Posts by: Staff Writer

In this video lesson we address six common obstacles that keep Christians from reaching out, especially to Muslims. It is one of several lessons to give complete training for those who really want to know how, where, when and why to do outreach, and what they will face in doing it.

OBSTACLE # 1 OH NO! DON’T GO!

When others try to stop you from reaching out: Has anyone tried to discourage you from going on outreach or mission work? We have found it’s not uncommon for well-meaning people to try to stop us from what we think God is calling us to do. How do we approach this? Dr. Cynthia addresses the situation in this video. Dr. C starts with the example of when a local missionary told her and another volunteer not to go to a mosque, because it was too radical and dangerous. The team was in a strange big city and already nervous. Getting this call shortly before they left was very unsettling. Since the missionary was experienced and knew the city well, naturally his word was to be respected. But the team was committed and had distribution material ready to go. What to do now? Cynthia and Joanna prayed more. They reflected that they had: come to the city for outreach researched the opportunity and prepared materials prayed seriously about it for days and were doing this for God, not in any way for themselves They decided that all this being the case, it would be best if they followed through with the outreach. Praise God that they did! The Muslim worshippers were very open and accepted hundreds of Jesus videos. Some people went back and reported inside the mosque that Christians were distributing outside (this is usual), so an imam came out to confront them. But he was for the most part respectful. He stayed for over an hour and asked Dr. C many questions, which she answered. His questions also gave her more insight to the Muslim way of thinking. A similar thing happened when an Arab missionary told Joanna and Cynthia not to do an outreach in a Muslim country. But the two were convinced that it was God’s will and went ahead, with success. From these events and others like them, we have learned in our ministry that when we step out of the box, people – even good Christians – will try to stop us. This is usually because they are thinking first of our safety, or an inconvenience it may cause them. Mark 8:33 is a perfect verse for these situations: “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Therefore, WE ADVISE: pray in advance about outreach and other ministry decisions sincerely seek God’s will, not your own research and adequately prepare listen carefully and respectfully to advice from others but realize that usually people trying to stop you are reacting without thought

DECIDE: If the person obstructing you has not given as much prayer and submission to the will of God as you have, continue in faith along the path that God is directing. If they have bathed their advice in dedicated prayer, weigh their advice more heavily. Another “Oh No! Don’t Go!” response is one that every Christian can expect from their family and friends. Again, these people are speaking with good intentions; but they are usually not seeing the situation with a kingdom view. Dr. C tells of a volunteer whose father-in-law had a heart attack the morning that she was leading an outreach team. Her husband was understandably upset. His father was an unbeliever who had rejected the gospel for decades. The husband told her, “If he dies it will be your fault that he goes to hell!” Wow! How would you like to hear that? With little time to decide, the volunteer prayed for guidance. God gave her a wise reply, “If you are getting the plane tickets right now, I will cancel the event. Otherwise, if you are waiting, I will finish this commitment first.” It was the right decision. The father lived; many Muslims got the gospel and new team members were trained.

OBSTACLE #2 The FEAR FACTOR

Fear is the primary reason Christians tell us they are reluctant to reach out.

What is the fear of?

• The Unknown
• Insecurity – We could answer wrongly or say/do something stupid
• Harm – that the threats of Islam will fall upon us

We think it is reasonable to have these fears. We don’t hide them. In our seminars we ask attendees to consider how much risk they are willing to take, for example in sharing their name, phone number, or life details, and how to reduce risks.

But does valid fear mean we should take no risks? No! As risk-taking author Brother Andrew says, “You can get into anywhere; but it’s not always certain that you can get out.” He reminds Christians that we are all called to reach out and share Jesus, and we need a special call if we are NOT to reach out!

Look at your life. Could you be called to reach Muslims? Do you have fear of it?

Courage is not the absence of fear, but of moving ahead despite it. Turn your mindset away from fear. Romans 5:5 tells us that God will pour his love into our heart. I John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. If we really trust God, we know that he will not let something happen to us that is not for either our good, or the good of someone else (Romans 8:28).

