Joe Willey, Marketing and Communications Manager of SAT-7 USA, says, “They wanted him to come in and give himself up. Now, here’s the incredible thing: he did. Although he had an opportunity to run or go into hiding, he made a decision to be with other Christians in their suffering.”

Police had already arrested Fathi earlier that day but had let him go, not realizing he was a pastor. This gave him time to delete several Christian contacts from his phone, protecting others from imprisonment.

In Prison

From prison, Fathi continued proclaiming the good news of Jesus. Willey says he met regularly with a close group of Christians. “On Sunday, they would gather in his small cot that was about six feet by two and a half feet. They would get together, five or six of them, and they would study God’s word and pray. [Fathi] says it was in prison that his relationship with God deepened, and he tasted grace in a new and strengthening way.”

Fathi’s time in prison didn’t take him by surprise. From the moment he first became a Christian out of a Muslim background, he knew it was a possibility that he would be persecuted for his faith.

Christians in Iran

We reported previously that Iran’s demographics seem to be shifting away from Islam. But Willey says, “Christians are in the minority, and they’re still a small minority in Iran. They’re not given the freedom to share the Gospel with others. And conversion to Christianity is a punishable offense. Christians are often under real pressure to renounce their faith, and they need our prayers to persevere.”

Fathi was arrested in 2010 and was released 5 years later. He recently shared his story with the SAT-7 PARS show Insiders, a daytime talk show designed specially to support women in Iran and Afghanistan. Willey says this season of Insiders specifically addresses freedom of religion and belief.

Pray Christ will use this programming to build up His kingdom in this region.

The header photo shows barbed wire. (Courtesy of erfan parhizi on Unsplash)

"People thought maybe a hundred or so would come forward, and over 700 came forward, gave their names and addresses and said, 'Here we are. Here's where we stand,'" an Operation Mobilization worker focused on Iran told us at Urbana 12.

The Islamic republic of Iran ranks #5 on Open Doors USA's World Watch List, a compilation of countries most resistant to Christianity. Under Iran's harsh apostasy law, anyone from a Muslim background who becomes a Christ-follower faces the death penalty.

The OM worker said for "Muslims who follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there are often huge obstacles and problems…they'll lose their jobs, their bank accounts are frozen, and in general, life becomes very difficult."

Take Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, for example.

In 2009, Nadarkhani was arrested for protesting the Islamic indoctrination in his sons' school system. He served nearly three years in prison, refusing the multiple opportunities to recant his faith. Despite an execution order signed in February 2012, the pastor was acquitted of apostasy and released seven months later.

Nadarkhani was taken into custody again on Christmas Day. Officials claimed that he must finish the remainder of his sentence, approximately 45 days. In September, the courts had stated that Nadarkhani could finish his remaining time in probation.

"There's not been freedom of religion [in Iran]," the OM worker explained. "There has not been basic recognition of human rights, freedom of conscience, and freedom to practice your faith, especially if you're a Muslim who decides that you want to believe in Jesus Christ."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that December marks a traditional crack-down on Christians by the Iranian regime. Following Nadarkhani's arrest on Christmas Day, nearly 50 believers were arrested at a Tehran home two days later. CSW says most were released after surrendering mobile phones, full contact details, and passwords to e-mails and social networking sites.

Despite a myriad of challenges, believers are standing firm.

There's a resiliency among Iranians who want to follow Christ, said the worker, "sort of like the story of the man who sold everything in order to get that treasure buried under the ground.

"They value the precious treasure they've found; they're willing to lose everything for…the sake of finding Christ."

What can you do to help them?

"Simply praying for the Church is one of the most significant ways that we can stand with them," the OM worker said.

"The other way we can help is through advocacy. Write to the Iranian embassy, write to the government; Iranian Christians should worship, practice their faith, without fear of persecution."

Check out our Featured Links section to contact your nation's Iran embassy.