Our aim is to search the truth and reveal it to all. Preaching unto them the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. “… and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear:. 1 Pet. 3:15

This missionary association will be a communicator among different nationals and cultures, different backgrounds, directed to serve the society in improving the relation between God and man. Also, it will help building new understanding about the Muslim background Christian believers, opening a new era in communicating Jesus to all ethnic groups specially Muslims. As well as reaching out to the spiritual needs of every society, by extending our belief and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to every creature.

This Mission undertakes the responsibility of reaching out to every ethnic group around the globe starting from the two Americas, and extending to the utmost parts of the world… aiming in specific the Arab and Muslim world.

It is a non-profit organization, that tries to build itself undependably, and by extending the grace of our Lord Jesus for all nations... reaching out to all faithful Christian organization and associations, who are willing to be a part of this mission.

Opening the doors to all kinds of groups who are willing to communicate and try to understand the point of view of Christians and why we try to reach them… explaining the true understanding of salvation, through the redemptive blood of Jesus and the sacrifice of the cross.

We have the ability in teaching and educating those who would like to be missionaries for the Muslims… provided by specialized people mostly coming from Muslim back ground and understand the cultural and spiritual difficulties that may face both the missionary and the Muslim converts, with co-operation with divers of Christian organizations and associations. Also would like to provide the followings as guidance for beginners in this field.



When Muslims ask:

I look around in Christian bookstores. There are books on maturity, Bible study, philosophy, cults, etc. But I hardly see books address Muslims or the people who address Muslims. Muslims have their own questions. Christians who have a heart for Muslims have their own set of questions as well. Both have to be addressed.
Most of the books that attempted to address Muslims approached it with a Western Aristotelian philosophy. But Jesus Christ is an Eastern man who came to address an Eastern culture. The Bible, when presented to Muslims, should not be made into a Western book in Western philosophical patterns. How can we present the Bible to our Muslim audience? When Islam emerged, Christians of that era had to deal with the challenge of the “new” religion. It is a religion that will build its credibility on the basis of distorting the Bible and the Christian doctrine altogether. Early Arab apologists such as John of Damascus, Theodore Abu Qura,Yahya Ibn Adi, Patriarch Timothy I and many other theological giants had to deal with questions of Muslims. How can we as modern day Christians of the 21C. relate the experiences of these early apologists to the average Christian believer, be they Arab or American, as they attempt to provide a powerful witness to Muslims? Can we apply early Christian apologetics to our outreach to Muslims today? Also, Muslims ask us many questions about the authority of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, the Crucifixion, etc. Why don’t we believe in Mohammad? Aren’t we aware that this could subject us to paying al-jizya if the Islamic Law were implemented today? Is Islam a peaceful religion? What is the difference between moderate Islam and fundamentalist Islam? How does progressive Islam come into play? What about secularism in the Muslim society? Is a secular Islamic state imminent as a ready, ploughed ground for planting the seed of the gospel amongst Muslims?
I would love to see this book to be unique in citing all the Arabic references as need be. This should exhibit the Eastern thought pattern of the book in a vivid way. Such a book is meant to be an encyclopedia of questions Muslims ask us and we are ready to present a “response”-an Apology. This should be the first work in the public library on Arabic Christian apologetics dealing with Islam.




Witnessing to Muslims, some tips to watch for
1. You are preaching Jesus. Let him be the focus, not opinions. Be bold to use the phrase “God’s Word says….” You are speaking on the authority of God who is sending you as His ambassador. Be bold but don’t be overbearing. Don’t try to shove it down his throat. God’s spirit leads while all pushing and forcing  is of the flesh.
2. Be familiar with how your Muslim friend thinks, believes, conducts his life, etc. It is important to establish some common ground. Seek to learn as much as possible about his belief. But this should never come before you are fully immersed in the Word of God and are deeply rooted in Christ. This is to eliminate confusion.
3. Be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. You should anticipate where he leading and be wise to steer it back to Jesus Christ. Do all in gentleness. It is better to win a friend than win an argument. Remember that it is neither by might nor by power but it is by God’s Spirit.
4. Be a good listener. Show more interest in him as a person. You are not fighting a battle. You are winning a brother for the Lord. Don’t preach. Just talk from the heart. Let God speak through you as He promised to give you what to say in that hour. You will be surprised that as you are prayed-up you are saying things that you don't normally say. This is the Holy Spirit who empowers to speak on God’s behalf and reveal God’s name and power.
5. Don’t argue. We are commanded to avoid foolish arguments that produce nothing but hostility and the servant of the Lord should not be a disputing person but a man of peace. He is there to radiate Christ. Avoid attacking at all costs even when you are tempted, especially when met with an arrogant statement(s).
6. Make good use of the parables and the sermon on the Mount and the book of Psalms as you are introducing them to the Bible. Don’t let them entangle you with the false charges launched out against the Bible. Again, our focus is Jesus and who He is and what he did, not, for instance, David and Bathsheba, etc.
7. Read some good material on the deity of Christ, what it means to achieve for our salvation, etc. Learn how the doctrine of atonement works properly. As a suggestion, you might consider the book of John Stott on the Atonement, On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius, forwarded by C. S. Lewis.
8. Tie everything you share from the Bible with your personal life. This way you are illustrating what it means by “The Word became flesh”. Personal testimony is always significant as it shows how the Lord is working powerfully in your own life and across the years in wonderful dealings. Former Muslims’ testimonies, too, are an excellent tool. This way you are showing him/her that there are others who did it before him and he is far from being a traitor.
9. Be sensitive to his fears, insecurities, concerns, etc. Don’t give pat replies as though they would solve every problem immediately.
10. Show practical love in tangible, yet not extravagant ways. Never talk about how much you are doing for him or saying things like “glad to do it for you”, etc. which are often said in good intentions but they can communicate condescension.
11. Be wise in using some Biblical phrases that you have often used and probably don’t thing about every single minute of the day. Don’t say “God will wash you in the blood of Christ” and he could think of it as gory practice, etc. Meet him where he is in terms of vocabulary.




