5. Will the US and Iran partner in Iraq to stop ISIS?
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
Both have similar interests: to help the current Shiite Government of Iraq maintain control and stop the Sunni ISIS from taking over Iraq.
They may partner in some ways to help stop ISIS but will never acknowledge it publicly.
Iran has a major influence in Iraq where the majority of the population is Shiites and the government is led by Shiites.
Iran’s goal has been to get the US out of Iraq and be the sole influencer of the Shiite Iraqi regime. They are happy that the US has pulled out of Iraq and do not want to see the US’s influence and presence increase. Therefore, they may work with the US for the short time but will want the US out of Iraq as soon as ISIS is stopped.
4. How the events in Iraq will impact His Kingdom?
Christians in Iraq and Syria have been persecuted and have been leaving as refugees.
Under ISIS, the killing and persecution of Christians will dramatically increase. It has already started and there will be a mass exodus of Christians.
The brutality of ISIS will cause millions of Muslims to have an objective look at Islam. Many of them will come to reject Islam and become open to the message of the Gospel. This is what happened in Iran. Millions of Syrian refugees have seen the brutality of Islamist “freedom fighters” of ISIS. Many of them are coming to Christ in refugee camps in Turkey.
ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and (greater) Syria.
ISIS members are painting the Arabic letter N, for “Nasrani,” or Nazarene on homes as a way of identifying unwanted Christians in Mosul, Iraq.
They are the coalition of Sunni forces in Iraq and Syria.
Their immediate goal is to topple two Shiite governments in Iraq and Syria.
Their intermediate goal is to have a unified Sunni state that covers the whole region including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.
Their long-term goal is to bring back a worldwide rule of Caliphates. They believe that they are mandated by the Quran to do so and use as much violence as needed to accomplish that goal.
They are much stronger than Al-Qaeda in numbers, unity, and finances. They have performed mass executions, even including women and children. They are so violent and brutal that Al-Qaeda looks conservative and moderate comparatively.
When in power, they will be the number one source of terrorism in the world.
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.
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.
“Our God is not a God of depression, but He is the God of joy!” —Bahar (name changed to protect identity)
Only days ago, we received the following email from a viewer inside Iran. What struck me deeply, was her proclamation, “Our God is not a God of depression, but He is the God of joy!” To you and I, this may seem like a sweet, but logical conclusion that any Believer would make. I want you to know that this is nothing short of miraculous coming from a former Muslim… particularly a woman!
Depression and suicide are pandemic in Iran, especially among women who have virtually no value in an Islamic Theocracy where they are treated with disdain and cruelty. For Bahar (name changed to protect her identity) to draw this conclusion and embrace the identity of a valued daughter of the living God is one of the most tangible evidences we see of life transformation.
Here is her email:
Hello Dear ones,
I thank God for all of you at Network 7 for walking with the strength of the Lord. There is one thing that gives me a lot strength and it is that all of you always have smiles on your faces and are joyful.
I have decided to walk with the strength and joy of the Lord this week and receive my strength from Him. I want to claim the truth as to what an incredible God I have and what amazing things He is doing for me. I have come to know that our God is not a God of depression, but He is the God of joy and wants His children to live peace and joy! You prayed a prayer a few weeks ago and said that God cares about our tears and collects them with His hands. This strengthened me and made me realize that God is next to me, which I do not take it for granted. I proclaim that my God is a living God and close to me.
I felt like I should email this to you and tell you that I love you guys so much.
May the joy of the Lord be with you.
Bahar
Please join me in praying for Bahar to be joined by millions of other Persian women who will encounter the living hope found only in Christ and find their value in the finished work of the cross for them.
“Thank you for teaching God’s Word to me. I am grateful for you all.” —Amir
Recently, I received a touching email from one of our Church 7 members via our Counseling Center Ministry. God is penetrating the hearts of Iranians unlike any other time in history. Amir is being transformed through hearing God’s Word and applying it’s teachings to his life. Here is what he wrote to me:
Dear Pastor Hormoz,
I would like to share a testimony regarding the topic of the Samaritan woman, which you have been preaching about for the past few weeks.
