Ali committed shocking crimes throughout the Middle East – spending seven years in prison – then he discovered that God loved him regardless of the life he had led.
Ali, 40, lived a life of crime for many years. He would rent a car, create fake documents for it and then sell it. He would marry a woman, take out life insurance for her, arrange to have her murdered, then collect the insurance money.
Sources: Christian Post, The Barnabas Fund, Australian Prayer Network
Eventually, the insurance company had him investigated. Ali was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 21 years in prison.
He had been in prison for seven years when the government offered him a deal. They would release him if he agreed to become a government assassin. He took the deal and they sent him to Syria.
Ali earned $75 for every person he assassinated in Syria, unless they were American – then he earned $150. He worked as an assassin for two years and made a lot of money. He used the money to open a restaurant in Iran, but he would return to assassination in Syria whenever he needed more money.
One time, when he broke into a house in Syria, Ali saw a picture of Jesus containing the words,
“God is love” and “God loves you”.
The picture caught his attention and the words stayed with him.
Sometime later, in Ali’s restaurant, an employee debated with a customer named Ervin. The employee told Ervin, a Bible distributor, that he felt that God had cursed him and he expressed negativity towards God. During the debate, Ervin said the words “God is love”, which caught Ali’s attention. Ali walked over to the table and asked Ervin where he learned the words “God is love”, as he had seen them on a picture in Syria.
Ervin told Ali about the Bible and the words that are written in it. Then Ervin left the restaurant, returning a short time later with a Bible for Ali.
Five days later, Ali phoned Ervin and asked him to come to the restaurant to talk. When Ervin arrived at the restaurant, Ali began to cry and said he wanted to give his life to Jesus.
When Ervin arrived at the restaurant, Ali began to cry and said he wanted to give his life to Jesus. Ervin led Ali in the salvation prayer and continues to disciple him. He leads a small Bible study twice a week which Ali attends.
There is no greater love than the pure unconditional love of God. He is willing to forgive us no matter what sins we have committed and how far away our life has been from him. Praise God that Ali who lead a terrible life of sin can be forgiven and is now following our Lord and Saviour as his God. We pray he grows in strength,love and power in him, and will be used as a testimony where ever he goes, and that he leads many to our Lord.
Blessed and holy Lord Jesus, I thank you for your kindness and goodness and your amazing grace in bringing Ali to yourself. The same amazing grace brought us to you also. I pray that he might know the richness of his inheritance and be able to pass this onto others that they might pass it onto others also. Fill him and those who are disciple him with your Holy Spirit. May he experience 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, ‘17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;’ Thank you for Ervin and please have mercy on all.