dulur-dulur seler sunda, hapunten forwad-an dihandap ieu henteu sempet di tarjamahkeun. kristenisasi teh geuning mani agresip jeung ter-organisir. metode na lain sakadar `indomie` deui geuning ayeuna mah. urang sunda anu ngagem agama islam kudu ati-ati,.... salam, budak sukabumi -------------------------------------------------- From: Miftah al-Zaman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:42 am Subject: Cara Kristenisasi Dear all, Di bawah ini saya sertakan "cara kristenisasi" yang saya ambil dari buku "Muslims and Christians at The Table, Promoting Biblical Understanding among North American Muslims" oleh Bruce A McDowell dan Anees Zaka, penerbit P & R Publishing (October 1, 1999), hal. 173 - 186. Saya ingin mendapatkan komentar, terutama dari teman-teman Kristen, Mas Trisno, Pendeta Albert Patty. Terima kasih. -------------- Methods for Reaching Muslims There are a wide variety of means that may be used to bring the gospel to Muslims. You will need to determine which methods are best suited to your gifts, resources, and target audience. Our own experience has been primarily in friendship, prayer, and team evangelism, small group and one-on-one Bible studies, hospitality, use of a variety of media, correspondence courses, and Meetings for Better Understanding. These methods have proved to be effective in reaching Muslims for Christ. This does not mean that other methods are not also useful. The best approach is to combine various methods. Most of these methods may be used not only in North America, but throughout the Muslim world. In some countries, there are restrictions on particular approaches. 1. Bible Correspondence Courses Bible courses may be advertised to Muslims through letters sent in the mail, personal contacts, fliers, and advertisements in newspapers and on the radio. This provides a list of Muslims showing some interest in knowing more about Christ. The most effective means of getting them interested in following through with a Bible correspondence course is through initial friendship and showing the Jesus film. A Bible course allows you to go into more depth and lead a person to Christ. Courses are written for a specifically Muslim audience. Each lesson is completed by the student and returned by mail to the coordinator of the course for grading and comments. This approach has been quite successful in Islamic countries, especially when students have been followed up with personal visits. It has been used only to a limited extent in the U.S. The most difficult part has been to follow up those showing initial interest. Unless this is done, those beginning the course will forget and ignore what they started. 2. Bookroom or Book Table In a Muslim-populated area, a bookroom or reading room may be set up with a Muslim decor. Bible verses in Arabic calligraphy may be hung from the walls. The staff may wear clothing that has appeal to Muslims. Tables with culturally appropriate Christian literature may be set up on the sidewalk and inside. For hospitality and to encourage discussion, tea and coffee may be served. The Jesus film can be shown in several languages and can be scheduled several times a week. Another variation of this method is to set up a book table in the student center of a major university. Display Christian books and booklets in various languages from Islamic countries to attract Muslim international students into discussions. This approach has also been used at Islamic book fairs, where one pays for space to set up one's display. 3. Children's Bible Club in the Home This is a strategic ministry because researchers have found that in the U.S. more than 85 percent of those who receive Christ do so before they reach the age of fifteen. Half of the Muslim population in the world is under the age of fifteen. Invite the children of your Muslim neighbors to a weekly Bible club meeting in your home or yard. Activities could include arts and crafts, field trips, Bible stories, memory verses, songs, and refreshments. Often parents will want to be involved in some way. This kind of ministry opens doors to ministering to the children's parents as well. This may work especially well in the summer or could be done on weekends during the school year. 4. Church-Mosque Relationships Christians involved in outreach may wish to visit Muslim leaders and mosques informally, so that they can become acquainted with each other and build meaningful relationships as human beings. Community issues of common concern may be jointly addressed, such as the drug and crime problem, graffiti, and racial and ethnic conflicts. A church and a mosque could set up a joint project to clean up the neighborhood park together. In Fremont, California, Saint Paul's United Methodist Church and the Islamic Society of the East Bay constructed a church and a mosque side by side on the same property. They named their common access road "Peace Terrace" to be an example to the world. 