Difficulties Faces Muslim Converts

A.   Difficulties in the vertical sense:
1. The gnawing fear that one will lose Heaven and go to Hell.  In Islam, kufr consigns the person to Hell.  To leave Islam is infidelity (kufr).  Many people stay in Islam because they are afraid to “leave”.


2. Missing out on the routine form of worship.  This entails, among other things, praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, etc.
Example: my friend Ali A.A.


B.   Difficulties in the horizontal sense:

1. He will get me in trouble; I can’t shelter a criminal in my house forever.
2. I can lose my life for him; I cannot baptize him.
3. Granted, he is a hero of faith, but I can’t marry my daughter to a “convert”.  My daughter should marry a Christian, Christian, not a convert.  In the minds of some families, a convert is a second-class person.  He is nice to be paraded and tell his story but not actually be one of us and merge into our family.
 

C. How did I overcome?
I reason like this: if all of the above are the effects of following Jesus, Who is the cause?

Well, the cause is not an object or any average person.  The Cause is a Person, with a capital C.  All reproach and suffering are on account of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul before me had to deal with the same question.  He would tell us that he is not ashamed to be treated in this or that way.  Why? “For I have known whom I have believed in” (Please read 1 Timothy 1: 12).
The Bible also commands us to be faithful unto death (Rev.2: 10).  Timothy in the Bible is commended for being faithful in the Lord (1 Timothy 6: 20).  While the eye gazes closely upon Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, there are many wonderful examples in the faith to be greatly admired and imitated in their imitation of Christ.


N.B. One thing to be wary of is, make sure you don’t make fun of Mohammad, Islam, etc. in front of the convert from Islam.  If he does that, fine.  But you should not be the one making fun of Islam.  Remember that he spent this many years in that religion, most of which are his formative years.  Some converts still retain sentiments of love and respect for Islam and we should respect them in that.  Some converts notice that Christians joke about Islam simply because they have a vendetta against Muslims as people.  Many times, preachers make that disastrous mistake of joking about Mohammad and his followers.







    Principles of pasturing MBBs
   
  A.  Prepare yourself for the difficulties of pasturing MBBs:
1.    Make this ministry a high priority because it is time consuming.
2.    Expect to "father" more than "pastor."  Changing communities is like changing families.
3.    Don't underestimate the impact you can have on them.  Don't wait for someone "more qualified" to pastor them.  You can do it.
4.    Get the help of other believers.  Don't attempt to do this alone.  Develop a team.
5.    Expect others to have different views of how to accomplish the work.  Expect advice from people who aren't even doing anything.
6.    Model a Christian lifestyle with an open heart, hand, and house.  Be consistent.  Cleanse yourself of hypocrisy in every area of life.
7.    Expect frequent misunderstandings with your MBB friends.  You have not grown up in the same way.
8.    Learn the differences between "The faith" and your cultural practice of it.  Don't push them to adopt your culture.
9.    be willing to change your vocabulary for their sake.  Say Alhumdulallah instead of Nashkurallah.  Say Is Salaam wa Alakum instead of just Saba ilkhare.  You don't want your MBB friends making unnecessary changes that will bring them trouble.

  B.  Be prepared to deal with theological issues again and again.
1.    Core issues
a. The veracity of the Bible
b. The deity of Christ
c. The trinity
d. The complete sinfulness of mankind
e. The complete redemption Christ provided.
2.    Side issues
a.    The toleration of doubt.
b.    Other issues that surprise you.

  C.  Deal with life principles that were missing from their upbringing:
1.  Don't use obligated (Gas bin 9Anni) as an excuse for sin.
2.  Accept responsibility for your decisions.
3.  Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.
4.  Do not take your own revenge.
5.  Avoid Impulsiveness: Don't make important decisions without taking
    The proper steps and spending time in prayer.
6.  Pick a godly spouse who must be a believer.
7.  Treat your wife as your equal, not your servant.
8.  Avoid involvement in witchcraft, black magic, charms, etc.
9.  Don't lie, even when your purpose is noble.
10. Don't practice the expression, "The end justifies the means."
11. Keep short accounts instead of letting offenses build up.




.  Deal with practical issues in the lives of MBBs:
1. Doubts:
   a.    MBBs need accountability, deep friendship, encouragement, and reproof.  They need to apply the Scriptures to their life situations. (2 Tim 3:14-17)
 
  B.    Stick with them Difficulties Faces Muslim Converts

A.   Difficulties in the vertical sense:
3. The gnawing fear that one will lose Heaven and go to Hell.  In Islam, infidelity (kufr) consigns the person to Hell.  To leave Islam is infidelity (kufr).  Many people stay in Islam because they are afraid to “leave”.


4. Missing out on the routine form of worship.  This entails, among other things, praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, etc.
Example: my friend Ali A.A.