I always tried to have a good relationship with my family and others, but it had been so difficult for me and I prefer to be alone because these relationships have caused me so much sadness and stress in the past.
When I heard the sermon, Christ met me like He met the Samaritan woman and changed my life. I now love to meet new people, spend time with my family and I even love my enemies. It is so strange, but I do not feel like I did before and I am not upset with anyone anymore.
I have a joy that comes from the inside and I like to transfer this joy to others. I really receive more than I give and I enjoy these relationships with people in ways that I never thought I could. Now I understand what life is really all about.
Thank you for teaching God’s Word to me. I am grateful for you all.
Amir
Please join me in continuing to pray that millions of Iranians will be transformed by the Word of God, just like Amir!
Although illegal to own, satellite dishes are pervasive inside Iran
As you know from reading my previous posts, there are no above ground churches inside Iran. Until a few months ago, there was actually one building church, the Central Church of Iran, that was allowed to exist. It was highly regulated and everyone who walked in the door was registered with the government. Many of them were harassed and persecuted as a result, even though the church was allowed to exist.
It too has been closed, leaving every Christian in the country with the choice of finding an underground house church, or plugging in to Church 7, our global satellite Church for Iran. You can read more about this strategy in my post, “Our House Was Converted into a Church”.
Below, I have copied an email we just received from a Church 7 member, whose family found themselves orphaned after the Central Church of Iran closed it’s doors. I know you will find it encouraging. There is no doubt the Lord is using Satellite TV to transform Iran into a Christian nation in this generation.
Hello,
My name is Amir and I am a member of Church 7. Through this letter, I want to thank you for not leaving us alone. You provide food for us who are alone in Iran.
My wife and I always cancel our plans on Friday nights in order to participate in Church 7. Sometimes we even invite friends to come to Church with us by telling people that Church has not been closed after all. We record all of Church 7 programs and when we gather with our friends, we watch them and worship together.
The Lord has been faithful, just as he promised, and has not left us alone. Even after the closing of the Central Church of Iran, of which we were members, we have not become orphans. We have a Church to go to, where we worship and receive our teachings.
I want you to know that we love you all and to let you know that for us, your programs are a living hope.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at the Chosen People Ministries conference at Calvary Baptist Church in New York City. It was such a joy to be with amazing teachers like Dr. Craig Blaising, Dr. Darrell Bock, Dr. Robert Chisholm, Jr., Dr. Mitch Glaiser, Joel Rosenberg and others, all of whom come from different backgrounds, but serve the same Savior.
I was honored to represent the Muslim Background Believing community and share my personal journey to salvation through faith in Christ with many Jewish Background Believers. We all served as great encouragements to one another.
I hope you enjoy the video of my presentation at this wonderful event.
Last October, I had the privilege of speaking live on the air with a troubled woman living inside Iran. She had very recently attempted suicide and had plans to follow through with a successful bid to take her own life later that day. She had spoken several times with one of our Counseling Center ministers over the course of few weeks, but felt that her life was worthless. She was completely hopeless. She called that day to apologize to our counselor and let her know that what she was about to do was not her fault.
As the Lord graciously laid out the timing, Roghiyeh called while we were broadcasting our live program. Our counselor convinced her to speak with me on air before doing anything further. She agreed.
What you will see is a shortened version of a 20 minute conversation, in which I struggled to convince Roghiyeh that death was not the answer. She was actually more afraid of converting to Christianity, than death! Islam feeds on controlling people through fear. Roghiyeh felt trapped.
Through God’s endless grace and mercy, she was transformed before our eyes in that conversation from hopelessness, to joyful hope.
Following my conversation with Roghiyeh, you will get a very recent update on her life, which I think you will find very encouraging.
You must be logged in to post a comment.