4 Ways Christians Can Observe Ramadan with a Missions Mindset

Christians can observe Ramadan? You might ask why Christians would observe the Islamic month of Ramadan at all.

Because Jesus entrusted us with a mission for those who do not know Him.

And Muslims are the largest group of unreached people in the world. According to Alan Shlemon in The Ambassador’s Guide to Islam, approximately 27,000 die each day without a saving knowledge of Christ. Seeing that number made those lives more tangible to me and broke my heart for them.

Most Muslims want to love and honor God with their lives, but don’t know the real God. Their version of God is demanding without being personal. They can’t imagine a God who would physically suffer and die to save them. Most are kind, caring people, and we can share with them the hope we have in Jesus.

Ramadan is a time each year that I set aside to pray diligently for the Muslims around the world to come to know Christ in a meaningful way.

Even if you do not know a single Muslim person, you can make a difference in the Kingdom this year during Ramadan in 4 simple ways.

4 Ways Christians Can Observe Ramadan

First, pray. 

Praying is the most powerful thing you can do, especially when you feel powerless to affect change in the world. We serve a God who can move mountains. Let Him. Give to Him your fears about Muslims, your concerns about how Islam will affect the future of our world and country. And ask him for a heart for the Muslim people.

Taking the time to pray makes a difference. When we seek God’s face in prayer, it changes our hearts. And we know that God hears our prayers.

How can I best pray during Ramadan?

Set aside a specific time each day to pray for Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Set an alarm on your phone for the month of Ramadan. This year it began the evening of April 23rd and ends the evening of May 23rd. I chose to pray around noon because Muslims fast during Ramadan from sunrise to sunset, so praying in the middle of the day is a good way to remember their fasting and pray for them.

What should I pray?

Pray for . . .

• God to reveal Himself to Muslims around the world.
• Christians around the world be empowered to share their faith with Muslims.
• Bibles to reach the unreached Muslims in every corner of the globe.
• Boldness to share your faith with any Muslims you might meet.
• For Christ to reveal Himself to Muslims in prayer or dreams this month.
• For Muslims to investigate Islam and Muhammed, as well as Christianity, for themselves.

Prayer can be challenging if you’re more a person of action like I am, but the more I have learned to pray, the more I see God move in my prayers. Remember, God will bring the change. He will draw those to Himself who will come.

Second, fasting.

Jesus puts prayer and fasting together. We should too. Our prayers are more powerful when we fast.

Ramadan is a period of prayer, fasting, and community for Muslims. They fast from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a time of reflection and sacrifice for Muslims during the day, but the nights are filled with community and celebration.

Christians can fast during this time as part of our spiritual warfare on behalf of the Muslims for whom we are praying. We can fast from food. Perhaps, take a day to fast from sunrise to sunset as they do or skip lunch. Other ways to fast include social media, television, meat, sugar, or coffee.

This is a great time to give something up like we did for Lent.

Joining in the fast or the evening iftar dinners might be a way to build a relationship with a Muslim. They are generous hosts and love feeding people. From what I’ve heard, come hungry!

Third, learn about Islam.

A few years ago, I knew the basics from having taught about Islam as part of the world religions chapter in world history class. But most of what I knew about Islam in a post 9/11 world, came from scary news headlines, not real relationships with people.

And I wasn’t going to be able to reach people for Christ if I didn’t know how to talk them or what they believe.

I started choosing a book to read each year during Ramadan. Last year, I read Alan Shlemon’s The Ambassador’s Guide to Islam. It’s a short book that gives an overview of Islam, some important talking points, and how to reach Muslims for Christ. I highly recommend this book as a great starting point.

At some point, you may get in deep enough to read the Quran or the Hadith, but to begin, read books by Christians who were Muslims or who are actively engaged in serving the Muslim community.

2018 was the first year I observed Ramadan, I read Nabeel Qureshi’s Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, which helped me see Muslims in a new light. I saw how passionately Nabeel loved his god, how he was devoted to family and friends, how he wanted to share his faith with everyone who would listen.

Learning about Islam will soften your heart for the Muslim people.

Reading his personal story helped me see past biased stereotypes and understand his family and cultural expectations better.

And by reading his book, I learned how studying the truth of Islam against the truth of Christianity changed him and drew him to Jesus. But also I realized how difficult it is for a Muslim to leave their religion because it’s their whole cultural identity. When we approach Muslims with Christ, many will recognize the truth, but struggle with the personal consequences of leaving Islam.

According to Abdu Murray, himself a former Muslim, the good news is that it’s powerful when a Muslim does convert. Because their heart and minds are so thoroughly convicted and convinced of the truth of Christ, they become some of the most incredible Christians.

I also have read, No God But One by Nabeel as well which is a great guide to how Islam and Christianity differ and the ideas and evidence that supported his turning to Christ.

Fourth, learn about Christianity

Reaching people for Christ takes boldness. Being prepared gives us the ability to be bold. In today’s post-modern culture, we often struggle with having the boldness to talk about difficult topics with those who disagree. Even if we believe we have the truth, we can often fall victim to believing we don’t have a right to evangelize people of other faiths.

But the Bible tells us we are expected to have an answer for why we believe what we do.