News
Staff (Aug 3, 2016)
"The Lord saves us, but the Gospel's also full of the power to
redeem and the power to restore and to bring reconciliation and her testimony
really speaks to that and shows it in a very powerful, tangible way." -Mark
Howard, Elam Ministries
(Iran)—[CBN
News] Christians in Iran face imprisonment, beatings, and even death.
But the Church continues to grow at a rapid rate. (Photo: CBN News)
In 1979, when the Islamic revolution swept to power there were only about 500
Muslim Background Believers, according to the reference book "Operation World."
It estimates that today there are at least 100,000 MBB's and [in] some
places the number [is] as high as 1 million.
Dissatisfaction with the harsh Islamic regime and disillusionment with Islam
in general are part of the shift, but the main reason is bold outreach by
Christians inside the country, Mark Howard of Elam Ministries told CBN
News.
Elam Ministries works to strengthen the Iranian Church both inside the
country and among the diaspora living in the Middle East and Europe.
"I think first and foremost we have to acknowledge that many people have been
praying for Iran for a long time and that the Lord is doing something special in
that region," he said.
Powerful testimonies of people from all walks of life—including hardened
criminals, Muslims imams, and abused women—are finding faith in Christ are
pouring out of Iran, Howard wrote in a blog on The Gospel Coalition web
page.
He told the story of Fatemah, a young Muslim girl who was sexually abused by
her brothers from a young age. When she was 11-years-old her family sold her
into marriage, but soon her husband divorced her and sent her back. Facing the
prospect of more sexual abuse, Fatemah ran away and began living on the
streets.
It
was there that she heard about Jesus and gave her life to Him. She began
attending church and married a Christian man. As she and her husband, Howard,
attended a ministry training session hosted by Elam Ministries, Fatemah sensed
the Lord telling her to go back and minister to her family. (File photo: via
Elam Ministries)
Her husband struggled with the decision.
"He told the Lord, 'I can't love these people after what they've done to my
wife, but give me Your love for them,'" Howard said.
When they returned, the family listened to the Gospel message and they all
turned to Christ. Today, their home is a house church and Fatemah is one of the
leaders.
Fatemah's story "speaks to the tragic beauty ... of so many testimonies that
come out of that region," Howard said. It demonstrates not just the saving
power of the Gospel, but its transforming power, as well.
"The Lord saves us, but the Gospel's also full of the power to redeem and the
power to restore and to bring reconciliation and her testimony really speaks to
that and shows it in a very powerful, tangible way," he said. Source: www.breakingchristiannews.com/
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