A Christian mission called Frontiers USA is reaching out to Muslims with the love of Jesus and helping other Christians to do so in the hope of giving Muslims "the full picture of who Jesus is."
Frontiers USA's Perry LaHaie told Mission Network News (MNN) that his group seeks to remove Muslims' "misconceptions about what a Christian is."
"Jesus spoke over 90 times in the Quran, but it's not the full picture of who Jesus is. So they just need to meet real Jesus followers who can explain what Jesus is all about and introduce them to the Bible. We want to introduce Muslims to Jesus so they can experience the joy we have in Him," LaHaie said.
He noted that although Islam is the second largest religion behind Christianity and that Muslims are the fastest growing group of religious people in the world, not many Muslims have been given the chance to meet and talk to a follower of Christ. Eight out of 10 Muslims have never met a true Christian, he told MNN.
According to CBN News, only a small percentage of Muslims in the Middle East are familiar with Christianity.
Lahaie said it is important to develop friendships with the Muslim community to build trust and to enable Christians to share the Gospel with their Muslim brothers and sisters.
He noted that in the United States, only few Christians are reaching out to Muslims. However, a church in Houston tried to break the ice by sharing Christian kindness to Muslims who worship at a nearby mosque.
Pastor Rich Reaves and Senior Pastor Elliot Scott of Life Path Church reached out to their Muslim neighbours by offering their church's soccer field and parking lot as the venue of one of their events.
The community's Muslim leaders accepted the offer. During the event, the pastors refrained from proselytising and only showed the love of Christ through their fraternal acts of kindness. As a result, they earned the gratitude and goodwill of their Muslim neighbours.
Recently, a church in Pennsylvania reportedly posted a large sign on its lawn, with the message: "Wishing a blessed Ramadan to our Muslim neighbours."
The Rev. Christopher Rodkey, the pastor of St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Dallastown, Pennsylvania, said he wrote the message because he "is interested in religious tolerance."
