As one of the pastors in a city church, I have met with a number of Iranians over the past few years. Some have been Christians who have fled the country due to persecution or fear of persecution, while others have left for other reasons and have come along to our church out of curiosity!
It’s been a joy reading this collection of testimonies of Iranian men and women coming to know the Lord Jesus. There is no cookie cutter conversion story. Each story presented in this book is different, but every person has come to know the same Lord, and there are some themes which crop up again and again.
I thought it would be helpful to draw together some common threads which are found within a number of these testimonies which I hope will help us as we seek to serve the Iranians in our communities and churches. Many of these points will of course apply to others from Muslim backgrounds that we encounter.
With the political and social tension rising once again in Iran, we should expect to meet more and more asylum seekers over the coming years. So, my question is how can we minister to them best? What are the frustrations they have found in their previous life and how can we present the better story of the Gospel?
1. Show them Jesus
First and foremost is the fact that even the most devout Muslim cannot have a truly personal relationship with their God.
Even if he were real, the Allah described in the Quran is powerful but is distant, impersonal and vengeful.
Or think of how problematic the figurehead of Islam Mohammad is. He is violent, greedy and polygamous.
You can totally understand therefore, how in Jesus Christ, many Iranian converts have found someone who was unlike any other. He is compelling.
Those who have never heard of someone so wonderful can echo the words of the Greeks in John’s Gospel who had heard rumours and came to the disciples saying
Sir, we wish to see Jesus.
John 12:21 NKJV
When they begin to explore what he is like they see that in him is love, graciousness, kindness, purity, authenticity, generosity, power, wisdom, selflessness, and patience.
When people meet with Jesus, they see someone so radically different.
One of the converts in the book, Matthew, describes meeting Jesus in this way:
“I told God I needed to know for certain that I was cleansed from all the guilt of my past life. I do not know how long I was praying and crying like this, but I became aware of someone touching me first on one shoulder, and then on the other. The presence was so real and tangible that my tears turned to joy and peace. Even now, when I think back to that day, I am overwhelmed at the memory of that calm reality of Jesus standing next to me. As I felt that touch, it also seemed as though a huge and heavy burden on my back was lifted and taken away.”
Matthew and Afsaneh’s story
The true God has made Himself known not through a prophet who has written down what He has said, but by revealing Himself through the Lord Jesus who is the very image of God (Colossians 1:15). He is the Word made flesh (John 1:1).
By looking at Jesus we don’t have someone telling us about God, but we have God himself.
You may think this is an obvious point to make: the appealing thing about Christianity is Christ? Well, it is obvious! But how often do we amplify other aspects? Our ministries ought to centre relentlessly around the person of Christ. Unbelievers in Iran like unbelievers everywhere else are parched and starved until they have their thirst quenched by the living water and their satisfaction met by the bread of life.
2. Assurance
Another observation that was clear from reading these stories was the lack of assurance that Muslims have.
The Quran gives many rules to follow, but it does not give you any assurance that you will spend eternity in Heaven.
A Muslim can pray the prayers, can make the pilgrimage, can give money to charity, and still never truly be sure that what they have done is enough in order to appease Allah.
It’s heartbreaking for us as believers to read. Not only have they not met with the true and living God, but they are also crushed by the weight of doubts the whole time as they live for him.
When an Iranian Muslim (or anyone else for that matter) comes to know the true and living God, not only will they have their lives transformed and their future glory confirmed, but they will have assurance for the present.
The Bible is full of encouragements that show we aren’t only wishing or hoping that we may possibly be right with God; we can know with certainty.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13 NIV
May our sermons and our conversations point towards the amazing grace found in Christ Jesus.
Our desire is to see more and more people be able to say what Farzad so confidently says:
“From that day alone in my room with my Bible, my walk with Christ began and I have never looked back. I have failed and sinned many times, and I have experienced disappointments with family, friends and others. Consistently I have come back to the same place: the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. Jesus is my Saviour and will continue to be to the end.”
Farzad’s story
3. Treatment of women
One of the first things that struck me as I read these stories was the fear that the women lived in. I had some idea of the difficulties that women faced in Islamic countries, but the testimonies in the book opened my eyes to how desperately sad it is to live in such restrictive conditions.
The way the Bible and the Christian faith treat women is counter cultural.
It must be so refreshing to encounter authentic Christian living where women are treated as equals and cherished.
The women who have been interviewed speak about how they have been hurt, silenced, and marginalised.
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
This is in keeping with the teachings of the Quran where:
- Husbands are permitted to beat their wives.
