Believers in nations where there is persecution still suffer in many ways. But as they share the gospel in areas where people have been held in bondage for generations, God shows his power and confirms their testimony with miracles. Recently, we received a beautiful testimony from a lady in Iran.
“My name is ****. When I became pregnant for the first time, I was filled with hope and joy. But when my daughter was born, the doctors told me that she had serious breathing and lung problems. Her condition was critical, and after some time, the doctors lost all hope. They said there was no cure and that her chances of survival were very low. In the midst of my despair, my sister-in-law, who is a Christian, told me: “Jesus is the healer. Surrender her into His hands.” Every day, she called a church minister to pray for my daughter and even sent me voice messages of prayers. I stood by my daughter’s bedside, crying out and praying: “Jesus, I don’t know You, but I place my daughter in Your hands.” While the doctors had given up, something happened that no one expected—after one month, my daughter was miraculously healed! When the doctors examined her again, they were shocked and said that her lungs were completely healthy, with no problems at all! Now, it has been two weeks since she came home. Praise the Lord!”
This mother is now member of a house church. Leaving Islam is dangerous, and the future of these new believers is very uncertain, but they have seen the power of the Lord they put their trust in. And we praise the Lord with her for the life he gave this little girl and the new birth he gave to her mother!
Iran’s religious leaders follow the sharia law to a ‘T’ and believe they are righteous for doing so. But among those who are truly made righteous through faith, there are many women who resemble the women who once followed Jesus. We received some beautiful testimonies of broken women who were radically changed when they met Jesus.
One sister, a mother of two, tells “My husband is addicted to drugs and takes no responsibility for our lives… I was forced to seek help from many men just to survive financially. But deep inside, I was tired of this life…. Then one day, I heard about Jesus. Something stirred in my heart. I started searching, and eventually, I gave my heart to Jesus… By His grace, He forgave me, set me free from my sins, and brought new light into my life. I am no longer a prisoner of my past—I am free.”
Another sister, a mother of three tells what happened after she was married off as a teenager. “My husband would bring strangers into our home and take money from them to support his addiction, without giving me any choice. I could no longer bear this life, so I left him… I remarried, but this man, too, failed to provide for me and my children… I was once again pushed into a life I did not choose. Every night, shame and guilt crushed me. But I saw no way out… until the day I heard the message of Jesus. When I realized that He gave His life to wash away my sins, to forgive me, to set me free from the chains of shame and guilt, I surrendered my heart to Him. That day, a light shone in the darkness and I became a follower of Jesus.”
Our Back to Jerusalem partners do not only support believers who are hungry for the Word of God. They also support believers who are literally starving. In Iran, international sanctions have hit hard, slowly destroying the economy and forcing more and more people into poverty. These include members of the fast-growing house churches. Some of those receiving help expressed their thankfulness, and we would like to share a few notes we received.
“Hello, brave warriors of God, My son and I were in a desperate situation when it came to food. Every day, my son longed for rice, but I had no money to provide it for him. My heart was filled with pain, and the only thing I could do was pray to the Lord. With tears in my eyes, I cried out: “Heavenly Father, You know how hard it is for a child to go to sleep hungry. You see my empty fridge, so I surrender my child’s hunger into Your hands.” And in that very moment of need, the church called me and spoke about providing food! Tears streamed down my face, and I said with all my heart: “Lord, You always care for the needs of all of us.”
“I am a mother of two children, and my husband is disabled. Life has been very difficult for us, and as Nowruz (Persian New Year) approached, I kept thinking: “Lord, we have no food at home, but please bring joy to my children’s hearts. You, Lord, give them a gift.” And our faithful God, who always hears our cries, heard my voice, my disabled husband’s voice, and my children’s voices—and He provided for us. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for standing by us. May God’s blessings be with you.”
“Hello to all the beloved children of God, My name is **** and I don’t even know how to express my gratitude—first to God, and then to all of you, dear ones. My children and I were going through an extremely difficult financial situation. We only had a small amount of bread and cheese at home—so little that we had to ration it carefully to make it last. I was feeling dizzy from malnutrition, and with my heart condition, things were even harder for me. But in the midst of our struggle, God provided for us through your hands. You became a vessel of His love and grace, and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. I truly thank you with all my heart…”
As God moves in miracles and provides for his children, the underground church of Iran faces strong persecution too. One of our partners, Abdull, shared a video with us that showed how Iranian officials have implemented a new way to find underground house churches in Iran – by putting tracking devices in Bibles.
“Bible smugglers have been paying border guards to get their Bibles into the country from bordering nations. The Iranian border guards have been pretending to help, but really, they are like double agents.” According to Abdull, Iranian border guards are placing small tracking devices on Bibles being smuggled into the country and following the Bibles to their final destination.
“Over 200 people were arrested as a result of this tactic,” Abdull explained. For security reasons, the video that was shared with BTJ cannot be made public, but the revelation of the extent to which Iran will go to track down Christians was disturbing. Iran has a huge need for Bibles, which is why BTJ has been printing Bibles in a unique area and distributing them all over Iran. Please continue to pray for the believers in Iran as they face increasing persecution from the government.
The church in Persia is beautiful.