author
This is the testimony of Edip*, a young man from Türkiye.
My mother is a Muslim, my father is an Atheist. They aren’t together anymore. I grew up mostly with my mother and she was careful to teach us about Islam. I learnt to read the Qur'an from a young age.
As a child, Jesus appeared to me in a dream. At that time, I understood Him just as Muslims do, as a prophet of God. But it created this curiosity in me.
Some years later, as a teenager, I decided to read the Incil (the New Testament). I bought a copy from a bookstore and began to read it secretly in the early mornings when my mother was sleeping. I started learning about Jesus and came to love Him. I wanted to follow Him.
But one day, my mother caught me. She became angry, told me that I was no longer her son, and kicked me out of the house. So I went to my father, and he took me in. But when he heard I’d been reading the New Testament, he immediately started arguing how foolish religion was, doing his best to convince me to be an Atheist.
His insistence wore me down. I stopped reading the Bible. But over time, I came to feel an emptiness in my heart. I felt Jesus calling me. I ordered a free Incil online (I’d left the first one at my mother’s house) and started reading. I found a church and started going regularly. One evening, in prayer, I gave my life completely to Jesus. I felt a wind rush through the house. I knew God was with me. This time, I don’t want to ever look back.
For me, following Jesus is about internal transformation and true joy. Where Islam commands rules about external appearances, the Holy Spirit helps me to treat all people with genuine love and self-control. Islam promises an afterlife with worldly pleasures, but Jesus promises us pure joy in the Lord.
One of my two brothers has now also come to faith, and my father comes with us to church occasionally. We are praying for my mother and other brother.
Praise God for the powerful ways He is drawing young people to Himself. Pray that they would partner with the Lord to lead their families and friends to faith as well.
*name changed
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