1/28/2021  Iran  (VOM) Persecution of Christians in Iran is severe, but this has not stopped the growth of the Church there. Believers in Iran training new Christians realized the house churches were growing at such a rate that they needed to smuggle Bibles into the country. The believers began training Iranian Christians to help them grow in their own faith and to be able to form churches on their own. In the space of about a year, the movement has grown to nearly 400 believers inside Iran and 82 house churches. Less than 12 months ago, the leaders of the group realized the new believers needed Bibles, so they began to bring them in from the outside. To date, they have brought in more than 20,000 Bibles for the fast-growing church in Iran. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will continue to move in the hearts of the Iranian people, many of whom are disillusioned with Islam and looking for meaning in life. Pray for the fulfillment of these believers’ vision to plant churches in all 31 of Iran’s states. Pray for the protection of those who are smuggling in Bibles, and that these Bibles will get into the hands of […]

10/22/2020  Iran  (VOM) An Iranian court has taken a “Muslim” child out of the home of the Christian couple who adopted her. Sam and Maryam adopted Lydia from a local orphanage when she was three months old. Lydia has significant health issues, including a heart defect and digestive problems. Six months after the couple adopted her, intelligence agents arrested Sam and Maryam in their home. They were released on bail and charged with “propaganda against the regime.” Sam was given a one-year prison sentence, and Maryam was barred from working as a nurse in government-run hospitals. Eighteen months after Lydia’s adoption, a court determined she was not eligible for adoption by the Christian couple since she was born a Muslim. Her parents appealed the decision but in September 2020, a court upheld the decision. The couple is now waiting to hear if the court will order them to return Lydia to the orphanage, and they request prayer during this deeply distressing time. Please pray… Pray for a miracle, that Sam and Maryam will be allowed to keep Lydia despite the court’s decision. Pray that they will have the Lord’s peace at this difficult time. Pray that the Lord will help them find good medical treatment for Lydia.

6/18/2020  Iran  (ICC) Iran’s parliament has opened a new session with what is expected to include a more radically Islamic emphasis. Many are warning that Iran’s new parliament has shifted towards a new era of hardline politics. Just weeks before their power became further solidified in parliament, the legislature passed amendments regarding the country’s Islamic Penal Code that would allow the government to prosecute religious minorities by labeling them as a sect. Christians already face harsh punishments for their faith — ranging from long imprisonments and floggings, including the possibility of the death penalty. This change would make it easier for the authorities to enact these kinds of punishments. Rumors also abound that former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hardliner, is seeking a political return.  Please pray… Pray that Christians in Iran will not lose heart but will continue to share their faith with the many disillusioned people around them.  Pray that the Lord will keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from being reelected. Pray for the many Iranian Christians who are currently in prison for their faith, that they will be able to endure the torture and harsh conditions, and be a light for Jesus there.

9/27/2109  Iran  (churchleaders.com) The Iranian revolution of 1979 established a hard-line Islamic regime. Over the next two decades, Christians faced increasing opposition and persecution: all missionaries were kicked out, evangelism was outlawed, Bibles in Persian were banned, and the Church came under tremendous pressure. Many feared the small Iranian church would soon wither away and die, but the exact opposite has happened. Despite continued hostility from the late 1970s until now, Iranians have become the Muslim people most open to the gospel in the Middle East. Two factors have contributed to this openness. First, violence in the name of Islam has caused widespread disillusionment with the regime and led many Iranians to question their beliefs. Second, many Iranian Christians have continued to boldly and faithfully tell others about Christ, in the face of persecution. As a result, more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together since Islam came to Iran. In 1979, there were an estimated 500 Christians from a Muslim background in Iran. Today, there are hundreds of thousands—some say more than 1 million. Last year, Iran was named as having the fastest-growing evangelical church in the world, and the second-fastest growing church is in Afghanistan. Afghans are being reached in part by Iranians, since their languages are similar. Please pray… Pray that more and more Iranians will turn from […]

7/5/19   Iran  (ICC) Eight Iranian Christians were arrested after Ministry of Intelligence agents raided their homes and confiscated all their Christian items. All eight were converts to Christianity and most were from the same family. Small children were present during the raids and witnessed their family members being treated harshly by the arresting agents. The names of those being held are Sam and his wife Maryam, Sam’s brother Sasan and his wife Marjan, Pooriya and his wife Fatemeh, and Habib.  They are being held in solitary confinement in the Ministry of Intelligence office. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage Sam, Maryam, Sasan, Marjan, Pooriya, Fatemeh, and Habib. Pray that they will remain faithful to Jesus and not renounce their faith. Pray that they will be filled with the Spirit and be able to love their persecutors, and that the Lord will touch the hearts of those who are interrogating and, possibly, torturing them.

