TEHRAN – By nearly all accounts, more people in Iran are forsaking Islam and becoming followers of Jesus Christ than in any other country in the world.
FAI Studios, producers of the movie “Sheep Among Wolves,” commented that
“Muslim-background Iranians are leading a quiet but mass exodus out of Islam and bowing their knees to the Jewish Messiah—with kindled affection toward the Jewish people. The Iranian awakening is a rapidly reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property, no buildings, has no budget, no 501c3 status, or any identifier that the church in the west says you must have and is predominantly led by women.”
It has been 40 years since the coup in which the Shi’ite Ayatollahs overthrew the monarchy and created the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It is difficult to assess what happens in Iran from the outside looking in. We hear tirades against the U.S. and Israel from Iranian political leaders. We listen to stories about the country’s nuclear enrichment programs. We hear reports about economic sanctions intended to encourage Iran to shut down those programs.
We do not hear much about the average Farzad on the street. We are unaware of the obstacles he and his family face every day. But these are the real Persians. And they have been growing weary of the continuing deterioration of life in the homeland under 40 years of broken promises by the radical Muslim government.
Christian Headlines quoted an unidentified Christian leader who rhetorically asked, “What if I told you Islam is dead? What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran? What if I told you no one follows Islam inside of Iran? Would you believe me?”
As He so often does, the Lord is proving that He works all things together for good for those who are in Christ Jesus. The gentleman actually called Ayatollah Khomeini “the best evangelist for Jesus,” because he is driving people away from the clutches of radical Islam
“The ayatollahs brought the true face of Islam to light, and people discovered it was a lie … After 40 years under Islamic law — a utopia according to them — they’ve had the worst devastation in the 5,000-year history of Iran.”
Fox News explained that the believers are not attempting to plant churches by erecting buildings or forming an ecclesiastical hierarchy. Rather, they are investing their lives in discipleship. They have found that discipled believers are altogether different than converts to a church.
When converts run from persecution, disciples stand firm for Jesus. Those who are led to Christ and taught all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded us have chosen to love and serve Jesus Christ above all else in heaven or on earth.
A female believer said that when she leaves home in the morning, she knows that she may be kidnapped, raped, beaten, and eventually killed. She knows that each morning when she goes, it may be her last.
What sets her and other professing believers apart is that disciples have chosen to offer their bodies as living sacrifices and they are perfectly willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, for the glory of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Praise God that the church is growing in places where it is most persecuted.
To read more news on Iran on Missions Box, go here.
Sources:
- Prayercast, Iran
- Christian Headlines, The ‘Fastest Growing Church’ in the World Is ‘Spreading Like a Wildfire’ in Iran: New Documentary
- Fox News, Iran has world’s ‘fastest-growing church,’ despite no buildings – and it’s mostly led by women: documentary
- FAI Studios, Sheep Among Wolves Volume II (YouTube)