Encore: Burning for Jesus, Part 1, Mahmoud A. (Iran)

One80: Testimonies of Transformation

Mahmoud, a former Muslim groomed to become an Ayatollah in Iran, shares his journey from religious extremism to spiritual transformation after a near-death experience during the Iran-Iraq War.
• Born into a prestigious religious family with generations of Muslim leadership and multiple mosques bearing their name
• First introduced to Allah through fear when his uncle burned his hand to demonstrate the punishment of hell
• Memorized the entire Quran by age 10 and was strictly trained to follow in his grandfather's footsteps
• Taught from childhood to hate Christians and Jews, comparing Christians to red ants they would burn with petrol
• Embraced the Iranian Revolution believing it would bring "true Islam" and export it worldwide
• Served as a paratrooper, tank officer, and eventually religious leader in the Iranian Army during the Iran-Iraq War
• Pronounced dead on the battlefield before spending six months in a coma and becoming a "living martyr"
• Intensified religious practices after recovery, praying 20 times daily instead of the required five
• Decided to convert Christians to Islam and reluctantly read the Bible to find fault with it
• First read John 4, which sparked an internal conflict between his Islamic understanding of God and Jesus's teaching about God as Father
• Confronted a Christian man wearing a cross and planned to burn down his church
Listen in next week to hear what happens when Mahmoud, on his way to burn down a church, encounters something that changes everything.

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

Psalm 18
Psalm 18:1-3 to song
What is Sufism?

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Chapters

1. Growing Up in a Religious Dynasty (00:00:00)

2. War, Martyrdom, and Near-Death Experience (00:07:28)

3. Seeking to Convert Christians (00:15:19)

4. First Encounter with the Bible (00:18:16)

5. Confronting the Christian and Church (00:22:40)