A discussion event for teens based on Secret Believers What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ By Brother Andrew and Al Janssen
Secret Believers Greetings fellow believer! Would you do us a favor? Close your eyes and imagine what it would be to live as a young Muslim terrified by nightmares until he is introduced to Jesus a former leader in a fundamentalist Muslim movement that persecuted Christians or a privileged young Muslim woman who is held captive by her family when they find a Bible in her possession. These are today s Secret Believers, the members of the church in the Middle East who are suffering even dying for their faith. Their stories are tragic, but completely true. Do kids in your youth group ask questions about what is really going on in the Middle East? Do you pray for them? Or perhaps, you as a youth pastor have questions about how you and your students can get involved to support the persecuted church around the world. You can help. We ll show you how. This discussion guide offers pastors, youth group leaders, and teachers a helpful format to discuss the book, Secret Believers, with young people. In this very important book and companion discussion guide, you and your students will get a glimpse of the lives of these courageous, persecuted believers and learn four initiatives you can take to help them. To start, you ll find an opening activity to begin your event: It s designed to be interactive and easy-going, so let your students have some fun with it. Next, you ll see a list of discussion questions about the book. Please note that these questions are not meant to be a rigid guidepost. You may find that once your discussion gets started, students will have other questions of their own to fuel hours of conversation. Finally, we ve offered some follow-up event ideas and a list of resources to help your teens dig deeper into the world of Muslim-background believers. We recommend handing out copies of the book about one month before your discussion event, allowing plenty of time for teens to complete their reading. Thanks for partnering us in our ministry to help our persecuted brothers and sisters. It is our prayer that you are touched by our book, Secret Believers, and feel called to take a stand. Join us in this new kind of jihad one of love, radical forgiveness, and unyielding prayer. Blessing to you! In Christ, Brother Andrew & Al Janssen Brother Andrew & Al Janssen
A young Muslim terrified by nightmares until he met Jesus. Opening Activity: Imports and Exports Supplies Needed Posterboard, scissors, glue, markers, several news magazines such as Time and Newsweek, several entertainment magazines such as People, TV Guide, and Entertainment Weekly Instructions Divide your students into two groups for this activity. One group will be the Americans and the other will be the Muslims. Give each team a piece of posterboard, scissors, glue, and colored markers. Give the American group several news magazines. Tell them to label their posterboard with the word Muslims in the center and then have them create a collage that demonstrates the stereotypes Americans have about Islamic countries. They may cut out headlines and pictures from their magazines to use as part of the collage, but encourage them to add some of their own words and artwork as well. Give the same instructions to the Muslim group, except that their posterboard should be labeled Americans and present a collage of the stereotypes Islamic nations might have about Americans. Give them copies of the entertainment magazines and encourage them to consider that most Middle Eastern Muslims get their images of America from the movies, TV shows, and music that Americans export to their countries. Give the groups ten minutes to work on their collages and then gather them back into a large group to share their collages with each other. Follow-Up Questions As the American group presents their collage about Muslims, ask these questions: W How much do current events impact our view of Muslims? Aside from the news, what else shapes our stereotypes about Muslims? W Based on your reading of Secret Believers, which of these stereotypes seem to be accurate? W Were any of your personal stereotypes changed after reading the book? As the Muslim group presents their collage about Americans, ask these questions: W Do you think that Muslims get an accurate picture of Americans from the images they see in American entertainment? Why or why not? W Given these stereotypes of America, how do you think Muslims view Christianity? How does this affect our witness to the Muslim world? End this activity by pulling out one more piece of posterboard. Write the words Americans and Muslims in the center and then ask students these last two questions: W When you cut through all the stereotypes, what do Americans and Muslims have in common? W How does God view Americans and Muslims? As students share their responses, invite them to write their words (or draw a symbol) on the posterboard. When you re finished, ask them to keep this posterboard collage in mind as you continue with your discussion of Secret Believers.
A former leader in a fundamentalist Muslim movement that persecuted Christians. Secret Believers Discussion Questions 1 What were your initial feelings about the stories presented in Secret Believers? Did the stories of Muslim-background believers impact your own faith in any way? If so, how? 2 Consider the two different kinds of Christians presented in Secret Believers: People born as Christians (ie. Butros, Nadira, Abuna Alexander, Layla) and Muslims who converted to Christianity (ie. Ahmed, Hassan, Mustafa, Salima): How were these two groups treated differently by the authorities? In what ways were the rules different for each group? Were you aware of this distinction between natural born Christians and Muslim converts before you read Secret Believers? 3 What were some of the challenges faced by the Christian churches in this story? In what ways did the government try to intimidate or discourage them? How do these challenges make it especially hard for the Church in Islamic countries to share the gospel? 4 What motivated the conversions of each of the following people: Ahmed? Hassan? Mustafa? Salima? In general, what does Christianity offer that cannot be found in Islam? 5 What were some of the practical challenges faced by the Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) such as Ahmed, Hassan, Mustafa, and Salima? What was your reaction to the story of Hassan and Mustafa s murders? Why do you think MBBs are willing to hold on to the Christian faith even in the face of such extreme danger? Do you think teens in America appreciate their Christian faith as much as MBBs do? Why or why not? 6 What was your reaction to Layla s kidnapping? How did you feel about Abuna Alexander s response of prayer and forgiveness? In what ways does the concept of forgiveness hold the potential to win many Muslims to Christ? 7 Based on the stories presented in Secret Believers, what would you say are the key similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity? How would Christians and Muslims respond to the question of Who is God? differently? 8 How would you respond to the first Challenge laid out in the book: Do we view Muslims as enemies? Or are we seeking to win them to Christ? How are Muslims general viewed by your church? your teachers? your parents? you? What are some proactive steps you could take to encourage a Christ-like love for Muslims among your church, school, or family? 9 Would you say that the church in the West has demonstrated an attitude of forgiveness in the face of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorist attacks? Why or why not? What can you do to build a forgiving attitude toward the problems in the Middle East? 10 In Secret Believers, we read, It won t help to preach the gospel to [Muslims] if they can t hear us because of what they see and hear from our culture (p. 243). In what ways do our entertainment exports to the Middle East drown out the truth about Christianity? Are there areas where we ve compromised biblical values to fit in with our culture? If so, what changes do we need to make to live as true Christians? 11 What are practical steps we can take to show that we stand with Muslim-background believers? What is the difference between praying for Christians in the Muslim world and praying with them? What kinds of personal sacrifices might be needed in order for Western Christians to effectively reach out to the Islamic world? 12 What kind of impact could a dedicated group of teenagers have on the Islamic world? What kind of sacrifices are you willing to make to achieve this kind of impact?
