The God Who Hears 

  part 2 of 2

     The man Arman found the love of Jesus. It replaced the hatred and pain he carried, and led him to a life of evangelism, with special concern for Muslims in Iran. After leaving Iran, he found himself a political refugee in Europe. 

     Though still considering himself a Muslim, he brought his growing despair to the church. "I cried all the time when I went to the church," Arman recalled. "People prayed for me over and over. They were so kind." 

     One evening he slept at a friend's home. Startled from a deep sleep, the suffering in his heart welled up and threatened to overwhelm him. He got up and felt compelled to pray - not to Allah, but to Jesus Christ. "If you are real, show me a sign," he said. "They tell me that Jesus is love, that Jesus is God. If all these things are real, show me a sign."

     Days later, Arman received a letter granting him asylum. He shared it with friends at the church and realized this was his sign. "For 29 years I wasted my life on Islam," thinking about the silence he felt when he prayed to Allah. "But when I accepted Jesus, he immediately answered me." 

     "After I received the love of Jesus," Arman said, "I grew in knowledge and all the teaching from the pastor. Even my personality changed and I started to serve ... without anger. Everything changed." He saw hundreds of people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ as he shared with them. 

     In 2023 he changed his job to driving taxi. He estimates that almost 150 people have come to faith in Christ through conversations in the cab. Arman leads a team of online evangelists that reaches into Iran through the internet. This includes Muslims who want to attack Christianity, but some who level threats end up giving their hearts to the Lord. 

     There is more to his story, like words from Isaiah 49:6. 

Tomorrow, the final war

  

 

First With Hate, Then Love 

     An Iranian named Arman had grown up with Muslim parents who were strict, controlling and cruel. He described their religion as "without any knowledge, without any purpose and without any love." 

     "Some of the extreme treatment hurt me a lot," he said. 

     "Twice driven to despair due to his home life and the brutalities of the hardline Shia Islamic theocracy of Iran, Arman tried to take his own life. He begged Allah for help but heard nothing but silence. So, he channeled his frustrations, disillusionment and anger into political protest against the government. When he finally fled Iran at age 29, he carried with him a burden of bitterness toward his parents and the harsh Islam they represented." 

     "I hated them," he said, "and before I left Iran I told them, 'I will not forgive you, never.' He considered what might cause them the most pain, and going to a Christian church seemed to be just the thing. 'It was the first motivation,' Arman admitted. 'But after that I found the love of Jesus.'" 

     "This love eventually replaced the hatred and pain he carried in his heart, and led him to a life of evangelism, with special concern for Muslims in Iran."

Arman's story concludes tomorrow

    

 Love Versus Hate in Iran 

     Over the past century or so, martyrdom, the killing of Christians, has increased around the world. "The Voice of the Martyrs" organization has published news coming out of Iran, one of the world's worst persecuting nations over the past 40 some years. 

     They report, "The Iranian government is among the most oppressive regimes in the world. Leaving Islam is illegal, and Christians face the threat of imprisonment for owning Bibles or even talking about Christ. Christians remain prime targets for a government fixated on silencing their witness to Christ. Iranian Christians face the constant threat of imprisonment and torture. Those who dare to bring God's Word to Iranians do so at extreme risk." 

     "Today, many of those who committed their lives to Islam and Islamic rule are filled with despair. This has opened new doors for the gospel, which is sweeping across the nation by Christian media and bold evangelists in Iran's growing house church movements. Bible distribution efforts are increasingly effective as the ongoing "war" draws attention away from them."

     "The Voice of the Martyrs provides encouragement, support and training for former prisoners rebuilding their lives. VOM's global ministry also provides discipleship and leadership training for current and future Christian leaders. And they partner with Bible smugglers who are dedicated to getting God's Word to believers." 

Tuesday: A former Muslim's story

 Only in the Christian life does surrender bring victory.

             - the late Billy Graham 

     Views still anticipates a Monday restart, with incredible news from Iran. 

                      Jimmy

Friday evening 

God protect the people of Alabama and western Florida 

Monday's coming   

 

 While we wait for Monday's resumption of our blog (Iranians not associated with Muslim authorities) let's turn to harmless baseball for a change,

Last Saturday night the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees. Play resumed on Monday night, when the Rays won again. Then in New York for game 3, the Rays squeezed out a 4-3 victory, winning the series. I was sleeping, not in Seattle, but Hudson, Florida. Today I saw the report on a possible home run by the Yanks in the sixth inning, a possible catch by the leaping outfielder, and a fan who stole the game by trying or actually catching the ball. They cancelled the homer, and sent the batter to 2nd base. He never scored.

That series was so common for these two teams. The Rays took the lead in July and never gave it up. If they won, so did the Yanks. If they lost, so did New York. 

Who will the Rays play next? Tonight the Chicago White Sox, with a 2-1 lead, plays the Cleveland Guardians (don't insult the real indians!) This is rare territory for both teams. When I was a kid, the Indians were our favorites, and we drove maybe 60 miles up to see them play once a year. 

I'm not the baseball fan of old, but it would be neat to see my new team play my old team. Forgive me if you are Yankee minded. But they disappointed me so many years I can't forgive. Now...where is the off button?  

See, I'm getting better control of my fingers. Still making progress. 

        Jimmy

My friends and readers of our blog

     I didn't feel good Sunday. On Monday things began to happen. I got the shakes and couldn't do anything. Mrs. Donut did for me countless times what I would do myself. 

     We went to the hospital where the emergency staff tested everything. At last, the problem. I had colitis in my colon. Interesting how a problem in one place can cause the body to have a fit. 

     We returned home with some papers. I fell into bed about 8 pm and slept all night. Meanwhile, I also had another problem. Will all my readers leave. I checked on you tonight and you were still there...at least your names were still there. I have more doctor visits ahead, and I'm taking two pills a day. My hope is to return to blogging next Monday. There were times on Monday when I wasn't sure I would make it.

     So, why don't we return to blogging now? If you knew how many times I had to correct shaky words before I could send this to you... 

     Jimmy                                               Tuesday night