B.   Difficulties in the horizontal sense:

4. He will get me in trouble; I can’t shelter a criminal in my house forever.
5. I can lose my life for him; I cannot baptize him.
6. Granted, he is a hero of faith, but I can’t marry my daughter to a “convert”.  My daughter should marry a Christian, Christian, not a convert.  In the minds of some families, a convert is a second-class person.  He is nice to be paraded and tell his story but not actually be one of us and merge into our family.
 

C. How did I overcome?
I reason like this: if all of the above are the effects of following Jesus, Who is the cause?

Well, the cause is not an object or any average person.  The Cause is a Person, with a capital C.  All reproach and suffering are on account of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul before me had to deal with the same question.  He would tell us that he is not ashamed to be treated in this or that way.  Why? “For I have known whom I have believed in” (Please read 1 Timothy 1: 12).
The Bible also commands us to be faithful unto death (Rev.2: 10).  Timothy in the Bible is commended for being faithful in the Lord (1 Timothy 6: 20).  While the eye gazes closely upon Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, there are many wonderful examples in the faith to be greatly admired and imitated in their imitation of Christ.


N.B. One thing to be wary of is, make sure you don’t make fun of Mohammad, Islam, etc. in front of the convert from Islam.  If he does that, fine.  But you should not be the one making fun of Islam.  Remember that he spent this many years in that religion, most of which are his formative years.  Some converts still retain sentiments of love and respect for Islam and we should respect them in that.  Some converts notice that Christians joke about Islam simply because they have a vendetta against Muslims as people.  Many times, preachers make that disastrous mistake of joking about Mohammad and his followers.

When they doubt their salvation or consider turning back to Islam.

2. Instability:
  a.    Expect erratic behavior and set-backs in lifestyle change.
  b.    Expect emotional ebb and flows.  MBBs have a lot against them.
  c.    Stick with the friendship tenaciously.  There may be times your "friend" doesn't seem very friendly.
  d.    Don't sit back and wait for people to come to you.  Your friend may have fallen into sin and can't get himself out.

3. Protection:
   a.    MBBs need to live within their system.  They shouldn't have to leave the country to grow in their faith.  Encourage them to maintain their relationship with their families, live at peace with their neighbors and follow the laws of the government as much as possible.  However, their faith often leads them into trouble sooner or later.
   b.    Use your home as a spiritual hospital for sick, wounded and endangered believers. (Matt 25:31-40)

4. Relationship to the church:
   a.    Don't expect them to come to a church building.  Your house or meeting place may be the only church they can come to.

5. Fellowship:
   a.    Introduce MBBs to trusted friends so you are never the only one who knows how to get in touch with them.
   b.    Introduce them slowly to other MBBs as they mature so they learn to trust others.
   c.    Take advantage of every opportunity you have with your MBB friends because they won't be in your life very long.

6. Security precautions:
   a.    Be careful on the phone
   b.    Don't let visitors attract attention.
   c.    Be careful who you tell about your MBB friend.





Operational Principles of MBB work in Egypt

Relationships:
1.    See that every MBB is being disciple and\or discipline someone, but strongly discourage CBB guys from discipline MBB girls.

2.    Seek to have every MBB home familiar with a mature believer in order to maintain steady contact no matter what situations develop.

3.     Encourage friendships between every MBB and a mature CBB or MBB.

4.     Encourage MBBs to maintain their relationships with their extended family.

5.     Encourage MBBs to witness to family and friends with a godly lifestyle and in a bold but wise manner and consider eternal issues more important than temporal ones.

Marriage:
6.     Encourage MBB's to marry other MBB's.
        Strongly oppose MBB women from "dating" CBB guys.
        Discourage MBB men from marrying CBB girls.
        Encourage MBB men to choose mature MBB girls.
Oppose MBB men from engaging non-believing girls and then trying to convert them.

7.     Conduct marriage counseling with all MBB couples at the earliest possible time.

8.     Help resolve family crises through reconciliation and oppose divorce between MBBs.

9.     Encourage MBBs to continue in their marriages to unbelievers if they are legally married and living together.  Before the marriage is consummated, separation should be strongly encouraged.

10.    Encourage MBBs to raise their children as MBBs and not as CBBs.

Practices:
11.    Help MBB's develop a "safe" name to use in church and with unknown CBBs and MBBs.

12.    Do not lend or give money to MBB's more than an agreed upon limit and communicate to everyone involved what has been given.

13.    Do not help or encourage MBBs to illegally change their ID cards.

14.    Baptize MBBs as soon as they have learned their need for it, understand what it does and doesn't do for them, and are ready to handle the opposition that often comes from it.

15.    Do not encourage the baptism of infants but provide teaching on it.
16.    Discourage MBBs from emigrating.

17.    For those who insist on traveling abroad, insist they meet the following:
        Have language skills to survive.
        Have money to pay for own trip and 1st month's expenses.
        Can travel and work abroad legally.
        Can access survival information in the new country.
        Can be followed-up in destination country.
        Considers how this affects building up Egyptian church and the kingdom of God.

18.     Encourage MBBs to work for their living and not search for gifts out of pity or in response to giving their testimony.

19.     Do not encouraging "freeloading" by housing an MBB for free for an unlimited duration of time.

Group Membership:
20.     Encourage MBBs to faithfully attend large group meetings regularly.

