One significant conversation that we have had with missionaries from virtually every major missions orgainization is how to contextualize the gospel. This is a big topic but here is what some missionaries are doing... they are telling people the are 'Mslm' and thy are dressing like Mslms and going to the mosques and teaching about 'Isa' from the Qur'an. As interesting and problematic as this is many are going a step further and telling Mslms who want to convert not to become 'Christians' cause that word isnl't understood in the Mslm context but rather they should stay Mslm (for afterall Mslm just means submit to God) and rather just be 'followers' of Jesus (Isa). They tell these new followers to Jesus to say in the mosque stay Mslm otherwise the persecution will be to great?!?!? Does this sound biblical to you?? My question is what Jesus are they following??? Is it the Jesus as revealed in the bible or Isa in the Qur'an... they are two completely different characters.
We all agree that we need to help people understand the gospel in their own cultural understanding but in a Mslm worldview if you dress, act like, pray like, a Mslm then you are a Mslm! In Islm you can't seperate form from the religion, the form is the religion. Some would argue that its culture not religion and that we can Christianize the cultural things and disregard the religion but this is a very very slippery slope.
However, the goal of missions is to make disciples of Jesus not ambiguous followers. According to Matt. 28:19 Jesus defines making disciples as "Teaching them to obey everything I commanded". So what we at i2 tell missionaries is to lead them to the biblical Christ and walk with the new convert to go do ALL that Jesus commanded! You can't get but a few verses into the sermon on the mount and realize that being an "insider" or secret believer is not what Jesus is asking us to do! We if are to follow and obey the sermon on the mount then we are called to be a bold witness, a bright shinning light that is displaying for all to see, and to embrace persecution as a blessing. Now this is very very complicated in a Mslm context and we have to be willing to walk arm in arm with our former Mslm friends once they come to Christ but there is just no way they can confress the Shahada any more; no way they can say Muhmd is a prophet; no way they can still do the islmc prayers facing Mecca, and there is no way you can still read the Qur'an believing it to be an inspired book. These things must be repented of and renounced.
Now each person is unique and the way and time it takes each former Mslm to come out of the mosque, and out of these former beliefs will be unique but one thing is clear; as missionaries our job is to baptize believers and plant churches and the Lord's Supper needs to be central to the expression of worship just as it is for the global church.
I think the final piece to making former Mslm into mature disciples is teaching them to love and embrace Israel, for if they can't embrace Israel how are they to embrace the Jewish Messiah who will soon come and rule and reign from Jersuslem.