. Many missionaries therefore seek to create employment opportunities for them: on the one hand, many are genuinely poor; on the other, such opportunities can also provide a means of reaching those who have not yet believed. Moreover, because Muslim-background believers understand their own culture more deeply, they can become valuable co-workers. Ayub cautions, however, that we must never hold out material prosperity, security or future opportunities before Muslim-background believers as enticements that might give rise to wrong motives for believing, thereby leading them away from the true hope of the gospel. As we care for and walk alongside them, we must also guard against people professing faith merely for personal gain. May the Lord grant wisdom and a discerning spirit to those who share the gospel.