Turning the Fire Toward Christ
It was the same sentence again, “When I gave my heart to Jesus …” But this time, Iman stayed on the channel to hear the rest of the sentence: “… He saved me.”
Two hours before, Iman had prayed on the roof for God to save him. Now he heard the way God would do that: When he gave his heart to Jesus.
Iman was suddenly glued to the TV. The person sharing his testimony on the screen had also been a drug addict, had also been hopeless. But, looking at his face, Iman could see no sign of drugs. The man looked completely clean. And he looked joyful! Then the pastor came on the screen and said to everyone watching: you can have this same joy, this same healing, this same victory.
A Competitive Spirit Redirected
Iman had wanted to be the best soldier he could be, even to die as a martyr for his country. And then he’d wanted to be the best thief, and then the best drug addict. Now he’d found Christ, and that competitive fire was turned in a new direction. He wanted to be the best! The best witness for Christ, the most loving disciple, the most joyful! If he was going to follow Jesus, he was going to be the best.
From the night Iman committed his life to following Jesus, he’s been an evangelist. Not only on Sundays or in front of crowds of people; he sees every single person he comes into contact with as a person God has brought into his path to hear about Jesus.
Just as Iman wanted to be the best thief and the best drug addict, now he wants to be the best evangelist.
“I don’t evaluate the value of people according to earthly values; every person for me is valuable because of Jesus. In every situation, I ask the Holy Spirit, ‘What do You want me to do?’ So I am available to share the gospel.”
Fruitful Ministry Amid Danger
That availability produced amazing results. The first time I met Iman, he had been a follower of Jesus for four years. And in that four years, he had knelt and prayed with more than 1,000 people as they renounced their life of sin and committed their hearts and lives to following Christ. More than a thousand people!
He became part of a network of Christian leaders in Iran, receiving training and accountability from those in leadership of the network. Like others in the network, every month he sends a report of his work that month, including how many people he spoke to about salvation in Christ and how many people chose to follow Jesus and prayed with him. Of course, Iman lives in a restricted nation—the Islamic Republic of Iran. So this daily ministry talking to people about Jesus is going to draw attention.
It’s going to end up getting him arrested, interrogated, and maybe even sent to prison. But Iman’s attitude is, “If I’m in prison, it must be because someone there needs to hear about Jesus.”
“When they arrested me for no reason, I just knew God was sending me to a place to witness. So, I didn’t fight so they would take me to jail. They took me to the jail, and I saw two people who were bound because their crimes were very serious. When I came to those people, I told them, ‘God has sent me to save you.'”
To Be Continued…
Date: 4th November 2023
Martyr: Iman
Location: Turkey, 2010
Source: When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians
Author: Todd Nettleton
Suffering Saturday 063
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