Year: 2014

6 Young Iranians Arrested for Being “Happy”

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In a recent video posted on YouTube that has gone viral, two universal truths concerning the state of Iran is beautifully illustrated simultaneously:

  1. The youth of Iran is vibrant, energetic, playful and longing for ways to express themselves…just like youth around the world.
  2. The government of Iran is bent on squashing any form of individualism and expression of free thought, regardless of how innocent it may be.

All told, six young people were arrested for making a playful video to the popular song, “Happy.”  Five have since been released, with the director of the video continuing to be imprisoned for his crimes.

Please join me in praying for the youth of Iran.  Pray that the Lord will use them to transform Iran into a Christian nation in this generation.  Pray that they will not lose heart, not lose hope and not lose their zeal for life in the midst of their dire circumstances.

GodReports Story on Iran Alive Minstries

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Please take a moment to read this encouraging article on GodReports about our ministry to transform Iran into a Christian nation in this generation!Godreports banner

Reaching the Children of Iran

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One of the things that I treasure most, as I look back on my children’s younger years, is the long list of people who invested in the spiritual foundations of each of them.  My children grew up in the US, enjoying religious freedom and precious fellowship with other believers who sharpened and challenged their walks with Christ.  In Iran, children enjoy zero religious freedom and very little, if any, fellowship with other believers.

As a result, one of our key strategies has been to develop solid, biblical, simple and fun children’s programming that serves as a form of “Sunday School” for our Church 7 programming, which provides church for the 97% of the believers in Iran who have no access to fellowship of any kind, including the underground church.

The video below will give you a glimpse into the “Secret Agent” world of Kidz 7.  A place of discovery, intrigue and intimacy with the Savior, whose love for children can only be described as fierce.

Please join me in praying for the children of Iran, who are the key to transforming Iran into a Christian nation in this generation.

Special Easter Greeting

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No matter the trials or suffering that you – or your Christian brothers and sisters in Iran – may be going through today, know that new birth has given you a living hope. Hallelujah!
 
May you and your family be blessed this Easter. And I thank you for your prayers and partnership in sharing this Good News with so many others in Iran God bless you!

 

Nowruz – Hope for a New Beginning

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As I mentioned in a previous post, Persians around the world have been celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year.  I explained the Haft Sin Sofreh and the symbolism behind each item.

Today, I thought you might like to see a brief video of our own Haft Sin Sofreh that we have been using to connect the symbolism of this secular holiday to the hope of Christ.  It is actually a very easy thing to do, as you will see.

Charisma Magazine Article

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Please take a moment to read the article recently published by Charisma Magazine highlighting my story and the work of the Lord through our ministry into Iran.4A_2014-03_200x263

Persian New Year, Nowruz – Ending & Rebirth

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Haft Sin on the Iran Alive Ministries (Network 7) set
Haft Sin on the Iran Alive Ministries (Network 7) set

Thursday March 20th, Iranians rang in the Persian New Year.  Nowruz, meaning “new day,”  always begins on the first day of spring. It represents two ancient symbolic concepts: Ending and Rebirth, or, more specifically, the ending of evil and rebirth of good.

Awaiting arrival of Nowruz, Iranians prepare the haft sin, or the seven ‘S’s. The haft sin sofreh includes seven items starting with the letter S:

  1. sabzeh – sprouts, symbolizing rebirth
  2. samanu –  a sweet pudding made from wheat germ symbolizing affluence
  3. senjed –  the dried fruit of the oleaster tree, symbolizing love
  4. siib –  apple, symbolizing beauty
  5. somaq – sumac, symbolizing sunrise
  6. serkeh – vinegar, symbolizing age and patience
  7. sombol –  hyacinth, to denote the coming of spring

For the remaining thirteen days of the New Year celebration, Iranians gather together and celebrate. Relatives come and visit the older members of the family and in return, the elders pay their respect by visiting them back. On the last day, as is the tradition, Iranians picnic in the suburbs, dance, sing, and play outside until the night forces them back to their homes.

The clerical establishment ruling Iran have long tried to stop Iranians from celebrating their long tradition of Nowruz. Even under though the people of Iran are under constant oppression, they have not given in and continue to be proud of their Persian heritage and cling to the hope of a fresh start.

Lets us pray that with this New Year that love will conquer hate and that the people of Iran will meet the only Source of true hope, Jesus.

Counting the Days

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Sometimes simple statements make large impressions.  A few weeks ago, I received a brief email of encouragement from one of our Church 7 viewers inside Iran:

Hello Pastor Hormoz,

Today we participated in Church 7 with a few friends. Thank you so much for everything you do. Here in Iran, we count the days for the live Church broadcast.

Amir

Amir’s comments were short, but very sweet to me and our staff.  With no other option available to 97% of the believers inside of Iran, Satellite TV provides the only source of spiritual nourishment and encouragement for these hungry people.

Join me in praying for Amir and the hundreds of thousands of believers in Iran who live under the constant threat of persecution for their faith in Christ.  May the Lord grant them grace and mercy as they seek to know and follow Him.

From Depression to Hope

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Our Counseling Center Ministry recently passed this email from one of our viewers to me.  I was greatly touched, as I know you will be, by the Lord’s great mercy and grace in the life of this young lady.  Here is the message:

Hello,

My name is Elizeh. I have a 16 year-old daughter who suffers from depression has often threatened us with committing suicide. As you can imagine, this has caused a great deal of concern for us.

We always watch the Church7 programs but my daughter would never pay any attention to them. One day, when we were watching the program, my daughter was not staring at the wall like she usually did, but she was actually listening. All of the sudden, she walked to the TV and placed her hand on it and started to cry out loud and said, “God I need you and I want to be your daughter!”  

The whole family was in tears. As Pastor Hormoz was praying the salvation pray, she repeated after him and gave her heart to Christ.

Ever since then, we have seen great joy in her face. God has given her back to us. I want to thank each and every one of you for the love that you show us through Church7. We pray that you will always stand firm in Christ.

Elizeh

May we see millions of Iranians experience the life transforming power that comes only through our Lord.  To Him alone be the glory!

*As with all of my posts, names and faces have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

Transforming the Masses by Reaching a Few

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Without question, Satellite TV is a tremendous vehicle for reaching vast numbers of people with the saving Message of the Gospel.  In Iran, it is the safest, most effective and efficient method of reaching millions of people who are hungry for hope.

We believe that a conservative estimate of viewers of our network to be between 3 million and 6 million people inside Iran at any given time.  When you consider that there are around 1 million believers in Iran, the overwhelming majority of our viewers are Muslims who are seeking and not yet followers of Christ.  Many of these people are high-ranking government officials, top businessmen and key politicians who are looking for hope themselves.

Recently, one of these men called our Counseling Center Ministry to tell of his experience watching our programming.  Watch the video to hear his story and learn more about our 2-fold strategy.