An Iranian Christian received 80 lashes and has been sent to exile after serving two years in prison, according to a report from Morning Star News.

Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi received 80 lashes last month, on October 14^th, after he was discovered attending house church meetings and partaking in Communion. Two other house-church members, Mohammad Ali (Yasser) Mossayebzadeh and Zaman (Saheb) Fadaee, were also sentenced to flogging.

Omidi is a former Muslim who has given his heart to Christ, but Iran does not recognize his conversion. This is the second time that Omidi has been flogged for partaking in Christian activities.

The underground house church in Iran is harshly persecuted. Details on the situation can be found in BTJ’s book Jesus in Iran. Jesus in Iran is the only book that outlines the situation of the underground church, lays out the history of the church, and gives behind the scenes information about how the Gospel is currently being spread.

BTJ continues to support the church in Iran by sponsoring evangelists and pastors, as well and distributing much needed Bibles. To learn more, click here.

Photo is from Amnesty International found on ww.rferl.org and is not from actually flogging.