5. Counseling Occasionally Christians in a leadership position, such as an administrator, professor, physician, pastor, or lawyer, or even as neighbors or colleagues at work, will have the opportunity to give counsel to Muslims. This may occur when there are marriage problems, immigration questions, health problems, or employment problems. As Christians, we can show real concern, care, and love in helping them with their problem from a Christian perspective. These times are often ones of great emotional turmoil and anxiety. Our patience and trust in God, a God who answers prayer, can be a great witness. Mostapha and Fatima came as immigrants to live in a large Pennsylvania city. They had been married for over eighteen years, but their marriage was plagued with problems. Over time they became friends with a godly Christian family. They shared their problems with their American friends. The sovereign Lord led them and their American friends to meet with me (one of the authors) They shared their family problem with my wife and me for three hours. It seemed that there was no solution. I asked Mostapha to forgive his wife. He said, "I cannot forgive her." I asked, "Why?" He said, "I do not know." I said to him, "I know. You cannot forgive because you are not forgiven yet." And I asked him, "Would you like to be forgiven now?" Mostapha said, "Yes. How?" I explained the gospel to him. Mostapha and Fatima were ready to pray to God, asking for his forgiveness. My wife and I led them in doing that by standing and holding hands and praying together. Mostapha was crying like a child, as he was praying after me with Fatima. They prayed the sinner's prayer and they surrendered their lives to the Lord Jesus that night. The American friends who were there were stunned and amazed at how the Lord led A of us that evening to come to this point of forgiveness. The couple's relationship started to improve day by day. Mostapha took the initiative to say "I love you" to Fatima for the first time after eighteen years of marriage. On Valentine's Day, he brought her flowers with a card for the first time in their lives. This is the power of the gospel in the area of forgiveness. 6. Debates In this form of outreach, the Islamic and Christian communities are invited to a lecture room or hall to hear two knowledgeable persons debate the merits of a chosen topic in relation to Islam and Christianity. After each speaker has made his initial presentation, an opportunity is given for response. This approach must be carried out with much prayer and sensitivity in order not to cause unnecessary offense. An argument can be won, but the battle lost, when the message is not communicated with love and winsomeness. A Christian speaker must be well versed in Islamic apologetics and in the Bible. This approach has been used with some success in London at "Speaker's Corner" in Hyde Park. In this situation, the crowd that gathers responds to the speaker directly at intervals throughout his presentation. A formal rebuttal is not given by another speaker, but comes from those in the crowd. It is best if the speaker has an assistant with him from another ethnic background to be a backup with responses and give the main speaker a break. A team of coworkers should be in the crowd to assist in following up individuals who show interest. This form of outreach has been used more as a form of preevangelism, causing Muslims to develop doubts and question their faith. A danger in debating is that Muslims will often rally a large group from their community to the debate, greatly outnumbering the Christians. Usually when people leave a Christian-Muslim debate, both sides think that their side won. Often the debates are videotaped, edited in the Muslims' favor, and distributed in the Muslim community to motivate Islamic da'wah. In attacking the "sacred cows" of Islam, the boasts of some may be silenced, but that probably will not win people to your side. The positive-the power of the gospel-should be emphasized. One needs to ask, "Is the debate leading to more or less contact between Muslims and Christians after it is over?" Debate is sometimes used in the New Testament, such as by Stephen with the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9-10), by Apollos with the Jews in Achaia (Acts 18:27-28), and by Paul with the philosophers in the marketplace at Athens (Acts 17:18), in the synagogue and lecture hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus (Acts 19:8-10), and while under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:23). Jesus, too, confronted the Pharisees (Matt. 23:13-33) and the money changers in the temple (Mark 11: 15-18). Debate can work in the right context. But it can also lead to acts of violence, such as was experienced by Stephen in Acts 6-7.3 7. Dialogue "Dialogue involves two individuals or groups empathetically listening to each other with respect and frankly witnessing to their own faith". Although dialogue can be somewhat similar to debate, it is less confrontational. Areas shared in common and differences are examined by both sides. For some, especially in ecumenical circles, dialogue may lead to syncretism. For others, it is closer to the approach of Meetings for Better Understanding, where both sides inform each other of where one stands. Dialogue requires humility, respect, openness to new insights, and trust. It "corrects stereotypes and fosters understanding, communication, cooperation, and wit ness. Furthermore, it does not require the abandonment of belief in the uniqueness of one's own faith since dialogue involves authentic witness. In engaging in dialogue, one needs to beware of the attempts of some to use the opportunity to "win the day" rather than simply promote mutual understanding. 