Iran
Pastor's Death Sentence
An imprisoned IRANIAN pastor has received a death sentence this summer. He was detained with his wife for Christian activities. She is in solitary confinement. Officials threaten to put their two children in an Islamic institution.
Pray that the judges will release the couple. “Behold, we come to You, for You are the LORD our God.”
Imprisoned without Charges
An IRANIAN believer has been imprisoned in solitary confinement without charges. Reports say that this Muslim background Believer has never publicly evangelized, but is in prison merely for his faith in Christ. His health has deteriorated, and his wife and parents are being threatened.
Pray for his release and for comfort for his family. “In your goodness, O God, You provided for the needy.”
Pastor Released but Threatened
An IRANIAN pastor arrested for leaving Islam and evangelizing Muslims has now been released. During his imprisonment, he was kept in a gruesome cell and exposed to hepatitis and AIDS. He is now under surveillance, forbidden from leaving the country, and under threat of being arrested again.
Pray that God will protect him from the authorities. “For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise His own people who are prisoners.”
Pastor Imprisoned, Tortured
UPDATE: An IRANIAN pastor who was arrested at a Bible study has now been tortured. He is in very poor health in a dank prison. This is his second imprisonment for his faith.
Pray that God will preserve him and comfort his wife. “Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.”
Courage in Iran
Read an article this morning about a house church in Iran where each believer commits to give away one New Testament to a non-believer each day of the week. At their weekly worship gathering, each member of the house church receives 7 New Testaments to give away. In a country where such activity brings arrest, imprisonment, and often death, the courage of these faithful followers of Jesus is very humbling to me. Why am I so reticent to share the gospel here in the United States where the only fear is personal rejection? Father, forgive me for my failure to tell every
Government Burns Bibles
A government website in IRAN reported that they had confiscated and burned hundreds of smuggled Bibles. They derided these Bibles by calling them “perverted.”
Pray that more Iranian Christians will have access to God’s Word in their own language. “For You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.”
Couple Released on Bail
UPDATE: An IRANIAN couple who led a house church have just been released on an expensive bail. They are now with their sons, but will probably face court hearings sometime in the indefinite future.
Pray that they will be acquitted , and pray that God will give them strength and peace in this time of waiting. “You who have done great things, O God, who is like You?”
Iranian Women Released, Flee
UPDATE: Praise God! All charges against two Christian IRANIAN women have been dropped! One said, “We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us.” They still face threats if they return to Iran.
Pray for them as they recover in another country. “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.”
Trial Prolonged, Believers Acquitted
UPDATE: In IRAN, two Christian women who had been released from prison faced charges and a new criminal investigation for propagating Christianity and for leaving the Muslim faith. They were acquitted but given further threats.
Thank God for their bold and faithful testimony, and pray for their continued protection. “But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”
Bibles Burned
Not long ago we learned that the Iranian government has confiscated and destroyed hundreds of Farsi (Persian) language Bibles. Officials called the Bibles “perverted,” alluding to the Muslim belief that Christians have perverted the word of Allah.
Christian TV Programming
Praise God for the spread of the gospel in IRAN! One new believer told a Christian satellite TV station that fear and sadness no longer fill his life. The church in Iran is growing so quickly that it has attracted increased government persecution.
Pray that the gospel will continue to change hearts in Iran. “You, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Christian Teen Faces Charges
A 19-year-old IRANIAN was arrested and released on bail. Using deception to enter the home of his blind parents, plainclothes security officers searched for him and forced his sister to help. He has been accused of blasphemy and spreading Christian propaganda.
Pray that charges against him will be dropped. “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice...when His glory is revealed.”
Bible Study Invaded
IRANIAN security officers broke into a pastor’s home during a Bible study. They assaulted and arrested the pastor and confiscated many of his personal belongings, including Bibles and other Christian literature. The young men at the Bible study were forced to fill out forms telling how they became Christians and who baptized them.
