know you are surrounding me with a mission field right here on my doorstep . Remove my fear and enable me to be light to these people . I know you love them just as much as you love me . Help me , God !”
To counteract her own fear and do something proactive about the opportunity she was facing , Clair started a weekly prayer time with a few friends to pray for her new neighbors . Through this prayer time , God urged her to use the natural gifts he had given her . Clair began offering music lessons to the women and children in her building , which often resulted in deep conversations over cups of tea and casual English lessons . Clair began to realize that they had needs like other women she knew and that they needed desperately to hear about God ’ s love . Clair wasn ’ t sure how God could use her — an untrained secretary who knew nothing about Islam or Muslim culture — but she stepped out in obedience and found herself with new friends who delighted in talking about something that mattered deeply to her … God .
2 Timothy 1:7 declares , “ For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control .” Clair was overwhelmed initially as she realized how many of these immigrants lived in her building and the surrounding neighborhood . Yet , through much prayer and the realization she was to love her neighbor as herself , God equipped her with power to overcome that fear . He gave her love to overlook what she saw as their intimidating differences . And through him came self-discipline to invest long term in the hard work of sharing the light through her words and deeds .
Clair committed to not run away in fear , but instead , to engage in building relationships . She has grown to understand that her Muslim neighbors have deep needs that only Christ can meet . She has embraced the idea that God brought them to her neighborhood with a purpose , and she increasingly sees herself as a part of the plan .
For all of us , Clair ’ s story is a challenge . God is bringing unreached peoples from around the world to our doorstep , and we are faced with a decision . Will we allow fear to cripple and paralyze us , or will we represent Jesus to them ?
As the Muslim world grows and becomes more global , many ministries with a specific focus on these peoples have produced valuable materials to equip the local church for outreach . The JESUS film is produced in languages used by these immigrants , incorporating the majority of the languages spoken by Muslims worldwide . The JESUS film is available to watch on The JESUS Film Project ( JFP ) website or you can download the app and watch it on your mobile device . The JFP has several other films you could share , including Magdalena and The Story of JESUS for Children .
Another helpful resource is More Than Dreams , the true stories of five Muslims who share how their lives were transformed after they each saw Jesus in a dream or vision . It is available on the website as a download , or you can request a free DVD to share with a new friend .
Finally , Crescent Project offers a plethora of training and outreach materials to help Western churches and individuals to reach out to their Muslim neighbors .
So , will we close and lock the door as Clair originally did , shutting them out of our lives ? Or will we choose to be light , reaching out through our words and deeds as faithful representatives of Jesus Christ ?
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