8. E-mail Chat Rooms Christians interested in religious discussion may enter Muslim chat rooms on the Internet. Friendly discussion with Muslims from around the world may lead to fruitful results in sharing the gospel as well as learning about Islam. In using e-mail, one can speak without the face-to-face anxiety. You can be sure that your message is heard because of the immediate response. Here is an example of someone using this method: I know that dedat2's upbringing is somewhat Christian although I do not think his family was very serious about Christianity. In the chat rooms in front of everyone, dedat2 is reasonably obnoxious. He likes to rant about mistakes in the Bible and ridicule the Bible at every opportunity. However one day I convinced him to come into a private chat room with me. This is a room where no one can see your messages except you and the other person in the room with you. Well miracle of all miracles, dedat2 became cordial and polite. His attacks on the Bible it seemed to me were a defense from others who insult Islam and Muhammad. We spoke of many topics in the Bible, as I am sure he was trying to convince me that the Qur'an was right. Until we got around to Isaiah 53. He said that he was not familiar with it and that he would re, search it. A few days later he contacted me and said that he also felt that chapter 53 could be about Jesus. But Muhammad says that Jesus was not crucified and why would he lie? I did not know how to respond to this question. I told him that the Bible has been trustworthy for me up to now and that there is no reason to doubt it. At that point, one of us had to leave so we agreed to pray about it. 9. Friendship Evangelism When Christians take time to do things with Muslims, their Muslim friends can experience Christ in them and have an opportunity to talk about who Christ is. Friendship builds trust, which in turn provides open doors for witness. See more on this in chapter 11. 10. Hospitality and Family Evangelism Using this method, Christians invite Muslim families or singles into their homes to eat together, so that Muslims can experience Christ's love in the family. This is biblical evangelism in action (Luke 14:12-14; Rom. 12:13b). Sharing a meal together is one of the best ways to create bonding in relationships. Your Muslim guest may be invited to participate in your family devotions. Hosting a Muslim student overnight for an international student conference is a great way to develop strong ties with your guest. Children in your home often help to develop warmth and rapport with your guest. 11. House Churches Muslim families that have begun to trust Christ and to feed on God's Word need to be encouraged and nurtured through worship I, with other believers. Families that do not have access to compatible traditional fellowships are taught to worship together in homes. Ideally, these house churches should have from five to twelve people. Having twenty-five people in one home may be too over whelming for one host each week. Also, because of the cultural emphasis on hospitality, too much time may be taken up with that, as opposed to worship, in a larger group. House churches are often mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 18:7; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2). 12. International Dinners Plan an ethnic dinner that focuses on a particular Muslim country or part of the world, hosted in a larger home or a church hall. Invite international students and/or immigrants from that country, as well as from other places, to attend. If you are focusing on Turkey, invite students from the Turkish Student Association at your local university. Encourage believers to attend as well, with the understanding that they are there to serve, befriend the international guests, and host the tables. If possible, recruit cooks from the ethnic group you are focusing on to help plan the menu and cook the meal. Plan a program of music and/or folk dance from the theme country after the meal. Then have a speaker give a low-key, culturally sensitive gospel message. Preferably the speaker should be someone who has been to your theme country. If not, he should be familiar with speaking to Muslims. Make response cards available on the tables for follow-up. On one side of the room, set up a book table with Christian literature in English and their language that is appropriate for Muslims. 