"I was like a loser...Until" - GBC Pastoral Column #74

My name is Ali Naseri. I grew up in a Muslim family and I was born in Iran. I was born on 8th April 1995. I went to high school. I went to college. I loved physics. I loved arguing and most of all I loved being right! 

On 5th May 2011, I moved to the UK when I was 16 years old. Then I started going to college and I met new friends and studied English. In the beginning I had difficult moments. Everything was strange for me: people, language, and most of all culture. I was thinking that maybe I'm on another planet, but this was just the beginning of my tough life. I really missed my family and my country, my friends...Suddenly I found myself on drugs, I was smoking and drinking like a crazy and I lost all my best friends. Then I became depressed. I was like a loser and nothing was important for me. 

Until I met my friend Martin and he spoke about Christ to me and he invited me to come to church.

Before I came to church I thought that all religions were essentially the same and that they taught very similar moral precepts, selflessness, and generosity. After I began to go to church I would have called myself a Christian, because I found Jesus' moral teaching to be more familiar than those of other religions. In fact, I tried to build my life on doing the right thing, on being a virtuous, moral person.      

But I read the Bible with Ryan and Charles for 10 weeks and it was through this time that I truly believed in the one true God and trusted in Christ to save me. I am thankful for God, that by Christ he saved me and he reminded me that he always looks after us.

Dear God, thank you for all that you have given us. Thank you for blessing me with many talents and help me to worship you with them. I thank you that you have made me thankful for them. Thank you that you have given me Christ’s goodness and love me. Lord, I hope that you’ll forgive me for my sins, whatever they may be, and I hope that tomorrow I’ll try to be an even better person with your help.  

In Jesus name 

Amen

This testimony was given on Easter Sunday, 5 April, at Grace Baptist Church (Wood Green). In that day's service, Ali was baptised upon his profession of faith in obedience to the command of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into the membership of the church. Please pray for his growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, for his perseverance by the Spirit's power, and for his ongoing witness to the gospel.