One80: Testimonies of Transformation
Be inspired by stories of Christian transformation from around the world--and next door! Hear miraculous coming-to-Jesus stories from all walks of life and be amazed at how God writes a story in all of us. One80 is a production of OneWay Ministries.
One80: Testimonies of Transformation
Encoure: Burning for Jesus, Part 2, Mahmoud A. (Iran)
In this powerful testimony, a former Muslim revolutionary guard named Mahmoud shares how he entered a church intending to burn it down but instead encountered Jesus in a life-changing way. His remarkable journey from Islamic zealot to follower of Christ demonstrates the transformative power of experiencing God as Father.
• Mahmoud was a respected revolutionary guard and "living martyr" who initially wanted to prove the Bible hadn't changed him
• Inside the church, he experienced an overwhelming desire to call God "Father" and felt God's presence holding him
• After conversion, the Holy Spirit prompted him to apologize to his sister – something culturally unthinkable that demonstrated his new heart
• Imprisoned for his faith for nearly two years, he endured severe torture but experienced Christ's presence throughout his suffering
• Just days before his scheduled execution, international pressure led to his release
• After escaping to England, he founded "Father's Heart" ministry, serving in conflict zones and with refugees
• His life mission is helping Muslims discover they "are not orphans" but have a Father in God
• He now advises European parliaments about Middle Eastern issues despite being "just a mechanic"
Join us in praying for the Persian-speaking world, that many would encounter Jesus through dreams, visions, and the witness of believers.
Helpful Links:
Church in Iran is growing!
https://www.24-7prayer.com/unprecedented-growth-of-the-church-in-iran/
OneWay Love Muslims Testimonies
https://prayercast.com/testimonies-landing.html
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This is my city. Who gives a right to a Christian to have a church in my city? I'm going to burn that church down.
Aravelle Boone:Thanks for coming back to Burning for Jesus, part 2. This is Erev Elboon. With a newfound zeal for Islam, mahmoud goes into a church to burn it down, but see what happens next, as his life is completely transformed right inside the doors.
Mahmoud A.:And you have to realize. You know it was quite important what I was doing Army and, as I told you, it was a living martyr. If I burned the church, nobody would say anything to me. In fact they would encourage me and say thank you. But in reality I wanted to prove to Allah I'm still a good Muslim. Most important, I want to prove to myself this Bible hasn't changed me. I'm a good Muslim.
Mahmoud A.:And he told me 9 o'clock is a meeting. And when I say church, it's not a church like what you have in West. It was somebody's basement, very simple and a few chairs and a small cross on the wall and nothing special. And that morning I put my military clothes, revolutionary Guard clothes, I had a long beard and I went early to the church. I said I go earlier just in case, because if the people are there they won't let me destroy it, but if I go earlier, then nobody there. And I waited. Then this lady cleaner went to clean the church and I followed her to burn the church down and I put one foot inside the church.
Mahmoud A.:I didn't know what it is that time, but something came over me. I wanted to be able to call him a father. Nothing else was important, not my family, not my religion, not heaven, not hell. I think. I just wanted to call him a father and I read the Bible enough. I knew it. I'm not allowed to. I just went down on my knee and asked God for Jesus, for forgiveness, and for the first time in my life I called him a father. The first time I could feel him holding me, I could feel his warmth of his heart and I could feel his clear my tears. For the first time I tested his fatherhood. And that's where the journey started. And after a couple of hours, this same guy insulted I didn't realize he's a pastor. He knocked on my shoulder. He said come, I'll tell you about Jesus. I said I met him and, as I told you, I ran home and I was smiling. That's the start of my journey.
Mahmoud A.:Some of the Christians, some of the churches, they don't realize who they're calling a father. They take it for granted. They don't appreciate it. It's very difficult for you guys to understand. But if you're scared all your life and you want to please the master, and suddenly you realize you're free, not just free, you become a son, please the master, and suddenly you realize you're free Not just free. You become a son of the king. You don't think too much, just cry. And you know I cannot explain it. I know it. I'm not an orphan anymore.
