Open Doors, a ministry working with persecuted Christians around the globe, shared the following true story about a Muslim convert to Christ. Bagus (not his real name) came to know Jesus in 2014, and was baptized the following year. Bagus remembered well the reason he followed Christ: "It was because of my long, hard, and troubled life, Ma'am."

"So when you finally decided to follow him, your life wasn't troubled anymore?"
"Not anymore, Ma'am."
"What did you do for a living, then?"
"I was a trash picker."
"And what do you do now?"
"I'm still a trash picker."

But looking at the external circumstances of his life it would be easy to conclude that his life has not improved. The journalist asked him, "So, how did you feel after following Isa (Jesus)?"

"Very different. I felt happy and restful," he replied.

Bagus then quietly mentioned that he was a house church leader of 15 former Muslims in his village. The journalist also discovered that Bagus' life was far from untroubled as a follower of Christ. A villager had seen Bagus sharing the story of Jesus with a neighbor and reported him to the village authorities. The authorities dragged him and 15 others to a paddy field and threatened to kill them unless they returned to Islam. Bagus refused and remained firm in his new faith. While his life was spared, he is now forced to live apart from his wife and children, spending his days on the street. He now can only see them periodically.

"I never regretted my decision to follow Jesus," he said without a hint of doubt. "I'm following him wholeheartedly."