IT IS now a normal thing to see many new converts in Iranian House Churches. Iranian believers expect to see new people coming in repentance to Jesus every week. This is very much like the account of the Book of Acts where it says the Church was: “Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”771 In some cases, when they have meetings where there are no stories of a conversion they examine what they have done wrong to hinder the Lord working. Such growth has happened in the last 30 years to where many say conservative estimates put the size of the Iranian house Churches at over one million people.
Iranians find the Lord Jesus Christ through evangelization by Iranians and personal one-to-one witnessing. The Lord commands us to make disciples. After the person makes a decision, they need discipleship. It involves walking and talking with those that have accepted Christ and teaching them what the Bible says. As Iranian Christians rely on the Holy Spirit they are Spirit-led to reach those that should be saved. They risk their lives to do so because they believe it is a sin not to share the Good News of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their commitment to Jesus Christ is reflected in many reports.
The cost to see this growth in the Church is at the price of great persecution and imprisonment. Rev. Mehdi Dibaj was in prison for 9 years for refusing to deny his faith in Christ and return to Islam. He said: “I am a Christian. As a sinner I believe Jesus has died for my sins on the cross and by His resurrection and victory over death, has made me righteous in the presence of the Holy God. The true God speaks about this fact in His Holy Word, the Gospel (Injil). Jesus means Savior ‘because He will save His people from their sins.’772 Jesus paid the penalty of our sins by His own blood and gave us a new life so that we can live for the glory of God by the help of the Holy Spirit and be like a dam against corruption, be a channel of blessing and healing, and be protected by the love of God.
“In response to this kindness, He has asked me to deny myself and be His fully surrendered follower, and not to fear people even if they kill my body, but rather rely on the creator of life who has crowned me with the crown of mercy and compassion. He is the great protector of His beloved ones as well as their Great Reward.
“They object to my evangelizing. But if one finds a blind person who is about to fall in a well and keeps silent then one has sinned.773 It is our religious duty, as long as the door of God’s mercy is open, to convince evil-doers to turn from their sinful ways and find refuge in Him in order to be saved from the wrath of the Righteous God and from the coming dreadful punishment.”774
Three months after he was released from prison, Rev. Mehdi was abducted and later found hanging from a tree.
Such dedication in the life of Iranian Christians brings the results that God desires. Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. God gives the eternal reward, that of a martyrs’ crown, to His faithful servant. We in non-persecuted countries take the easy road. We say, Let our life speak. Yet we are drowned in the sea of the world. Our voices are not raised and therefore are not heard. We have lost the salt from our Christian lives. When Jesus prayed for us He talked to His Father about future Christians that would believe on Him because of their word: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message.”775 By saying their message Jesus is indicating that we Christians are to use the words of our mouths to testify about salvation. We are to share with others by word of mouth what Jesus has done for us. We are to speak with our voices about our faith, humbly, gently, and with much love. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”776
In Iran, confession of the faith is also transmitted through technological means. A wonderful testimony is that of a family in Iran that watched a Gospel broadcast on an illegal satellite station. In response to hearing the Good News of the Son of God and eternal life in Him they prayed this prayer together as a family:
“Dear God, we confess that we are sinners. I confess that I cannot save myself through my own good works. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins. And they put You in the tomb and You rose from the dead after 3 days. I believe that You are alive and have the authority to forgive my sins. And to make me righteous in front of the Everlasting God. I ask that You accept me and as You promised, please give me new life. I thank You for hearing my prayers, Amen.”
With this prayer they wrote in to the Gospel station and asked if the prayer was correct. Such simple faith and response to the Gospel is how God is working in a powerful way in this country to turn people from a harsh religion that demands many outward religious forms to the true and living God.