I meet Erol in Izmir, Turkey and ask him how he became a Christian. "Because I was born in Turkey, I grew up as a Muslim," he says, sending me one of his many gentle glances. "However, my perception of Islam was a bit different from the majority," he continues. "My parents were very religious and I went to an Islamic school."
"In Turkey, we teach that the New Testament has been changed, so I didn't read it. I visited a church where I heard about Jesus being born of a virgin and rising from the dead. I laughed at this. I visited the church for 2-3 months before I stopped."
Erol searched for the truth, but gave up. Neither Islam nor Christianity meant anything to him. "My life became good. I was in a heavy metal band and played at concerts. I drank alcohol and had many girlfriends. I was studying at university. How could my life get better? I thought I was enjoying life. But I knew I was always alone. At university, I studied ancient languages. My teacher gave me the text from the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 1 to translate. That's when I realized that the Bible had not been changed as I had been told.
The girl in the church came with two others and they asked if they could pray for me. I said: I'm an atheist. They said: Because you are an atheist, we will ask God to show his presence to you.
After university, I came back to Izmir. Together with a friend, we heard the worship in a church in the city. He asked if we should go in. I said no, as I was an atheist. At the nearby bus stop, my bus didn't come even though it usually comes every 10 minutes. I started swearing. I don't know how, but I found myself in church a little later. A girl invited me to sit down. I saw people clapping, dancing and singing. I was surprised. I asked: What are all these crazy people doing in the same place?
The girl came with two others and they asked if they could pray for me. I said: I am an atheist. They said: Because you are an atheist we will ask God to show his presence to you. I thought they were crazy. They prayed: Jesus came, God revealed you. And then something interesting happened. I felt a fire go through me. I got really scared and left the church. They said: Come back on Sunday. On that day I was supposed to meet my friends, but they had something else to do. I was bored and thought: Let me go to church.
I came early to the service, sat down in a proud way because I was an atheist and knew the truth. The others in the church talked to each other and gave hugs, says Erol with a wry smile.
I was a prodigal son
The worship ended and the sermon began. The topic was the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke chapter 15. During the sermon, I again felt the fire I had felt on Friday. It was then that I realized that I had sinned and that Jesus had come into the world to sacrifice himself for me and forgive me of my sins.
I went up to the preacher and accepted the message of salvation. I'm still here four years later. Later I found out that the prodigal son was not supposed to be preached that Sunday. But God had spoken to the preacher to talk about the prodigal son, and I, a prodigal son, was on my way to church that Sunday."
Danish European Mission donors ensure that Turkish Christians like Erol can receive leadership training. At a time when many foreign missionaries are being expelled from Turkey, it is crucial that local Turks are trained to be leaders in the church.
What does leadership training mean to you?
Erol feels a calling to be a Bible teacher, inspired by Ezra from the Bible. "Ezra taught the law to many people. A calling doesn't unfold immediately. I'm still learning. Through teaching at church, I've had the opportunity to share what I've learned with others.
The school is a perfect fit for my vocation as I could start teaching. I'm learning a lot about being a teacher, not only online during COVID-19, but also physically here in the church. Each teacher is given three students to care for.
There are few Christians who know the Bible well, but even fewer who want to be Bible teachers. Some pastors haven't even been to Bible school. Many don't have a basic and solid understanding of the Bible. Their relationship with God may be weak, and therefore the church becomes weak. If the church is weak, how can the church become strong? Going deep in God's Word is the same as going deep with God," Erol concludes thoughtfully.
