Last Sunday, I had the privilege of baptizing two Iranian siblings–one eight months old, the other six years old. This was a particularly joyful occasion because, while the father has been a Christian for years, the mother is still Muslim but told me only a few weeks ago that she too wishes to be baptized. Immediately after the church service, we had our Bible study. After discussing the Gospel lesson, I asked them whether they had any questions. One lady asked, “You just baptized two children and they received the Holy Spirit.” “Indeed!” “What would happen if these children grew up and decided to walk away from Christianity and turn to another religion? Would you have to kill them? That’s what Islam requires, if someone converts …” A pained expression appeared on the faces of the parents. “What do *you* think?” I asked the group with a smile. The father responded, “Of course not. Islam is a hateful religion. But Christianity is based on the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.” “Exactly,” I added. “Sadly, it *is* relatively common for young people who grew up Christian to stray later on. While they may not necessarily switch to a different religion, they sometimes become ‘nothing.’ What we as parents and grandparents do, is to keep praying that the Holy Spirit would someday guide those kids back. Sometimes they return when they themselves become parents. They want to spare their own children from the emptiness and confusion they experienced as young adults—when they had quit reading their Bible every day and going to church every week. In fact, one of the most beautiful parables of Jesus deals with a similar situation. It’s the Prodigal Son and you can find it in Luke 15…” After a moment of silence, the lady with the question replied, “I love that parable. The father welcomes the repentant son home…I’m so glad, that after being lost in Islam, I came home to Jesus.”
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