6/20/2019  Iran  (VOM) Many Iranians have lost faith in Islam, and a VOM contact reports that even some government officials have given their lives to Christ. Recently, an official in Iran’s secretive religious police unit came to faith in Christ through the witness of a Christian family member. The official had been investigating one of the many house church groups that meet secretly throughout the country, and when he learned that a family member was part of the group, he angrily confronted the person. But over time, his family member’s gentle witness and loving behavior changed his heart and mind, and the official eventually placed his faith in Christ. Today, he maintains his role inside the religious police, but he tries to protect Christians. Please pray… Praise God for the salvation of this secret police unit official. Pray that he will grow in his newfound faith. Pray that this official will be able to use his position in the secret police to help the underground church in Iran. Pray that more and more will come to Christ in Iran and that the church will grow.

2/28/2019  Iran  (ICC) There has been a significant increase of targeted persecution against Iranian Christians living in the city of Rasht, located north of Tehran, with nine believers arrested and detained by the authorities recently. Rasht’s Christians have faced heavy persecution before, but the past month represents the heaviest wave of publicly known arrests in Rasht in the last three years. Christians from Rasht have received some of the harshest sentences known in Iran. At least three believers from Rasht have received a sentence of 80 lashes, and one (Pastor Nadarkhani) was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010. This sentence was later overturned, but Pastor Nadarkhani is currently imprisoned for a different 10-year sentence. The Islamic government policy is not too put thousands of Christians in jail, but to arrest a few and give them maximum sentences for minor offenses and publicize it in order to put fear in the hearts of Christians. Please pray… Pray for the Lord to strengthen and encourage the Christians in Iran’s prisons, and to help them endure the torture that many of them receive while in prison. Pray for the families of those who are in prison, that the Lord will comfort them and give them His peace. Just as nothing can separate God’s children from the […]

1/21/2019  Iran  (ICC) Iranian judges Hassan Babaee and Ahmad Zargar presided over the January 15 final appeal hearing for Saheb Fadaie and Fatemeh Bakhteri, who are both converts from Islam. The judges asked the Christians to renounce their faith. Bakherti, 37, was arrested on May 25, 2017 along with several others during a police raid on her home, and Fadaei is already serving a 10-year prison sentence for her faith. When they refused to renounce their faith, the judges said that they should soon expect a verdict in their appeal against the charges of “spreading propaganda against the regime.” Please pray… Pray for Saheb Fadaie and Fatemeh Bakhteri, that the Lord would strengthen and encourage them as they stand firm for Christ. Pray that they will be able to have a positive testimony to their fellow prisoners, guards and those in the courtroom. Pray that the Lord will continue to appear in dreams and visions to the Iranian people and draw many more to Himself.

11/12/2018  Iran  (ICC) Inside Iran, new media attacks criticizing evangelical Christianity have been on the rise. This latest wave of media attacks is the result of worry by Iran’s Islamic clerics, who have publicly voiced concerns that Iranians are leaving Islam and choosing to convert to Christianity. Iranians have begun to condemn the moral and economic bankruptcy of Iran’s leadership. The youth are especially tired of the harsh Islamic environment that the clergy are seeking to protect, and many are instead looking for answers outside of Islam. They are curious about their country’s history before Islam, and they learn that Iran’s history used to include a strong Christian presence. This in turn has opened the door for the spread of the Gospel inside Iran. As the Iranian clergy and political elite seek to reestablish their grip on the country, the persecution of Christians has intensified. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will continue to draw many Iranians to Jesus Christ. Pray that Christians will boldly and sensitively share the Gospel with those around them and that many will repent and trust in Jesus Christ. Pray that the Lord will visit many Iranians in dreams and visions, including Islamic leaders, and reveal to them […]

9/25/18   Iran  (ICC) Earlier this year, Iran’s judiciary decided to force defendants held on political charges to pick their lawyer from a pre-approved list. Meanwhile, human rights attorneys continue to be arrested. This has recently prompted a group of nearly 100 Iranian attorneys to write a letter to the Judiciary Chief asking why the judiciary is preventing lawyers from representing clients. The letter also stated that “sweeping interpretations of national security” are constitutional violations. It is common for Christians in Iran to be arrested and charged with vague national security violations. Any lawyer who takes their case does so at great risk to themselves. Christians are not given access to a fair judicial process and are often sentenced to years in prison, where they are subjected to torture and harassment. Please pray… Pray for Christian prisoners in Iran to have fair access to legal representation. Pray for the release of Christian inmates who have been wrongfully imprisoned. Pray for greater religious freedom in Iran.