13. Mail Evangelism Many Muslims can be effectively reached with portions of Scripture through the mail. An offer of a Bible correspondence course 4 could be included. Muslim names can be identified in telephone directories and university student directories. The names could be distributed to interested persons in various churches or prayer groups Along with the names, a packet of culturally, appealing gospel material with a cover letter is given to those doing the mailing Each envelope should be individually addressed and stamped with stamps, rather than a postage machine. Regular prayer should he offered for those receiving the mailing. A return post office box address should be included for a response and possible follow-up of those showing interest in receiving more literature. For more details on this form of ministry, read Bill Dennett's book, Sharing the Good News with Muslims, or contact Turkish World Outreach. 14, Media Evangelism Literature, tapes, films, and radio can have a powerful impact in helping to bring Muslims to faith in Christ. "Further Ministry Resources" at the back of this book lists many places where these resources are available. Dr. James M. Boice's expository sermon tapes have been used with great benefit by Church Without Walls (available from the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 1716 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103). Although Muslims will watch Christian television shows, such programs generally do not appeal to the heart of a Muslim culturally, methodologically, or spiritually. Since so many Christian television programs seem like secular entertainment, Muslims can be confused about what true Christianity really is. Many Muslims listen to Christian radio programs, but need personal follow-up to help answer their questions and lead them to Christ. Follow-up is also needed after the distribution of tracts and pamphlets. Here is an example from an Operation Mobilization (OM) team in Lebanon: After openly sharing and distributing gospel literature in the marketplace in a town that had not been visited by OM for over two decades, a man said to the team, "When you are finished, please bring your people to my restaurant. I would like to feed you." After their hunger had been satisfied, their host surprised them by pulling a tattered Gospel tract from a drawer in his counter. "When I was 12 years old," he explained, "someone gave me this tract. I have been waiting for 21 years for someone to come and tell me more about this Jesus." I'm sure there were some tears of joy shed in that restaurant as this team had the privilege of leading this hungry soul to the Savior he had been seeking. 15. Meetings for Better Understanding Christian leaders can arrange to have meetings held at mosques and churches. The typical meeting includes an oral presentation by a Muslim and by a Christian on a preselected topic. Some refreshments are served after the initial presentations, which are followed by a period of discussion to learn further, correct each other's misconceptions, and gain a better understanding of each other's faith. A fuller description of this method is given in chapter 13. 16. One-on-one Evangelism In this method, individual Christians share God's Word with individual Muslims to help them see themselves as sinners who need to be saved and understand the way that God has provided for them to be saved. Often this form of evangelism will be with casual contacts, such as with a fellow traveler on an airplane, someone you meet on the job, or with a street vendor. After initial introductions and the subject of conversation turns to religion, one may ask non-threatening, thought-provoking questions, such as, "Do you know God?" or "Do you know for sure that you will enter paradise?" Do not say anything that denigrates Islam, Muhammad, or the Qur'an. Asking questions elicits more positive response than making statements. Listen carefully before speaking. If you have appropriate literature available, leave something with the person, 'A such as the Gospel of Luke in their native language or a tract written it for Muslims. Dr. William McElwee Miller has written several excellent tracts (available from Fellowship of Faith for Muslims). 17. Prayer Evangelism Prayer is an essential component of evangelizing Muslims. They are in the grip of a strong deceit of Satan, which necessitates spiritual warfare. The spiritual battle will only be won through prayer for your Muslim contacts, for Muslim countries and leaders, for unity and spiritual growth among those reaching out to Muslims, and for your own close walk with the Lord. Begin praying for specific people and their needs. Let those people know that you are praying for their needs. Then see how God answers prayer. God works through our prayers. All our other efforts will prove fruitless unless they are covered with prayer. 18. Preaching Bringing the Word of God to Muslims through expository preaching must not be taken for granted or overlooked. Preaching with power and conviction is one of the primary means prescribed by God for the conversion of the lost. Paul instructed Timothy to "devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching" (1 Tim. 4:13). He was to "preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2). Muslims respond to good preaching, just as others do. But it must be based on the Bible, rather than simply using a Scripture passage as a jumping-off point to tell a string of stories to build one's self-esteem. Reverence and respect must be shown in all aspects of the service. Occasionally, when a preacher has built a good relationship with a Muslim community, there may be an opportunity even to preach in a mosque. Some preachers have seen God's blessing come upon Muslims through itinerant crusade evangelism. The major difficulty with this is conserving the harvest through follow-up of those who respond. Those who invited the Muslims or local churches that are given the names of those who respond must disciple them and in corporate them into a fellowship of believers. Otherwise, the pressures are usually too great for the one who received the Word with joy to bear fruit (Luke 8:13). 