Index

This page is an index of the posts available on http://www.nocousinsleft.com.

Click here to access the NCL Resource Page. This page contains various training manuals and resources for practical ministry. It is password protected! If you want the password, please request it at nocousinsleft@protonmail.com.

Vision

• South Asia has the Greatest Concentration of Muslim Lostness on the Planet. Because there are so many Muslims in South Asia, the global church must do more to engage South Asian Islam with the gospel. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/08/25/south-asia-is-the-greatest-concentration-of-muslim-lostness-on-the-planet/
• A Billion Muslims in South Asia by 2047. The sheer number of Muslims in South Asia is huge and the numbers are rising. By 2047, Islam may have a billion adherents in South Asia. Therefore, it is necessary that we raise up laborers to bring the gospel to these Muslims for whom Jesus died. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/11/12/a-billion-muslims-in-south-asia-by-2047/
• Are There 25,000,000 Muslim-Background Believers Today? Many Muslims are coming to Christ around the world, but how many? Gene Daniels recently postulated that there are 25 million MBBs today. Come and explore his assertion in these two blog posts. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/04/10/are-there-25000000-muslim-background-believers-today/ https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/04/10/confusion-about-gene-daniels-assertion-that-there-are-25-million-mbbs/

Ministry Tools

• Entry
  • Seven Aspects of Receptivity of Muslim People Groups. In South Asia, some people groups are more receptive to the gospel. Read here on how to identify and engage those peoples and places that are most receptive! https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/07/18/seven-aspects-of-receptivity-of-muslim-people-groups/
  • The Five Barriers to Engaging Muslims with the Gospel. Most cross-cultural workers to South Asian Muslims must overcome five barriers to become effective for making disciples among Muslims. Those five barriers are (1) fear, (2) anger, (3) hopelessness, (4) a lack of language and cultural awareness, and (5) a lack of ministry tools. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/11/18/five-barriers-to-engaging-muslims-with-the-gospel/
  • The Muslim Triangle. A Tool for Evaluating and Engaging the Muslim Diversity of South Asia. There are three poles in South Asian Islam: orthodox, folk, and secular. Understanding how South Asian Islam works is essential for engaging the Muslim lostness of the subcontinent. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/10/11/the-muslim-triangle-a-tool-for-evaluating-and-engaging-the-diversity-of-south-asian-islam/
• Evangelism
  • The Sacrifice of Christ: A Gospel Tool for Muslims. Here is how I share the gospel with Muslims. Please see the numerous footnotes that describe why I share in the way that I do. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/09/25/the-sacrifice-of-christ-a-gospel-tool-for-muslims/
  • Sharing the Christmas Story with Muslims. A few tips on how to utilize Christmas as a time to proclaim Jesus to your Muslim friends. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/12/16/sharing-the-christmas-story-with-muslims/
  • Engaging South Asian Shias with the Gospel. South Asia is home to a huge Shia population. Read here about my thoughts on engaging Shias with the good news of Jesus. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/11/25/sharing-jesus-with-south-asian-shias/
  • Blessed are the Pure in Heart: Muslims, Ritual Purity, and the Gospel. In my experience, helping Muslims see the vastness of their impurity before God is a useful path for them to understand that they are sinners and their relationship with Him is broken. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/06/03/blessed-are-the-pure-in-heart-muslims-ritual-purity-and-the-gospel/
  • Can We Use Allah for God? Hazrat Isa al-Masih for Jesus? My defense on why it is permissible and wise to use terms like these when sharing about Jesus with Muslims. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/11/28/can-we-use-allah-for-god-hazrat-isa-al-masih-for-jesus/
• Discipleship
  • Three Responses to the Gospel: Red, Yellow, and Green Lights. When we sow the seed, we evaluate what kind of response that we receive: red, yellow, or green. We need to be prepared to show Jesus appropriately to each kind of response. See how we do it here. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/10/04/three-responses-to-the-gospel-red-yellow-and-green-lights/
  • Helping MBBs go Public as Followers of Jesus. An essential step for MBBs is to stand up for Jesus. However, these steps are filled with difficulty. See in this section how we are working to help MBBs stand publicly for Jesus. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/09/25/helping-mbbs-go-public-as-followers-of-jesus/
  • Discipling MBBs through Persecution. In Muslim ministry, it is inevitable that your MBB friends and disciples will face persecution for their faith in Jesus. Learn hear how we try to help our MBB friends during persecution. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/10/27/discipling-mbbs-through-persecution/
  • How Should MBBs Relate to Islam and Culture? Read my method of encouraging MBBs to love their God-given culture while rejecting Islam. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/10/08/how-should-mbbs-relate-to-islam-and-culture/
  • The Person of Christ. Understanding the dual nature of Jesus as both fully God and fully man is vital for MBBs. As MBBs come to understand the Person of Christ, they are empowered to leave Islam. Here is a Bible study that one of my teammates developed on this subject for MBBs. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/11/30/the-person-of-christ/
  • Why Many MBBs Become Expert Liars and How to Mentor Them Through It. Time and time again, I have seen Western mentors of MBBs become overwhelmed with frustration with MBBs being deceitful. Please do not give up! Here are some practical tips and thoughts. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/12/29/why-many-muslim-background-believers-become-expert-liars-and-how-to-mentor-them-through-it/
• Leadership Development
  • Principles and Methods for Finding National Partners. I am often asked how to find national partners in South Asia. Come hear a few thoughts on the subject. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/07/17/principles-and-methods-for-finding-national-partners/
  • The Power of Near Culture Missionaries to Muslims in South Asia. This post describes the need of developing a huge number of South Asian workers to serve among South Asian Muslims. South Asia Christians are the only labor force sufficient to engage all of South Asian Islam with the gospel. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/12/05/the-power-of-near-culture-missionaries-to-muslims-in-south-asia/
  • Five Progress Markers of Emerging Indigenous Missionaries to South Asian Muslims. To reach the 600 million Muslims of South Asia, it is necessary to develop South Asian workers to engage them with the gospel. This article describes five progress indicators that we have seen as we develop these indigenous missionaries. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/11/18/five-progress-markers-of-emerging-indigenous-missionaries-to-south-asian-muslims/
  • A New Process for Developing Muslim-Background Leaders. In our work, we have recently realized a need to formalize our process for developing new Muslim-background leaders. This article provides a downloadable link to our PDF in English as well as some descriptive notes of our new process for assessing and developing Muslim-background leaders. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/01/22/a-new-process-for-developing-muslim-background-leaders/

