Pray for Iran

When news broke of the Irani Supreme Court’s decision that it was not a crime to preach Christianity in a house church in Iran, Laleh rejoiced along with the others in her fellowship. However, since she became a follower of Jesus after watching Christian programs on satellite TV, she has always felt the need to keep her faith secret and she still feels uneasy talking about it with strangers. . 

Meeting at the house church in a nearby town was her only connection with other Christians, some of whom are still in prison for preaching the Gospel

She wondered: Could things be changing?

Iran is an Islamic republic and attempts to convert Muslims have, until recently, been punishable by death. At the end of 2021, Iran’s courts finally declared that it was not illegal to preach Christianity. even though the law is not consistently applied.

This was a huge shift in a nation that is notorious for persecuting religious minorities. Some believe that authorities’ efforts to push a fundamentalist Islamic agenda has encouraged Iranians to leave Islam, associating it with a corrupt political system. Recent secular studies have confirmed the reports that Christian workers have been making for years about the growth of the Church in Iran.

Estimates suggest that there are now over half a million Christians in Iran, but it is suspected that there are many more, possibly twice that number, given that most Christians still worship secretly in home-based churches and private gatherings.

How to Pray

• Pray for Christians in Iran to have good discipleship resources. Many Christian leaders have been imprisoned or have fled the country and materials are hard to get.
• Pray for Iran to offer full religious freedom to all its citizens.
• Pray for more Muslims in Iran to encounter Jesus and walk in His Freedom.
• Pray that Iran believers would also go out as missionaries and share their faith in nearby nations like Iraq, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

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