Pray for courage for this congregation and for the pastor’s wife as they wait to learn their pastor’s whereabouts. “Save me for the sake of Your steadfast love.”
Foreign Intervention
After Maryam and Marzieh were acquitted, the Iranian government pressured them to leave the country. Another Christian in exile says, “That’s a pretty old-fashioned procedure they have—‘We will let you go if you leave the country. You can have your faith, but not here.’ . . . The government would not want them to stay in the country as heroes.” The writer of the Compass Direct article went on to add, “Iran’s government views all Christian activities as foreign intervention and thus a threat to national security.”
True Bravery
The bravery of ordinary Christians who are persecuted for their faith is amazing. They are just regular people, but in the face of persecution, they certainly aren’t wimps. God’s strength is made perfect in their weakness. Maryam and Marzieh, two Christian women in Iran, spent 259 days in prison, were released, and then were summoned back to court last month. They were charged with We just learned that charges against them have been dropped.
Their experience and attitude is an incredible witness for Christ. Listen to their testimony in their own words:
Pastor under Investigation
A 65-year-old pastor in IRAN was imprisoned for over a month, was tortured, and was threatened with execution. A month before his arrest, authorities sealed off his church building, but he had continued to have house meetings. Officials accuse him of not cooperating with the government and of “converting Muslims.” He has just been released on bail, but faces further investigations.
Pray that all threat of charges will be dropped. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and on them He has set the world.”
Two Pastors Released on Bail
Praise God! Two house church leaders in IRAN have been released on bail. They are still under close surveillance, and their Bibles have not been returned to them.
Thank God for their release and pray for His continued protection. “Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”
Pastor and Wife Arrested
IRANIAN authorities arrested a couple who lead a house church. They beat the wife when they found boxes of Bibles, and they assaulted and threatened other Christians who protested the police’s action.
Pray that God will comfort their children and that the believers will be released. “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”
Disrupted Bible Study
They were gathered to study the Bible. These young men, roughly ten in number, were new in their faith and sought the guidance of their pastor. When they gathered at his house on a Wednesday afternoon, they weren’t discussing political topics—they just wanted to study God’s Word.
Having Done All, to Stand Firm
Maryam, 27, and Marzieh, 30, are two women in Iran who stand firm in their faith even as they face continuing persecution. They were arrested just over a year ago when state security officials searched their apartments and confiscated their Bibles. They suffered intense interrogation and sleep deprivation and were sentenced without a specified charge in a court for political, military, and serious crimes. Later they were transferred to a general court where they were charged with propagation of Christianity and conversion from Islam.
An Open Door
“But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 as I read the news today. In Morocco, many Christian foreigners have been deported and Christian citizens “have been questioned by the police and are under great pressure.” And in Iran, the government continues to push an Islamic agenda.
Iranian Finds Asylum
Praise God! An IRANIAN MBB sought asylum in another country, but was in danger of being deported back to Iran. His asylum request has been granted.
Pray that God will bless this refugee in his new country and that a local church will welcome him into their fellowship. “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant and steadfast love.”
Iranian Persecuted for Witnessing
April 4, 2010
An IRANIAN MBB led at least 16 family members to Christ before being arrested. She reportedly told the judge, “All you can do is kill me, but then I will go straight to Christ.” Eight days later, she was unexpectedly released. Once again she is risking her life by sharing the gospel.
Pray for her continued protection and for God to use her in turning former Muslims to Him. “You have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.”
Convert Attacked by Family
A Muslim in IRAN confessed Jesus. His family tried to force him to recant, but he stood strong. One day, his friends and family gathered around him and stabbed him brutally with knives. He survived the attack, but he was treated very poorly at the hospital and is now at high risk of infection.
Pray for his continued resistance and for his quick healing. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Woman Arrested and Bible Seized
Police forced entry into the home of a Christian woman in IRAN. They seized her Bible and religious books before taking her to an unknown location.
Pray for her protection and perseverance. “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.”