19. Prison Ministry The growth of Islam in the African-American community has taken place to a great extent in prisons. One way to reach the African-American Muslim is to have a ministry in the prisons through Bible studies, seminars, and visitation. Good literature can be distributed among the inmates and donated to the prison library. Prison Fellowship is involved in this type of ministry. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary now has an extension in a prison in Louisiana where fifty students are enrolled and twenty recently graduated. As an example of what could be done, the twenty congregations in the prison of over five thousand men could be trained to reach the numerous Muslim inmates. 20. Reconciliation Ministry Due to the centuries of animosity and conflict between Christians and Muslims, a ministry of reconciliation can have a powerful impact on the Muslim community. In 1996 a group marched along the trail of the Crusades through Turkey, bringing a message of reconciliation and asking for forgiveness from the atrocities of the Crusaders. It has been warmly received and given wide publicity Such ministry is needed in places such as the Balkans, the Philippines, Nigeria, and the Sudan. In the U.S., reconciliation could have a powerful impact on white Christians and black Muslims. Such a ministry requires appreciating the injustice felt, even if it is thought to be overblown; really listening to the others' perceptions, hurts, and needs without interruption, self-explanation, or defense; bringing those who have been artificially kept apart together for interaction and getting to now each other; and forgiveness by pardoning and being willing to be pardoned. 21. Refugee Ministry Many of the places of conflict in the world where the U.S. has been involved are Muslim countries. Often refugees from those conflicts come to North America. In the 1970s many came from Lebanon and Palestine, and in the 1980s from Afghanistan and Ethiopia. In recent years, there have been Somalis, Algerians, Iranians, and Kurds. World Relief looks for churches to sponsor refugee families. This ministry includes helping a family get settled with an apartment, household goods and furniture, finding or providing English lessons, and providing job counseling, acculturation, and friendship. Through the tangible help provided by Christians and the relationships built, many opportunities for witness become available to the refugee family. 22. Small Group Bible and Quran Studies Christians can meet with interested Muslims to study passages related to preselected topics. These studies have the advantage of allowing informal discussion during the presentations. The Bible and the Qur'an are studied with open minds and spirits. The Bible study leader should have full assurance of his faith and thorough knowledge of the Bible. This is discussed more in chapter 13 and in appendix 2. 23. Door-to-Door Surveys In this method, Muslim names are identified from a Cole telephone directory, which lists names by street address. These people are then visited by going door-to-door and using a survey to ask questions regarding their faith. The survey can be used in connection with a training program in which the visitor is seeking to learn more about Islam. After stating who you are and what your purpose is, those visiting are often invited into the home for discussions. A frustration with this approach is that people are often not at home. 24. Team Evangelism Since Islam emphasizes community, it is important that Christians also demonstrate a strong community and family spirit when witnessing to them. Western Christians tend to be overly individualistic. Work as a team to show them that the church is not as individualistic as North American society, but rather is a community and has a collective mind. Organize a team to reach out to Muslims; have team meetings at least monthly for prayer, sharing, organizing, and encouragement. Try to include persons from various racial and ethnic backgrounds on the same team. When Muslims see persons from only one culture reaching out to them, they may infer that Christianity as an individualistic religion. Also, the misconception often coming from the African-American community is that Christianity is the white man's religion. An integrated team will help to dampen that perception. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/mGEjbB/5WnJAA/E2hLAA/0EHolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Komunitas Urang Sunda --> http://www.Urang-Sunda.or.id Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urangsunda/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