A young Muslim terrified by nightmares until he met Jesus. Follow-Up Events Hopefully, your students have been inspired by the story of Secret Believers and your discussion will motivate them to take action. Following your discussion group, consider scheduling one or more of the following events to help your students put their ideas into action. Prayer Vigil Invite students to participate in a prayer event to encourage and support Christians in Islamic countries. Visit www.secretbelievers.org for specific information and prayer concerns that you can share with the group. Before the event, print maps of the various countries. Create prayer stations for each country by displaying the map and setting out prayer cards listing specific requests for each country. (You may also want to include stationary or greeting cards so that students can write messages of encouragement to specific believers in that country see www.secretbelievers.org for more information.) Set a row of tea lights and a candlelighter at each station as well. During the vigil, invite students to visit the various stations and pray either alone or in groups for the requests listed. Ask them to light a candle each time they pray at a station: At the end of the night, encourage them to see these candles as a symbol of how powerfully prayer can bring light to Christians living in dangerous and dark situations. Pick-a-Nation Celebration Before the event, choose a specific country in the Muslim world that your group will learn about and pray for. Plan a night of fun and education about this part of the world. Try some of the following ideas: W Recruit some students (or their parents) to research and prepare authentic food from your country. W Identify a musical artist or group that is authentic to your country and play some of their music at your event. W Print copies of the flag on your computer and hang them throughout the room as decorations. W Hold the event at a home or meeting place with wireless Internet access. Then recruit three or four lap tops to use for research at your event. Divide students into groups and encourage them to learn as much as they can about your country by searching the Internet. (You may want to assign groups particular topics such as: Family Life, Traditions, Economy, Politics, etc.) Encourage all of the groups to check out www.secretbelievers.org for information on the state of the Church in your country. W Provide supplies so that students can create their own greeting cards to send to Muslim believers in your chosen country. W Spend some time praying for your country. W Ask students to make poster ads that bring attention to the situation of Muslim-background believers in your chosen country. Encourage them to display the ads at their church or school. (Note: They will need to get permission from church/school leadership first.)
A privileged young Muslim woman held captive by her family when they find a Bible in her possession. Fundraiser Raise money for an organization that supports Christians in the Muslim world. Choose one of the following fundraising ideas or brainstorm one of your own: W Host a car wash near a well-traveled roadway. Before the event, ask your students to make a small flyer that calls attention to the injustices faced by Christians in the Muslim world. Print up copies of the flyers to give to each vehicle that stops at your car wash. W Plan a Jail Night where students raise bail money by calling family and friends. Lock students in small rooms with nothing but a pledge sheet and a cell phone. (Encourage students to bring along phone numbers of their acquaintances.) Set a bail amount for students to raise before they can be released from their jail. As they make their calls and request pledges, encourage the students to call attention to the plight of Christians in Muslim countries who face real jail time for their beliefs. WSell homemade greeting cards designed to encourage Christians in the Muslim world. Buy card-making supplies and begin your fundraiser with a card-making party for your group. Visit www.secretbelievers. org to find information and addresses where you can send the cards. Then design simple handouts that you can enclose with each card: Include background info about a specific Muslim that could use encouragement as well as their address. Sell the cards as a fundraiser, encouraging buyers to send out their notes of encouragement to Christians in the Muslim world. Book Study Follow up your discussion of Secret Believers by learning more about the Islamic world. Choose one of the titles listed in the Selected Bibliography of the book (p.263-265). Then host a discussion group after students have had a chance to read.
A young Muslim terrified by nightmares until he met Jesus. Resources You may find the following resources helpful as you prepare for your Secret Believers discussion and followup events: W The Selected Bibliography (found on p. 263-265 of Secret Believers) provides a list of books offering helpful insight into the world of Islam. W http://www.od.org The website of Open Doors International offers information about the history and vision of the organization, as well as current trends in Christian persecution around the world. W http://www.secretbelievers.org This website, started in conjunction with the release of Secret Believers, provides information about specific countries and the needs of Muslim-background believers within them. The site also offers material to help you reach Muslims in your own neighborhood and city. About the Authors of Secret Believers Brother Andrew began taking Bibles to Christians behind closed borders in 1955. That work has since developed into Open Doors International. He is the author and coauthor of numerous books, including God s Smuggler. Brother Andrew makes his home in the Netherlands. Al Janssen has co-written or authored more than twenty-five books, including Light Force. He is chairman of the board for Open Doors (USA) with Brother Andrew and is director of communications for Open Doors International. Janssen lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.