This guide is meant for those Muslim brothers and sisters who put their faith in Jesus and want to accept Him as their personal Savior. For all who believe in Jesus, it is a must to confirm their faith through the ritual of baptism. However, it may be extremely difficult for them in many Islamic countries to declare their faith in Jesus or receive baptism. This is because accepting Jesus invariably involves renouncing the Islamic faith. And, as it is, in Islamic nations, renouncing Islam and accepting Christianity is a crime that is subject to capital punishment.
The best way for such
Muslim believers is not to make their Christian faith public. If they happen to
find a minister from any church that they know about in order to get baptized,
it is good. But if they don’t know where to find help for the stated purpose,
or if it involves risk to their life, let me assure them not to be disappointed
at all. They can baptize themselves in their room without anybody knowing about
it. They may keep it secret even from their family members; since in many cases
the new believers are known to have been killed by their own family members.
This situation can be avoided by joining commonsense and practicality to faith.
But, before we proceed to discuss how a new believer with Islamic background
can baptize himself/herself in the guarded space of their private chamber or
room, it is necessary that he/she fulfill the following conditions that he/she
is required to. These are the conditions…
1.
They believe that the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob is the only true God and there is none other besides Him
2.
The only way to relate to this God is
through Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way that leads to Him. This is
because Jesus is the Son of God and He alone knows God the Father. It is in His
hand to make known God the Father to all who want to know Him
3.
The relation to God is made possible
through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. A person needs to know and
acknowledge the fact that Jesus died on the cross for him/her - for the sins
he/she committed. He not only carried away the sins of the mankind but also the
curse, diseases and death that were brought about by sin. Jesus’ coming back to
life three days after His burial is the hope all believers in Jesus have that
they also will come back to life mind, body and spirit on a day appointed for
it. And, just as Jesus is with God the Father, they also will be with Him one
day. It is one of the promises of Jesus that He has gone to the Father in order
to make a place for the believers, and when it is ready, He will return to take
them from the earth to be where He is
Fulfillment of these
conditions constitutes what is called the Christian faith. If a believer has
it, the next step is to receive baptism. Baptism is a must. It initiates a
believer into the spiritual order.
This brings us to the
question regarding how to receive baptism in a place where renouncing Islam is
a crime punishable by death. As already stated, one need not make it public at
all. At the same time, he/she also needs considerable tactfulness to avoid all forms
of Islamic religious practices. For instance,
1. He/she
may pretend to do namaz but in actuality worship the God of the Bible or
2. If
you are caught in a situation where you are given to eat the sacrificial meat
during Eid al-Adha. You may secretively ask grace on the food that is served
before you as is the custom among the Christian. But it is good if you excuse
yourself from participating in such rituals. If you stay separately from your
family, it becomes easier for you to excuse yourself from such festivities that
mark Islamic holy days. It certainly doesn’t mean breaking ties with your
family
3. As
for burial, it doesn’t mean a thing if a ‘secret’ believer dies and is buried
according to the Islamic custom as long as he/she lives and dies with Christian
faith
Now is the time to instruct
you about how you can baptize yourself. Please note that there are three ways
in which baptism can be taken:
1. Take
a dip in a water tank or pond or stream of water or river. I very much
recommend that you take a dip in a body of water. Please find out a safe place for
the purpose. By safe I mean a body of water is not deeper than waist. Even if
you are a good swimmer, please don’t take risk
2. Sprinkle
water on your head or
3. Pour
water on your head
The last two ways of using
water are quite handy if you choose to baptize yourself in your room. But,
please remember that baptism is not about getting wet or taking a dip in water.
It is a religious ceremony and it has a specific order or way in which it can
be done.
Here is the exact order in
which you should conduct this ceremony:
1. Be
dressed in white
2. Keep
water in a new glass that is to be used only once and never again. Don’t use a
glass that is used before. You may use bath tub if you have one. It gives you
the advantage of submerging your body in the water. If you use it, you conduct
the ritual where it is. But if you choose to baptize yourself in the shallow
part of a pond or stream or river, then the ritual will take place in the open
air right where it is
3. Before
you sprinkle or pour water on your head, or you dip yourself in water, offer
this prayer to God:
O
Lord God, here I come before You with the purpose of beginning my life anew in
the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Lord God, please remove my old self
and mold me into the image of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Embody faith,
hope and love in me through baptism. In Jesus I baptize myself…
4. Here, you sprinkle or pour water on your head or take a dip in the water.
Your baptism is complete!
Congratulations!
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