Aravelle Boone:So awesome Mahmoud receives Jesus. But like with many former Muslim testimonies, the true test comes after coming to faith.
Mahmoud A.:Learn what happens next man, then I don't want to tell you. It might feel a bit silly for you Westerners to understand it, or difficult, but we are six brothers and sisters. I'm the oldest one and one after me is my sister and I used to beat her up as far as I remember, for any reason, and one day we're having this is after four or five months of my fate. We're having a dinner and I heard the voice apologize to your sister and I didn't take a notice. Then again I heard it apologize to your sister. I went out in the garden. This doesn't happen. In my culture. We don't apologize to women. You know, I'm an old man, I'm a religious man, I'm a living martyr, I'm in the military. I don't apologize to women. It's not our culture.
Mahmoud A.:I went in the garden, I started crying. I'm not touching her again, but don't ask me to go and apologize, it's bad. Go and apologize. I went in the room. I waited when everybody left the room. I went to my sister, I said I'm sorry and I ran away back to the garden and the room. I went to my sister, I said I'm sorry and I ran away back to the garden and I had them so clear. You know it's strange God, when he wants something he doesn't want to pay it, he wants a whole lot. I know it is from God. I went back in front of everybody, all family. I said please forgive me, all my family joy just dropped Above all. I was shocked Because nothing could make me to do that. No education, no money. I mean the worst thing. The problem in Middle East is education, sending money. Modernization is not in our heart to be changed. That day I understood the meaning of the new creation. He made me the new person and I told all of them because of Jesus. That day I understood what the meaning of being a Christian, what the meaning of new life. And I told my family and from that day I started shouting and telling everybody. I stopped doing a prayer meeting. I went to the army. I told them, I went to the mosque. Jesus can save, jesus can change the people. He changed me. You know. You know what I did. Might be silly for you, but that was the biggest miracle in my life.
Mahmoud A.:One first few months they told I'm crazy, I'm lost, because I told you I was injured in the war. And then PTSD. They told I lost my mind. My family basically got crazy, but outside in the mosque and military, because respect of my grandfather and respect of my living martyr. Again, they said he's crazy and they tolerated me for a few months. And what I was telling the people? It made sense because they know me, they know that I'm not an emotional person. What I'm saying, then, is a true experience with Jesus, and that's where I end up being arrested and end up in a jail, in prison for over two years. They called me.
Mahmoud A.:Then I come to the special court and one day it was one of these Muslim priests as a judge and he said to me hey, we heard you wanted to become a pastor. I smiled, I said no, then I need to study. I thought he's asking a serious question and he just stood up and he gave him a big slap and he said well, if it wasn't because of your grandfather, I would kill you right now, and well, take him away. Then they took me downstairs and put me in a jail like a three-foot by four, five-foot, and I spent the next 19 months in there. I was tortured, beaten up Good time.
Mahmoud A.:I mean it was a shock for them because before me I was the first Muslim background, christian went to prison in Iran and then it was for them difficult to understand because I was from a very good Muslim family. I studied Islam, I teach Islam and I could have a very good place in society and then I could make a lot of money in the future for myself. That's why, when I talk to my people, I used to teach about Koran. When I tell them about Jesus, they would listen. They know that I don't have anything to gain personally or financially to become a Christian. They would listen and that would make them more angry because they were worried that the people, or at least some of my, state that they would follow.
Aravelle Boone:What happens to Mahmoud's faith while he's imprisoned?
Mahmoud A.:If they told me what I would go through before I come to the Lord, probably I wouldn't become a Christian. But God, I would say God, prepare us long before the suffering. He will prepare us for that, not before trial, he will prepare us for that. I tested Jesus personally. It was not because somebody asked me, I saw it and they put me in prison. It was a rough time. More or less they broke every bone in my body. More or less they broke everyone in my body, more or less.