Studies on The Letters to Timothy and Titus

• “Preach the Word”: Homiletics or Evangelism? My defense on why I think that Paul was instructing Timothy to share the gospel with unbelievers in his command “preach the word” in Second Timothy 4:2. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/12/10/preach-the-word-homiletics-or-evangelism/
• Timothy Was Not a Pastor. Instead, Timothy was a missionary serving on Paul’s missionary team. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/11/25/timothy-was-not-a-pastor/
• Was Timothy and Apostle? Wrestle with me through the difficulty of assigning the title apostle to Timothy. Is it better to call him and apostle or an evangelist? Ultimately, both titles seem to lead us to similar conclusions. We are to follow in Paul’s footsteps as a missionary as he intended Timothy to follow in his footsteps. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/12/02/was-timothy-an-apostle/

Biblical Missiology

• A Missionary’s Reflection on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. This post is a look at the biblical missiology of Colossians. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/08/26/a-missionarys-reflection-on-pauls-letter-to-the-colossians/
• Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians. Three short articles on spiritual warfare. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/08/30/spiritual-warfare-in-ephesians-part-1-of-3/ https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/08/31/spiritual-warfare-in-ephesians-part-2-of-3/ https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/01/spiritual-warfare-in-ephesians-part-3-of-3/
• A Missionary’s Reflection on Paul’s Letter to Philemon. A biblical theology of mission in Philemon. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/12/02/a-missionarys-reflection-on-pauls-letter-to-philemon/
• Pauline Emulation in First Thessalonians. A biblical theology of mission of First Thessalonians. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/12/08/pauline-emulation-in-first-thessalonians/
• A Chronology of Early Christian History. Here is my chronology with footnotes giving reasoning for how I arrive at various dates in the New Testament. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/10/12/a-chronology-of-early-christian-history-october-13-2020/

Folk Islamic Rituals – These posts seek to describe the worldview of folk Muslims by describing their worldview and rituals. These folk rituals describe South Asian folk Islam. Each of these readings gives hints in how to best engage South Asian folk Muslims with the gospel of Jesus.

