Release International

'John' is living proof that no one is beyond Christ's redemptive power. As a young man in the 1970s he joined an extremist group intent on establishing a strict Islamic society in Egypt. While studying about Islam he was also burning down Christian properties.

'We succeeded to convert many people from Christianity because they were afraid. Others didn't convert and we burned their shops,' he told Release.

His group also destroyed a church. 'I was jailed because of that but when I was in prison they treated me like a hero because of what I had done. We burned the church from the roof so I am not sure whether there were any people inside or not.'

After his release from prison, the organisation sent him to other countries in the Middle East to preach the message of Islam but in 1990 a newspaper article was to prove a turning point in his life.

'We read that some Christian missionaries had come to Egypt to convert people but because we had no idea who they were we decided to fight their evangelism activity with our own evangelism. We planned to write a book showing that God is the God of Islam not Christianity and I was chosen to do the research because I had studied both religions a lot. At first I didn't want to but my leader insisted. When he brought me a Bible I couldn't even take it in my hands and one day deliberately left it on the train. I thought I would tell the others that I had lost it but as I left the train a man came up to me and handed it back to me, saying “you forgot your holy book”.

Attracted to God

'I was shaking whenever I touched that book but the group's leader insisted that I read it.' As John read the New Testament he found himself attracted to the God within.

'It was very confusing. The Koran and the Bible were not saying the same things. How could they both be from God? There was no way I was going to worship two different gods but I was sure God would lead me to the answer.'

As John researched more – and as God appeared to him - he concluded that Christ must be God. 'Once I was in my room I saw a very bright light coming to me, telling me “Jesus wants you”. I was really afraid and I called out to my family and I said “Come and see. Jesus is here”. They came but didn't see anything and the light I was seeing disappeared. My family thought I had gone crazy and sent me to a psychiatrist.'

John's family weren't the only ones to react to this change. 'When my leader learned that I had written about the divinity of Christ, he tried to strangle me.'

Churches were understandably sceptical about John's conversion. 'I went to many churches trying to talk to anybody but no one would talk to me. They were afraid and thought I wanted to take money from them. “I don't need any money,” I told them. “I just need to understand how you are worshipping Jesus.”' Eventually one person agreed to meet him and from that John was able to start attending church.

His family also began to accept the change that had occurred in his life because instead of imposing strict rules on them he was instead able to show them a new-found love.  'My mother told me: “Whoever would do that to you, I will believe him.”'

God is now using John in a special way: to speak to Christians who want to leave their faith. 'Pray for me because God is using me to open their minds and convince them that this is not the decision to take.'

• Please pray that God will use John powerfully in his ministry.

Read more about persecuted Christians in Egypt in the March 2010 edition of Release magazine.

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