iran Archives - Colin Dye

Iran moves American pastor into solitary confinement; possible organ failure

Colin Dye — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:42:43 +0000

The American pastor jailed in Iran for his faith has been placed in solitary confinement and may now be suffering organ failure, according to family members in Iran who are increasingly alarmed at his deteriorating health.

Nagameh Adedini seen here in this undated photo with husband Pastor Saeed Abedini.

Saeed Abedini, the 32-year-old Christian and American citizen who is serving an eight-year prison term in Iran, was put in solitary confinement following a ?peaceful, silent protest? in an outside courtyard at Iran?s notoriously brutal Evin prison, according to family members. Conditions at the prison prompted Abedini and other prisoners to sign a petition decrying the lack of medical care and the threats and harsh treatment facing family members who come to visit.

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Pastor Saeed Abedini Praying for Boston Bombing Victims From Iranian Prison

Colin Dye — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:45:32 +0000

American Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen who is suffering from serious injuries at the hands of his Iranian captors, told family members today he is praying for America in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Beaten American Pastor Saeed Prays for America in Wake of Boston Bombings as Medical Care for Him Delayed

During a brief visit with family members today, Pastor Saeed reported that he is suffering intense pain as a result? of untreated internal bleeding ? injuries he sustained from repeated beatings and torture in Iran.
Iranian prison authorities have told Pastor Saeed that he will not receive any medical treatment for his injuries for another two months.
Even as his medical condition worsens, Pastor Saeed told family members he had heard about the terrorist bombings in Boston on the prison radio, expressed his concern, and told them he is praying for the victims and their families during this very challenging time for our nation.
Pastor Saeed became an American citizen on March 11, 2010, and his wife told a Congressional panel last month that becoming an American citizen was one of the proudest moments in his life.
In another example of the emotional and physiological torture Iran has imposed upon Pastor Saeed, he was recently taken to a hospital only to be turned away and returned to his prison cell untreated. He was then beaten again.
Read more here

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Pastor Saeed Abedini Being Pressured to Deny Christ in Iranian Jail

Colin Dye — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:20:34 +0000

Pastor Saeed Abedini, the American pastor serving an 8-year sentence in Tehran, Iran, is being pressured into converting back to Islam, but he has said that that will never happen.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, his wife Naghmeh and his two children in this undated family photo.

“After all of these pressures, after all of the nails they have pressed against my hands and feet, they are only waiting for one thing?for me to deny Christ,” Abedini wrote in a letter obtained by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), who is representing his wife and two children back in America.
The pastor, however, has said that “they will never get this from me,” and expressed his gratitude to the over 260,000 people who have signed a petition?calling for his release.
Jordan Sekulow, ACLJ Executive Director, said that he hopes that number will climb to 300,000 before his organization meets with U.N. Human Rights officials on March 5.
“Now is the time to redouble our efforts to save this courageous pastor, this U.S. citizen, from the darkness of an Iranian prison,” Sekulow wrote.
The Iranian-born pastor is currently serving an eight year sentence in Evin Prison in Tehran, where he has been held since his arrest in September 2012. The Iranian court convicted him of endangering national security, but the ACLJ say that the real reason behind the trial was that Abedini has helped many Christians in underground churches in Iran since his conversion to Christianity in 2000.

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Iran Will Become a 'Christian Country,' Says Evangelical Pastor

Colin Dye — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:59:57 +0000

An Iranian evangelical pastor has stated that eventually the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a “Christian country,” even amid increased state-sponsored persecution.

Iranian Christians Worshipping

Dr. Hormoz Shariat, founder of Iran Alive Ministries, told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins these things at an event sponsored by the FRC on Wednesday. “Iran will be a Christian country, and that’s not up to me. It’s Jeremiah 49:38 [that] promises that. We are moving in that direction fast,” said Shariat.
“There is a spiritual vacuum in Iran and people are hungry spiritually. That’s when we share the Gospel, share the Word of God through television people sit there for hours, take notes.”
Shariat, who has a Christian broadcast that airs in Iran and has been dubbed “The Billy Graham of Iran,” saw significant growth of Christianity in the nation.
“Iran is so open to the Gospel. So many people are come to Christ through our ministry in the US and in Europe, but especially in Iran,” said Shariat. “As we share the Gospel through television, people come to Christ. And not just ‘easy’ believers, they have become dedicated followers of Jesus Christ.”

Praise God for these Good News! Remember Iran and the Iranian Church in your prayers today!

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Youcef Nadarkhani's Lawyer Serving Nine-Year Prison Sentence

Colin Dye — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:17:15 +0000

Reports from various human rights organizations Tuesday indicate that Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, the human rights lawyer responsible for defending Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, has started serving a nine-year prison sentence for allegedly acting against national security and spreading propaganda.

Mohammad Dadkhah Accused of Threatening National Security, Spreading Propaganda

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which closely followed Pastor Nadarkhani’s court case and is likewise following Dadkhah’s case, says that because Dadkhah represents his clients free of charge, he is being accused of “aiding and abetting” in the alleged crimes of his clients.
source

Dear Friends pray for him and for the Iranian brethren.

