During one of the lunch breaks between classes, I spoke with one of the students named Murad, asking him what education means to him and to tell me his story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dIf it weren't for Jesus, I don't think I'd be alive today! And I never imagined I would one day attend theological school,\u201d says Murad with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dTo be able to study theology is like receiving a gift from God! I really like the teaching, which gives me a very clear and deep understanding of the Bible in our culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am a pastoral candidate in my church, and I have a desire to become a pastor. I use my theological education in my ministry when I preach in church. The education equips me for pastoral ministry, so I will be better able to build up people spiritually through sound and good biblical teaching and to better explain the scripture within our cultural context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dRegarding my life, I had a difficult childhood. I never knew my father, and my stepfather was an alcoholic and often violent. My mother also became dependent on alcohol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dAs a boy, I once overheard a conversation between my mother and stepfather, where my mother said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dI am ashamed of my life, and our relatives are ashamed of us, because we drink and do not go to the mosque. Is God a God who can forgive?\". <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWhen I was 15 years old, a tragic event occurred. My mother was nearly stabbed to death by my stepfather. He also tried to attack me, but I managed to escape and call for an ambulance and the police. When they arrived, he was dead \u2013 he had committed suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dMy mother survived, and three months later she was discharged from the hospital, but she could no longer work due to the severe stab wounds, and she started drinking again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dBefore the attack on my mother, she and my stepfather had taken out a loan for our apartment. But because my stepfather died and my mother couldn't work and continued to drink, our home was taken from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWhen our situation looked most hopeless, a convert Christian woman helped us, telling us about Jesus and that there was a Christian center for addicts that could help. This became our salvation!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWe moved into the center, and soon we grew fond of the place, which had a completely different atmosphere than what we were used to, with a care and acceptance we had never encountered before.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dA month later, my mother and I went to Jesus, and both of us experienced the touch of the Holy Spirit, but I did not experience a transformation in my life in the same way as my mother. I believe it was because I did not accept Jesus in the same sincere way as she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWe lived at the center for addicts for almost a year, and since then my mother has been free from alcohol addiction and attends a church. Today she has a great love for Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dWhen I was 18, I started living in the world and made friends who had a bad influence on me and were criminals, and after a few years, I ended up in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dFor three and a half years, I was in prison, far from my hometown. But towards the end of my sentence, I realized I needed God, but how could God possibly forgive me?.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dThen I remembered my mother's words when I was a boy: \u201dIs God a God who can forgive?'\". <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dAfter my release, I asked her, and she replied: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dYes, God can forgive you, my son. But I only got to experience God's grace and forgiveness when I accepted Jesus with all my heart, and you must do the same!\". <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dThen I took her to church, and there I gave my life to Jesus. Since then I've been going to church, and today I'm involved in the church's charity work for the socially vulnerable, and am also a leader in home groups, and am part of the church's leadership team, and a pastor aspirant in the church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dMy mother and I have truly experienced hope in Jesus. Jesus became our salvation, and I want to tell others about that hope,\u201d Murad smiles. <\/p>\n\n\n