Palestinian Pastor Recalls Personal Encounter with Jesus That Led Him to Repent of Hatred for Jews
Bassam Adranly was born a Palestinian and grew up in the Greek Orthodox Christian tradition.
In a recent interview with Revive Live, he says he often criticized Jews. While in his 20s and attending a university in Tel Aviv, he turned to atheism.
In 1995, he says he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that turned his life around.
"Every night I was dreaming of Him, all night through," Adranly says. "Going with Him and His disciples everywhere. ... and all day through, I couldn't get His words out of my mind."
Adranly said at the time he had a hatred of Jews like many other Palestinians.
"I was wrestling with this and I knew it was wrong. So I gave myself to the Lord to change it," he told the television program.
Adranly said God touched his heart and his prejudice was gone.
Today, he is an Arab-Christian living in Israel and pastors a congregation in the city center of Jerusalem.
"The Lord showed me very clearly that nationality is not something I receive. It's not something that I just take from my old life," Adranly explained. "The Word of God in says 'Who is in Christ is a new creation. Old things have passed away," and it includes our nationality. So we have to come to the Lord and ask to receive from him what he wants to teach (me) about my nationality, about my people."
Watch Pastor Bassam Adranly's interview with Revive Live on Youtube.