Comments of the great missionaries of history can also encourage us, for example several said, “I am immortal until my work is through.”

Dr. C ends with an example of the power of I John 4:18 in the life of a Muslim that she was sharing with. After years of discussions and a day with Muslims who became Christians, it was reading this verse that flooded her with God’s love and brought her to Christ.

OBSTACLE #3 What if I’m RECOGNIZED?

From on location at a street festival, Dr. Cynthia shares with us her concern about being recognized. As a well-known physician in her community she was concerned about negative impact of being recognized by hospital employees. She had already been reported to hospital administration for offering to pray with cancer patient that she was going to biopsy.

Here she gives an example of what happened to change mind: Once while distributing Christian material at a festival of an Indian religion, she was recognized by B, the friend of a neurosurgeon she worked with. He was of that other faith. B stopped and talked to her about what she was doing and why.

Frankly, Dr. C forgot exactly what she said, because she was busy sharing with many strangers. A year later B contacted her. The two went out to lunch with the neurosurgeon. B said, “Your words about Jesus and the rich man really struck me! (Apparently it was something about gaining the whole world and losing your sou.) He continues, “I got a Bible and started reading it. Now I am a Christian!”

You see friends, the fact that B knew Dr. Cynthia, what she did and how she lived supported the gospel message: being recognized actually helped bring B to Christ! This doesn’t mean that living good lives is enough. What it means is the message supported by a Christian life – and a smile – is more powerful. (Note: this is Ethos, Logos, Pathos, as taught in rhetoric classes.)

OBSTACLE #4 Beware the HERO HOLDOUT

Working with Muslims we have many adventures. We also see the Lord work in a fantastic way! In order to inspire people to reach out to Muslims, we share some of these stories. But this can lead to problem. People can get the idea that we are more special than they are, and that we can do things that they can’t. So they give up before trying.

In this video, Dr. Cynthia dresses up with a silly crown to convince us that everyone is special and called by God. She shares with us that Bible heroes like David who did great things were considered insignificant. I Samuel 16 & 17)

OBSTACLE #5 The ABRAHAM DILEMMA

What is “The Abraham Dilemma?” Some Christians fear reaching out to Muslims either because they are “the enemies of God,” or that in loving them they curse Abraham, and will so bring curses upon themselves. We call this fear factor “The Abraham Dilemma.” In this video Dr. Cynthia addresses the issue to help Christians overcome it. We read together two passages from the Bible which help us understand this dilemma: Genesis 12:3, and Galatians 3:6-9. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we are told that those who curse Abraham will be cursed. In the New Testament, which came after Jesus, we are told that all who have faith in God are the children of Abraham. So, the curse is not against one people group or nation, but against those who mistreat followers of the God of Abraham. That throws quite a different light, doesn’t it? The curse is not against us, but to those who curse us. So, we have nothing to fear in accidentally cursing anyone by loving someone else. Besides, the Bible is clear that Christians are to love everyone, even their enemies. We are even to bless those who curse us (Luke 6:28, Romans 12:14). It is much easier to see a black and white world than to engage in complicated situations before making a judgement. But Jesus told us to not judge by appearances but make a right judgement (John 7:24). This is difficult, but applies to courts and politics, as well as religion. The main concern we here at Christian from Muslim have is that some Christians think that Muslims are not worthy of receiving God’s love in word and deed. But does the Bible tell us that any of us are worthy? No! We are all unworthy (Romans 5:8); but God loved us even so. The Bible makes it clear: we are not to curse anyone. We are to walk in faith, not fear. In following Jesus we must obey his commands to love everyone and share his good news and blessings with everyone.

OBSTACLE #6 The JONAH FACTOR

Both the Bible and the Quran have books named after the Prophet Jonah (Yunas in Arabic).

God told Jonah to do something nearly unthinkable: go to Assyria, his nation’s sworn enemy and preach repentance. Assyria was known for aggression and violence. Since he thought them unworthy, Jonah took a boat in the opposite direction. Have you had a similar reaction to sharing the gospel?

