Year: 2016

Oppression Causing Astronomical Spread of Christianity in Iran

Hormoz Shariat Ministry Update, Current Events , , , , , ,

Do you know that I am constantly humbled by the young people of Iran? They come to Christ in record numbers and serve God with passion and great love for Him. And they share their Savior even more when the government tries to stop them.

Youth in Iran Choosing Christ

Last week, Fox News spoke with my friend Mani Erfan, CEO and founder of CCM Ministries. Mani has been on our board of directors, and together we have served the underground church movement in Iran for the last fifteen years. Fox News reported an astronomical increase in Iranian citizens converting to Christianity in recent years. Mani explained, “It’s been predominantly young people. We call it an awakening.”

If the current trend continues, experts predict that the number of Christians in Iran will soon exceed 7 million.youth-tv-3 It’s true that due to restrictions and persecution, no one can count with full certainty the number of people adhering to a faith outlawed by the Islamic regime. But we at Iran Alive know through our daily interactions with Iranians that far more Muslims are committing their lives to Jesus than is often told to the public by news and tabulating services.

Therefore, it is very possible that Christians will account for 10 percent of Iran’s population by 2020.

Middle East Paradigm Shift

This number constitutes a major paradigm shift not only for Iran but the whole region. War with the Islamic State (ISIS) has decimated the numbers of Christians in regions such as Iraq and Syria. A majority have been killed, forced to convert, or have fled. Iraq’s 1.5 million Christians in 2003 number only a possible 275,000 now.

So when I often say that I expect that Iran will become a Christian nation in this generation and a light to the whole Middle East—even to Israel—this is why: Iran’s Christians are multiplying and becoming an army of love and good news, reaching out to their neighbors and pointing them to the true Savior. The youth have seen the ugly insides of Islam and a repressive regime—and they have discovered the love and joy of Jesus. To them, there is no comparison, and no other option for them other than to surrender their lives to Christ, whether that means living or dying for Him.

Iran—A Spiritual Battleground

But, my dear friends, this astounding growth of Christianity—and with it the growth of secret and illegal church meetings in homes—also means that Iran will continue to be a major spiritual battleground over the next few years and beyond. Satan is losing his stronghold over Iran. A losing enemy is a dangerous enemy.

We must increase our commitment to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Iran—and we must also pray for those dear Muslims on whose behalf God is working even now, to draw them to Himself. We must increase our commitment to support the growing but fledgling church in Iran as it works to disciple its members and throw off the chains of an oppressive regime.

I am honored to be a part of this great turn in the history of the Middle East. Won’t you join me?

Chiaramonte, Perry. “Underground Church Grows in Iran Despite Regime’s Efforts.” Fox News, November 28, 2016.

 

Iranians Have Mixed Reaction to the President-Elect

Hormoz Shariat Current Events , , ,

Since the November 8 election of Donald Trump, we have seen a mixed reaction in the U.S. concerning expectations for his presidency. Some are hopeful; some are fearful.

The same mixed reaction is true for Iranians.

Iranians Living inside Iran:

  • Some are now hopeful that President-Elect Trump will do something to bring down the current regime in Iran. They are even hopeful that an Iranian regime change during the Trump presidency will allow a democratic, secular government to come into power.trpe
  • Some, though, are fearful that Trump will cause a military attack on Iran during his presidency. They do not want war. They have seen the result of the American-led military offensive in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they do not want that.

Iranian Refugees and Those Iranians with Families in the US:

  • Like their fellow Iranians above, refugees are also hopeful that Trump will cause a regime change in Iran, specifically so that they—or family members living abroad—can return to Iran and reunite.
  • At the same time, many are fearful that Trump’s proposed policies will make it harder for Iranian refugees to come to the U.S. or even for Iranians to come as tourists to visit their family members already living here.

Many of these hopes and fears involve complicated political processes and global partnerships, and so the uncertainty depends on much more than one man’s administration, even the administration of the person often called the most powerful man on the planet. Like the Americans, Iranians will have to wait and see how President Trump gathers policy support and conducts his first year in office—maybe even just his first 100 days—to have a better idea how his administrative actions will match with his election promises.

For the Iranian government, however, the concerns are more immediate and clear.

Iranian Regime:

  • They are fearful that the recently removed sanctions will return. Sanctions will weaken the Iranian government and limit its financial resources. Iran will not be able to continue its activities in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen as before. Sanctions will also reduce Iran’s ability to fund terrorism around the world.
  • Iran’s government is afraid that, with the United States’ consent, Israel will attack Iran’s nuclear sites to stop the development of the nuclear bomb.
  • They are fearful that, after his inauguration, President-Elect Trump will cancel the nuclear agreement—at least as far as the U.S. is concerned. Iran considers that deal a great victory for their side. Without giving up much, they gained a lot. They consider the Obama administration naïve to agree to the nuclear deal and fear they will be unable to stage and perform the same negotiation show with Trump.