• Ritual #1 – Na’at, devotional singing to Sufi saints. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/17/rituals-of-folk-muslims-in-south-asia-naat/
• Ritual #2 – Veneration of Pirs at Dargahs. Dargahs are the tomb complexes of deceased Pirs. Pirs are Sufi mystics who act as mediators between Allah and men. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/03/21/veneration-of-pirs-at-dargahs/
• Ritual #3 – Muhammad’s Birthday (Eid Milad-un-Nabi). Because of the special place of Muhammad as an ever-present mediator, folk Muslims give special respect to Muhammad in ways that offends some orthodox Muslims. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/03/29/folk-islamic-ritual-3-eid-milad-un-nabi-muhammads-birthday/
• Ritual #4 – Urs Festivals. Urs is the Persian word for “marriage.” Folk Muslims see the Urs of a Sufi as when they die and pass into union with Allah. The Urs of noteworthy Sufis are celebrated every year. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/04/05/folk-islamic-ritual-4-urs-festivals/
• Ritual #5 – Tawiz (Amulets). Muslim religious leaders make tawiz to protect their followers for evil spirits and to provide blessings for specific purposes. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/12/02/folk-islamic-ritual-5-tawiz-amulets/
• Ritual #6 – Zikr and the 99 Names of Allah. A key practice in Sufism is to remember Allah through zikr. Reciting the 99 names of Allah are one way that Muslims practice zikr. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/01/24/folk-islamic-ritual-6-zikr-and-the-99-names-of-allah/
• Ritual #7 – Mystical Uses of the Qur’an. Many folk Muslims use the Qur’an more as a mystical spell book than a revelation from God. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/02/01/folk-islamic-ritual-7-mystical-uses-of-the-quran/
• Ritual #8 – The Evil Eye. The Evil Eye is a curse that is caused by the covetousness of others for a person or thing. Folk Muslims use many rituals to avoid and dispel the Evil Eye. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/02/09/folk-islamic-ritual-8-the-evil-eye/
• Ritual #9 – Devotional Images. Folk Muslims display pictures of saints, the Qur’an, or places of pilgrimage in their homes. They often hope that these images will bring blessing and protection to their homes. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/02/18/folk-islamic-rituals-9-devotional-images/
• Ritual #10 – 786 and Bismallah. Folk Muslims use Bismallah as a kind of magical and protective speech. They write 786 as a short form for the Bismallah. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/12/02/folk-islamic-ritual-10-786-and-bismallah/
• Ritual #11 – The Hand of Fatimah. In Shia belief, Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Hussein were perfect individuals created by Allah before creation from his perfect light. Today, they use the Hand of Fatima as a symbol to remember these five figures. The Hand of Fatima is a powerful protective symbol among Shia Folk Muslims. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/12/09/folk-islamic-ritual-11-the-hand-of-fatima/
• Ritual #12 – Taziah and Muharram. South Asian Shias build special places of worship called imambaras which house taziah. Taziah are replicas of the tomb of Hussein in Karabala, Iraq and act as conduits of his power. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/12/16/folk-islamic-ritual-12-taziah-and-muhurram/

