Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. We're in the midst of focusing on Muslims during this Ramadan season, and today I want to share something that should fill us with hope and change how we think about reaching unreached peoples—including the Muslim world.
Listen to these powerful words from Psalm 19:1-4:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
Did you catch that? "There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." What exactly does this mean? I believe it means that God has left a witness for Himself in every culture—including Muslim cultures.
[God's universal preparation - Acts 17]
Acts 17:26-27 tells us that God "made every nation of men...so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." Think about that for a moment—every nation of men. Not just the Jews or the Americans or the Europeans or the Chinese, but every nation, every people group, every culture.
Paul tells us that God has made them in such a way that people from every nation would seek Him. He has left a witness for Himself in every culture, every nation. There is some bit of truth in their worldview, their belief system, that has prepared them to hear and receive the Gospel.
This is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples in John 4:35, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."
[Fields ripe for harvest - God's preparation]
How are the fields—referring to people who do not know Christ as Savior—"ripe for harvest?" The disciples didn't prepare those fields. They didn't prepare those people's hearts to receive Christ. No—God did! God left a witness for Himself so that when the disciples made it to that group of people and shared the love and truth of Jesus with them, they would be ready to receive it.
I believe this idea challenges some of our core beliefs. We tend to look at cultures like the Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists—or any number of other "pagan" cultures—and wonder if they are unreachable without some miraculous intervention from God.
Yes, God does intervene miraculously, as I pointed out in my earlier podcast about dreams and visions among Muslims. But more often, He asks us to harvest the fields that He has already ripened. God has been preparing hearts. He's left witnesses for Himself. Our job is to find those cultural keys and use them to unlock the Gospel.
[What is redemptive analogy?]
So how does a Christian harvest these fields? How can the Gospel be explained to a group of people so that it seems culturally right to them, not foreign or Western?
The answer is through something called "redemptive analogy"—a phrase coined by missionary and author Don Richardson, who wrote the classic books "Peace Child" and "Eternity in Their Hearts."
[Biblical examples - Jesus used redemptive analogy]
Let me give you some examples. The Jewish people practiced lamb sacrifice as part of their religious system. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he proclaimed Him as the perfect, personal fulfillment of that sacrifice by saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" This is redemptive analogy—taking something from the culture and showing how it points to Christ.
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher, both knew that Moses had lifted up a serpent of brass upon a pole so that Jews dying of snakebite could look at it and be healed. Jesus told Nicodemus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:14-15). This too is redemptive analogy—Jesus used a story from their own history to explain the Gospel.
[The Karen people - an extraordinary example]
But let me tell you about one of the most remarkable examples of redemptive analogy in missions history—the Karen people of Burma (now Myanmar).
The Karen had been searching for centuries for a "white brother who was supposed to bring them a book whose author is Y'wa—the Supreme God—so that the white brother, having given them the lost book, will thereby set them free from all who oppress them."
Their folk religion's hymns bear striking resemblances to God's character. And listen to this—the Karen story of man's falling away from God contains stunning parallels to Genesis chapter 1:
"Y'wa formed the world originally. He appointed food and drink. He appointed the 'fruit of trial.' He gave detailed orders. Mu-kaw-lee deceived two persons. He caused them to eat the fruit of the tree of trial. They obeyed not...they believed not Y'wa...when they ate the fruit of trial they became subject to sickness, aging and death."
Wow! This was a remote group of people who had never come in contact with Jews or Christians before, yet their own religion, thousands of years old, had an incredible witness of the Lord! How did this happen? God left a witness for Himself in their culture!
[The harvest - Karen revival]
So the Karen nation was poised like an 800,000-member welcoming party, ready for the first missionary who approached them with a Bible and a message of deliverance from God.
When missionaries finally brought the Gospel to the Karen in the early 1800s, thousands accepted Christ almost immediately! And almost as quickly as Karen were converted and baptized, they became missionaries to spread the good news still further among their own people and neighboring tribes!
Today, the Karen people are one of the most Christian ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. Despite decades of persecution from the Buddhist-majority government of Burma, the Karen church remains strong. Current estimates suggest that 20-30% of the Karen people—numbering over 7 million—are Christians, with some Karen subgroups being as much as 90% Christian!
[Why redemptive analogy matters]
Here's why redemptive analogy is so important: When missionaries look for and find that redemptive analogy, that culture key, people become very open to hearing about and believing in the Gospel. As Don Richardson writes, they "are made aware of spiritual meaning dormant within their own culture. In this way, conversion does not deny their cultural background. Instead, they experience heightened insight into both the Scriptures and their own cultural heritage, and thus they are better prepared to share Christ meaningfully with other members of their society."
This is crucial! People don't have to become Western to become Christian. They don't have to abandon their cultural identity. Instead, they discover that their culture has been preparing them for this moment—and that Jesus is the fulfillment of what their culture has been longing for all along.
[The Muslim question - redemptive analogy in Islam?]
So as we focus on Muslims during this time of Ramadan, here's the question: Could there be a redemptive analogy, a culture key within Muslim heritage that would help them see that Jesus loves them, that He came to die for them also, and that He is not asking them to become Westernized in order to become a Christian?
