For We Do Not Wrestle
Teacher
Lesson Summary
The class began with a brief acknowledgment of the congregation’s generous building‑fund donation before welcoming Wissam Al‑Athawi, who has spent six years informing Christians about Muslim life and faith. He urged the audience to move from knowledge to practice, stressing that evangelism toward Muslims must be rooted in genuine love and a biblical motive rather than a desire to “convert.” Using the story from Acts 16, the teacher illustrated how a misguided motive—seeking trouble for Paul and Silas—can thwart the gospel, while emphasizing that God alone gives increase. He warned against inflammatory actions like those of Terry Jones or the Bible Believers group, which damage the Christian witness. The lesson concluded with practical advice: know Scripture, be ready to give a reason for hope (1 Peter 3:15), and allow God’s seed to grow, trusting that love, cultural influence, and spiritual readiness are the keys to sharing Christ with Muslim neighbors.
Key Scriptures
A certain woman who had a spirit of divination followed Paul and Silas, crying out, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim the way of salvation.' Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And it came to be that the spirit came out of her. When the slave girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the rulers of the city.
If there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full agreement, of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.