USA (MNN) — According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of mosques in the U.S. soared 74% between 2000 and 2010. The report also found that there are now 2.6 million Muslims living in the U.S.–an increase of 66%.
What are Christians doing to reach out to them? According to the Crescent Project , they're not doing enough.
Founder and President of the Crescent Project Fouad Masri says Christians need to listen to Jesus. "Jesus says, 'You are the light of the world.' Jesus is asking us to shine our light. Today, more than ever, Muslims see that they are in darkness. Muslims, for the first time, are asking questions."
Unfortunately, Christians don't know how to be a light to Muslims today. Masri says that's why the Crescent Project is holding their Oasis Conference in the Dallas, Texas area next week. "We're asking Christians to come to the conference. Join us in praying for Muslims. Join us and learn how to share the Gospel with Muslims."
According to Masri, you probably have Muslims in your hometown. "It could be someone who's a student, an immigrant, somebody who's a refugee. We're asking Christians to lock arms with us and [share] this beautiful message about Jesus with our Muslim neighbors."
The conference is being held at 121 Community Church is Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Masri says the training is highly effective. "Three out of four [people] who come to our training have never shared the Gospel with Muslims. However, after they go through the training, 74%of them get involved in reaching Muslims."
The training does even more than that: alumni become mobilizers. "Four out of five become mobilizers. They start talking to churches [and] friends about the issues of Islam in America, about the issues of Islam overseas, and about how to build bridges with Muslims."
According to Masri, because many Muslims are searching for truth, many are surprised when they hear that Jesus is still alive. He references two Afghan women who watched the story of Jesus on video and began to cry. Was it because of the crucifixion scene? Masri explains. "They said, 'No. We're crying because Jesus rose from the dead, and nobody has told us for 2,000 years. For 2,000 years we never heard that the end of the story was resurrection."
Get more information about the Oasis Conference here.
While everyone is invited to be a part the conference, not everyone is able, due to distance. Masri has written a book, Ambassadors To Muslims, to help you make bridges to Muslims so you can share the complete story of Jesus.
You can receive the e-book version of Ambassadors To Muslims by following this link.