The Most Powerful Man on the Planet

Yes, the world waits anxiously to see how the next four years will alter regimes, foreign policies, and the balance of power. But one thing I know to be certain and unchanging: the most powerful man on the planet is not the president of the United States. The most powerful man is the Lord Jesus Christ. And He is toppling regimes that have held strong for fourteen centuries.

The face of Iran is changing as Jesus makes Himself known to Muslims and as they receive His love. He has the power to change lives in a way that neither the Ayatollah nor the President of the United States could ever prevent or copy. And He is providing to Muslims something they have never had before: a certain hope for their future.

Will you pray with me that even more Muslims will come to know Jesus as their savior in the next four years than ever before? Iran is the gateway to the Middle East. Once Iran is transformed by the Gospel, the whole Middle East will be impacted.

I thank you for your concern for Iran and its people—a people God loves just as much as you and me.

Related articles:

Solomon, Jay. “Trump Faces Battle to Undo Iran Nuclear Deal.” Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2016, sec. Politics. http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-faces-battle-to-undo-iran-nuclear-deal-1478860207.

The Pain beneath the Veil.

Hormoz Shariat Life in Iran , , ,

Iran defies global suicide statistics

Globally, men commit suicide at higher rates than women. The statistics show that men are more than three to five times more likely to succeed at killing themselves than women. But in Iran, women commit suicide more often than men. Only China compares with Iran in this grim statistic.

You may think these numbers show the despair of women in Iran, and you would be right—but they do not show its full depth. Across the world—including China—when women do commit suicide, their number one method is some form of poison, either drugs or pesticides; in Iran, the number one method of suicide is self-immolation (burning). Half of all suicides in Iran happen through burning, and for every five of these desperate acts, four are committed by women.

These Iranian women really want to take their lives in a horrendous way. They don’t want to take poison as the easier way out; they want to die with great pain. It is to the point now where suicide by self-immolation happens more frequently in Iran than in Hindu cultures, which see fire as a purifier. This trend in Iran is considered by global health organizations as a significant public health problem.

What has caused Persian women to have such despair?

According to the studies, the top motivating factors for self-immolation among women in Iran are marital conflict and conflict with other family members.

In Islam, women have no value. Millions of Persian woman endure marriages where their husband beats them up. _71130188_hijabSharia and government law approve of husbands beating their wives. Many married women are just the maid, the cook, and sex slave. The husband often doesn’t love them.
He might even be married to other younger women. What the wives like doesn’t matter, and they have no real path for speaking up. Many feel their only escape is death.

Why do women stay in these marriages?

A woman in Iran usually cannot get a divorce. The courts are against them obtaining a legal divorce. They could perhaps just leave—and some do—but, please tell me, where would they go? A divorced woman in Islamic society is considered a curse. The divorced woman opens herself to be approached for prostitution (called a “temporary marriage” in Shariah law). Any and every man can offer her some money one night at a time, creating yet another form of horrific enslavement.

Also, if the woman leaves or divorces her husband, she loses her children, who always go to the husband. So women generally just suffer in these relationships or they kill themselves with great pain and self-hatred.

There is a better answer:

Throughout history, the oppressed have always responded to Jesus best. In Iran, the most oppressed are the women.

Christ is so appealing to these dear souls who have been devalued by their husbands and society that they fall in love with Him. Suddenly they come to Christ, and they realize they are valuable and God is calling them to serve. Their commitment is tremendously high because they know where they come from, and now they are daughters of the King. This correct assessment of their self-worth brings such healing.

So when a woman comes to Christ, they become a great light. The husband notices, “You have changed.” And they have. Before they were hopeless and the husband was unkind or even cruel—the least the wives felt they could do before was be angry, answer back, and hurt their husbands in return. Now they have responded to a Greater Love, and they begin returning grace and kindness for the abuse thrown at them. It shocks everyone.

Once transformed themselves, these women are bringing healing to husbands and kids. Once transformed, these women become agents of transformation for the rest of their family and friends.

Our new initiative: Flourish

As you would guess, then, a majority of our leaders in the underground Church in Iran are women—and they are very good leaders. We want to continue reaching out to these dear sisters and equip them and develop them for the ministry God is giving them. Called “Flourish,” our new initiative is more than television programs, though it is that in part; this initiative is a call to women to be equipped and raise a new generation of leaders. It is a call to flourish in a society that expects them to wilt and burn.

