After studying with us every week over several months, three local friends were recently baptized.
One is a young man named Kamal. Last summer, Kamal met some believers who were on a short-term trip. They shared the Gospel with him and, before they left, introduced Kamal to us. Since then, he’s been attending a weekly Bible study my wife, Joanie, and I started with fellow missionaries from Latin America.
Two others from the weekly Bible study, Mahmoud and his wife, Reema, were also baptized with Kamal.
Even though the weather had been cold, we decided to meet at the beach for the baptisms. None of them knew what to expect; they’d never seen someone be baptized. They’d never even heard of baptism before they started studying the Gospels with us some months ago.
Even so, Kamal, Mahmoud, and Reema stood on the cold sandy beach with joy filling their faces. They took turns confessing their faith in Jesus Christ and affirming their decision to follow Him. We waded into the cold sea. I baptized Kamal, who then baptized Mahmoud. Next was Reema’s turn. Mahmoud baptized her, then gave her a big hug. They were both beaming with joy.
Afterward, a woman approached our group as we dried off and wrapped ourselves in heavy blankets. She’d been sitting nearby, watching us.
“What were you all doing in the sea?” she asked. Joanie explained baptism to her, then Reema told her about her faith in Jesus Christ. The woman listened, and then she started sharing about some recent heartaches in her life. As we left the beach, Joanie invited her to join us all in our home for cake and tea. As we warmed up inside, our guest told us more about her life and listened as we shared about Jesus and His sweet gift of eternal life.
A week later, Joanie and I hosted a celebration for our newly baptized friends. We invited four other Muslim-background believers, as well as the woman we’d met on the beach and another young Muslim man who is seeking the truth of the Gospel.
The atmosphere of this celebration was full of sweet joy. Over tea and cookies, believers and not-yet-believers shared with ease about the wonderful things God is doing in each of their lives.
We praise God for how He is growing His church in this community. And we pray that more and more men and women will see the lives of Muslim-background believers—and discover what it looks like to follow Jesus Christ inside their own people.
- Thank God that Muslims are encountering the Word of God in Bible studies with Frontiers workers.
- Pray for protection over Kamal, Mahmoud, and Reema as they grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in their Muslim community.
- Ask the Lord to draw family members of new believers to the hope of the Gospel.
- Pray that many will see joy in the lives of Muslim-background believers—and be drawn to discover the source of joy in Christ.
**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**
Main photo by Tom Simpson
Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/sweet-joy-baptism