How Did the Gospel Get to Iran? - Radical

How Did the Gospel Get to Iran?

Out of 91.9 million, 300,000 people in Iran claim to be Christians. As we consider the Church today, we can gain insight by looking back in history to see how and when the gospel was first brought to Iranians. So, how did Iran get to this point?

How Was the Gospel Brought to Iran?

Historically, Iran was known as Persia. Persia appears in the Bible in places like 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Esther, and Ezekiel. In the New Testament, we see how Iran was reached with the gospel following Pentecost. Acts 2 says,

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place…And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia…”

The Parthians, Medes, and Elamites were people groups from Iran. Following Pentecost, these believers went back to Iran and shared the good news of the gospel, establishing the church there almost 2,000 years ago. In 410, King Yazdgird I sanctioned the Christian church in Iran and granted religious freedom.

What Does the Church Look Like Today?

In 683 AD, Arab forces made their way onto Iranian soil during the Arab conquests. Along with their rule, they also brought Islam to Iran. Since then, Islam has transformed the Iranian political and religious landscape. 

The Iranian Christian population may be small, persecuted, and meeting in house churches, but it is growing.

During the 1960s and 70s, Iran westernized under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Yet more conservative Muslims opposed the westernization, leading to the Iranian Revolution—also known as the Islamic Revolution—in 1979.  This Iranian Revolution brought a new leader and a new Islamic constitution that took away religious freedom. The country was renamed the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today, there is still no separation between church and state. To be Iranian is to be Muslim. If an Iranian practices a religion outside of Islam, persecution is bound to follow. 

Because of this, many think that there are no Iranian Christians. But since Iranians are deemed Muslim at birth, not all are devout. Some are Muslim in name only. Many Iranians are also deeply dissatisfied and oppressed by both the government and Islam. Because of this, many search for the truth outside of Islam, leading some to the gospel. The Iranian Christian population may be small, persecuted, and meeting in house churches, but it is growing.

How Can You Pray for the Church in Iran?

With persecution from the Islamic government and little gospel presence, pray for Christians in Iran to stay strong in their faith and to have opportunities to share the gospel with other Iranians. Pray for the safety of believers as they share their faith. Also, pray for their safety as believers meet together in house churches, so that they can grow in their faith together and encourage one another. Despite a small gospel presence and Church, we can praise God for the growth.

As we hope to see the church grow even more in Iran, pray for the creation and translation of  more biblical resources into Farsi, and pray for more leaders to be trained. Owning or distributing a Bible to Muslim citizens is illegal in Iran. Pray for more Bibles to be available and to be safely given to both believers and non-believers, so that Iranians may build a firm foundation on the Word of God.

Selah Lipsey

Selah Lipsey is a Content Writer at Radical. She is a graduate of Samford University where she studied Journalism and Spanish. Selah and her husband Jeremy are members of Redeemer Community Church.

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