We have an incredible testimony to share with you about Monir, a young man from Jerusalem whose journey to salvation is a powerful reminder of God’s unending grace. Monir was raised in an Arabic Catholic household, and although he had a heart for the Lord, he had yet to experience the fullness of salvation in Yeshua.
Recently, Monir came to our humanitarian aid center with a group from Jerusalem to help pack supplies for our aid projects. This was a special moment, as the group consisted of both Messianic Jews and Monir, a Catholic, coming together to serve alongside us—born-again believers at Home of Jesus the King Church. It was a beautiful representation of unity in the body of Christ, and little did we know that God had something even greater in store for Monir that day.
As we worked together, Monir shared his struggles with us.
He expressed his deep love for God but felt unworthy to be accepted by Jesus. He was convinced that he needed to be blameless in order to receive salvation. His heart was sincere, but he was carrying a heavy burden—one that so many struggle with—the belief that he had to be perfect before coming to the Lord.
I looked into his eyes and shared a simple yet profound truth with him: No one is ever deserving of salvation by their own works. If we wait until we are ready, we will never be ready. Salvation is not something we earn; it is a gift of grace that we receive by faith. The Lord does not ask us to come before Him spotless—He calls us to come as we are, with all our sins, all our burdens, and all our imperfections. It is Jesus who cleanses us, not the other way around.
Monir listened intently, but he still hesitated. “I don’t feel worthy,” he said again. I smiled and told him, “None of us are worthy. We are all born into this world as sinners, and we all need the salvation of the Lord. That’s why Jesus came—to save us, to cleanse us, and to make us whole.”
As I spoke, I silently prayed for the Holy Spirit to touch his heart and fill him with peace. I could see the battle within him, but I could also see God working. And then, with a softened heart, Monir asked, “What should I do?”
“Let’s pray,” I said.
Surrounded by the group from Jerusalem, my wife Nisreen, and our staff at the humanitarian aid center, we laid hands on Monir and prayed for him. In that holy moment, he surrendered his heart to the Lord and prayed the salvation prayer. Right then and there, he accepted Jesus as his Savior!
What joy filled the room!
There was rejoicing not only among us but in heaven itself. Monir’s face lit up with happiness, and he embraced us with tears of gratitude. It was a powerful reminder that the enemy tries to delay our salvation by making us believe we must first be clean. But the truth is, Jesus calls us in our brokenness, and it is He who makes us new.
This is the power of the Gospel. This is the love of Yeshua.
We give all the glory to God for Monir’s salvation and for the incredible work He is doing in the lives of so many. Please continue to pray for Monir as he begins his new journey of faith, and let us all be reminded that no one is too far, too broken, or too unworthy for the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah!
To Him be all the glory!