But after a dramatic episode at sea, Jonah did go to Assyria’s capital, Nineveh. God had compassion on the Assyrians because they did not “know their right hand from their left.” They did eventually attack and destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel; but in the short run, due to Jonah’s obedience, Nineveh did repent. God did not destroy Nineveh, and Nineveh delayed in attacking Israel.

What difference might it make if you reach out to those who have threatened your country or your people?

In conclusion, we hope that our experiences with these obstacles to outreach will make it easier for you to recognize and overcome them.

Professional debaters have a platform, and time to develop an argument that may take an hour or more to present. Unless you are a pro, you will never have this. You will be lucky to get a few sentences in before you are interrupted.

So, what we teach you in this video are strategies, tactics, and techniques to help you make each word that you say count like 50. And we have 30 years of experience to know how and why SWAP does work. You have to see it to believe it!

Dr. Cynthia is a physician with several decades of experience sharing the gospel with Muslims, answering their questions, and challenging their erroneous beliefs.

This video is a basic introduction to Women in Islam, based on Dr. Cynthia’s decades of experience in working with Muslim women and studying Islamic texts.

It covers:

• The Story of Women in Christianity and Islam.
• Principles and Practices regarding Women in Islam.
• Examples of both, in ancient and current Islam.
• The Great Women in Islam.
• Issues to challenge on Women in Islam.

Dr. Cynthia’s summary comments include:

• The Practices of Islam are based on the Principles of authentic Islamic documents.
• True Islam truly represses Women. Westernized Islam is less harsh and authentic.
• The great women of Islam were great DESPITE Islam, not BECUSE of Islam.
• Your CURSE is your BLESSING, and your Blessing is your Curse. This is because their suffering has opened Muslim women’s minds to think that God must be better than Islam says.
• The more a religion represses women, the less it is of God.
• Their CONSCIENCE is better than their RELIGION for most Muslims.

For more detailed written content, see Lesson on Islam and Women, with Wafa Sultan.

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The PATH of the PROPHETS is the most effective way we have found for sharing the gospel with Muslims. It uses the Bible characters common in Islam and Christianity and terms that are familiar with to explain how Jesus’ death on the cross fits with ideas and traditions that they already know. The approach is, “This is what you know; let us show you more!”

We recommend that you first watch “PALM Training – Path of the Prophets Part 1, Gospel Method,” or one of our other videos on the Path of the Prophets, such as the Lesson or 12-minute English video.

Christians who read the booklet or watch the video will find that everything makes sense to them. What they miss however, are what we call HIDDEN BUTTONS. These are thoughts and emotions pushed in Muslim thinking that make the message even powerful. In this video we explain to you what is in the mindset of Muslims that Christians are unaware of when the method makes a point.

Dr. Cynthia is a physician with several decades of experience sharing the gospel with Muslims, answering their questions, and challenging their erroneous beliefs.

› BUILD BRIDGES › SHARE TRUTH › CHALLENGE FALSEHOOD is our modus operandi.

In this video we teach Christians how to reach across religious and cultural differences to connect with Muslims.

There are two kinds of Bridges: Type 1 and Type 2.

TYPE 1 BRIDGES help you connect with the Muslim as a person. Some of the bridges we present are useful with anyone. Others are especially for those from a Muslim background. In this section we present a large assortment of bridges, suggestions of when and how to use them, and examples of how we have done it.

TYPE 2 BRIDGES help you connect from your relationship with the Muslim into Bible truth, especially the gospel in The PATH of the PROPHETS.

Note 1: This video includes parts 2 and 3 of Building Bridges. Since there is a very large amount of information presented, you might want to take a break and watch those two parts separately.

Note 2: Part 1, Strong Bridge Foundations, is not included in this video. It explains how to assure that the bridges you build are strong. For security reasons that conference presentation will be refilmed and posted separately later. Suffice it to say here that to build strong bridges you should pray, fill your heart with love, be careful, practice spiritual warfare, and be ready for trouble.

› BUILD BRIDGES › SHARE TRUTH › CHALLENGE FALSEHOOD is the way our ministry approaches every relationship, especially with Muslims.

