Mohammad Sanavi, founder and teacher of the Bible Training Center for Persians, which provides theological training to Farsi-speaking pastors and church leaders, shared an update on the growth of Christianity in Iran and encouraged the community to persevere during World Christianity Focus Week, held March 31 through April 4 at 色虎视频’s Beeson Divinity School.
In his sermon on April 1, Sanavi preached a sermon titled, “How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song in a Foreign Land?” Drawing from Psalm 137 and the book of Daniel, Sanavi explored how Christians can remain faithful amidst opposition.
Daniel is a “model of resistance as a minority,” said Sanavi, who lives and ministers in the Middle East.
There are movements in the Muslim world that encourage those who would become “Christian’ to continue to offer prayers to Allah, acknowledge Mohammad and espouse Muslim beliefs, Sanavi said. As Daniel could not bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar, so Christians cannot outwardly express worship to Allah, Sanavi said.
“Can we truly worship God when under cultural and social pressure?” Sanavi asked. “Should we compromise the faith, lower the biblical standard to be accepted, to make evangelism “easy?” Should we widen the path that Jesus Himself said was narrow?”
It takes time for Muslims to arrive at the mature faith Daniel displayed, Sanavi said, where they are willing to trust God even to the point of death.
In the midst of a foreign land, Daniel was able to refuse the food he was offered in order to “fit in” with the ungodly community around him because his eyes were on another table, the table God was preparing for him, Sanavi said.
“Do we continue to be faithful even in the smallest matter so that we can stand firm in a greater test?” Sanavi asked.
In a lunch lecture, Sanavi explored the growth of Christianity in Iran, questioning the numbers posted by other organizations. In recent publications, some have estimated there are 5 million Christians in Iran, with anticipated growth reaching 10 million by 2030. But much of that is guess work, Sanavi said. In reality, there are roughly 300,000 to 400,000 Christians in the country, though many have left in recent years, Sanavi said.
The Iranian government has shut down most Farsi-speaking churches in the last 20 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they used that opportunity to shut any remaining churches down, forcing Farsi-speaking Christians to join house churches, which has both benefits and challenges, Sanavi said.
Sanavi works to provide Christian teaching through media that Iranians often access through VPNs and other means. This allows pastors both inside and outside the country to be trained, along with nonbelievers hearing the Gospel.
Unfortunately, the prosperity Gospel is spreading rapidly in Iran, offering false “hope” to desperate people, Sanavi said. Folks are becoming disillusioned with Islam, however, and people are coming to the Lord, Sanavi said.
“Sometimes, we try to water down the Gospel for other nations in an effort to bring people to faith,” Sanavi said. “Don’t do that. Jesus said His way is narrow.”