The Iranian church is the fastest growing church in the world. On February 15th, I was asked by a group of ministry leaders to write a letter to the Iranian church with the assurance that it would be delivered through their extensive networks. After prayer and fasting, I felt led to write the letter that included a prayer. I submitted it on February 16th, very compelled that time was of the essence to get it out immediately. And then the satellites shut down all communication. With God’s help it has filtered into the hands of Iranian house churches, with reports coming back that it is being memorized and passed from person to person.
The letter is as follows…
To God’s elect, scattered throughout Iran, who are beloved by God the Father, saved through faith in His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Grace and peace to you in abundance (1 Peter 1:1-2).
You, the Iranian Church in 2026, are in the hearts of God’s people all over the world. We know you are suffering in all kinds of trials. The cries of your hearts have echoed in ours as we proclaim these promises from God’s Word for you: “…He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight” (Psalm 72:12-14). We know you have lost friends, family members, and neighbors in recent days. Heaven is keenly aware of their deaths as we cry out on your behalf.
As our cries reach Heaven’s throne, the following words of Jesus come to mind: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3). Jesus is coming! He has opened Heaven for you! Your future is secure! And until the day you see His face, as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is with you! He is for you! And in the end, He will bring you through to dwell in His heavenly Home forever (Psalm 23:4, 6)!
This is His promise: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
This is a testing time for you…and a trusting time. His Word tells us “that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 5:3-4), as you grow spiritually into the fullness of the character of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
Why were you born in this generation? Why specifically were you placed in Iran? Could it be that you are there for such a time as this? Does God want to use you to proclaim the good news that He loves Iranians, and that He offers them a personal relationship with Himself through faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ? Would you tell them:
- If they confess they are sinners and have done wrong things
- Be willing to turn away from their sin
- Believe that the death of Jesus Christ makes atonement for their sin
- Ask Him for forgiveness
- Believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead
- Ask Him to give them eternal life
- Invite Him to come live within them in the person of the Holy Spirit,
- Surrender their lives to Him as their Savior and Lord (Romans 3:23, 6:23, Acts 3:19, I John 1:9, 10:8-10, John 1:12, Revelation 3:20)
- Then commit to follow Him one step at a time, all the way to Heaven!
They can be saved! Saved from God’s judgement to be born again into God’s family! Could it be that the troubles you are experiencing are the means God will use to ignite revival fire through your witness in Iran? Let it be so!
Therefore, we urge you to “not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere…For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But you are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:35-39).
For this reason, we bow our knees in prayer on your behalf…
God in Heaven. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the Eternal I AM. The One who is age to age the same. There is no shadow of turning with You. You are fully present in every generation—past, present, and future. National boundaries are no hindrance to You. They cannot bind You in nor keep You out. You go where You choose. You stride the winds of the earth. The clouds are the dust of Your feet. You are the All-Mighty. Your power has not been deleted or depleted over the millennia of human history. We know that You so loved the world that You gave us Heaven’s treasure when You sent Your only Son to die, so that anyone and everyone who places their faith in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
In this present worldwide climate of unbridled evil, we are desperate! Nations are unraveling. Wars are raging. There are rumors of more wars breaking out. Kingdom is rising against kingdom. The innocent are dying. Our lives are at risk. Our young are losing hope. Our spirits feel the turmoil and agitation that surely is a reflection of the warfare being waged in the invisible realms. We need You! For everything!
We look to You. You alone are the One who makes us to dwell in safety. You alone are the One who makes us secure. You alone are God. And You alone are our God. We turn to You, boldly confident of access into Your most holy presence through the blood of Your Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:19). You alone are The LORD. No one is higher than You. No one is greater than You. Again and again, You have been the salvation of Your people. You alone are able to shatter our enemies. In the greatness of Your majestic power, You overthrow those who come against You. We now call on You to rise up and be all that You are to Your followers in Iran.
We acknowledge that You are big enough to save each one, yet You are small enough to live in our hearts and manage the details of our lives. You are our hiding place. You are our refuge and our fortress. Your faithfulness is our shield. Your love is our comfort and our security. Your promises are our hope.
We praise You as One who has made Himself available night and day. You are attentive to the cries of Your children…right now! So, dear God, we humbly, boldly cry out to You on behalf of the Iranian Church. We pray that you would “strengthen Your people with all power according to Your glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience…You have rescued them from the dominion of darkness and brought them into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom they have redemption and the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:11, 13).
You are a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, miracle-working, covenant-keeping God. Our eyes are on You. We run to You. We cling to You. We humbly ask You to defend, guard, protect, keep, comfort and bless the Iranian Church. Heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). And during these days of oppression and persecution, we boldly ask that You would multiply the church. Pour out Your Spirit in revival power! Give your people boldness to share with others the hope that is within them…hope that is found in a personal relationship with You through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let Your followers be “ashamed to testify about You because they know whom they have believed, and are convinced that He is able to guard what they have entrusted to Him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:8, 12).
For the glory of Your great name…Jesus,
Amen
Please be assured, dear Iranian brothers and sisters, that we will continue to carry you in our hearts and on our knees until God answers our prayers.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now and forevermore” (Jude 24-25)!
May the love of God the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).
