Why This Muslim Doctor Chose Jesus

Born and raised in Iran, Mohsen Kazemi grew up in a devout Muslim family. But after facing injustice in his homeland, he embarked on a perilous journey that would take him over mountains and through refugee camps, ultimately leading him to Canada. Now a doctor, professor, sports chiropractor, author, and senior pastor of Mohabat Alliance Church, I sat down with Dr. Mohsen Kazemi to hear his remarkable story of how he came to faith in Jesus Christ and how that experience changed him. Recounting your story, it's absolutely fascinating with so many twists and turns along the way. Take us back to the homeland. What was life like for young Mohsen Kazemi? I was 15 when the revolution happened and we all were excited about what the revolution is going to bring to us. In Iran at that time, the universities were free, but you got to pass an entrance exam. I thought, hey, I did it very well, I get 90, no problem, and then you choose where you want to go. I chose all the med schools and two dentistry schools and then found out that I didn't get it. There was some political stuff that regards me wearing a suit in the class and being labeled as a westerner, so I didn't get to go. And I ended up being sent to the military service in a special army, which I found out was not for me, and it was almost like sentencing me to death. So we decided, okay, it's time to take off and come out. There was no freedom of speech, you can't really say anything, and it was a very select few that if they were for the regime would go wherever they wanted to go. Now you would describe yourself as a devout young Muslim man, living life according to the Quran and the precepts laid out before you, but as you make this decision to leave Iran in pursuit of a better life, perhaps bringing you to Canada, which in fact it ultimately did, you encountered a group of Christians in a refugee camp of all places in Austria. What shifted in your perspective, because you had a very one-track mind about religion and faith? We come to this place and we are in a refugee camp, everything is scarce, you don't have the money, and this group of people, missionaries from the U.S. and Canada, right across from the refugee camp they open up a coffee shop. So I go in here and I see this guy, his name was Douglas, I remember him. Great guy, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, he doesn't live with his fiancée, and it doesn't matter where we get into arguments with regards to religion, I was quite hot-tempered, the next day it's like nothing happened and we'll love you. Wow, this is different than what I heard. So that was the first meeting the real Christians. What do you think fueled your passion to live out Islam with a more committed resolve after leaving Iran? I get in here in Canada, I was just standing everywhere to argue and say I am who I am with regards to my Islamic theology and understanding and all that, and I would stay and argue with whoever comes up. I met my wife, Insook, and the moment we met she talks about Jesus to me and I said, okay, well, Jesus is a great prophet, one of the greatest prophets in Koran. She was saying, no, he's the son of God. So we continue every time we meet, she talks about it. So one day I said, about a year passed, I said, listen, you're pushing me to Christianity, I don't like it, and one more time you talk about Christ, you're not going to see me because you're blaspheming the name of Allah. So then she said to me, see, most of us as Christians share the best thing that we have with those who we love, and Jesus is the best thing that I have, and there's a difference. She asked me, do you have a personal relationship with your God? I said, what do you mean personal relationship? In Koran it says Allah is closer to the vein of your neck to you. That's what I said to her. I said, well, I don't know what you have. Do you have a personal relationship? No. So, well, the difference between Christianity and all the other stuff is, it's Christ that comes to you. Now you go to Christ, and then he says, what do you have to lose? Suppose Jesus is the son of God. Is he able to show himself to you? I said, well, if he's the son of God, he should be able to show himself to me. She says, why don't you ask him? Ask him and see if who he is, and I said, Jesus, I know you as an amazing prophet, one of the strongest, most powerful prophets, but if you're really son of God, show yourself to me. We should tell our viewers there's significance to Insook in your story because she's beloved by our production team at Crossroads and 100 Huntley Street. She was our makeup artist for many, many years, making us look good or attempting to make us look good every day on air, and we're so thankful for her. I know dreams played a bit of a role in your journey and the revelation of Jesus to you. So tell us, I know you had multiple dreams, but is there one maybe or a couple that you could share? So right after that challenge to Christ, that night I had a dream. In my dream, I was back in Iran, and there was this gentleman in my hood, and this guy was there with a red beard and red hair, and I asked him, I knew in my dream that he was Christian. I said, why do you say Jesus is son of God? And he turned around and told me, change your way of thinking. I got up in the morning, I'm going like, what do you mean change your way of thinking? Two nights later, I had a dream. Jesus standing here with a white robe, with pierced hands, and he's looking at me very compassionately and deeply. In spirit, with a lot of pride, I said to him, why do you say Jesus is son of God? And looking me down very compassionately, and he says, change your way of thinking. It was December 12, 1989. I got up, and I said, wow, what's going on? What is this change of way of