Mahmoud A.:I didn't spend the time in a jail with no lights, no windows. As I said, you couldn't lay down because it was too small. They would not let you sleep. They would come and pour water every two, three hours. And then one occasion they came and they took me to the yard with other two people. They closed our eyes and they said they condemned you dead and they brought a fire in the squad and they started shooting. They killed the other two and they opened my eyes and laughing. They put me back in the jail and then I've been in a coffin. They put me in a laughing. They put me back in the jail and then I've been in a coffin. They put me in a coffin and they took me through some I don't know it was a factory or somewhere, you know with a lot of noise, and they took me to this quiet place and left me in the silence for two days, I think it was, or two days I was there, I don't know how long exactly. Basically it was bad, but one day, when they broke my ribs, I was in so much pain I screamed. I shouted Father Wario, I want him to do something. I want him to just like destroy the prison and bring down the whole lot or kill all of these guards. Do something. And I heard them. I'm here and I take the pain away, then open the door, but I'm here and anyway, every step I get, it goes through his face before he hit me and that was the only thing that kept me going, because he was there, he was with me. Regardless of the pain or anything else, he's suffering the same as I was Now.
Mahmoud A.:I was a very weak man. I argued with him so many times. You know I love my mom, I love my family. You know I didn't want to lose him, I didn't want to die, and I argued with Jesus and he put me to the point. I actually asked him why do I have to know you? I had the world respect, the money was in my own Jaguar. I was a young man. Then I had my own house, two houses, everything respecting the family, army, then a good place. Why do I have to meet you? Why do you open minds? I had an argument with him.
Mahmoud A.:And if anybody says he's been in faith for so long and he doesn't have those arguments, I just challenge them. Comes a point you ask me where are you? I think it's natural to ask that question, actually it's healthy to ask that question. But I promise you you hear it or not, the answer will be the same I'm here. I'm here. I love Psalms 18. I recommend every of you guys listening to this read Psalms 18. And nearly two years, after two years, they condemned me to death. They passed a death sentence and they gave me two weeks before my execution date. They gave me a date Just after a couple of days, which they announced it to my family, my uncle came to prison which, as I said, he was also a Muslim priest. They called me to the judge's office. My uncle came and he opened this briefcase full of the money. I said, yes, he's probably tried to bribe a judge to get me out.
Mahmoud A.:But my uncle turned back to the judge and he said, yes, he's probably trying to bribe a judge to get me out. But Michael turned back to the judge and he said you know, we give you all of this money. You allow us to kill him ourselves Because he brought a shame to my family. That was the attitude of my family and at that time my father came to visit me and my father was, as I say, was different. He was a Sufism. He came straight to me and my father was, as I say, was different. It was a Sufi. So he came straight to me. Look at my face. He said do you truly believe in him? I said yes, I do, ready to die for him. I said yeah. I said okay, don't let anybody break you. Turned back, cried and went. He. Then he went straight. I mean, they know that I'm Christian, but they didn't know anything where I go. Then we church. I go because that's what the government wanted to know during these two, three, two years. He went to the first things he saw as a Christian church. He goes to him and said why you don't do anything? They're going to kill my son. They sent my father to my church and he find that our pastor. He told them Because the church tried to cut any contact because they were worried. The government attacked the church and anyway my church has started commuting with America and England and I was in the first page in a lot of important newspapers and magazines in the West. Then God raised the queen of England, her cousin. She got involved and they put a pressure in Iran and just two days before my execution I mean my execution was supposed to be on Thursday On Tuesday four o'clock in the morning they came, which is the time usually for persecution, and they called my name and they said well, you're free, and that's the same word we use for free for shooting and then I said no, my time is. Two days later they said, no, you're free, and they let me out. And two, three days later they tried to kill me in my home, which after that become a practice of Iranian government. They take you in and they ask a question If you don't change your mind, they let you go and they kill you in the street and they say we don't know, that become a practice. When I came out, they sent the people to kill me.
