Meet Them Where They Are

Last Sunday (September 13) I got to see God in one of the most awesome ways I've ever seen. Throughout my time here, I've been learning about how important it is to meet people where they're at in terms of faith and understanding of spiritual things, but this was by far the clearest lesson on that principle.

I was invited to go to a mosque with two local missionaries to break the daily fast for Ramadan with some local Muslim men. Over their years here, they have built quite a strong relationship with the imam (community leader/ equivalent to a pastor), and he had invited us to join them. More than excited, we eagerly left for the mosque with no idea of what was in store.

We arrived around 7, and we were quickly ushered upstairs. We found ourselves in a long room with many rows of blue tarp on the floor with a plate of food every couple feet. Before long, the room was full of a couple hundred Muslim men either sitting quietly or praying to themselves. However, immediately upon hearing the prayer marking the end of the fast for the day, they dove into their food and drink. Much to our surprise, there was no talking or community. Each man just ate quickly, and in a matter of about ten minutes, the room was being cleaned up.

We were caught off guard by the haste with which they ate, but we shortly discovered that they did so in order to be prepared for the next of the daily prayers. We stood in back while they prayed, because we wanted to thank the imam for inviting us. As the men began to leave, many of them came and thanked us for joining them, even if they didn't understand why exactly we were there. One individual found a shared interest with us because he also does local youth work, so we talked for a few minutes. Then, the imam met us and asked if we'd like to talk over tea. Of course, we joyfully agreed.

He led us into the adjacent room, and as we sat down, we were brought more food and drinks. The conversation started out quite casually, but before long, we were asked about what we believed. I was slightly stunned, but the elder missionary took it in stride and began to share the gospel. After a couple questions, and as a few more Muslims began to edge closer to us, the younger missionary did likewise in different words. Before long, we were having a very pleasant discussion on the nature of Jesus as both parties see him. Surprisingly, there was hardly a tinge of animosity.

After a time, we had to stand up so that the room could be prepared for the final prayer of the day. I thought that this would mean the end of our great conversation, but, thankfully, it immediately resumed with a renewed interest. By this time, there were about twenty Muslims asking questions and sharing with the three of us. The group broke into two smaller groups to ask questions to the two m's, and discussion continued until it was time for the final prayer. After two hours of remarkable discussion, the three of us walked back toward the bus, praising God for how He had just moved in such an unexpected way.

There were so many lessons that I learned from this experience, but it's so hard to describe them all. In brief, we must be willing to meet people where they are comfortable, because God can work in any situation. We must be aware of the Spirit and His promptings, not only for beginning discussions, but also for progressing to deeper matters. Finally, we must listen to others. This will show us their hearts, and it will guide us as to how the Holy Spirit is already working. God is good, even better than we can imagine or plan. We must just be willing to step out in faith and to listen.