Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “Rooting Muslim Background Believing Families in Christ” (Part Six of Six)

In communist China the government is the primary persecutor of Christians. In Islam, however, the family members of Muslim background believers are the chief persecutors.

Author and missionary Nik Ripken said unless we reach the entire family for Jesus, then there is not much hope for a single believer to thrive in that context.

“If a young man or a young woman, even if a young couple come to Christ without that extended family there’s not much hope that they’re going to make it,” Ripken said.

“The smallest unit that can survive and thrive in persecution is a family in Christ baptized with a house church planted in their home. Anything less than that doesn’t make it. If you see Muslims come to Christ one by one by one, evil picks them off one by one by one.”

Ripken added that is why the Bible emphasizes entire households coming to Christ (Cornelius, the Philippian jailer, Lydia, etc.). This gives Christian workers the pattern to follow for discipling and multiplying Muslim background believers. Unfortunately, we don’t do it.

The way western Christian workers can help Muslim background believers is by showing them why and how we learn God’s Word and sing his songs. Muslim background believers know how to be married and raise their children in Muhammad, not in Jesus. So, we can serve them by showing them what a Christ-centered marriage looks like and how to raise children in Christ.

Muslim background believers have a hard time sitting in a church building, but they can learn to worship Jesus when they observe families giving thanks in their home.

“They can’t go sit under that cross, but if worshiping Jesus is gathering my family every night, telling Bible stories, singing, praying, talking about the day, and worshiping together, they say, ‘We can do that,’” Ripken said.

“Modeling for them what house church looks like before they’re a Christian is of utmost importance. If you wait until they’re believers they’ve got all these corrupted ways of doing church.”

– Ben Doster, Global Gates Director of Communications, communications@globalgates.info

*In case you missed it, you can find the rest of our multipart series covering important topics author and missionary Nik Ripken spoke on during an interview with Global Gates by reading Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “Should Christians Pray for Persecution to Stop?” (Part One of Six), Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “The Pearl of Great Price or a Bucket of Pearls?” (Part Two of Six), Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “Do Not Fear” (Part Three of Six), Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “Intentionally Engaging Muslims with Gospel Purpose” (Part Four of Six), and Nik Ripken, Muslim Background Believers, and the West: “Helping Muslim Background Believers Flourish” (Part Five of Six).