Iran: One prayer - twenty Muslim hearts reached!
16 Mar 2012After watching a Christian evangelistic broadcast recently, an Iranian family prayed to ask Christ into their hearts. But they were worried they might not have prayed ‘correctly’. So they made an audio recording of their prayer and sent it to Voice of the Martyrs ministry broadcast partner, Iran Alive, to make sure they had done it right. Their prayer was sincere and heartfelt, and Iran Alive wrote the family to tell them their prayer was a wonderful way of entering Christ's family. The family in Iran then told their Muslim friends about Christ and played the recorded prayer for them. Within a week, 20 more Muslims had come to know Christ! Click the 'More' button to hear the prayer.
Praise: that in the midst of unprecedented persecution God is revealing Himself to millions through technology. (Ps.103:6)
More: http://deaconjohn1987.blogspot.com/2012/03/iran-one-prayer-twenty-muslim-hearts.html
Two Christian prisoners of faith have been acquitted of all charges 14 months after their arrest - and are now safe in a country outside Iran. Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Esmaeilabad left Iran last Saturday - with a warning from the courts that they would be 'dealt with severely' if they were ever involved in Christian activities in Iran again. Maryam said: 'The prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal.' They were arrested in March 2009 (Prayer Alert 1609) and charged with 'apostasy' and 'propagating Christianity'. They were held at Tehran's Evin prison where they endured repeated interrogations and solitary confinement. They were released on bail in November. (See Prayer Alert 4709) The Iranian authorities have also released on bail a couple from Isfahan, Hamid Shafiee and Reyhaneh Aghajary, following a large bail payment. They have been told to expect a future court summons.
Praise: God for the release of Maryam and Marzieh, bless them with a fruitful ministry and pray all charges against Hamid and Reyhaneh will now be dropped. (Ps.145:3-4)
More: http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/posts/iran-maryam-and-marzieh-acquitted-free-and-now-safe-707.php
Iran: Hunger for scripture
19 May 2010Despite persecution, the Iranian church is growing rapidly with over 300,000 New Testaments printed and leading Iranians to Christ. Church leaders are asking for more Bibles as they believe large-scale Scripture distribution will be instrumental in millions of Iranians coming to know Jesus Christ. One church planter received 1,000 New Testaments last month from Elam Ministries and said the New Testaments are the best way to share the love of Christ with the Iranian people. ‘I have personally given thousands out over the last few years and I’ve only had one person tell me they don’t want it.’ He added, ‘A few weeks ago we witnessed to a lady who was about to commit suicide and we gave her a New Testament. Praise God she did not go through with her plans. Please pray for her to find salvation and for the many others in Iran on the brink of suicide. Pray the Word of God will reach them too.’
Praise: God for Bible translators and fearless Christians in closed countries and ask Him to open more avenues of ministry throughout Iran. (1Ki.8:42)
The church in this city had been wiped out in the early 1900s, and there had been no Christian witness until just a few years ago when a Persian speaking church was planted there. This past Easter Sunday forty-one people were baptized there in a thriving church led by Elam graduates. Thirty-nine of them were from a Muslim background and two were from a nominal Christian one. These two had been led to Christ by an Iranian believer from a Muslim background. During a powerful service, twenty-six Iranians, fourteen Afghans, and one Iraqi shared their testimonies and glorified Christ. Families were baptized together. In one case a grandmother with her daughter and son in law and their two teenage boys were baptized, and in another, an Afghan lady with her five children who are in their twenties. (See also World article above) Praise: God the power of the cross and pray that God would keep these new believers under the shadow of His wing. (Ps.91:1)
Iran: Court acquits 11 evangelical Christians
28 May 2011
Eleven members of one of Iran's largest evangelical house church movements, who were charged with ‘action against the order of the country’ and drinking alcohol, have been acquitted by an Iranian court. The charges referred to their involvement in a house church meeting and to taking communion wine, Iranian Christians said earlier. Following their arrests in April, the members of the Church of Iran were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in Bandar-Anzali ‘for a rushed hearing where their lawyer, Mr. Seyyed Mohammed-Ali Dadkhah, hastily drafted a statement in their defence,’ said Britain-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide. In a written verdict issued in mid-May, the court ruled that since the eleven claimed to be conducting a Christian ceremony, their activities were covered by Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, which allows Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians to ‘perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education’.
Praise: God for the release of these 11 believers and pray that others still incarcerated would be released. (Ps.136:24)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/10247-iran-court-acquits-11-evangelical-christians
Iran: Amazing dream brings girl to Christ
19 Oct 2013Ten years ago a young Muslim girl dreamt she saw Jesus coming towards her with a necklace. He hung it around her neck. She looked down and saw a cross with the number 10 in the heart. She didn't know what it meant but from that moment on she knew that Jesus existed. She explored Christianity through a psychology course in university and found a church in her city where she got to know Christ. She now has a Christian husband, but it’s too dangerous for them to go to normal church because they converted from Islam. So today, 10 years after the dream, they are teaching other secret Believers in their house group. She says, ‘It isn't easy being a Christian in Iran, but I think this is what Jesus wanted to say to me with the '10' - that in 10 years I would be here, knowing Him and being together with others who also know Him’
Praise: God for the many stories we are hearing of Muslims meeting Jesus through dreams and visions across the nations where evangelism is forbidden. (Joel 2:28)
More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=12583
Inuit people celebrate arrival of their Bible
30 Jun 2012‘Every time I visit the Arctic the people ask me, ‘When will we have the complete Bible?’ Now their question can finally be answered,’ says Hart Wiens, director of Scripture translations at the Canadian Bible Society. On June 3, in Iqaluit, the capital of the Nunavut territory, milestones were celebrated as a new cathedral was dedicated, two new bishops were consecrated and God’s Word was celebrated. On this brisk, sunny day the Inuit people finally received what they had eagerly awaited for - The Inuktitut Bible - an entire translation to their own tongue! Inuktitut, the language of Inuit people, is the most widely spoken aboriginal language Arctic. This historic undertaking marks the first Canadian translation of the whole Bible completed entirely by native speakers rather than missionaries. The Inuktitut Bible is also the first full translation produced in Canada using the cutting edge computer software tools distributed and supported by the Canadian Bible Society..
Praise: God for the gift of His Word. (Ps.147:1)
More: http://www.unitedbiblesocieties.org/news/1764-inuit-people-celebrate-arrival-of-their-bible/
A new poll commissioned by Christian Concern to coincide with the launch of its Not Ashamed campaign revealed, ‘most Britons think Christians should be able to follow their conscience in the workplace without facing disciplinary action from their employers.’ The organisation and its sister group, the Christian Legal Centre, have been involved in the legal defence of numerous Christians penalised by their employers. Out of more than 1,000 adults polled by ComRes, seventy-three per cent agreed that the right to wear Christian symbols such as a cross in their workplace should be protected by law. Eighty-seven per cent felt it was wrong for healthcare workers to be threatened with the sack for offering to pray with patients. The poll’s findings are an indication that the attitudes of some politicians and employers are out of step with the feelings of the majority of the population when it comes to public expressions of faith. See: For an encouraging Insight into God's provisions for our nation click the ‘Info’ button. Praise: and thank God for His continued presence in the midst of us. (Ps.132:15)