PALM conference videos fit into one or more of these three of categories. This video falls into the “Share Truth.” The Saltshaker shares Bible truth through everyday situations. It fits with the Deuteronomy 6 instruction to teach the Bible as a natural part life.

SHORT and SITUATIONAL are the keys.

Usually in relationships you will not have large chunks of time to tell a full Bible story or recite a passage. Those who are trained this way have found trouble adapting it to real-life situations. But if you know the scriptures and keep an attitude of awareness and flexibility you will be able to pass on nuggets of truth. The idea is to be like a saltshaker, sprinkling a little salt onto food to make it more appetizing. It’s OK to share only part of a story or verse where it fits.

Your goal in doing this is to use something real as a bridge for truth: an activity, a place, or an event may remind you of something that Jesus said, a parable, proverb, or keen insight from the Bible. Then say it briefly – only one or two sentences in most situations. You don’t want it to get preachy or boring. Remember, salt is tasty in small quantities, but too much is disgusting.

You can use this tactic with everyone in your life. With your children or students, you might have a little more time. With Muslims and atheists, you will need to keep it short.

And remember Proverbs 16:21, “Pleasant words promote instruction.”

Whether they express them or not, there are four big stumbling blocks that Muslims have been programmed with to make them resist the gospel. We call them “The BIG 4.” They are:

1. God would not become a man
2. The Trinity does not make sense
3. Jesus didn’t die on the cross
4. The Bible has been corrupted, but not the Quran

In this video we cover what Muslims think about these four and how we can answer their objections.

Some of this material we have covered in our other videos, but here you find the 4 defended together in one video. We cover classic apologetic arguments that you would learn in Bible school – or church Sunday School if they have apologetics classes. We also include other explanations that we have found to be particularly good with Muslims, such as object lessons.

It used to be that these four were almost the only objections that Christians would get. Over the last 20 years however, Muslim apologists have put forth hundreds of other objections. We do not directly cover those in our Level 1 Training. Regardless, every Christian sharing with Muslims needs to be able to answer these four with confidence.

In this video, Luke shares his own take on making your PAT – Personal Apologetic Testimony.

Most Christian testimonies revolve around one’s own experience – how one’s life led them to experience God personally. This is very good, and Luke doesn’t discount the importance of it. But he, like Dr. Cynthia, thinks it is not good enough to simply share how good knowing God makes you feel. That is “subjective,” other people can’t usually connect personally with what happened to you. So, you need to give evidence that others can relate to. We call that “objective” evidence.

Luke encourages all Christians to think about the reasons for why we believe what we believe. This will help you be ready to give an answer when people question you, and is what I Peter 3:15 tells us.

A Personal Apologetic Testimony includes:

1. a little about your BACKGROUND to set the stage
2. presents your favorite OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE,
3. and summarizes that it CONVINCES YOU.

A strength of this structure is that people can argue over facts, but they can’t argue that they CONVINCE YOU!

Apologetic testimonies can be tailored toward what might touch the thinking or heart of the one that you are sharing with. So, you might have more than one PAT for different settings. For example, how you would present to a child or uneducated person is different from how you would share with a Ph.D.

Although he does share with Muslims, Luke shares mostly with skeptics. He presents to us Dr. Cynthia’s PAT for Skeptics, based on her medical experience. He, as an engineer, favors evidence from complexity. He presents reasons that are convincing to him and are included in his PAT.

Luke says fulfilled prophecies are one of the top proofs for his Christian faith; but these take a while to explain to someone who knows nothing about the Bible.

For what you might include in in a PAT to MUSLIMS, watch our other video on making a PAT.

The PATH of the PROPHETS is the most effective way we have found for sharing the gospel with Muslims. It uses the Bible characters common in Islam and Christianity and terms that are familiar with to explain how Jesus’ death on the cross fits with ideas and traditions that they already know. The approach is, “This is what you know; let us show you more!”

After hearing it Muslim responses have been:

• “You are the first Christian I have spoken to that makes sense.”
• “So, Jesus is the Lamb of God!”
• “It’s beautiful! I believe it is the way to God!”