Would you pray for this new initiative? My soul longs to see many, many Persian women discover their true worth as daughters of our gracious King. I pray that many will hear the call of Jesus, and know that His life is worth living. I pray that they will flourish and transform Iran into a Christian nation in this generation.

Related Articles:

Ahmadi, Alireza. “Suicide by Self-Immolation: Comprehensive Overview, Experiences and Suggestions.” Journal of Burn Care & Research: Official Publication of the American Burn Association 28, no. 1 (February 2007)

Vijayakumar, Lakshmi. “Suicide in Women.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry 57, no. Suppl 2 (July 2015)

“When Home Is a Prison,” December 22, 2015.

5 Reasons Iran’s Youth Are Ready to Choose Christ

Hormoz Shariat Life in Iran , , , ,

It used to take me weeks or months working with Persians who were interested in Christianity to convince them to choose Christ. For the older generations, the spirit of Islam lay heavy on them, a blindfold on their minds that prevented them from grasping the Gospel, truth, or often even logic. Fear of Islam and fear of the government would paralyze them.

But young people in Iran are now so open to Christ.ap_995965368922 The generation in their early twenties and younger often call or write to say, “I was watching your satellite TV program, and something in me said I need Jesus, and I’m ready.” No questions about Islam and Christianity. No fear of Islam or the government. Just, they are ready to choose Christ.

Why is this happening now? What is the change? Let me offer five reasons based on the regular testimony we receive from Iran’s young people.

  1. The depth of hopelessness is immense.

Young people under 25 look at their older siblings who have worked so hard to earn bachelor degrees, master degrees, and even PhDs and see that they are miserable. War and decades of harsh rule and sanctions have caused those in their thirties to early forties to name themselves the “Burnt Generation.” They can’t find jobs, they can’t afford to get married, and they have no future. So the younger generation says that even if we work hard, that’s our future. Life is empty.

  1. Sex and drugs have become normalized in the youth culture.

With no future or greater purpose to live for, young people even as young as 12 and 13 fill the void with promiscuous sex and drugs. In the larger cities, this destructive lifestyle has become so normalized among the youth that if a young person avoids these “fixes” for their hopelessness, they are considered weird and are ostracized.

  1. The spirit of fear has lifted from them.

While it is true that the Islamic government of Iran forbids such partying, the news media regularly report arrests of young people taking part in these activities. Unlike their parents and older siblings, who fear the consequences of such actions, the younger Persians assume that partying is the only pleasure they have.

They don’t care what the consequences are; they are not really afraid of the government. They say, “Kill me, kill me. I’m dead anyway.”

They aren’t afraid of Islam or Allah. They have rejected all religions and wanted secularism; they want to be like Americans.

  1. They discover that Christianity has a loving and forgiving God.

Yes, the drive toward secularism can become a challenge for sharing the Gospel. But these young people reject all religions because they assume that Christianity is just like Islam—or worse. So from just one broadcast on our Iran Alive satellite network, Network 7, they begin to see that Christianity is not what they thought before. The program speaks to what is in their hearts: that if there is a God, He is a loving and forgiving God.

Suddenly, they realize this Jesus is exactly what they need. They want Him, and they taste the hope He can give them. Now their lack of fear for the government and their understanding that they were “dead” in their life before Jesus becomes a huge positive for following Jesus. They are ready to live and die for Christ. The depth of their commitment frequently brings me to tears when we talk. We have to remind them to be careful so they can live and minister as long as they can!

As disciples, these young believers are ready to listen and be corrected. Unlike their parents, who would be offended by direct correction, the young people love straight talk. They become soldiers for Jesus, ready to run for the Lord.

  1. Jesus is moving in Iran, testifying about Himself through dreams and visions.

More than anything else, young people are choosing Christ because He is choosing them. We regularly receive testimonies from those to whom Jesus has appeared in a dream or vision. God is moving in Iran, according to His promise Jeremiah 49:38, “I will set my throne in Elam (Iran).”

This generation is so ready, so desperate. Give them a vision, give them a goal, and they will run with it.

We have in this current time an amazing opportunity to reach out and raise an entire generation of soldiers for Christ. I am grieved because time is passing, and we are merely harvesting the edges of a vast, ripe field. Many contact us weekly, and we cannot disciple them all in a meaningful way due to limited resources. We have to take in a few, and leave the rest outside the door.