- A woman’s testimony is only worth half of a man’s testimony.
- It is stated that men are superior to women.
But the good news of the Bible paints a different picture, one which we should champion and live out.
The Bible challenges husbands to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).
The Bible tells us that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
The Bible tells us that the first eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection were women.
It is no wonder that Laila and others like her felt disillusioned and trapped.
Let us pray for those who are still living in fear and let us practically and lovingly care for the women who have made it to our shores.
4. Arabic
We perhaps take it for granted that we worship and read the scriptures in our own language. We pray to God knowing that he understands us.
A number of the testimonies shared here, including Parisa, Nasrin and Mohammed, mention the frustration they felt having to recite and worship in Arabic, a language they barely understood. They were confused how a God who claimed to be omnipotent couldn’t understand when they spoke to him in their own language.
They longed to be able to worship, pray, and read in their mother tongue of Farsi, and yet were taught that it was not right and proper to do so.
So when they were given the Bible in their language, it gave them great joy. Here they met with a God who understood them – who cared not only about Arabic speakers but about Iranians too. They could read and study and sing knowing exactly what they were saying!
For us as Christians here in the UK, we can encourage our Iranian friends by pointing them to Christian resources in Farsi. There are numerous websites which have books and sermons in Farsi. Maybe you even have the capabilities to have simultaneous translation for newcomers, just like that described in many of these stories.
But we can also encourage our brothers and sisters as they learn English. We can be patient and encourage even the simplest of prayers – in Farsi or in English. It warms our hearts as we hear brothers and sisters make authentic petitions from the heart and we can remind them that our God listens to even the most halting and hesitant of prayers. The true God is not distant or aloof. He is excited to hear His children.
5. Hypocrisy
Many of the testimonies recount frustrations with hypocrisy.
The Bible speaks strongly against living double lives. We must practise what we preach. We must live for the praise of God not man.
“Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1 NIV
I was struck in particular with Nasrin’s anger and confusion at how things didn’t match up between what Mohammed practised and what was expected of Muslims, or thinking of when Arash saw how Muslims could behave when they thought no one was watching. Laila, Sam and Kourosh say similar things too.
This is not to say that every Christian is perfect. There are countless times where my words haven’t matched up with my beliefs.
My point is however that the stringent legalism of Islam breeds an unhealthy expectation which simply cannot be lived up to. When you have a religion founded upon rules which come from an imperfect man it is only going to end in hypocrisy and failure. Whereas the Bible’s truths transcend cultures and time periods, the Quran is quite clearly a product of its time and place.
When people come and experience the grace of the Lord Jesus who sees the depth of our sin and forgives us, then we will be able to live in freedom and joy. The Spirit works from within us, and we will begin to bear fruit. No longer will there be such a sharp division between what we say and what we do!
6. Welcome
The West has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to hospitality. Our homes are more guarded, our food isn’t as tasty, and our communities are more private.
So it can be a real culture shock for asylum seekers when they find themselves trying to assimilate into British culture.
This is where Christians can be a light on a hill and can stand out from the world.
We need to open our homes and our lives to the people around us – especially for those who may be living in hostels, hotels or shared accommodation.
It is commanded in scripture:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:8-9 NIV
Think of those Iranian Christians who have fled persecution and come to this country! They will have left behind families, friends, homes and jobs in order to come here. They will have sacrificed everything. So let us welcome them with open arms. Are they not part of our families?
[Jesus] replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
Matthew 12:48-50 NIV
And for those Iranians who do not yet know Jesus, what a wonderful display of the gospel it is when our homes are opened and there is a chair at our table. As we invite people into our lives and invest time and energy, then they will know that we truly care for them.
Think of the impact a warm welcome had on Yasmin.
“It was an interesting experience for me. I was brought a British cup of tea for the first time. I thought at first that it might be a joke. Tea with milk in it! But then I saw that my new friend’s husband had been given the same, and that she was drinking it herself. The food was delicious, and the couple and their four children put me at ease. From that time on, I began to get to know others at the church, and to feel more and more as though I was welcomed, and that I belonged there, as though part of a very big family.”
Yasmin’s story
The Bible tells us time and time again that we will worship around the throne with many nations. With people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. When we welcome those from different backgrounds into our churches we are not only obeying the great commission of making disciples to the ends of the earth, but we are receiving a special foretaste of heaven itself! What an opportunity there is. God is clearly at work and what a privilege it is to be able to be part of it!
Persian Voices 