Iran (MNN) — In Iran, even having a Bible can lead to a prison sentence. A Christian ministry worker we’ll call Joe says, “We have two people living at our home right now whose friends were sentenced to six years in prison for having a Bible. There’s a real concern. And yet there’s a real zeal and desire for freedom.”
That’s why Joe helps smuggle Bibles into Iran.
How it works
Regular smugglers get the Bibles across the border, along with the rest of their contraband. Joe says, “They do this as a business. We’re not concerned about them turning anyone in because that’s their business. They don’t want to lose money.”
From there, Christians distribute them among their own networks. Joe says, “They also distribute into other networks of believers that we haven’t met. They use secure drop-off points where no one meets each other so that they can be secure themselves.” The Bibles come as books or on SD cards.
Joe has no qualms about being involved in work that breaks Iranian laws. “We’re supposed to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Whenever Caesar starts opposing God and His love, I’m willing to step beyond Caesar at that point.”
Iranians open to the Good News
Joe says Iranians are remarkably open to hearing the good news of Jesus. “I believe it’s due to the oppression and the persecution that they’ve endured. They’re rebelling, and within that rebellion, they meet Christ Jesus. They feel freedom and the love of God.”
Ask God to protect the smugglers and the Christians distributing the Bibles throughout the country. Joe says, “Pray we would continue to be emboldened to trust in Him as we go forth. Pray that many people would come to faith, that many people would receive the Word of God and be called out of darkness into His light.”
Header photo courtesy of Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay.