Would you consider praying and thanking God for these young people? Would you consider joining in our efforts to give the youth in Iran hope in Christ and to transform Iran in this generation? You can find out more about our ministry through this link.

How Iran’s Hacking of Telegram Affects the Persian Underground Church

Hormoz Shariat Current Events , , , , ,

Day after day I am impressed by the maturity, faith, and resolve of the leaders of the underground church in Iran. They live in constant danger of arrest and torture, and yet they continue to obey the Great Commission and share their faith.

You see, they have experienced the love of Jesus, and the salvation He has given them is not something they can keep to themselves. They must pass on this good news to others, no matter the cost, no matter that the danger of saying anything to anyone about Christianity has grown even more perilous in these times.

Every Word Is Watched

Earlier this summer I told you about the creation of a 7,000 member non-visible police force as well as a new organization tasked with annihilating any activities outside Iran that could threaten the existence of the Islamic government of Iran. Both of these organizations have tamped down communication among Christians in Iran.

With the police in plainclothes, it is even harder for Iranians to know who is spying on them. The person they share their faith with could very well be leading them on so they can put them in jail.

These days, the Iranian government has gotten even more sophisticated in their control of the people and their attempts to silence anti-Islamic or anti-government speech. According to a new study by Collin Anderson and Claudio Guarnieri that will be published later this year, a Persian group known as Rocket Kitten has compromised over a dozen accounts of the end-to-end encrypted instant messaging service known as Telegram, allowing them to read incriminating chat histories.

Telegram telegram-iran-1074x483has become number one way for Iranians worldwide to communicate safely with each other.
According to Telegram itself, Iran is the number one user of this app in the world.

So even more alarming to users of the service than the hacking of these first few accounts was the news that the group also collected the Iranian phone numbers and user IDs of over 15 million users. This information will allow the group to continue to target Telegram accounts and arrest people who thought their encrypted communication was secure.

The researchers have declined so far to connect outright the hacking group to the Iranian government; however, they did note that they saw instances where compromised and targeted accounts preceded arrests in Iran. “We see a continuous alignment across these actions,” Anderson said.

The Church Keeps Growing

What does this news mean for the underground Church in Iran? Really, the news is nothing new. As always, the Islamic government of Iran is desperate to stop the growth of Christianity within its borders. It will continue to employ every means possible to spy on, intimidate, and eradicate opposition to Islam.

But God is moving in Iran, showing a new generation that His name is Jesus, and there is no other name by which they can be saved (Acts 4:12). These young people, with your prayers, will continue to share the Gospel.

So please pray for the believers of the Persian Church, that they will have the courage and boldness to obey God and preach His name no matter what the government says or what apps they hack. Pray that they can be creative and that the Holy Spirit will help them stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Related Articles:

“Lifeline from Nuclear Deal Helps Iran Oppress Its Own People,” June 2, 2016.

Reuters. “Hackers Accessed Telegram Messaging Accounts in Iran, Say Researchers.” The Guardian, August 2, 2016, sec. Technology.

Loving Muslims: The Best Way to Stop Islam

Hormoz Shariat Ministry Update, Current Events

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. —Ephesians 6:12, NIV

When people hear me talking or read my posts that say ISIS and terrorists are following the true Islam, some accuse me of hating Muslims. I do not hate Muslims. I love them. All people are treasures in God’s eyes. Muslims are treasures, and Jesus gave His life to buy them back—redeem them.

Muslims are not our enemy.medium_do-christians-and-muslims-worship-the-same-deity Satan alone is our enemy, and Muslims are his captives whom we are called to set free. To set the Muslim captives free, we must strike a blow against Satan, and we do that by loving Muslims.

We Love Muslims by First Praying for Them

A huge part of loving Muslims is praying for them. The spirit of Islam blinds them to the truth of Christ. Islam is a spirit and not just a theology or a philosophy. You cannot reason a Muslim to Christ because Islam does not allow Muslims to think about and question what they believe.

In the past month, Muslims across the world celebrated Ramadan, a month-long time of fasting and recommitment to Islam. It’s a spiritual battle month because during this time Muslims are recommitting themselves to the spirit of Islam, and Satan is re-enslaving those that belong to him.

Ten ministries coordinated by author Tom Doyle and CBN News recently joined in a worldwide effort “to encourage Christians to pray specifically for a move of God’s spirit to draw Muslims to Jesus Christ during Ramadan.” Voice of the Martyrs, one of the ministries that participated in this Facebook Live event, has written about the event and my participation here.