21.    Exhort MBBs to be faithful members to a small group and actively serve and build it up.

22.    Small groups are for believers only; non-believers are not to be regular members.

23.    Closely guard the secret of the existence of small groups.

24.    Protect the identity of everyone in the small groups.

25.    Train a shepherd intern for each small group.

26.    Move small group meetings around between at least two locations.

27.    Limit small group membership to not more than 14 members.

28.    Try to gather trusted small group members together once in a while for a trip, party or special occasion.

29.    Control the entrance of new members into small groups.
       Potential members should be befriended by a member of the small group.
       Backgrounds should be checked and conversion stories verified.
       Attendance at discipleship sessions should be regular.
       The small group leader should agree with bringing the new member in.
       The whole group should receive information on the newcomer prior to his/her coming.





Cultural Issues in MBB Discipleship

Cultural issues explanation:
When a Muslim believes in Christ, he undergoes a new birth.  Some changes happen quickly, but others take time.  The more ingrained sinful behavior is, the more difficult change will be.  The less shaped conscience is in regard to right and wrong, the more sin continues unchecked.  The longer unidentified sinful patterns go on, the more difficult they are to remove.  When conscience is alive and functioning, then changes happen swiftly for MBBs.  An example would be involvement in witchcraft and making hexes.  Muslims know it is wrong even though many participate in it.  This feeling of wrongness stays with MBBs and they can give up sins in this area quickly.  The same is true of immorality.  Very few Muslim men are virgins before marriage, but everyone knows they should be.  MBBs can give up immorality because they already feel it is wrong.  But what about areas where they don't have a functioning conscience?  It must be developed and not left to chance.  Pointed discipleship is needed in many cultural areas before an MBB can be expected to act like Christ.  What follows is a partial list of areas that must be addressed in discipleship of Egyptian MBBs along with an explanation for why.

Fear of God:
The God of Islam isn't someone Muslims really need to fear.  Yes, he has the power to throw them into hell, but he is easily fooled.  He only pays attention to outward actions and doesn't care about the condition of the heart.  Muslims can tell a bold-faced lie while they invoke his name and he doesn't care.  He can be bribed to ignore their sins and misdeeds by simply saying more routine prayers, going to Mecca, building a mosque, forcing a son to memorize the Quran, feeding people during Ramadan, or participating in holy war.  Muslims are more afraid of the talk of people, of losing honor and of being caught in sin than they are afraid of God.  The correct view of God, however, is much different.  Believers know God is a fair judge who is as concerned with our thoughts, attitudes, and feelings as he is our actions and motivations.  He loves us but can't be fooled or bribed in anything.  He is truly someone to be feared.
Goal: To fear God more than man.

Love for (and obligation to) "his" people stronger than desire to travel:
Despite all the talk of Arab unity, it is a myth.  Beyond patriotic feelings over sports, there is not much feeling that Egyptians are "my people."  Given the chance, most Egyptians would rather leave Egypt than stay and suffer with their people.  CBBs who leave Egypt would like to forget they were born in Egypt and don't care if their children learn Arabic or not.  MBBs dream of leaving which is fed by CBBs own aspirations to leave.  "If I were you, I'd get out of here as fast as you can."  This selfish attitude which states, "my welfare is more important than the welfare of my people," has to be identified and overcome before an MBB can become like Christ.
Goal: Seek the welfare of my people before I seek my own welfare.

Radical obedience:
 Following Christ as master and lord has a price.  The world despises followers of the Messiah.  When Christ speaks to us through His word or in a direct fashion, he expects immediate obedience.  To say OK and obey right away without delay should be the normal lifestyle of believers.  The Lord has issued commandments that shouldn't be taken as suggestions.  Muslims pick and choose what they want to obey, but this isn't an option for us.
Goal: Develop a determination to obey Christ despite the cost.

Dread and avoidance of persecution:
Persecution is never pleasant, but should it be avoided at all cost?  Is pleasure and ease our main goal in life?  The church in Egypt sees persecution as un-natural and the result of foolishness and fans MBB's fear of persecution and encourages them to lie when proofs of their conversions come to light.  MBBs are encouraged not to witness to family members.  They are encouraged to emigrate from Egypt or change their official documents, illegally if necessary, to avoid the suffering that comes to them and their children from being identified as MBBs.  However, persecution must be seen as part of the normal Christian life and not something that must be avoided.  Fleeing acts of persecution after they happen is Biblical.  Fleeing the possibility of persecution in general is not Biblical.  Suffering produces desirable fruit in the lives of believers and brings others to faith.  Just think how many Paul-type people have not been born again in Egypt because the church has been afraid of letting Stephen-type people be persecuted.
Goal: Expect persecution and apply its benefits when it happens.

Internalized obedience vs. external control structures:
Egyptian parents make most of the important decisions for their children.  The behavior of children is guided by society, families and friends, but rarely by their conscience.  Believers must be guided by a inner desire to please God and a developed conscience that knows right from wrong.  Believers must do right no matter where they are or who sees them.  MBBs don't have internal controls developed and easily fall when external control structures are removed.
Goal: Develop internal controls for behavior which don't rely on external controls.

Making decisions without being impulsive:
Being impetuousness and making hasty or rash decisions is common for Egyptian Muslim young men.  This impulsiveness comes from inexperience in making decisions and from being bailed out of reckless decisions they do make.  "Il9Agila min IsShataan" is a famous expression in Egypt, but many young men don't pay attention to it.  They decide to get married on a whim, or hastily travel abroad if the chance presents itself.  They make down payments on items they later regret and sign contracts without asking for much advice.  Believers, on the other hand, are to live wisely and take council when they make decisions.  Impulsiveness brings disgrace on the name of Christ because other believers must bail out the one making bad decisions.
Goal: Learn to make wise decisions that aren't impulsive.

