The Iranian government is among the most oppressive regimes in the world. It is illegal to leave Islam, and Christians face the constant threat of imprisonment and being falsely charged with “acting against national security” for owning Bibles or even talking about Christ. Many Christians gather in covert fellowships and receive teaching through Christian media smuggled into the country and through broadcast media.
An Iranian pastor who was released from prison in 2023, after serving many years for leading a house church, reported that God enabled him to work as an evangelist behind bars, despite constant surveillance.
He said that when he started his sentence, “I began to think that this was a dangerous place and that it would not be possible to witness to anyone.” But later he found ways to secretly witness to others and eventually led 13 prisoners to Christ. “During the recreation times, I would walk around in a spirit of friendship with these new believers and teach them how to grow in their faith and answer their questions,” he said.
The pastor hopes to somehow continue discipling those prisoners from outside of the prison walls: “I realised that if I had not been imprisoned, these 13 would not have had an opportunity to hear the gospel and believe in Christ,” he said.
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