I had the honor of being the second speaker for this CBN broadcast. Hundreds of thousands viewed it and prayed along with me despite some technical difficulties with the video. You can find the broadcast here. (Please scroll through the first few seconds to get to where I begin speaking.)

I want to thank the Lord publically for these prayers and His response. I know He hears and is moving even now to remove the blindness and fear from hearts and to draw Muslims to Himself.

Even though it is no longer Ramadan, we must continue praying for Muslims. Jesus is attractive. The message of the Gospel is sweet. But why don’t Muslims believe when they hear it? Because there is a spiritual battle for their souls that is trying to keep them in slavery through fear and intimidation. We can win this battle first through prayer and then through loving them.

We Must Love Muslims by Also Praying for Ourselves

We must pray for Muslims, and then, as our next step of loving Muslims, we need to pray for ourselves.

Terrorism and Islamic jihad are scary. I do not want to belittle the brutality and evil of what we have seen and heard, especially in recent months. But as Christians, we must remember that God is love and that love casts out all fear (1 Jn 4:8, 18). So if we are fearful and hateful of Muslims—even if we are indifferent!—that is not of God. The spirit of Islam is the spirit of fear and hate. May I even say that if you are fearful and hateful towards Muslims, you are submitting to the very spirit of Islam? So we must pray for our own hearts to be filled with God’s love—to be free from fear and hatred.

When we share the truth with love, the captives will be freed. Please join with me to confront the spirit of Islam with the best weapons we have: prayer and love.

Related articles:

VOM. “Praying for Muslims: Hormoz Shariat.” Persecution Blog. Accessed August 1, 2016.

CBN News. “Ramadan Prayer Outreach to Muslims Reaches over 7 Million People.” CBN.com (beta). Accessed August 2, 2016.

Terrorism Fatigue: How many times will we wake up and fall back to sleep?

Hormoz Shariat Current Events , , , , , ,

Another terrorist attack. Quickly, we see that the world is growing less shocked each time terrorists commit violence and mass murder. Terrorism in the headlines has become routine.f80de65e0ccb3622806322e72931a7297428e5b4f130379ae658ea1b4d82ad39

One Twitter comment sums it up well: “Je suis Paris (I am Paris), Je suis Belgium, Je suis Orlando, Je suis Ankara, Je suis Nice. Je suis sick and tired of this.”

And the list above only mentions a few of the past year’s attacks. It doesn’t even mention half the atrocities from the past two weeks.

The Terrorism Cycle

Fill in the blank below with the place of any of the recent attacks. The rest of the cycle looks the same:

  1. The terrorist act happens in __________. We are all shocked. Many are dead and wounded. Our televisions carry live coverage on nearly every channel.
  2. We mourn and express our condolences to the families who lost a loved one.
  3. We start asking who did it and why. Then it is revealed that the attacker(s) was an Islamic jihadi.
  4. Politically correct groups warn everyone that we must not connect these acts to Islam itself. They suggest we can call the perpetrators criminals, extremists, terrorists, and whatever other name we want to call them, but we are not in any way to connect them to the religion of Islam, even if they themselves announce that their motivation has been obedience to the teaching of Islam to jihad (fight) against infidels and kill them. Even if they shouted “Allahu akbar” when they were committing murders.
  5. President Obama condemns the act and makes his usual weak statement trying not to offend anybody, especially Muslims. He makes sure to avoid mentioning Islam in his comments. After the attack on July 14 in Nice, France, he said, “On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent citizens. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded.”
  6. Secretary of State John Kerry makes a statement that the U.S. government is working to determine if any American citizens were injured in the event.
  7. We gradually forget and fall back to sleep until another terrorist event wakes us up again to restart the cycle that goes nowhere.

Breaking the Cycle

When are we going to break this cycle? When are we going to identify and address the root problem? We cannot solve the problem of terrorism if we refuse to identify its root. How can a doctor cure a disease if he does not dare identify the cause of the disease because the patient may be offended? When are we going to wake up from our slumber and look at the real issues in order to bring real solutions?

In the U.S., most of the media coverage is about WHAT the terrorist (jihadi) did with many details and pictures and footage. But they stop there and do not dare cover WHY he did this. They dare not talk about the motive of the terrorist even when he clearly states it in his writings and speech, even when he shouts “Allahu akbar” while he is killing.

I love Muslims. I am called to love Muslims and lovingly share the good news of Jesus with them. I have dedicated my life to loving Muslims. Nevertheless, the moment I mention that we need to look at the Islamic theology that motivates the terrorist, I am accused by emails and blog comments that I am a Muslim hater and that I am spreading hate!

