The Discovery of a Lifetime
It was September 28th, 2025. Emir entered the small, carpeted basement room crowded with people waiting expectantly. Summer vacation was over, and the beginning of fall had brought a crispness to Eurasia, but the crispness wasn’t felt in the warmth of the little room. Invited to this place by his Christian friend, Yusuf, this was 19-year-old Emir’s first time coming to church. He had read the New Testament and had been thinking about this man, Jesus, for a while. Growing up Muslim, he knew Jesus was a Holy prophet, but did not know Him as Lord. He had been studying life and the contents of the Gospels like a biologist bringing his microscope into focus. But the lens was still blurry. He could not yet see the object of his study clearly. He had questions. Would this day bring answers?
“We believe in one God…And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God,” read the Pastor, in Emir’s own language. He was teaching from the ancient Nicene Creed. “Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven…”
Emir had come to the MAPS Global Eurasia Missions Base and church. The Eurasia Missions Base pastor was dissecting the creed statement by statement. Emir listened intently throughout the service. The resolution of the things he had been studying was becoming more and more distinct beneath his microscope. He was enraptured by the clarity of the teaching. At the end of service, the pastor asked if anyone would like to make a statement of faith and give their life to Jesus. The image was clear. There was no doubt. Emir stood up, put his hand in the air, and confidently stated, “Yes, I do!”
“Do you know what this means?” asked the pastor. “Do you know what you are getting into?”
Emir knew he could see clearly. There was no longer a blurriness in the focus of his lens. He shared that he had been reading and thinking about this for a while, and he was sure.
“After hearing this message today, I just know that He is God, and I want to live for Him,” said Emir. In that moment, he prayed with the pastor and those in the room, made his statement of faith, and became a follower of Jesus. Suddenly, Emir could hardly contain his joy. He was beaming and bouncing with such happiness, that it seemed as if even his skin could not contain it. September 28th, 2025 would forever be marked in Emir’s memory as the day he was born again. The day that the object of his study became so clear to him, that it changed his life.