The Apostolic Mission in the Muslim World
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The Apostolic Mission in the Muslim World Greg Livingstone Greg Livingstone is General Director of Frontiers, Inc., a mission agency focusing on pioneer church- planting in the Muslim world. Acknowledging a variety of ministries within the Body of Christ, the author nevertheless calls for the global Church to yield new consecration and creativity to the apostolic mission of pioneer evangelism among the world’s Muslim peoples. ’ phesians 4:11 is a reminder that there are at least six different types of mission in God s agenda for His church. He means them to be complementary, with one calling never set against another to justify its existence. The six missions are: 1) the Apostolic Mission; 2) the Prophetic Mission; 3) the Evangelistic Mission; 4) the Pastoral Mission; 5) the Teaching Ministry; and 6) the Priestly Ministry (worship and intercession). All too often, progress in any or all of these six missions is impeded by believers who make the mistake of ’ ’ seeing their particular gifts and calling as God s priority. This is understandable, since individually God s ’ ’ ’ priority should always be that which He s asked us to do. However, we re not to judge another man s servant but be a faithful steward of our own assignments. ’ This article addresses only one of God s missions—the Apostolic Mission, and within a particular sphere of humanity at that. THE APOSTOLIC MISSION TO THE MUSLIMS I understand the Apostolic Mission to mean pioneer church-planting among Muslims who are not within range of a viable church concentrating to win them. This might be in an area: 1) where no Christian churches exist at all. 2) where Christian churches exist but employ a medium (language) or worship that is not the same as the target Muslim people. 3) where Christian churches of the same language exist, but, for whatever reason, do not sense a mandate from God to seriously focus on or give priority to these Muslims. Therefore, where a Muslim area or people group is not the target or focus of an existing viable national church or of an evangelical mission society (with available resources), an effort to engage such a Muslim area or people group is considered apostolic church-planting ministry. ’ Furthermore, I would like to focus here on those Muslims who live in limited-access countries. I m “ ” differentiating between closed countries , where no Christian workers can enter under any circumstances (this might include Albania), and limited-access countries, where only certain nationalities are not welcome or where visas are not granted to professional missionaries who want to work among Muslims. For example, Syria is not issuing missionary visas and is reticent to encourage Americans of any kind to take up residence in the country. But a Swiss, Mexican, or Egyptian could become a resident, providing he had a professional skill acceptable to the Syrian government. ’ “ ” I ve purposely avoided the term tentmaking because it is not sufficiently specific. To some, tentmaking “ ” “ means any Christian who holds a secular job in a particular place. For others it means a missionary who ‘ ’ ” is posing as a student or an English teacher as a cover for his missionary activities. The first might be self-supporting; the second might be entirely supported by churches in his home country. THE IMPERATIVE OF THE APOSTOLIC MISSION Nowhere in the scriptures does the Lord teach that we are to go and make disciples of all nations: 1) only if those nations or their leaders are friendly. 2) only if the governmental leaders of the messenger and of the recipient Muslim people have diplomatic relations. 3) only if it is not dangerous to the messenger. 4) only if the host government gives you permission to preach the Gospel. Can we imagine the Lord Jesus “ Christ saying before His ascension, Go and make disciples of all nations except in closed countries or ’ ”” where they won t give you a missionary visa ? 5) only if church leaders who are citizens of the same country as the target Muslims agree. ’ 6) only if it s certain your ministry will not adversely affect existing Christians. It can be easily argued Biblically that it was and is the intent of God that Christians from somewhere carry out the Apostolic Mission to every tribe, tongue, nation, and socio-economic religious group regardless of opposition. Our tendency is to oppose pioneer church-planting in Muslim countries because, from our perspective, poor judgment was exercised by someone in the past. Let us instead argue from Scripture. It is perfectly understandable, for example, that some Christian leaders in Egypt, Pakistan, or Indonesia would want to protect their congregations from harassment or violence from the Muslim community that might be provoked by evangelism among Muslims. It is