Address the Problem, Love the People

Ronald Reagan was instrumental in bringing communism down because he addressed the problem of communism directly and boldly. He did not care about political correctness. It was the 1980s and the PC crowd had not yet risen to power.

This is what Reagan said about communism: “How do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”

If the PC crowd had a voice then, they would have said, “President Reagan, by making this statement, you are offending many good communist citizens. You may alienate them and hurt their feelings. You are spreading hate.” My guess is that President Reagan would have answered, “I hate communism, but I love the people who live under communism.”

We Must Have Courage to Speak the Truth in Love

If Reagan were alive today, I imagine he would say something like this about Islam: “Who is a Muslim? Well, it’s someone who reads Quran. And who is an Ex-Muslim? It’s someone who understands Quran.”

If we do not face the reality of Islam and the belief and theology behind these terrorist acts, we will never be able to address the problem of terrorism accurately and give realistic and effective solutions. We will be stuck (as we are now) in the cycle I described above. Unfortunately, we gradually become desensitized to the news—something the psychologists call “terrorism fatigue.” It will shock us less and less and gradually become merely a reality of living on this earth. As time passes, we may become even less motivated to identify the problem accurately and solve it effectively.

We must wake up to the reality that these terrorists are, in fact, Islamic jihadis following the teaching of Quran and the lifestyle and example of Prophet Mohammad. We must love Muslims but hate the theology of violence and murder. We must have the courage to discuss Quranic verses in our media. (A reporter in American can be fired by just quoting—and not even interpreting—Quranic verses in his speech and writing!) We must find courage to expose and discuss the teachings of Quran publicly. We must get free from this self-deception that Islam is “just another religion” and face the fact that it is a political and militaristic movement. Muslims who commit themselves to obey the teachings of Quran and follow the example of Prophet Muhammad end up becoming terrorists.

We must have courage to speak the truth with love (Eph. 4:15). It is the only meaningful way forward.

Linked Articles:

Thompson, Dargan. “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?” RELEVANT Magazine, June 16, 2016.

How Should We Live with the Threat of Terror?

Hormoz Shariat Uncategorized, Current Events , , , , , , ,

My heart is heavy as once again a person professing allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has carried out an attack on Western soil in Orlando and now in Istanbul, Turkey.sabiha-gokcen-Havalimanı Toward the end of last year, I said I hoped that I was wrong, but that we would begin seeing an increase in terror events in Western cities (along with ongoing terror in nonwestern cities). I am greatly grieved by the horrendous mass shooting in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub and the mass killing in Istanbul’s international airport. That follows the Paris terror event and the San Bernardino terror event and the Belgian airport bombing, but I am not surprised. I wish I were.

God is moving in important ways in  the Muslim world, but so is the enemy. How we respond to this event in coming days matters to God’s kingdom. For that reason, let me once again address the problem that we face.

Our Natural Instinct Is to Blame Outwardly and Move Inwardly

These gunmen are dead, and it is natural that people want answers that he can no longer give. We want to know who we can blame for his actions and what can we do to prevent the next random attack. We failed to prevent the loss of life in Orlando and Istanbul , and we desperately want to prevent terror in the future.

As a nation, the U.S. is lashing out in the dark right now at anything and everything that might contribute to the next attack. The news media and political figures have focused on several details of the attack: Orlando’s terrorist attack was the worst mass shooting in America, with 49 dead and 53 injured. The attack singled out gay men. The attacker used guns that he was licensed to own. The gunman was Muslim.

The nation and investigators will spend the week and month trying to determine what group has the greatest fault for allowing this senseless tragedy to happen. Some will follow the president in refusing to blame the attack on radical Islam and will fault the violence instead to a lingering anti-gay sentiment in the U.S. Some will blame our law enforcement for failing to sniff out this man’s intentions when they checked his background for his security job or when they investigated him for a Syrian connection in 2013. Some will be encouraged by current efforts in Congress to reign in gun ownership. And some will follow those who think that by banning every Muslim from the U.S., we will protect ourselves. None of these approaches will prevent the next attack.

When people are afraid, their natural instinct is to retreat to a “safe zone”—to a zone filled with people like themselves, like-minded, like-religioned, and like-skinned. After an event like this massacre, Christians and Muslims alike will move inward and allow suspicion and fear to grow stronger between them. But is this the best way for us to respond to acts of terror?

