Ali’s Story
I was born in Tehran, Iran, around the time of the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s.
My parents were teachers and quite religious.
When I was fifteen years old, I entered the world of Islam, and for several years I participated in all the religious duties. Since all communication with God was in Arabic (not Farsi, my language), after a while I was discouraged and did not continue any further. I always loved God and believed God exists and helps me.
After high school I entered university and started studying in the field of engineering. After a while I became tired and hopeless living in Iran. Because my grades were good at the university, I did not have to participate in military service—so I left Iran to continue my education in Canada. I was hoping for a better life by obtaining my doctorate degree and living in a better environment.
Despite reaching all of my goals by completing the degree, finding a well-paid job, and becoming a Canadian citizen, there was still a void inside me. I felt there was something lost within me and I had not found it yet.
“Despite reaching all of my goals, there was still a void inside me.”
During that time I was concerned about my relationship with God and my actions affected my relationship with Him. If I did something good, I felt God liked me; but whenever I did something wrong, I felt at a distance from Him. All these ups and downs in my relationship with God made me very upset and concerned.
Life After Death
Islam, like many other religions does not have a solid answer for life after death. Whether a person goes to Heaven after death or not, depends on his or her deeds—which becomes clear only after death. This was a big concern for me because I had sinned many times and I felt that I would never go to Heaven based on the few good things I had done. At that time, from the bottom of my heart I asked God to rescue me from the situation I was facing.
One day one of my non-Iranian friends invited me to a Christian Bible Study where they studied the Word and had fellowship. I had no interest in becoming a Christian so I told my friend I would attend for a little while and then leave.
At the gathering I made new friends including the guest speaker whose appearance seemed quite strange. I had judged him according to his appearance and I could not believe he could be a man of God! When the meeting started, despite his strange appearance, the guest speaker spoke with so much passion and power that he drew me closer to listen to the Scriptures he was quoting from the Bible.
The speaker spoke of Joseph’s story. I never knew Joseph’s story had such a deep and beautiful meaning. He compared the life of Joseph with Jesus. He said God kept His promise with Joseph and all the suffering and struggles that Joseph endured was a benefit to him in the end. Just like Christ redeems us from our sins, God rescued the world of famine through Joseph.
“The Lord saved me and I became His ambassador.”
That night I also witnessed prayer and worship. They had a special joy during their worship. I was surprised why I did not have such passion, interest, and knowledge of God.
My journey with Christ started that night. I had met the Lord that night. Within a month I came to know the Word of God and accepted Jesus as my God and Savior. I received water baptism and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. There was a deep excitement within me, and I felt very light because the Lord had cleansed all my sins. The Lord had indeed heard my cry and He chose me according to His amazing grace. The Lord worked much within a short time in my life and I grew in Him.
After three years He sent me back to the Middle East where I have been living for the past ten years. I serve Him and I share the Gospel with those He puts on my path. Indeed the Lord saved me and I became His ambassador. He changed my heart and my mind and now my life has purpose. By coming to know the Lord my life has become more beautiful, but not easier. Nevertheless, all challenges in life help us become more Christlike, which produces spiritual fruit in our lives.
God’s love is eternal.
At the end of our lives we will meet the God who has met us in this world and we know Him personally. My brother or sister, the Word of God says now is the time of your salvation! Draw near to Him and offer your life to Him. God is the Potter and we are the clay. Allow Him to mold you into a vessel of gold and silver for His great work and purpose.
Amen!
Conclusion and Salvation Prayer
This story reveals God’s unconditional, eternal love for all of His children. God is love—the essential life-giving ingredient that is missing in all other religions, including Islam. This woman who shared her testimony with you was yearning to be loved and cherished, deep down where only Jesus can touch and heal. The void in her life was exposed by God’s great compassion, revealing the death and dank of her own religious traditions and rituals.
Hearts, Minds, and Spirits Awakened
Miracles and visions stirred her heart, pricked her mind, and awakened her spirit. Whether a supernatural healing or a divine visitation from Jesus Himself, this Muslim experienced the One True God who is alive and ready and willing to offer peace, joy, and freedom.
Contrary to the deeds-demanding god this woman bowed to, she came to personally and intimately know the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for her sin. She experienced an up-close-and-personal God whose forgiveness is eternal and saw the God of action—Love in action who heals sickness, addiction, bondage, and torment because He loves them.
God’s Supernatural Love
God’s love is far beyond any kind of human love we can ever even imagine:
God loved you before you were even born.
God loved you before you loved Him.
God loved you when you ignored Him.
God loved you when you were sinning and rebelling.
God even loved you before you believed in Him or even knew He was real.
Romans 5:8 tells us that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Truly, this is a supernatural love. When you experience God’s transforming love, you will lose interest in the sins that used to appeal to you. There is nothing like the love of God to change a sad and lonely life into one of joy and peace and hope.
The greatest demonstration of love is when Jesus left the glory of Heaven to come to earth and die for you on the Cross. That day He reconciled you with God, assuring an eternal bond and loving relationship with God the Father. You are more precious to Him than any riches.
God wants to have an intimate relationship with you today! This was His original desire from the beginning. Scripture tells us that God actually walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, they disobeyed God which caused a curse that has impacted the whole of history, even to this very day.
Since then the world has been corrupted by famine, natural disasters, disease, crime, and war. Sin causes people to pursue worldly success, money, power, selfish satisfaction, unbridled sex, gambling, and other such evils that leave people empty, lonely, and hopeless.
There is a hole in the center of every human being that people try and fill with everything other than God. But the truth is, only God Himself can fill that hole. Sin separates us from God, which leads to spiritual and physical death. Jesus the Savior connects us to God and leads to fulfillment, righteousness, and eternal life.
The Divine Solution
The Bible prophets and their prophecies point to the Messiah who would come and deliver people from their sins. Every one of the 300 prophecies given about the coming Savior was fulfilled in Jesus. He restored a right relationship between humanity and God that was lost in the Garden of Eden.
There is nothing you can do to make yourself right before our Holy and Almighty God. Jesus Christ did it for you. Acts of religion and good works will not bridge the divide between you and God. The bridge is Jesus’ selfless act of compassion on the Cross where He took your sin upon Himself.
Your Choice
Your encounter with God begins with a choice:
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life… (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT).
Choosing life—Jesus—is the most important decision you will ever make. The men and women whose testimonies you read about chose life and blessings. If you have not already made the choice to be a follower of Jesus, God’s beloved Son, I encourage you to say the following prayer out loud:
Dear heavenly Father, You are the Most High God, and I come to You in the name of Jesus. I thank You for sending Jesus to the earth as the Word of God who became flesh.
Father, I receive Your love and gift of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus, I believe You died on the Cross and shed Your blood for my sins and the sins of the whole world. Because of Your sacrifice, You remember my sins no more and I have right standing before You. I believe You were raised from the dead on the third day.
Now Jesus, come into my heart. Take away my stony heart and give me a new heart that I may love the Father even as You do. And Lord, help me to know You and experience Your love in the way I have read about in these stories.
Thank You, Jesus.