I believe the answer is yes! Let me share some redemptive analogies that missionaries have discovered within Islamic culture and teaching.
[Redemptive analogies in Islam - Part 1]
First, consider the concept of sacrifice. During the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals—usually sheep or goats—to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmail. They believe this demonstrates submission to Allah.
But here's the redemptive analogy: In the biblical account, God provided a ram as a substitute for Abraham's son, Isaac. Abraham named that place "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14). Christians can point to this and say, "Yes, God did provide a substitute—Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Your sacrifice of animals points forward to the perfect sacrifice that God Himself provided."
This connects Islamic practice to the Gospel without requiring Muslims to abandon their cultural narrative about Abraham. Instead, it shows them the fulfillment of what they've been practicing.
[Redemptive analogies in Islam - Part 2]
Second, consider the 99 names of Allah. Muslims memorize these names—the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Sustainer, the Protector. But as I mentioned in an earlier podcast, "Love" is not among them. Allah is described as merciful but not as love itself.
Here's the redemptive analogy: Christians can say, "You honor God with 99 names, but there's a 100th name that completes them all—Love. 1 John 4:8 says 'God is love.' Jesus revealed this missing attribute of God. He showed us that God is not just merciful from a distance, but that He loves us so much He became one of us to save us."
This doesn't attack Islam—it offers fulfillment. It says, "What you've been searching for in these 99 names finds its completion in Jesus."
[Redemptive analogies in Islam - Part 3]
Third, consider the Islamic teaching about Isa al-Masih—Jesus the Messiah. The Quran actually contains many positive statements about Jesus: He was born of a virgin, He performed miracles, He is called the Word of God and the Spirit of God, He will return at the end of time.
Here's the redemptive analogy: Christians can start with what Muslims already believe about Jesus and then gently show them the fuller picture in the Bible. "You already honor Jesus as a great prophet. Let me show you who He really is—not just a prophet, but the Son of God, the Savior who died and rose again for your sins."
This approach respects what Muslims already know while inviting them to discover more.
[Redemptive analogies in Islam - Part 4]
Fourth, consider the Islamic emphasis on seeking God. During Ramadan, Muslims fast, pray extra prayers, and read the Quran earnestly seeking to know Allah better. They're spiritually hungry!
Here's the redemptive analogy: Christians can say, "Your desire to know God is good and right. But did you know that God wants to be known? Jesus said in John 17:3, 'This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.' You're seeking to know God—Jesus is God's answer to that seeking. He came so that you could know God personally."
This validates their spiritual hunger while pointing them to Jesus as the fulfillment of that hunger.
[Current statistics - Muslims coming to Christ]
And here's what's exciting: These redemptive analogies are being used effectively by missionaries and former Muslims around the world, and Muslims are responding! Current estimates suggest that more Muslims have come to Christ in the last 30 years than in the previous 1,400 years of Islamic history combined.
According to various mission organizations, there may be as many as 20-30 million former Muslims who now follow Jesus worldwide. In countries like Iran, Algeria, and Indonesia, the number of Muslim-background believers is growing exponentially. Underground churches are multiplying. People are encountering Jesus through dreams, through Christian satellite TV, through the witness of believers, and through discovering these redemptive analogies that show how their own culture has been preparing them for the Gospel.
[How to apply this - practical steps]
So what does this mean practically for us? Let me give you four applications.
First, change your perspective on unreached peoples. Don't see them as impossibly hard to reach. See them as fields that God has already been preparing. He's left witnesses for Himself in their cultures. Our job is to find those redemptive analogies and use them to share the Gospel.
Second, study the cultures you're praying for. If you're praying for Muslims during Ramadan, learn about Islamic beliefs and practices so you can find the bridges that can connect them to Jesus. What in their worldview can be redeemed and fulfilled in Christ?
Third, ask God to show you redemptive analogies. Whether you're witnessing to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or secular Westerners, ask God, "What in their cultural background, their beliefs, their experiences has prepared them for the Gospel? How can I connect the truth of Jesus to what they already understand?"
Fourth, support missionaries who are using redemptive analogies effectively. Organizations like Frontiers, Pioneers, and many others train missionaries in cultural sensitivity and redemptive analogy approaches. Your support helps them harvest fields that God has prepared.
[Hope for the Muslim world - God is already at work]
Here's what I want you to take away from today: The Muslim world is not a hopeless case. God has been at work in Muslim cultures for 1,400 years, leaving witnesses for Himself, preparing hearts, and creating openings for the Gospel.
The fields are ripe for harvest! Muslims are seeking during Ramadan. They're fasting and praying and reading the Quran, hoping to know Allah better. But Allah cannot be known. Jesus can be known. And when we show Muslims how Jesus fulfills what their own culture has been longing for, they respond.
[Closing challenge and prayer]
So during this Ramadan season, pray with confidence. Pray knowing that God has already been preparing Muslim hearts. Pray that Christians will discover and use redemptive analogies effectively. Pray that the 1.9 billion Muslims in the world will encounter Jesus—the fulfillment of everything their culture has been pointing toward.
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today. I hope this changes how you think about reaching Muslims and other unreached peoples. God has been preparing them—let's join Him in the harvest!
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and look for the redemptive keys God has already planted!
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