True Islam Requires Adherents to Hate Outwardly and Persecute Inwardly

Despite the many possible causes investigators and the media are blaming for the attack, the truth is that the gunman in Orlando revealed his motive. He called 911 to declare that the attack was an act of allegiance to ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS). We do not know if the shooter was present three months earlier when an imam in Orlando preached death as the correct response to homosexuals. But we do know that the imam did preach what Islam teaches: that gays should be executed. And we do know that the shooter targeted the Pulse club because it caters to gay men.

I have said many times that despite many Muslims who live peacefully in the U.S. and who proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace, the holy book of Islam and the works of its prophet show a religion of violence. The teachings of the Quran and Muhammed call for violence against “infidels.” Americans Muslims are not so much radicalized by ISIS as they hear the teachings of the imams and discover that true Islam looks like ISIS, and they want to follow true Islam. And true Islam requires that its adherents hate infidels. What we call “Radical Muslims” are indeed just “Committed Muslims.”

Does this mean we should agree with those who wish to call all Muslims terrorists and ban them from our country or severely restrict their freedom here?

Christ Asks Us to Love Outwardly and Forgive Inwardly

Whether by a Muslim or someone else, terror attacks occur because of hate. The more we marginalize other human beings, the more we will contribute to a culture that explodes with hatred. Christ calls us to something radically different. Yes, we are to love and pray for those in office, even when they do not follow our agenda. Yes, Jesus tells us to radically love those who offend us, to pray for those who do not yet know him, to forgive those who hurt us and to share with them how we were also forgiven.

So what does this mean? How should we prepare for and avoid terror? If we are to follow Jesus, the way to prepare for and avoid terror is to love our enemy and to share the Good News with those who most want to do us harm.

Many Muslims do want a peaceful religion. They just do not know the right way to find it. We must show them. Muslims who wish to make Islam a peaceful religion find that they have to ignore much of what Islam teaches. If a Muslim wants to know a God of peace, they must find the God who became our peace—and that is Jesus. There is no other way.

We Must Be Ready to Share Peace

Muslims transformed by the God and by the love of transformed Christians do not shoot masses of people. It is true that we must wisely recognize the harmful intent of the Islamic agenda while at the same time see the vast numbers of Muslims ready to come to Christ in the West and even in the Middle East and Iran if only we are willing to share Christ’s love with them. These terror events force Muslims everywhere to look harder at their religion and see it for what it is. Many Muslims worldwide are coming to Christ even now, especially in Iran.

How should we live with the threat of terror? We can become an army of love like the underground church of Iran. We should refuse to allow suspicion and blame to divide us and paralyze us. We should move even faster, stronger, and bolder to love the one who hates us and even hates his own people and make Christ known among them. I pray that you will ask God how you can begin doing this even now.

To the Glory of God and the transforming of Iran.

Lifeline from Nuclear Deal Helps Iran Oppress Its Own People

Hormoz Shariat Current Events , , , , , ,

Last summer I said that the nuclear deal gave the Islamic government of Iran a lifeline. I predicted that the money would be used to (1) oppress the people of Iran more and (2) persecute the Iranian Christians outside Iran, including Iran Alive.

In the last few weeks there have been several news stories about the government of Iran starting two new organizations:

1) They have created a “non-visible” police. These are 7,000 undercover, plain-clothed agents who will mingle with people and have full authority to arrest anybody who does not follow Islamic law or who criticizes the regime. 7541.jpgThe government made this program public because they want to put fear in the hearts of the people. They know this program will make Iranians afraid of each other and afraid of sharing anything in public with anybody they do not know because that person could be an agent.

The undercover police are one way the government is increasing its oppression of the people, by making them afraid even to talk with each other. This will make public witnessing even more dangerous to Christians. Please pray that members of our many underground churches will continue to be bold to share their faith despite the danger.

2) They have created a new organization to stop and destroy their “opponents” outside Iran. The goal of this organization is to do whatever it takes to annihilate any activities outside Iran that could threaten the existence of the Islamic government of Iran. The fact is that there is currently no movement inside or outside of Iran strong enough to threaten the future of the current regime, except one: the growth of Christianity and its underground house churches.

The government has destroyed their political opposition rather successfully inside and outside Iran. The only opposition they feel is out of control is the Christians with their fast growing numbers and house churches. Iran’s leaders are well aware of the impact outside Christian organizations such as Iran Alive have on the masses inside Iran. So the number one goal of this new organization is to stop or slow down activities of Iranian Christian organizations outside Iran.

They are publicizing this program widely to put fear in hearts of Iranian Christians worldwide. They may even murder some of them as they have done in the past, to tell us all that they are serious. We desperately need prayer covering for Iran Alive and myself as the threats against us are increasing in number and seriousness.