Miscellaneous

• Book Review: A Concise Guide to the Life of Muhammad. Ayman Ibrahim of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is pumping out really good material these days. You should start buying and reading his books if you are a Christian who wants to engage with Muslims. https://nocousinsleft.com/2024/07/17/book-review-a-concise-guide-to-the-life-of-muhammad/
• The Dalit Background of South Asian Islam. The majority of South Asian Muslims in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh have ancestors that converted from Dalit Hindu backgrounds hundreds of years ago. Come and explore the cultural issues that are still at play from that dynamic. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/05/28/the-dalit-background-of-south-asian-islam/
• Ten Ancient Manuscripts of the Qur’an. The Qur’an that modern Muslims have in their hand seems to be different than the oldest existing manuscripts of the Qur’an. Here are a few initial thoughts I have on some of these ancient manuscripts. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/05/20/ten-ancient-manuscripts-of-the-quran/
• 86 Common Terms in Muselmani English. Muslims tend to use a lot of Arabic phrases and terms in every language, including English. If you are serving among Muslims in an English-speaking context, this guide will help you pick up a few more Arabic terms and phrases you can use to better communicate truth to your Muslim friends. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/05/16/86-common-terms-in-muselmani-english/
• Six Initial Reflections on the Urdu Common Version Translation of the New Testament. We need better and better Urdu translations of the Bible. Here are some of my thoughts on a new translation. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/05/02/six-initial-reflections-on-the-urdu-common-version-translation-of-the-new-testament/
• How to Learn Greek without Seminary. I am often asked how to learn Greek by those who cannot practically go to seminary. Here are some notes on how to get started. https://nocousinsleft.com/2023/04/09/how-to-learn-greek-without-seminary/
• Reflections on Surah 33 and Muhammad’s Many Marriages. Muslims see Muhammad as the perfect man. As the perfect man, he is the perfect model for Muslim men to emulate as husbands and fathers. Read here to see more on Muhammad’s lifestyle as a husband. Understanding these dynamics in Islam helps us realize how deeply MBBs need discipleship in family life. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/11/28/reflections-on-surah-33-and-muhammads-many-marriages/
• Casteism in South Asian Islam. A look at the casteism that is dominant in South Asian Islam through the eyes of a South Asian Muslim scholar. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/08/28/casteism-in-south-asian-islam/
• Bible Question: How Old Was Timothy? Some people asked me about Timothy’s age when he was Paul’s protege, so I wrote a brief response on the relevant texts. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/02/bible-question-how-old-was-timothy/
• Systematic Theology Course. I began a Systematic Theology Course with a few disciples following Grudem’s textbook. With special reflections on how these aspects of theology intersect with South Asian Islam. I never made it past the first part of Grudem. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/03/systematic-theology-course/
  • Introduction to Systematic Theology. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/07/theology-1-introduction-to-systematic-theology/
  • The Word of God. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/15/systematic-theology-2-the-word-of-god/
  • The Canon of Scripture. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/22/systematic-theology-3-the-canon-of-scripture/
  • The Authority of Scripture. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/10/05/systematic-theology-4-the-authority-of-scripture/
  • The Inerrancy of Scripture. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/10/29/systematic-theology-5-the-innerancy-of-scripture/
  • The Clarity of Scripture. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/11/05/systematic-theology-6-the-clarity-of-scripture/
• John 19. The Cross through the Eyes of a Secret Believer. This post is the text of a sermon I delivered about Nicodemus going public in his faith in the burial of Jesus. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/09/16/the-cross-through-the-eyes-of-a-secret-believer-a-message-on-john-19/
• When does a Muslim become an MBB? A comparison of centered-set discipleship versus bounded-set discipleship with Muslims. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/10/01/when-does-a-muslim-become-an-mbb/
• The Qur’an Testifies that the Bible is the Word of God. A brief look at the self-defeating nature of Islam. The Qur’an validates the Bible as the Word of God while contradicting the Bible. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/10/04/the-quran-testifies-that-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/
• Christian Mass Movements in India. A downloadable PDF of J. Waksom Pickett’s 1933 book Christian Mass Movements in India. This book is a classic for those seeking historical information about the spread of the gospel in the subcontinent. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/10/06/christian-mass-movements-in-india-1933/
• Money: The Most Complicated Part of Missions. A personal and biblical reflection on the pains and difficulties of utilizing money in missions in South Asia. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/11/16/money-the-most-complicated-part-of-missions/
• Book Review. Ethnic Realities and the Church: Lessons from India. Donald McGavran’s old classic on the nature of the church in South Asia continues to provide insight into church formation and cross-cultural witness across South Asia. https://nocousinsleft.com/2020/12/15/book-review-ethnic-realities-and-the-church-by-donald-mcgavran/
• Covid Vaccines, Freedom, and Imitating Paul. When the Covid pandemic hit its peak, many missionaries struggled with the question of whether they should take the vaccine to maintain access among their people groups. Hear my reflections on the personal freedoms of missionaries here. https://nocousinsleft.com/2021/10/08/covid-vaccines-freedom-and-imitating-paul/
• The Seven Works of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is controversial in South Asia. Here is my basic teaching that I give on the Holy Spirit when those controversies arise. https://nocousinsleft.com/2022/02/03/the-seven-works-of-the-holy-spirit/