Emotional stability:
Muslims are often vengeful, violent, abusive and easily angered.  Egyptians are known for their street brawls and outbursts of anger.  Their emotions are often unpredictable.  This is no surprise when they view God as unpredictable.  Believers, however, are to be calm, gentle and predictable.  We don't beat our wives and children and yell at our neighbors.  We don't explode in anger at our friends.  We exhibit the nature of Christ on the earth.
Goal: Show mature and stable emotions and self-control.
 Getting others to do what you want:
Manipulation to achieve adjectives:
Getting ahead in Egyptian society depends on ones ability to manipulate others.  Women manipulate the men around them because they are powerless in other ways to decide matters that affect their lives.  Children learn from their mothers how to effectively achieve their goals by manipulation at an early age.  However, believers are to achieve their objectives by honorable means.  Wives are to correct by providing the right example to follow.
Goal: Provide exemplary behavior instead of trying to manipulate.

Fear based motivation:
The motivation to follow the God of Islam is fear.  Muslims are afraid God will send them to Hell if their good works don't outweigh their bad deeds.  They are afraid of God as slaves fear their master.  Egyptian wives obey their husbands because they are afraid of divorce or multiple-marriages.  Believers, however, are motivated by love for their heavenly father and by thankfulness for what he has done for them.  MBBs don't make the change naturally from fear to love, especially in their dealing with each other and with their children.
Goal: Learn to motivate by love instead of fear.

Authoritarian leadership:
Leadership in Arab cultures means unquestioning submission to the one in authority over you.  Leaders easily become authoritarian over their followers.  Believers, however, are to lead others by self-sacrificial serving, by example, by love and earned respect.  MBBs, especially those who were leaders in Islam, don't give up the authoritarian model easily.
Goal:  Become servants and give up authoritarian leadership.

Achieving aims:
The end justifies the means:
In Arab society, the end justifies whatever means is necessary to achieve that end.  Just about anything goes, if the goal is worthy or close enough to the heart.  However, believers can't follow this rule.  Our lives must reflect God's nature in using pure means to achieve pure objectives.  God is just as concerned with what we do as with why we do it.  MBBs easily fall back into old patterns to achieve their goals.  They can easily lie, steal, deceive and betray others when they regard their goals as worthy.
Goal: Only use pure means to achieve good ends.

Opportunistic orientation:
One can advance in Egyptian society if one knows the right people and uses contacts to his advantage.  It is more important who you know than what you know.  Egyptians collect important friends who could be used later when a connection is needed.  However, believers should give without expecting anything in return.  God gave his son not to get something out of us, but in order to make us his children.  MBBs who don't eradicate their opportunistic nature will float between Coptic and Evangelical churches and foreign friends, not for the benefit of those they meet, but in order to derive benefit from those they meet.
Goal: Become service minded and break the opportunistic orientation.
 Pretending to be who you are not:
Deception is used as a tool for Egyptians to get what they want.  Egyptian men are famous for pretending to love western women in order to get a visa to the west.  They love to carry a mobile so people think they are important.  They love to dig a big wad of money out of their pocket and wear designer sunglasses so people will think they are rich.  Believers are suppose to be real with others and not put on disguises.
Goal: Be real to others and renounce deception.

Showing Initiative:
Islam requires very little initiative.  Prayers are done in a routine fashion using the same words and genuflections at the same time each day.  Fasting is done in a prescribed way at a certain time and even over-fasting is discouraged (such as all night as well as all day).  The hajj is done at a certain time in a set way and requires no initiative.  The creed can't be changed in any way.  Alms allow some initiative, but this is the least practiced pillar of Islam in Egypt.  Even the educational set-up in Egypt discourages initiative with its emphasis on rote memorization and test taking.  Following Jesus, on the other hand, requires much initiative.  Believers must decide when, how and what to pray.  Fasting requires the same initiative.  Evangelism and other ministry opportunities require initiative.  MBBs who aren't taught how to show initiative don't develop it spontaneously.  They will also be at a disadvantage in upper level jobs and education.
Goal: Develop the ability to show initiative.

Limiting oneself to his specialty:
Egyptians often limit themselves to what they see as their job identity.  "Give the bread dough to the baker (to cook) even if he takes half of it," is an Egyptian proverb that reveals this mentality.  This expression, however, isn't found in the Bible.  We do have spiritual specialties and gifts from the Holy Spirit that we should use in ministry, but all believers are expected to generalize too.  Evangelism, discipleship, encouraging others, teaching, giving and so forth is expected from each and every believer although we may concentrate ministry focus in a certain area.  Believers in Egypt need to break out of the mindset that limits what they do for the Lord.
Goal: Use your special gift, but be ready to minister in new ways when opportunities come.

Interdependence:
Accountability to one another:
Muslims don't like to be vulnerable to one other.  They don't like to provide unnecessary information on themselves to anyone else because in Egypt, "information is power."  Power that is often used against the person for evil.  Because of this, information is kept hidden by all means including lying.  Believers are to practice community by sharing faults and weaknesses in a small group setting.
Goal: Be open to other believers.

