As a child, I’d often be put on “weed duty” in my family’s garden. I disliked the work. It was back-breaking, dirty, and tiring. Little did I know that later in life God would put me on “weed duty” again.

When you move toward Muslims, you may find some true heart-beliefs about God, the nature of man, and Judgment Day. Yet their minds and hearts are also crowded with weeds of untruths they’ve accumulated over time, such as:

The Bible has been corrupted.

Good deeds can erase bad deeds.

If someone is jealous of your possessions, something bad will happen to you.

Because of counter-Gospel information, Muslims may not be ready for a planting of new information right away. Before receiving the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins, they’ll first need to recognize they can’t pay for their sins on their own. Before accepting the promises held for them in the Word of God, they must first consider it trustworthy! Are we willing to join the Holy Spirit in the back-breaking work of “weeding” in a Muslim’s life?

I once presented a gift of a Bible to the head of a Muslim household. He took it, but said that my holy book had been changed.

“How could God allow mere humans to change his Word?” I asked. I honestly wanted to know his answer.

He had a typical answer: over time and many versions, the Bible was tampered with and no longer trustworthy. But I prodded a little further. “You believe in the Injeel, right?” I asked. (“Injeel” is the Arabic word for Gospel.)

“Of course, yes!” he exclaimed. “We believe in the Tawrat (Books of Moses), the Zabur (Psalms), the Injeel (the Gospels), and the Holy Qur’an which is the last and final book.”

“Then there must be an Injeel that is pure, that we can read and believe in,” I replied.

He agreed that there might be an uncorrupted Bible somewhere in Indonesia. I smiled and pointed to the book I gave him. “I can assure you, this Injeel is the true one and is translated correctly. I hope you will read it.”

At times one’s misconceptions can be poked and prodded by simple questions, leaving the Muslim with something to think about. Other Muslims may need to read scholarly research or even conduct it themselves!

Little by little, untruths can be uprooted in a firm yet non-threatening way. And when I find truth already woven into the heart-beliefs of my Muslim friends, I rejoice! I acknowledge that truth and encourage it.

On an overnight campout with friends, I woke up early to spend some time with Jesus. When my Muslim friends emerged from their tents, they were curious to know why I got up early to read the Bible and pray, even if I don’t “have to.”

I was happy to share with them how God delights to meet with his children and speak to them personally, so they will understand and love him more. Though it was a new idea, they agreed with me, and we even continued our discussion by reading a psalm of praise to God together. Today, these friends are still wrestling with some weeds of untruth, but they are closer to the Kingdom of Jesus than ever before!

Just as weeds or unproductive plants need to be tilled up before new seeds can spring to life, the soil must also be tilled in the hearts of Muslims for the Gospel to be planted. Pray God will send out more laborers among Muslims who will take on “weed duty.”

YOUR TURN: It is not only Muslims who have "weeds" which must be pulled out before the seeds of Gospel truth can take root. What "weeds" do you encounter among those with whom you are sharing Christ's love?

"Anna" blogs about friendship, culture, and Kingdom-living from her home in the Middle East. She loves Jesus and wants to see Him cherished by her neighbors and people everywhere. Anna will be posting on the Persecution Blog each month. Feel free to ask questions or suggest future topics in the comments section for this post. Anna is a pseudonym, and all names in her posts are changed for security reasons.