A Threat with a Silver Lining

These moves by the Iranian government and the police of Tehran are a serious threat not only to Iranian women, whom much of the media has been most concerned about due to the dress code laws, but also to Christians inside and outside Iran who are willing to die on behalf of Jesus to share His love with others there.

But we can take comfort in the fact that the government felt compelled to initiate these organizations. It shows that they know they are losing—or have lost—the backing of the people. Most of the nation, especially the young people, does not want this government, or its policies, or the Islamic faith it adheres to. Many have taken to social media to protest the new policies.

We believe as the government increases its persecution of Christians, the number of Iranian Muslims coming to Christ will also increase—as well as their strength in faith and commitment. The Islamic government of Iran is on a losing spiral.

Let’s pray for the persecuted Church in Iran, and let’s do whatever we can to add fuel to the fire of revival that the Lord has started there.

 

Iran Will Be a Christian Country, Part 3

Hormoz Shariat Uncategorized

Iran will be a Christian Country. In part 1 and part 2 of this series, I showed how the Bible supports this claim and the research confirms it. Now let me share how we are seeing this transformation happen before our very eyes every day.

Reason 3: Our Numbers Confirm That Many People of Iran Are Trusting Christ

God used me to plant six churches among Iranian Muslims in northern California. imagesFollowing the 9/11 attacks, on December 1, 2001, we bought one hour of broadcast time from a secular satellite TV station to share the love of God with millions of Iranian Muslims in the privacy of their homes. From day one, we saw a great response.

Over the last 14 years, we have collected the names of over 32,000 people who either prayed with us to receive Christ or told us that they had done so while watching our TV programs. From experience, we know that this number represents only a fraction of those who have received Christ. Many choose to follow Jesus but do not reach out with a dangerous phone call or email to tell us.

In 2011, we moved to Dallas to start a 24/7 Satellite TV channel because we wanted to establish God’s Church in Iran while the window of opportunity was open. I am not a typical televangelist, and our channel is not a typical Western-style Christian channel. I am a pastor and a church planter, and our channel delivers the services of a church to every home. By His grace, we have planted hundreds of underground house churches in over 100 cities in Iran!

Our goal is not just conversion but transformation. We want them to become growing disciples of Jesus, being transformed and at the same time transforming those around them. As an example, let me share with you Ali’s story.

Ali is a young man in his early twenties in Iran who didn’t believe in God and who used alcohol and girls to find peace and change the monotonous emptiness of his life. Feeling lonely when he went away to college, he went to a gym where a man began sharing his testimony and stories from the Bible with him.

Here is what Ali wrote to us in a prayer request for his parents:

Week after week, this teacher told me stories. The further we went on, the more I became closer to God and knew Him. I realized that Christ was my savior. When I learned that, I felt I had finally found the half of me that was missing. It was a strange feeling I had never experienced before. Now I really feel God, and I can’t deny his presence.

Through this man’s teaching and your teaching through your satellite television programs, I found out more about God and understood that I must daily live with Him and obey His word. I read the Bible stories to seven friends, and I thank God that they all came to believe in Jesus, too. When we obeyed God’s word, our lives began to change.

All I want now is to give God’s word to anyone who wants God in his life. Please pray for my parents. I read the stories to them, but they have a political background and they are afraid. They think I may be killed, and my father is sick because of that thought. They have put much force on me to stop and will not let me leave my house or serve God by seeing my groups and sharing God’s word. It’s my dream to be God’s coworker. Please pray that these restrictions will be lifted soon.

In a very short time, Ali changed from a young man that lived for partying to a young man who lives—and is willing to die—for God. We have many, many more stories just like his. Our goal is discipleship that brings about transformation.

My dear friends, Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). Contrary to natural appearances, it is “day” in Iran. The Lord has opened the spiritual eyes of Iranians to see the Light.

Would you pray with me that the church in the West will wake up to this unique historical opportunity before it is too late? Indeed the Lord has done His part to open that nation spiritually through 35 years of oppressive Islamic rule. He is also giving visions, dreams and miracles to many people there. As I say often, I believe He says to His Church: “Look! I love these people. I am doing my part. Come and do your part as I have commanded you.”

How will you respond?

 

Category: Lives Transformed

Tags: visions in iran, shabakeh 7, televangelism in iran, christians in iran, iran becoming a christian country, underground church iran

Related articles:

Seymore, Julia A. “Christianity Thrives in Iran Despite Severe Persecution.” ChristianHeadlines.com, April 4, 2016.

Chui, Angie. “Underground Churches Thriving in Iran despite Persecution.” Christian Today: World, April 7, 2016.