A great opportunity to see "Muslim" from Lebanon

Photo courtesy/Liu Huizheng

▲The beautiful coastal scenery of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

Churchill famously said: “The optimist sees opportunity in every crisis;
Pessimists see danger in every opportunity. "
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Mu Xuan?

A great opportunity for Mu Xuan

When talking about "Muslim", it is natural to think of the 1.8 billion Islamic believers, which exceeds the world's population of 23%. They may feel unfamiliar, hesitant, or even shrink from this three-in-one political, religious, and cultural group. Indeed, Muslims come across as mysterious, closed, well-organized, and even unfriendly to Christians. In fact, this is probably due to a lack of understanding or prejudice against Muslims, so they are hesitant to contact Muslims.

This article will put forward views and suggestions on the direction of missionary work, hoping to help readers open up their horizons on the gospel, further understand the opportunities for Muslim gospel ministry, and pray to inspire more knowledgeable people to join the ranks of Muslim missionaries.

國際視野機構（Horizons International，http://www.horizonsinternational.org/）創辦人及總幹事，黎巴嫩裔阿拉伯人喬治思‧侯士尼（Georges Houssney），有40多年致力引領穆斯林歸主並在伊斯蘭地區植堂的經驗，並翻譯了現代阿拉伯語聖經，亦是“Engaging Islam”一書作者。他曾如此評論；「今日，有上百萬的穆斯林已經覺醒。他們對伊斯蘭教的根源，以及近代的史實產生懷疑，不再對伊斯蘭教表示忠誠和滿足。從以實瑪利到穆罕默德，到近幾十年來的恐怖主義，伊斯蘭教的過去和現在持續暴露其本質，不少穆斯林正在放棄這個信仰。加上現代科技進步，福音進入穆斯林世界的門已經大大打開了。」^Notes

What is your response to these words? Are you hesitant or hesitant, or are you inspired to take action? Churchill famously said: "An optimist sees an opportunity in every crisis; a pessimist sees a crisis in every opportunity."

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Mu Xuan?

mission to win people

The Lord Jesus Christ originally called his disciples, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mark 1:17) "Winners" refers to the object of winning people. When people hear the gospel, confess their sins and repent, believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose from the dead on the third day to complete salvation; and then confess that Jesus is the Christ and profess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, this person has sinned Forgiveness, new life. This is the most important truth that Muslims need to know.

"Winning people" also refers to the person who wins people. These people gained by the Lord accept and equip themselves to become disciples, obey the Lord’s sending, and follow the Lord to win people. In preaching the gospel, bear witness to the true and living Lord. Believers need to live out this mission.

Disciples of the Lord who participate in missionary work are more blessed than those who believe in the Lord after hearing the gospel. They walk with the Lord, testify to the Lord’s power and grace at all times, believe that they can win people in any situation, and are optimistic about missionary work.

Current situation in Lebanon

Optimists see opportunities in crises; today the opportunity appears in Lebanon. The country's area is only 1/3 of Taiwan's, with a population of just over 4 million. The country is not economically prosperous and has few job opportunities. It has been invaded or harassed by surrounding powers since ancient times. Since declaring independence in 1943, it has gone through years of civil war, and has been subject to intervention by the Syrian garrison for nearly 30 years. Since 2011, the Syrian civil war has caused about 2 million refugees (mostly Muslims) to flee to Lebanon, causing economic, social, educational, medical, and environmental problems.

This place seems to be a dangerous place, but it brings unexpected opportunities. Lebanon is one of the most Westernized countries in the Middle East and has historically had a very close relationship with Christianity. Today, the country's population is about 35% Christians and the rest are Muslims. The Constitution stipulates that the president, vice president, and members of Congress have fixed quotas according to their religious background to maintain the balance of power and facilitate the peaceful governance of the country. Due to the balance of politics and religion, Lebanon is the only country with a majority Muslim population in the world to adopt a democratic and free system. The door to the gospel is not only open, but wide open.

Now that the door is open, how do we get in and win people?

United Mission Iron Square

Lebanon has the right time, location, and people. It is indeed a great opportunity for Mu Xuan! To "win people," you first need good "people-winners."

Mission depends on a team, not working alone or working independently; mission is not under the banner of each team or organization, but the banner of the kingdom of God, with Jesus Christ as the general.

In order to make good use of resources, you can learn from others' experiences, use your strengths to offset your weaknesses, and help each other. One practical approach is to establish partnerships with missionaries on the mission field. The international vision is based on the Bible, preaches the full gospel, and aims to build churches and fulfill the Great Commission. The focus of the ministry is "Proclaim, Disciple, and Equipment." It trains missionaries through Muslim evangelism courses and equips converts from Muslim backgrounds to become disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Traditionally, we refer to churches, missionaries, and missions as the “Iron Triangle of Missions.” Now, with the addition of seminaries, they form the “Iron Quadruple of Missions.” Theological equipment is not only necessary but also important in missionary training. In addition to strengthening biblical truth and personal life development, language, culture, professional skills, leadership and management, etc., all need to be equipped. Once on the field, the practical teaching of the mission is particularly important. International Vision shoulders the task of cultivating missionaries on the field, complements and complements the seminary, and provides two-year attention and training to intern missionaries to strengthen the foundation for long-term missions in the Muslim world.

