I spoke to a Saudi Muslim about the gospel this past Friday at the U. of Penn campus.
This past Friday, I visited the U. of Penn campus, 3400 Walnut St., Philadelphia, passing out gospel tracts and dialoguing with students and passers-by about the gospel. I had to do this alone this time since my partner in ministry Dan Levy passed away suddenly from a stroke. He will be missed.
This "3400" location is a public access street across from the campus and has a lot of foot traffic. When classes change or lunchtime comes, there are mobs of students: many Chinese, many Indians, a fair number of Middle-Eastern and Pakistani Muslims, some Jewish students wearing yarmulkes (the skullcap: a sign of the observant or the Orthodox). They avoid me, but other Jewish students without the yarmulkes will sometimes stop and talk. This past Friday, I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with a young Chinese Buddhist and then a Saudi medical student (Muslim). Neither one had ever heard the Christian gospel and both spent a significant amount of time talking with me about it and showing real interest. The encounter with the Saudi is worth telling, so keep reading.
What I do at Penn Campus is to stand right there on the corner. Dan Levy used to stand caddy-corner from me across the street, doing the same thing, when he was here My technique is to pass out witnessing brochures, then ask each passer-by "Do you know what that is, that piece of paper?" Once in a while a student will stop, look at it, and say "No. What is it?"
"It's a gospel tract, a gospel brochure. Do you know what the gospel is?" I'll say. (What I'm looking for is a conversation.)
The Saudi student (Let's call him "N"), had no clue what born-again Christians believe, but he told me he wanted to know. So I told him. He was friendly and though Muslim, wanted to learn. He told me that the Qu'ran speaks of Jesus as a great prophet, but that as a Muslim he cannot believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
"But Christians don't believe that God is the biological father of Jesus, if that's what you mean," I said. "And they certainly don't believe that God and Mary had sex to give birth to Him. There are two words in Arabic meaning 'son'. One word is 'walad', meaning biological son. The other word is 'ibn', a more general use for 'son'. For example, a teacher can have disciples, and they may validly be called his sons. You even have this tradition in Islam."
"N" was impressed. I gave him some excellent Arabic-language literature which he promised to read right away. I told him that I came to believe in Jesus coming from a background of Judaism. "At least in Islam they revere Jesus as a great prophet, but I was taught growing up only three things about Jesus: 1) We don't know who He was. 2) He wasn't the Messiah, and 3) We didn't kill Him. I knew there had to be more to it than that." He agreed.
"You know," I said, "Where we are now is one of the few places on earth where someone like me can talk to someone like you about the Christian gospel and not be arrested." (or words to that effect). "N" agreed.
"Yes," he said. "You couldn't do this in my country, but I will read what you gave me." And we parted as friends.
So ... pray for this young man: "N". And I'll give you a progress report when I hear back from him.
This past Friday, I visited the U. of Penn campus, 3400 Walnut St., Philadelphia, passing out gospel tracts and dialoguing with students and passers-by about the gospel. I had to do this alone this time since my partner in ministry Dan Levy passed away suddenly from a stroke. He will be missed.
This "3400" location is a public access street across from the campus and has a lot of foot traffic. When classes change or lunchtime comes, there are mobs of students: many Chinese, many Indians, a fair number of Middle-Eastern and Pakistani Muslims, some Jewish students wearing yarmulkes (the skullcap: a sign of the observant or the Orthodox). They avoid me, but other Jewish students without the yarmulkes will sometimes stop and talk. This past Friday, I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with a young Chinese Buddhist and then a Saudi medical student (Muslim). Neither one had ever heard the Christian gospel and both spent a significant amount of time talking with me about it and showing real interest. The encounter with the Saudi is worth telling, so keep reading.
What I do at Penn Campus is to stand right there on the corner. Dan Levy used to stand caddy-corner from me across the street, doing the same thing, when he was here My technique is to pass out witnessing brochures, then ask each passer-by "Do you know what that is, that piece of paper?" Once in a while a student will stop, look at it, and say "No. What is it?"
"It's a gospel tract, a gospel brochure. Do you know what the gospel is?" I'll say. (What I'm looking for is a conversation.)
The Saudi student (Let's call him "N"), had no clue what born-again Christians believe, but he told me he wanted to know. So I told him. He was friendly and though Muslim, wanted to learn. He told me that the Qu'ran speaks of Jesus as a great prophet, but that as a Muslim he cannot believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
"But Christians don't believe that God is the biological father of Jesus, if that's what you mean," I said. "And they certainly don't believe that God and Mary had sex to give birth to Him. There are two words in Arabic meaning 'son'. One word is 'walad', meaning biological son. The other word is 'ibn', a more general use for 'son'. For example, a teacher can have disciples, and they may validly be called his sons. You even have this tradition in Islam."
"N" was impressed. I gave him some excellent Arabic-language literature which he promised to read right away. I told him that I came to believe in Jesus coming from a background of Judaism. "At least in Islam they revere Jesus as a great prophet, but I was taught growing up only three things about Jesus: 1) We don't know who He was. 2) He wasn't the Messiah, and 3) We didn't kill Him. I knew there had to be more to it than that." He agreed.
"You know," I said, "Where we are now is one of the few places on earth where someone like me can talk to someone like you about the Christian gospel and not be arrested." (or words to that effect). "N" agreed.
"Yes," he said. "You couldn't do this in my country, but I will read what you gave me." And we parted as friends.
So ... pray for this young man: "N". And I'll give you a progress report when I hear back from him.