thinking? And Islam is based on rules and regulations. You do this, you do this, you do this, you do this, you do this, you do this, all of these when you have to do, and if you do them, then you are hoping that the side of your good would be heavier than the side of your bad. But then, I tried to do all of those things, and I could not do all of the stuff that was asked of me, based on the laws, and I always fallen short. Then I remember in Hebrews, when he talks about, go to Jeremiah 31, God says, there shall come a day that I make a new covenant with Israel and Judah. Not like the one that I made with Moses, but in this one, I will write my laws on their heart and on their mind, that they would not disobey me. And then I said, whoa, God, I want that. I want that, that you write it in my heart, in my mind, so I don't disobey. How do I do that? How do I get that? And then I know that now that Holy Spirit brought it to my attention, says, okay, sacrifice. Everybody needs to sacrifice, shed blood for the sins. But how could one sacrifice be enough? The solution will be that God comes, he dies, so that his blood is enough for all who were and are and are to come. And then they came, again, it's from the Hebrews that says, and Jesus sacrificed himself once and for all, and his sacrifice is enough. And he stands on the right hand of the Father. When I got there, that was it. I could not say no. So I went on my knees and I said, Lord, I accept you as my Savior. It was like the Holy Spirit took you on an intellectual journey. And then in that moment, it made the connection with your heart. And that acknowledgement of your need for relationship with him made all of it make sense. It was kind of like the missing piece, that relationship piece. To fast track, Molson, you've gone on to do amazing things for the kingdom. You're pastor here now at Mohabat Alliance Church in Toronto to the Iranian people. Well, you've authored numerous books, but this is your latest one, A Daily Heart to Heart, Talk with the Father. And it's, folks, it's a devotional for every day of the year. It's got some scriptural context and then a devotional thought and prayer from Dr. Molson. And this is also published in Persian as well. Why did you feel it was important to write a 365-day devotional? So what happened, I got inaugurated for Mohabat Church on March 15, 2020. And the next day, COVID hit. My congregation are all Muslim converts, and a lot of them are newcomers and new to Christianity. So what I started, I started devotional online, and five to seven minute morning and then five to seven minute devotional at night to continue inserting the Word of God and how it's applicable and how do we do that and how to add prayer to that. And somebody, one of my mentors, Dr. Tim Behrens, who's the senior pastor of this church, Grace CRC, he was with us, and he was really the one that says, we need to make this one into a book. So that's how it came to being. What would you say to that person that's searching in this moment, or perhaps the other person that is trying to share the love of Jesus with someone that's very deeply steeped in the tradition and devotion to Islam? I think the key is the love of Christ and the fact that God the Father loves us. 316, everybody knows, God so loved the Father, the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. This is the ultimate, the highest peak of love. There's a prophecy in Jeremiah that I think, just briefly, if you can just share the relevance of this prophecy, because it's like a full circle moment for the people of Iran where their relationship with God is concerned. And just share that briefly in our last couple of moments together. Sure. Jeremiah 49, 34 to 38, it talks about, first talks about the judgment of Elam. So Elam is the old Persia, it's the south part of the Persia, it's a very specific part. And he says that first, I'm going to scatter them all across the four regions of heaven, and I'm going to kill their princes. There are a couple of things, but it says at the last place, but in the last days, I will restore Elam and bring them back, and I will put my throne upon Elam and rule. What we know now is the Persian converting Muslims are the number one and the fastest one in the whole world. How can we as Westerners, or here specifically in Canada, be praying for the persecuted church in Iran? I think prayer has to be made that the Lord would give those who are persecuted joy above understanding, which He does, and perseverance, and be able to see Him beyond and above all things that is going on. And definitely being social advocates as well, because yes, we pray, but we're also called to stand. If the righteous man keeps silence, evil will prosper. You have to advocate, you have to stand. Yeah, so, so important. I think it's interesting to know that there's a great revival happening with Muslim Iranians amidst the persecution, as we talked about this return to Jesus, return to God through Jesus. It's easy to think that certain people groups are off bounds, but it's really important to remember that God so loved the whole world that He gave Jesus. And I want to encourage our viewers to continue witnessing the love of Jesus to all nations, tribe, tongue, and religions, because God loves them. Thank you for reminding us of the people of Iran, Mohsen, and God continue to bless you and all that you're doing. I mean, we didn't even get into the doctor of chiropractic, and the, you know, the publishing in medical journals, and that sort of thing that you're doing, which God has also blessed you with, and you're a leading voice in that world. But we thank you for the work that you're doing right here in Toronto to the Iranian Christians here at Mohabat Church. Thank you very much for having me. This was a great time. Thank you.