1. When the sisters in the women’s fellowship knew that Jesus had been to Lebanon, they cheered loudly and were excited.
2. When visiting Muslim refugees and praying for them, I saw many people moved to tears.
3. Refugees waiting for free medical treatment and relief supplies.
4. Muslim parents are willing to send their children to Christian schools even though they know the school will introduce Jesus Christ to their children.
5. Even in a refugee camp with harsh conditions, praise is still required in morning gatherings.
6. The snow scene on the way to Bekaa, overlooking the top of Mount Hermon.
7. Enjoy the beautiful night view of the Mediterranean Sea during the short trip. The picture shows Beirut Port.

Visionary Journey

In January 2019, 13 of us participated in the "Vision Trip" carefully arranged by International Vision, which was an eye-opener. The short-term mission team included representatives from four churches and three evangelical organizations across the United States, as well as two seminarians, one of whom was beginning a one-year missionary internship.

The team visited three ministry centers and listened to briefings from the staff in charge, learning about the mission’s organizational structure, missionary strategies, church connections, ministry scope and management, future directions and needs, and how to establish co-worker partnerships. Main refugee ministries include; youth/child education, women's literacy teaching, trauma counseling (Trauma Counseling), personal evangelism, discipleship training, poverty alleviation, and medical care.

During this trip, we also learned some basic Arabic conversations. We learned and sold them now and practiced talking with locals in the supermarket. They stared with big eyes and asked excitedly who were we? When they found out they were Chinese, they all gave a thumbs up.

When visiting Muslim refugees, we prayed for them many times, and some of them were moved to tears. We also participated in worship, prayer meetings and co-worker meetings in churches of different ethnic groups. We all held hands and formed a large circle to pray together. Although language communication was not easy, we felt the heat of unity in spirit.

When visiting church schools and children's ministries, we learned that most of the children's parents are still Muslim, and although they know that the school will introduce their children to Jesus Christ, they are still willing to send their children to Christian schools.

We shared God’s Word in our women’s fellowship and they cheered loudly and were excited when they learned that Jesus had been in Lebanon.

During personal evangelism on the street, we met a very friendly taxi driver who took the initiative to ask for a Bible from us, took a photo with us, and sent it to his friend group, saying that he had met a group of Chinese Christians.

I had the opportunity to talk with missionaries from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa, including missionaries from the same culture as us. They are both very young and look out for each other. We were surprised to find that a missionary who was familiar with Arabic was teaching Arabic to illiterate Arab refugee women.

The short-term mission trip also includes sightseeing spots, churches and museums, and you can enjoy the beautiful night view and surging waves of the Mediterranean Sea. I had the opportunity to celebrate the birthdays of three group members in a French restaurant and tasted a variety of local meals with different flavors. The group members also cooked and prepared an authentic Chinese meal to repay the hard work of local colleagues.

In just ten days, we learned a lot and deeply felt the warmth of loving each other in the Lord. What is particularly touching is that the accompanying co-workers were once refugees, but now God has transformed their lives. From them we see the honor of the people of the Kingdom of God. There are also those young missionaries, most of whom are away from home for the first time. From them we see God’s unfailing love for Muslims. Thank God for giving us this opportunity to meet the soldiers of Christ!

Looking to the future

The purpose of short-term missions is twofold: to prepare individuals for future long-term missions and to do follow-up work to meet local future needs. After the team members returned, they quickly promoted and followed up, sharing their experiences and reflections in churches, pastoral prayer meetings, or using social media, and encouraged believers to participate.

Follow-up work includes dispatching a VBS Summer Bible School short-term mission team to translate the Engage Muslims with Christ course materials into Chinese and establishing mentoring relationships with adopted missionaries through video.

Mission requires action. Here’s how to get involved in International Perspectives Ministry:

personal:
以禱告和奉獻參與。每月$55美元（約新臺幣$1,650）就可幫助一位難民兒童進入「希望小學（School of Hope）」接受教育，並有機會認識主耶穌。請上網www.horizonsinternational.org/school-of-hope 查看細節。

教會：
組織短宣隊和「異象之旅」，親身體驗主在宣教禾場的奇妙工作。認領為期兩年的宣教實習生，他們一般在經濟上並不欠缺，卻很需要安慰、輔導、鼓勵和再造就，預備將來長宣。

夥伴：
Establish a partnership with an international perspective and work together on the mission of Mu Xuan.

During this "Vision Journey", I saw the opportunity of preaching in Lebanon, I also saw the international perspective of the Ministry of the Field Mission, and I also saw the way in which team partners participate in missionary work. I sincerely hope that more believers will see the opportunity and be moved to take action.

Note:Georges Houssney, Engage Muslims with Christ: A Course of Study, 2014, Pg24.