In this first video, we present the background of this method, how it was developed, how to use it, and why it is effective. Then we show an illustrated video of it.

Muslims know that Abraham did blood sacrifice. Their most holy day honors this, Eid al AdHa. They know that Moses brought the 10 Commandments. But they do not know about blood sacrifice for sin was practiced by all the prophets and patriarchs, whom they also call prophets.

This method introduces God, his character, submitting to God, going his way, substitutionary atonement, and prophecies of Jesus as the final sacrifice. It explains the why of atonement, and how to live a real Christian life.

The Path also confronts “The Big 4” objections that Muslims have to the gospel. (See also the conference video on “The BIG 4.”)

The video was filmed in front of an audience at a training conference. It includes the English video of the method/booklet. However, for a cleaner presentation of the video, watch it directly here.

We recommend that after this you watch “PALM Training – Path of the Prophets Part 2: Hidden Buttons,” which explains how Muslim thinking is impacted in ways beyond the Christian understanding of the presentation.

Bio: Dr. Cynthia is a retired physician with several decades of experience sharing the gospel with Muslims, answering their questions, and challenging their erroneous beliefs.

 Muslims who are studying in the West, have moved here, or simply want good insight, should learn the basics of Christianity. 

How is it similar to and different from Islam? Is Christianity really the way Islam describes it? Why are West & East so different? Is immorality OK in Christianity? How does the Bible say we get to heaven/paradise? 

By learning about Christianity and the Bible from the Christian perspective, rather than the Muslim or academic perspective, you will find answers to these and other important questions. 

 Similar Beliefs of Islam and Christianity 

• One Creator God 
• Prophets 
• Day of Judgement 
• Holy Books 
• Angels & Demons 
• Good & Bad exist 

 Important Differences Between Islam and Christianity 

• Means of Salvation – blood sacrifice for forgiveness of sin was performed by all Biblical prophets.
  • (Leviticus 17:11 in Law of Moses) 
• Purpose of Good Deeds – in Christianity they are done to please God in thanks for salvation. In Islam, like every other religion, they are required to earn salvation. 
• Lifestyle – the place of rules and freedoms 
• Progressive Revelation to prophets: 
  • Both faiths agree that all prophets called for pure worship of One God. But increasing light and future prophecies were given to Biblical prophets over time as “progressive revelation.” 
  • Specific future prophecies were given, for example of the destruction of corrupt nations. Those of the Messiah Jesus Christ were sent so that he would be recognized when he came.

 The Gospel 

“Gospel,” means “Good News!” It is the heart of the Christian faith. Briefly, it is: 

God made and loves us! But our sins separate us from him. Sin earns death as punishment. We cannot pay ourselves, because we are imperfect. So our Creator, although sinless, as a loving Father took responsibility for our sins. He entered human flesh as Jesus, and paid our punishment on the cross. Jesus was the prophesied final sacrifice, the Lamb of God. If we accept this gift in our place, our sins are washed away by his blood. We are “saved” by faith – and gain heaven! 

Muslims can understand this best through the Path of the Prophets booklet or video, because it explains the gospel using people and events they know from the Quran and Bible. Both are available free on this website: 

• Booklet in 13 languages
• English video

 The Teachings of Jesus 

These are presented in the Bible’s four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Most famous is the “Sermon on the Mount,” in Matthew chapters 5-7. Its beauty often amazes Muslims. 

Mark is the shortest gospel. Luke has the most parables – these are stories with deeper meaning. John is the most symbolic of the gospels. It contains the famous “I am” statements of Jesus: the Light of the world, Bread of life, the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, the Resurrection, the Gate, and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

Jesus’ early teachings focus on living for the invisible kingdom of God. He does not start predicting his betrayal, death and resurrection until near the end of his ministry. Don’t be confused. Some people would trick you by quoting only his early teachings. Consider both early and late teachings to understand. 