Restoration sought after relationships are broken:
 Ma9lesh is a common reaction to a sin which has broken a relationship.  This is suppose to be some kind of an apology which allows the sinful party to retain his honor.  Believers must be willing to disregard their honor and humbly seek to restore broken relationships.  MBBs are tempted to walk away and leave a relationship broken because this is what they used to do.  They must develop a new pattern of dealing with people.
Goal: Restore damaged relationships instead of walking away or saying "Ma9lesh."

Reconciliation always attempted:
Muslims tent to be hot-headed and too proud to make the first move in reconciliation attempts.  They also don't go to the offended party and seek to restore what was lost due to the sin (money, honor, respect, time, etc).  Believers are to form communities which practice continuous restoration.
Goal: Reconcile quickly and practice restoration

Contrition:
Egyptian don't readily confess their sins.  Even when caught, they are often more sorry about being caught than about what they did.  Confession is seen as a sign of weakness and not a step in the restoration process.  However, believers are to confess their sins one to another, even those they are not confronted about.  They depend on God's grace to protect them from harmful use of the information revealed and expect confession to help restore their place in the brotherhood.
Goal: Confess known and unknown sins to other believers.

Commitment to the body of Christ:
Independence kills personal relationships.  It pretends that self is the only important person.  It makes it easy to betray others to the state police.  Believers are to regard others as more important than self.  We are to be willing to lay down our lives for our friends as Jesus did.
Goal: Learn to live as part of a larger body and not live independent lives.

Dependence on God not people:
Egyptians are dependent on their parents until marriage.  They depend on their friends to provide answers to cheat with during exams.  They depend on contacts to provide jobs, deliverance from army duty, and relief from lawsuits.  Muslims don't depend on God for anything because he is too far away to care and is not concerned about their personal lives anyway.  Believers are to live in utter dependence on God for their every need.  God may use people to answer prayers, but God is ultimately responsible for our well-being.  Believers shouldn't be overly bothered when people don't "come through" with expected behavior.
Goal: Depend on God and not on people.

Dependable to others:
We depend on God alone, and encourage others to do so, but we are to be dependable and not shirk our responsibilities and duties.  When we say we will do something, we should carry out our tasks even if we do so to our own hurt.  When others can trust what we do, then they can trust what we say about our God.
Goal: Always follow through with what we say we will do.


 Garbage in-garbage out principle:
Islam doesn't demand purity of thought.  All five pillars can be done while feeding the mind with sensual material.  The men of Egypt frequent the many video stores where sordid movies and videos are available.  They also watch endless hours of TV which is full of belly-dancing and suggestive scenes.  Believers, on the other hand can't allow such input without it affecting their thought-life.  MBBs must learn to discipline themselves and limit the input of sensual stimulation.
Goal: Focus on purity of heart and concentrate thoughts on Christ.

Relational rather than religious:
Egyptians are a very religious people and have been for thousands of years.  Religion declares that certain days are more holy than others, certain clothes are better, certain places can draw us closer to God, certain food must be abstained from especially at certain times of the year, certain water or oil is holier than others, certain people, dead or alive, are holier than others, certain incense is holier than other smoke, etc.  God established the Jewish religion, but Jesus fulfilled it's purpose and didn't bring another religion.  Religion can not bring us into a personal relationship with the living God.  It only masks our need for God.  Believers enter an eternal relationship with God by faith and can't earn greater favor by mechanical means.  MBBs must avoid the danger of just jumping from one religion to another.  They aren't saved by entering a new religion but by faith enter a new relationship with God.
Goal: Realize that we enter a new relationship with God by faith and not by religion.

View of self:
Inconsiderate of other people:
Egyptians don't teach children to consider others as more important then self or the group they belong to.  Egyptians can be thoughtful to those they know, but to strangers, the thoughtfulness ends.  This is demonstrated in many examples.  There is garbage thrown on the streets, garbage thrown out of windows (without care of who it might hit), and garbage thrown in the canals throughout Egypt because no one thinks about how his throwing of garbage affects others.  People waiting in cars honk at the person they want without considering who may be trying to sleep and they double park without caring who they're blocking.  Revving motorcycles, Beeping car alarms, ringing mobile phones and aggressive driving habits reveal this mentality.  Believers are to regard others as more important than self, but MBBs don't develop this mentality without pointed discipleship.
Goal: Be considerate of other people and avoid actions that affect people negatively.

Selfishness in its many forms:
As shown by the previous examples, most Egyptians possess a very self-centered attitude.  They disdain waiting in lines or waiting for people to get off the subway before crowding on.  Each person feels he deserves a seat on the bus, deserves to go to the front of the line, and shouldn't be inconvenienced.  Believers are not to exhibit selfishness in any form.  MBBs come to the cross as self-centered people and need help to change.
Goal: Learn to deny self and don't respond to selfish desires.

 Sense of entitlement:
MBBs often have a sense of entitlement.  This may stem from the Islamic habit of paying Christians to become Muslims.  It is common knowledge that changing religions is something Muslims feel is worthy of money, a wife, a flat and more.  Many MBBs feel that when they gave up Islam, they did something worthy of some form of monetary support from the Christian community.  When this is combined with a strong sense of having "rights," then taking up the cross and dying to self becomes very difficult.  Believers are to be dead to this world.  We give up our rights and seek God's kingdom.
Goal: Relinquish rights and seek to give instead of get.
Judgementalism:
Egyptian Muslims feel they are superior to every other Muslim in the world.  They have Al Azhar and are more zealous of the Islamic pillars than most other Muslims.  They are the birthplace of Muslim fundamentalism.  They don't readily see their shortcomings.  MBBs often bring this pride and judgementalism into their new faith.  They expect other MBBs to act as they do and equally give up Islamic customs and traditions.  They expect the same attitude towards the Quran and Mohammed as they have developed.  They expect the same degree of boldness and commitment that they have.  However, believers are to be humble and give grace to other believers to act differently.  We know God is their judge and not us.
Goal: Give the same amount of grace to others that God gives us.

