“Hello, I’m Heidar,” the voice on the phone said. “I’m a 19-year-old shepherd in Iran. I’ve been listening to your channel. Can you tell me more about this Jesus of yours?”
You might picture a call center full of people offering tech support. But the call center Heidar reached is different. It is the call center for a Christian TV channel that broadcasts the gospel into the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Every week, hundreds of people call the center with questions about what they have seen on the channel and to share prayer requests. Some even call to debate Christianity.
Like many, Heidar wanted to know about Jesus. He was born a Muslim in a small Kurdish village, but at some point, he had a dream about a man in white who he later realized was Jesus.
The Christian on the other end of the line offered to send Heidar a Bible, but Heidar told her he could not read. Instead, they decided the counselor would call every week and read the Bible to Heidar. Heidar recorded what she read from the gospel of John so he could relisten to it during the week.
After about a month, Heidar said to the counselor, “This message is so good! Why doesn’t everyone in my country know this? I want to go to the streets and shout from the rooftops about Jesus!”
The counselor cautioned Heidar to be careful because evangelism is illegal in Iran.
But Heidar was so enthusiastic about the message of Jesus, he did not keep quiet. He told neighbors and friends and even strangers in cafes.
And during one of their weekly phone calls, the Christians on the other end of the line heard everything that happened next.
INTELLIGENCE AGENTS RAIDED HEIDAR’S HOUSE while he was on the phone with someone from the TV ministry. The believers listened in horror as agents stormed in and began beating Heidar. “You could hear the screams in the background,” an ICR partner said.
Eventually, one of the agents noticed the phone and saw a call was in progress. He could tell the call was to the Christian call center. He picked up the phone and delivered a message: “You are dangerous for the future of Iran. As long as you’re around, you’re going to be talking about this gospel of yours. People in Iran are going to get hurt. They’re going to get killed.”
Bibles being transported to underground church groups.
MORE THAN 70% of Iranians have access to satellite TV. So, satellite is a surprisingly effective way of sharing the gospel and connecting with interested people in this restricted place. Phone calls also serve as discipleship for people who may not know any other believers.
It is important to deliver God’s Word to those who call so they can read the Bible for themselves. “There is a huge vacuum and huge need for scriptures in Iran, both print and digital,” an ICR partner said.
But getting Bibles to people is increasingly difficult in a place where the government intends to stamp out Christianity. Those who transport Bibles must be creative.
Bibles are smuggled over land borders. Bibles are secretly printed inside the country. Bibles are distributed on SD cards and MP3 players. And Bibles are available for download on websites.
Appetite for Bibles in Iran is even greater because they are illegal, an ICR partner said. This partner desires to put a Bible into every household in the country. “When people read the Bible, all of a sudden an entire family is transformed,” the partner said.
MANY IN THE WEST have a negative impression of Iran. But it is important to look at things with an eternal perspective. “If we choose to put God’s spectacles on, all of the sudden we see that God is moving,” an ICR partner said.
“Jesus is building his church. The people that are in darkness are coming to Christ at an amazing rate. And the great commission is being accomplished.
“God is asking us to partner with him, to understand that he’s working in the most difficult and restricted regions. The unlikeliest people are coming to Christ, and they’re reading the Scripture, and their lives are being changed,” he said.
SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE LAST COMMUNICATION with Heidar, the call center received a call from his phone number. It was Heidar’s cousin, calling from his phone. He told the Christian call center that authorities had falsely accused Heidar of being a drug dealer and he was put to death earlier that day.
“He was not a drug dealer. He just loved Jesus,” his cousin said. “We are in his house, and about 40 or 50 village elders are here. They all want to hear about Jesus. Can you tell us who Jesus is?”