Jesus’ final commands were: 

• To live in Love and 
• To Spread his teachings and gospel around the world by talking about them, not with violence. 
  • Note: neither Jesus nor Moses taught to spread faith by force. 
  • Since Christians are commanded to spread Jesus’ teachings with words, they get into trouble in places where: ▪
    • Freedom of Speech is restricted 
    • The Bible is outlawed 
    • There is a state religion which represses Christianity 

The Bible is composed of: 

• Old Testament: 39 books written by prophets before Jesus. 
• New Testament: 27 books written after Jesus. Muslims commonly call this the “Injeel,” although there is not an exact relationship between the two. Besides the 4 gospels mentioned above, it includes the story of the early church, doctrine, and advice on living the Christian life. 
• Unchanged: Isaiah 40:8 in the Old Testament says that “The word of the Lord lasts forever.”
  • Note: The Quran makes similar claims about God’s word (Surah 6:115). 
• Early Bibles, such as the Codex Sinaiticus, still exist since before the time of Mohammed. They have the same message as today’s. This is why Christians accept the Bible over the Quran. 
• The Quran does not speak against the Bible, but affirms and refers to it. (Surah 10:94) 

St. Paul was a Jew who persecuted Christians. But after seeing a vision of Jesus, he became the most active missionary of the early church. Critics try to trick us by saying that Paul invented Christianity. Yet, the books of the Injeel that he did not write have the same message as those he did write – the gospel! 

Christian History: The early church was severely persecuted by Rome. Rome burned Bibles and killed Christians. Nevertheless, an amazing 25,000 New Testament manuscripts survived! Plus, the Old Testament was preserved in the Dead Sea scrolls before Jesus’ birth. All confirm the current Bible. 

In the 4th century the church gained political power. But it kept the Roman system of government, simply dressing it in Christian ritual. So, the church did not fully follow the teachings of Jesus and his disciples. It emphasized power, ignored the Bible, and became intolerant and often corrupt. This had to change. 

During the “Reformation,” around 1520 A.D., Christians started reading the Bible again. Slowly, reforms began to bring churches and Christians closer to Jesus’ teachings. “Protestants” are those who protested incorrect and/or corrupt church teachings. They emphasized reading and education so that everyone could read the Bible for themself. America began around then. This explains its values, like: education, freedom, tolerance, and work ethic. The USA is the first nation to begin with the Bible as its basis. 

Denominations: As with all religions, including Islam, Christianity has many branches, called “denominations.” These share common creeds; but vary on details like: baptism methods, worship style, church authority, prayer to saints, and whether the communion service, also called eucharist, by which we remember the Lord’s sacrifice for us, is symbolic or literally becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 

Final Note: This only outlines some things we think would be helpful for you to understand. For more, see the videos and study guides directed to Muslim thinking on this website. They bring will deepen your understanding of these, and other important Christian/Muslim topics. 

By CP for AEM 2024 

Engineer apologist Luke P specializes in science and philosophy apologetics and polemics, but has much experience with Islam from ministry, business, and family relationships.

Here he reviews for conference goers the basics of Islam by answering a few of Christians’ most common questions about it:

1. What do Muslims believe?
2. Why are some Muslims nice and others violent?
3. Can there be a reformation in Islam, similar to that in Christianity?

These are presented from the Christian viewpoint, with some explanation in how they are the same or different from Christian views on that topic.

To clarify a few points that arose but might not have been clear in the presentation:

• The Kabaa in Mecca can be visited by Muslims for religious credit year-round. The actual “Hajj” is an annual event on the lunar calendar, after Ramadan. Otherwise, the pilgrimage is called “Umrah.”
• About holy books: in theory Muslims believe that there were many prophets who brought holy books, some besides those mentioned in the Bible and Quran. These however, they believe have disappeared or been corrupted, leaving the Quran as the final, perfect revelation from Allah. (Our other videos refute this claim.)

NOTE: This video was made at our Level 1 PALM Project Training. If you are taking the course online in order, it is #2. If you already know a lot about Islam, you may skip to the next presentation, #3. Conference attendees received a manual with greater depth on each subject.
This intro to Islam is also covered in more depth by Dr. Cynthia in our video, “Introduction to Islam for Christians,” and many of our other videos.