Honoring women:
Treating women with respect:
Muslim women are possessions for Muslim men.  Their inheritance and court witness is half that of a man.  They are considered inferior creatures who need a man's protection.  A Muslim man can marry a Jew or Christian women because they aren't strong enough to influence him or affect his children, but a Muslim women can't be trusted.  Believers have to give up this wrong view of women.  Holding on to false ideas can lead to disobedience where MBB men marry unbelieving girls.
Goal: Develop a correct understanding of who women are.
Treating wives with respect:
Muslim men retain total figurehead control of the family.  They don't love their wives as their own bodies and they don't grant them honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life.  Believers are to work together in marriage with their wives.  They are to regard them as true partners and not servants.
Goal: Value your wife more than you value yourself.
Raising children:
Rising children to obey:
All Egyptian children are allowed to get away with disobedience and disrespect for their parents.  They can kick their parents and refuse to obey with impunity.  They are not taught to be honest, kind, and obedient.  Parents rely on societal pressure to make children conform to expectations sooner or later.  However, neglect is dangerous and doesn't help develop inner desires to be good or do right.  Believers must discipline children from an early age to obey their parents and heavenly father from the heart.
Goal: To discipline children to godliness from an early age.
 Not exasperating children:
Egyptian parents make many false promises and idle threats to their children which causes them to lose heart.  Children learn they can't trust what their parents say and don't need to worry about their threats.  The popular "withholding game" Egyptian adults play with young children begins this deadly interaction from the earliest moments.
Goal: Treat children as real people who deserve honor.

Following the golden rule:
Egyptians, especially those from upper Egypt, tend to seek revenge.  They follow a distorted rule which states, "Do unto others as they have done unto you."  The correct rule, "Do unto others as you want them to do unto you," is not taught to Muslim children in Egypt to counteract their natural inclinations.  The correct rule is harder to learn when patterns are set as an adult, but it forms part of the base of Christian living.
Goal: Forgive instead of seeking revenge.

Language use:
Taking God's name lightly to look religious:
Muslims use God's name constantly to impress others with how religious they are.  They use it in all sorts of trivial situations which shows a lack of respect.  They use it to check whether a microphone is on or off, and they use it to express surprise.  Believers are to revere God's name and reserve it for situations which bring Him honor.
Goal: Reserve God's name for honorable situations only

Swearing to sound believable:
Muslims swear constantly to try and convince others they are telling the truth even about petty topics.  Using God's name to cover past or present lies is forbidden in Scriptures.  Egyptian Christians stay away from swearing to sound believable, but they miss what Christ demanded.  Most simply substitute, "believe me," for "By God" to sound believable.  We are to BE believable and not need extra words to confirm our truthfulness.  MBBs should not just substitute a Christian phrase for a Muslim one, but should be transformed into believable people.
Goal: Let your yes be yes, and your no be no

Honesty:
Egyptian Muslims are infamous for their lack of honesty.  No one trusts anyone in the Islamic culture here.  Shops are small, because shopkeepers can't trust anyone except themselves.  Nearly everyone tells bold-faced lies.  The truth is considered weak and lies are considered more believable.  Egyptians pride themselves on their ability to tell lies that can't be detected whereas they can detect lies from others.  Believers are to be totally different.  We are to be radically honest and truthful whether anyone believes us or not. We are also to trust the honesty of other believers even after they disappoint us.
Goal: Tell the truth in all situations.


 Using Magic words for protection:
The Islamic culture is full of magical sayings that are supposed to bring protection by the mere use of the phrase.  Examples are "masha'allah," "Ya Munaggi," "9auuzu billah min isSataan irRagiim."  This unBiblical concept often gets transferred to Christianity and MBBs use phrases like, "Bismilmasiih," or "BiDamm ilMasiih," to try and gain special protection.  The phrases by themselves aren't bad, but using them as magical incantations instead of depending on the power of God behind the phrase is wrong.
Goal: Rely on God for protection and not magical incantations.

Taking responsibility for actions:
Fatalism:
For a Muslim, his fortune, happiness or miseries have all been predetermined.  His obedience, believing, and committing sin has also been prescribed.  Destiny alone guides him and he can't change anything or choose something that God doesn't want him to have.  Believers must reject this view that keeps them trapped in sin and unbelief.
Goal: Recognize freedom to live righteous lives and renounce fatalism.

Obligated (Ghasbin 9ann):
"I couldn't help it,” It was "Ghasbin 9anni."  This popular Egyptian phrase has truth to it when one locks himself out of his flat and has to break the door to get back in, or when one has last minute visitors and can't show up when expected.  However, this phrase is used to justify much sinful activity and provide an excuse from responsibility for actions.  Believers are to live victoriously.  They have freedom not to sin.  This means that all sin is done as a result of a personal choice and can't be shrugged off as, "It wasn't my fault."
Goal: Take responsibility for all actions so sin doesn't continue.