Mahmoud A.:After I came out of prison and before I go to prison, I was engaged to my wife and when I came out the pastor said to my wife you still want to get married. You don't know what's happening. And I asked the same question. He said yes, in hiding they married us, but the government was looking after them to try to find me.
Mahmoud A.:They put my father and my brother in prison to find out where I am and there was a lot of pressure and the church felt it would eventually end up getting the church in trouble and they said okay, you better get out. That's why they helped me illegally through the mountain and ended up in England. And the last 37 years I'm outside, I go around and I talk about my father, especially with my Muslim brother and sister. They need to know we are not an orphan, we have a father to know In the West. I try to tell them you should know your father, you should know who you're calling a father. That's been my mission and I try to be in places which other ministries where there's no Christian there or no church in there. It's not been reached.
Aravelle Boone:Next you'll see Mahmoud's faith in action as he starts a ministry called Father's Heart. Check them out in our show notes.
Mahmoud A.:From that. I'm a knee in the church. Even the churches we have, we don't call it church, we call it Father's house. I think we have to go to basic, because Jesus came to show us a Father. We know long before Jesus. We know about God, one God, and after that, all the religion they talk about, but Jesus came to show the Father and I think that's the biggest thing that's happening. We're missing a fatherhood of God and that's why we have so much problem in our country in the Muslim faith. You know, as I said, we die, we kill ourselves. Man, can you imagine? You know, put a bomb on yourself and go and kill yourself, and so many people Maybe, and you say that you know what's a treasure we have in Jesus. We don't need to do that. We call him a father and he did everything, he paid for everything.
Mahmoud A.:I work in Syria and Iran and Yemen, turkey, somalia, the places, if you look at it, they're mainly in trouble with the war and Al-Shabaab, taliban and all of those things, because I believe the only way this country can get peace, as I said, it's not education, it's not putting your money in it or anything like that, it's to know the Jesus and the only way to get the peace in those countries is to know our God Father and we have a mission with refugees coming from those countries to Europe. We try to help with the refugees situation. They're coming from the Middle East to Europe. That's why we start full-time ministry in Italy and in Greece we have a center. We're helping refugees with the food, clothes, everything they have to do, but the main goal is preaching the gospel. Also in Italy now we have churches working with them. You know we have so many places in this crazy area and God opened so many doors.
Mahmoud A.:I'm a mechanic. I've never opened so many doors. I'm a mechanic. I've never been to seminary. I've never been to university. I just went to England and started working to provide for my family. I'm not qualified to do any of the things that God done, but God opened the door to all of these countries and amazing work happened and God put people in contact with me. You know important people, prime ministers and I go to European Union Parliament and I speak twice a year. You know, tell them about what's happening in Syria and my advisor to Parliament in England.
Mahmoud A.:I'm a mechanic man. I don't even know I'm a most disqualified person to do what I'm doing, but God does not share his glory with anybody and I think that's one of the reasons he chose me, because he said, yeah, he cannot be. He is a mechanic man, he doesn't know much. Must be God behind it.
Mahmoud A.:You know, when in Revelation 5 we talk about Jesus and he will confess in front of the Father, confess us. And at that wonderful feast, from every nation and every tribe, when all the trumpet goes up and all the nations, africans doing worship, iranians dance, all the beautiful music is going on to worship the Father, the Father comes in with Jesus on his right-hand side. Jesus comes and says this is Mahmoud. That's the most important thing. That's more important than any recitalization in this world. One thing I learned the man who will take you up so high suddenly just drop you. When God take you up, he's a faithful God. He never, ever let you go and I put all my hope and all my trust and everything on him. I want him to lift me up.
