In the past, the Islamic government of Iran banned Christian seminaries from operating within the country. The lack of formal training centers prevents most local pastors from receiving practical, hands-on theological instruction.
Read MoreLast fall, three Christian workers were imprisoned after attending a house church. Though officials promised to reduce their sentences if they remain silent about their Christian faith, one of the prisoners is using this opportunity to share the gospel. “Now I understand why God let me be brought here to this prison,” she said.
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“Benesh” has been a believer in Christ less than five years, but in that short time she’s already planted more than 30 house churches in The Islamic Republic of Iran! Benesh grew up in a Muslim home, but over time she began to question many aspects of Islamic teaching. As a teenager, she overheard some women talking about the fact that Christian women—without the oppressive restrictions of Islam—were more free than Muslim women. Benesh was curious to know more about Christianity and the peace and love Jesus offers. While she was in college, Benesh’s father became very sick. Her mother prayed repeatedly to Allah to heal him, but it didn’t work. Her father died. Shortly after, her mother died also. Her grief at the loss of her parents pushed Benesh further to seek answers about Christ. First, she looked on the Internet. When she moved to a bigger city for employment, a coworker there invited her to a church meeting. Experiencing Christian worship and fellowship for the first time, she knew Jesus wanted her to put her faith and trust in Him. In spite of her parents’ death Benesh had peace from God, which shocked her sister and other family members. Many were curious why she was different, which gave her open doors to share Jesus. At first, Benesh feared what her family or others would say or do if she shared Christ with them, but she quickly overcame that fear when she realized how hungry Iranians are for the truth. Sharing your faith can be a dangerous task in Islamic countries, but Benesh was so focused on sharing the joy she’d found in Christ that she almost forgot about the threat of the Islamic regime! Listen as Benesh shares how we can pray for her ministry, for the Iranian regime, and for bold witnesses for Christ in the Middle East—and as she challenges every Christian to tell others about Jesus. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the Podcast.
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Sharing God’s Word in the Depths of “Hell” As Pastor Houmayoun led a prayer meeting at his home in Shiraz, Iran, in 2012, secret police stormed in and arrested the pastor, his wife, their 17-year-old son and four other church leaders. The seven Christians were blindfolded, shoved into vehicles and taken to an intelligence prison for questioning. After days of interrogation, they were moved to a public prison and ordered to keep quiet about why they had been arrested; the guards rightly feared the spread of Christianity among the prison’s 6,000 prisoners. But Houmayoun and the other believers felt compelled to obey a higher authority. “It would have been comfortable just to be quiet and not talk about Jesus,” Houmayoun said. “Things would have gone better for us in prison.” As they shared their testimonies and the gospel with their Muslim inmates, one thing became very clear: They were going to need Bibles. Collecting Verses Instead of despairing over their imprisonment, the Christians saw an opportunity to spread the gospel among their fellow inmates. As they shared their testimony quietly with one inmate after another, they received a variety of responses. A few threatened to kill them, while many others
Read MoreSister F is a long-time Christian leader in Iran. Last year, one of her discipleship groups was raided by the police, and Sister F was beaten, tortured and placed in solitary confinement. She was then sentenced to a two-year prison term because of her faith in Christ.
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Mourning the loss of her martyred father in Iran, Rashin promised the Lord she would follow in his footsteps. On Dec. 3, 1990, 13-year-old Rashin Soodmand’s life changed forever. That day, she learned that the Iranian government had executed her beloved father for leaving Islam, a decision he had made at age 17. Rashin had grown accustomed to her father’s repeated confrontations with Iran’s Islamic authorities. While still a toddler, she moved with her parents to the city of Mashad, Iran, where her father had been raised as a Muslim. In 1980, during the early days of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, her parents started a church in their basement, and after learning of the gatherings, the religious police repeatedly arrested her father, Hossein Soodmand, and other believers. Despite suffering physical and psychological torture during his brief stints in jail, nothing prevented Hossein from sharing Jesus Christ. While Hossein’s bold faith inevitably led to persecution, it also helped protect and eventually inspire Rashin’s faith. She and her siblings were the only Christians at their school, so her father taught and quizzed them on fundamentals of the faith in order to counter their mandatory Islamic studies. “That was a challenge for me,” Rashin
Read MoreCoronavirus restrictions have limited opportunities for evangelism during past Persian New Year celebrations, but this year, Christian workers reached many travelers with the Good News about Christ. On March 25, front-line workers met a young Iranian lady, Fariba, in a shopping center and gave her a package of gospel materials, including a Bible.
Read MoreAfter numerous surgeries and doctors could not treat his 8-year-old daughter, a Muslim man reached out to his Christian sister for prayer. The Muslim brother had treated his Christian sister badly and had not spoken to her for nearly a decade because of her decision to follow Christ.
Read MoreAfter his mother passed away from cancer, Manouchehr battled grief by drinking heavily. Desperate for peace, he reached out to a Christian media ministry, requesting prayer and asking many questions about the Christian faith.
Read MoreWhen a front-line worker was arrested for possession of 30 Bibles that he intended to distribute, a high-ranking official protected the Christian, scolding the police officers who arrested him. “Why did you take these books from that man?” he demanded.
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