Work Ethic:
Many young Egyptians are not punctual and regular at work.  They have learned to do half-hearted, sloppy work.  Believers need a redeemed work ethic.  They must work hard as if God were their employer.  They must call in sick with the truth, and give adequate notice before they leave a job.
Goal: Learn the value of hard work and practice good work ethics.

Contentment:
The availability of things in Egypt and the lure of a materialistic lifestyle shown on TV and in movies makes many people discontent.  Freedom from the love of money is becoming rare.  It is not wrong to seek a better life for your family, but godliness comes from being satisfied with what God has already provided.  Believers must find a balance between working hard for the sake of their families and being happy when God only meets basic needs.  MBBs find contentment difficult because they rejected the way things were and became believers, and now they are expected to be happy with whatever God brings.  We are to be ambitious for God's kingdom and not for our own.
Goal: Learn the power of contentment and the dangers of materialism.
 Steps in the discipleship process:

Initial session:
Clarify the issue:
Raise awareness of need to change by telling a story from society
Tell a story from the Bible
Teach the truth:
Study the character of God
Find direct commands from Scripture
Search for principles from Scripture
We should provide a chance for them to apply the issue to themselves.
They should confess guilt regarding the issue, both corporate and personal
We should give assignments to train in righteousness
We must provide opportunities for MBBs to apply their new knowledge

Subsequent sessions where issue is brought up again:
We must model desired behavior for the MBB
We must practice corrective discipline - insistence on obedience
We should provide accountability sessions
We should require them to teach others the same lesson





    Suggestions for foreigners ministering to Muslims in Egypt

I.  Principles of Evangelism

  A.  Love the people you are speaking to:
1.     Get to know them well.
2.     Be willing to carry your part of the friendship.
3.     Pay the price of identifying with them (ie. eat their food, follow their clothing standards of modesty, adhere to their customs as much as possible).

  B.  Demonstrate your faith:
1.    Decide your identity.  Are you a believer, Christian, follower of Issa, etc.
a.    Postpone the stigmatized use of "Christian."
      b.    Give out Jesus' words and say "I follow that prophet."  "Who do you think it is?"
2. Demonstrate how your faith works.
      a.    Show how you pray and recite the Lord's prayer out loud.
      b.    Offer to pray for their problems, then do so in their presence.
3. Have impeccable integrity by proving to be trustworthy.
      a. Come on time or call when you can't.
4. Focus on effective ways to communicate the gospel.

  C.  Avoid common pitfalls:
1.    Guard your family
      a.    Don't ever leave your wife alone with any man in a non-public place including your home.
      b.    Watch that local children don't destroy something precious to your children which give them a bad attitude against Egyptians.
2.    Don't continue friendship indefinitely with someone who shows no interest in your faith.  When it stops progressing, back off.
3. Don't assume motives are pure.
       a.    Don't be surprised when you're asked for help leaving Egypt, help finding a foreign wife, help establishing a business, etc.
       b.    They may want to convert you as much as you want to convert them.
4. Set a firm policy about lending
       a.    Loan less money than is asked for.
       b.    Don't lend money again until first loan is paid back.
       c.    Don't lend more money than you want to lose.
       d.    Don't lend any item that you don't mind losing.  If you loan things that can't be paid for such as a camera or guitar, don't be upset when they aren't returned.
 5. Don't assume the friendship will transfer easily.
       a.    Others may not agree that this "gem" is worth getting to know.
       b.    Personalities can clash.
 6. Lend him books, videos and tapes, but don't overwhelm him with too many at one time.




Eli Smith, Cornelius Van Dayke and Butrus Al-Bustany are the main translators of the authorized Arabic version of the Bible.  To make it smoother in reading since Al-Bustani brought into it the difficult words in Arabic literature, Sheikh Abraham al Azhari did make it more fluid than before.



The most popular translation amongst Christians in the ME is the Van Dyke/Smith/Bustani translation, or more commonly known as the Van Dyke.  It was the result of the work of Presbyterian missionaries in Beirut in the last century, and was first published around the year 1865.   It was originally intended to be a translation for the majority of Arabic speakers (meaning Muslims), but the Lebanese Christians working with Van Dyke and his colleagues strenuously objected to any use of terminology familiar to Muslims.  As a result, ancient ecclesiastical terminology, mostly derived from Assyrian, was used in the translation, making it very hard for Muslims to understand. 
    
     In addition, you should know two things about the Van Dyke.  It was a very literal translation from the Greek and Hebrew texts known at that time.  As a result, it is hard for someone not steeped in the language through church attendance to understand.  Many brought up with this translation go to a commentary or even an English version to understand the text.  Nonetheless, the Van Dyke has taken on an aura of holiness because of its very incomprehensibility, much like what has happened with the KJV in English. 
    
When the translators finished initial work on the SVB, they found that readers could not understand its stilted Arabic.  So they hired a Muslim sheikh, Sheikh Abraham al Azhari, as a stylist to work out some of the most blatant problems.
    
     Another issue is that this translation was done at the time of the reformation "nahda," the renaissance of Arabic literature in modern times.  Many scholars of the Ar. language in Beirut at that time were at work reviving the language to make it a vehicle for modern thought.  In many cases they were still coining words and developing the language,
And not all of their innovations caught on.  So much of the terminology of the Van Dyke is strange today.  One example: in Genesis, a word was used for four-legged creatures or creeping things, "dabaaba".  Today the word is used for "tank" (i.e., a military
     Vehicle).