Mahmoud A.:In fact, when I wanted to come to full-time ministry, god talked to me very, very clear to leave everything, because that time I was in Spain. I was serving in a church. I started church in Spain, going on a weekend to Morocco preaching the gospel in Morocco. I had a restaurant, I had a few houses, I had a quite comfortable life. I was doing everything as a Christian is supposed to do. I went out on my anniversary of the faith and I just asked God, god, is that what you planned for me? And I said God, tell me what you want me to do. And that's a very dangerous question to ask. God, tell me what you want me to do. And God told me get out of the boat. I told him what to do. I went and told my wife I know God told me six months ago, but I'm waiting for him to tell me.
Aravelle Boone:Mahmoud looks back and reflects on his skewed view of Christianity and describes how he sees God now.
Mahmoud A.:Well, the thing is, I truly wanted to prove that Christianity is not right to convert these people to Islam. But one thing was important for me, as I said, and I wanted to serve God. God was more important than the Christianity and the religion. You know what I'm saying and that's the difficulty for a lot of people, Regardless, you know, you're Catholic, you're Orthodox, you're a Muslim, you're a Buddhism, it's the same thing, you know. Or even so-called Christian by name, it comes to the point that religion will become more important than God. For me, it wasn't that I wanted to serve a God, I wanted to know the God and it was more spiritual not a logic more spiritual than the quest to know the gospel. That's why I don't think I would ever be finding what I was looking for to convince myself Jesus is wrong.
Mahmoud A.:Thank you for the time you give me and, as I said, I hope this interview caused some of you guys, listeners and readers, to realize what they have in Jesus. Then it makes us more or less Christian. Then we kind of stand up with the joy and going forward and tell everybody you know, don't think because you're not coming from Muslim background, you're not a slave. I was a slave of the Islam. You might be a slave of the money gambling life it was just a normal life. Jesus can free you. Life it was just a normal life.
Aravelle Boone:Jesus can free you. Thanks for listening today. Share today's 180 with your people. We want everyone praying and to end the show, we will feature One Way and I am from Iran.
Speaker 3:I used to be a Muslim and I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Please pray with me for the Persian speaking world. We pray, father God, for the countries of Azerbaijan, tajikistan, iran, afghanistan to have a true knowledge of who Jesus Christ was and is still today. Father God, we pray that you would bring dreams and visions to these people. We pray for salvation to sweep through these countries. We pray for the veil of deception to be removed from their eyes and hearts and ears so they can truly see you, jesus. We pray, father God, that as they're praying during namaz, as they're praying to Allah, that you, jesus Christ, would come, reveal yourself to them through your word, through dreams, through visions. Reveal yourself to them through your word, through dreams, through visions, as they are seeking and not finding the peace, would you, prince of Peace, go to them and bring peace to their hearts and save their souls. Father God, we pray that the right people that are ready to hear the gospel would come across the paths of the believers and that many would, in turn, come to Jesus Christ. We pray that the tools and resources that are already in these languages, that you would bless and multiply the efforts of the people of the missionaries and the ministries who are already there. God, like satellite TV. We pray that at the right time, people would turn on the TV during Christian programming and they would hear exactly what they need to hear to come to know the truth that will set them free.
Speaker 3:We pray that you would break the strongholds of addiction in these countries that are gone up so much and that you, father God, would set them free with the truth and knowledge that comes through Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3:That you would break every bond of addiction. That you, father God, would set them free with the truth and knowledge that comes through Jesus Christ. That you would break every bond of addiction. That you would help the teenagers and the young women who are finding it so hard to support themselves and who are turning to prostitution. God, would you provide for these teenagers and these women who are finding themselves so desperate, god, and who are turning to these things, and would you save them? In Jesus' name, we thank you, god, for what you're going to do in this entire region. Lord, we pray that these people would sense your love, your peace and freedom that comes only through Jesus Christ. We know you have a plan and we trust you, god, and we ask you, holy Spirit, to continue to pour out your spirit on those people in these last days, and we pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen, thank you.