understandable, but it is not a Biblical justification for being disobedient to the Great Commission. What can be justifiably protested is non-Biblical evangelism. Evangelism that is insensitive to human dignity and culture and that is unnecessarily provocative is not Biblical evangelism. The New Testament is “ ” full of injunctions to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a Jew to a Jew (a Muslim to a Muslim? a Kuwaiti to the Kuwaiti?), and therefore there is always room for upgrading our evangelism to make it increasingly effective. This is not an argument, however, for limiting evangelism to presence as opposed to proclamation and persuasion. The Bible clearly calls us to all three. CROSS-CULTURAL DISCIPLEMAKERS If we start with the premise, then, that the Apostolic Mission is disciple-making and church-planting among those who are not being ministered to by a church, then we are most likely meaning cross-cultural disciple- making. Therefore, what is needed is a foreign missionary. The missionary may carry the same passport as the Muslim he is seeking to reach but come from another segment of society (usually another ethnic group) and possibly a different socio-economic level. Therefore, he must find a way to cross cultural barriers and “ ” become a trusted significant other —an insider—one from whom the Muslim can receive truth. When we think about it, every place in the world today where the Christian church exists was at one point the recipient of a foreign or cross-cultural proclaimer of the Gospel. So nothing has changed. The peoples ’ of the world without a church still need first, apostles—someone who s going to start the church where it ’ doesn t exist (1 Cor. 12:28). Most Christians are not called to Apostolic Ministry. In fact, maybe only one percent of the church—whether in Kenya, Cairo, or Calcutta—has this assignment. However, every expression of the church should be praying that the Lord of the harvest will send forth apostolic laborers into His harvest where no one is working. Christians everywhere will want to get behind these pioneers, certainly not slow them down. God must be pleased when local churches from every continent are moved with compassion to “ ” ’ set apart apostolic missionaries to start sister churches among Muslims who still don t have a community “ ” of believers made up of their kind of people. MINISTRY IN LIMITED-ACCESS COUNTRIES It is safe to say that the vast majority of the predominantly Muslim cities and/or people groups exist under the watchful eye of governments which are in various degrees hostile to the Gospel. They see no reason to encourage defection from Dar al Islam. Some governments, wanting to appease the orthodox Muslim segments, will take very definite steps to prevent Muslims from becoming Christians. Many Muslim countries are seeking to integrate sharia law to some extent into their legal code—if not adopt it altogether. “ ” Thus, the law of apostasy may be in effect in varying degrees. Apostolic Mission in such places in risky business, but it is still Biblical business. Andrew van der Bijl “ ’ may be correct when he suggests that There are no closed countries as long as you re willing to not come ” back out. Was not prison a normal New Testament experience? Van der Bijl may be right again when he ’ says that he doesn t believe that Muslims are going to take Christians seriously until missionaries are quite willing to go to prison for the Gospel. After all, the Muslim Brotherhood has many members who are willing to go to prison in obedience to Islamic ways as they perceive them. How can Christians become credible as proclaimers of the Way, the Truth, and the Life if we are not content to go to prison if such action will indeed lead to the progress of the Gospel among a certain Muslim people group (Phil. 1:12)? This is not to say that it is usually necessary to go to prison or to hold a martyr mentality. Nearly every Muslim state accepts foreigners for some functions. Numerous Christians in Muslim countries are effective in friendship evangelism. Surely our Creator can make us creative enough to find ways to place or encourage appropriately-gifted national ambassadors for Christ in Muslim countries where they can make disciples. Some of these people will hold down full-time jobs which make a meaningful contribution to the country. Others will have part-time jobs which still make sense to the target people and allow them to be perceived as good, helpful people. A few will be given an open door through a God-provided sponsor to openly utilize almost all their time for Christian ministry, having a visa arranged by a Muslim friend. A ’ few may be led to work without a resident visa. Let s remember that God will continue to raise up men like Jeremiah who will preach in obedience to the call of God, despite the disapproval of Muslim or “ ’ ” Christian.