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Youcef Nadarkhani Standing Firm in the Face of Persecution

Colin Dye — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:30:39 +0000

Youcef nadarkhani:"Pray that I will remain Faithful!"

In these last days the Lord Jesus is raising up a strong, overcoming and victorious church. Through tribulation, opposition, ridicule and persecution, the church is being shaped and refined to the beautiful bride of Christ.

One night, a number of years ago, I had a sense that God wanted to reveal himself to me in some way. As I looked up into the sky I saw the face of Jesus perfectly formed as the Lion of Judah. He was strong, noble and victorious – the King of Kings. The strength and majesty of his face was overwhelming and transfixing. Then, as I looked, the face changed to that of a man, so badly beaten and abused that it was hardly recognisable as a man. Jesus’ face was as if it might have been on the cross. I remembered the words of Isaiah who said that his face was more marred than that of any man – all swollen and bleeding. And in the midst of his suffering, I saw Jesus’ eyes sad but full of compassion and filled with sheer love. The exact same vision was confirmed two times later in a dream.

Later, as I was thinking about the meaning of the vision, my attention was drawn to Revelation 5, where Jesus is portrayed as the Lion of Judah who has prevailed, and, in the same context, is also revealed as the Lamb, having been slain.

Remember, Jesus had to first suffer on our behalf because of our sins before he could enter into his glory.We know that because Jesus suffered the shameful death on the cross, God highly exalted him and gave him the Name above all names. The Suffering Servant became the King of Kings and the Lord of glory. We also know that Jesus is coming back again soon, and he will come as the glorious Lord of the church and the righteous Judge of the nations.

The Lion of Judah

Drawing from these biblical insights, I was able to interpret and seek to apply the meaning of the vision. I believe it is a message to the church of Jesus. It is a message of encouragement giving us hope and confidence in these days. Jesus, the original and true Lion King, is our great messianic ruler and Lord over every circumstance and situation in our lives. The Lion of Judah is watching over you! Nothing has happened to you, or will ever happen to you without the loving provision and permission of God in your life.

Because Jesus is the Lion of Judah, he can break every chain in your circumstances and set you free. He has reversed the curse over you and has brought you into the full blessing of God. He has already fought the great cosmic battle for the souls of humanity and has prevailed over sin, death and the grave. He has totally conquered Satan and all the forces of evil and, the devil is defeated, destroyed, driven out and disarmed. Jesus Christ is Lord!

The Lamb of God

Jesus is the lamb of God, slain before the creation of the world

The second part of the vision was of Jesus as he might have looked on the cross – beaten and marred. I saw his suffering for our sins, but also sadness over his people who do not forsake the very sins that put him on the cross. He is longing for his people to turn away from their sins and to draw close to him once more. As we centre our hearts on the cross, we find it has a supernaturally magnetic pull, a strange spiritual attraction.

The Holy Spirit is lifting up the cross before our hearts and minds.When we focus on the Christ of Calvary, the sacrifice of Jesus, everything else seems of secondary importance. Our lives are reset on their true course and direction. Priorities become clear and our real purpose emerges. The Lamb of God is calling us back to himself

Let the lion roar

The tenderness of the Holy Spirit through the person of Jesus is extended towards God’s people in this season of grace. He calls us back to his heart so that, out of love, we may live for him in all righteousness, holiness and truth. And as we heed the call of the Holy Spirit in this hour, God gives another opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ in Britain and in Europe to rise up in the strength and power of the Lion of Judah. And, in that strength we can and will prevail upon the earth against all the forces of darkness. The Holy Spirit says, “Turn to me and I will vindicate you.”

Jesus wants to work through the saints in signs and wonders and in works of deliverance.We have yet to see the thunder of his power that he wants to display amongst his people in this hour.

Jesus says, “My children draw close to me, leave aside those distractions that have begun to creep in and have made your heart cold – the things that have taken your eyes away from who I Am. Put your eyes back on me. I want to do something new and special. I want your attention. I want you to focus on me because I’m about to reveal myself through you in a new way.”

The Lord Jesus wants to reveal himself through the church as the Lion of Judah. And when the Lion of Judah roars, Satan trembles! Hell’s foundations are shaken and the power of God is released. We are not here to please people, but to please God. The church’s finest hour is yet to be and God’s power will be manifested in unprecedented ways in our nations.When the lion roars, he will sound with such thunderous power that the nations that have already been shaken by the gospel can yet still be shaken again.We live in a generation of people who do not know God but it is still a generation for whom the blood of Jesus was shed. God longs to pour out his power on the proclaimed message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with signs and wonders and miracles and through powerful prophetic demonstrations of his glory. The church of Jesus Christ is going to be seen in this nation and across Europe.

Holy Spirit is saying, “Turn from your sins my people. Turn away from your wicked ways and then I will show myself mighty to save and deliver.”This is a new day bringing a new opportunity for the church to rise and conquer through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.We have fought battles in the past and frustratingly we have lost ground and don’t seem to be winning through, but in this new day, we will rise again and we will begin to conquer where before there was defeat, and we will begin to make effective what was previously ineffective. God wants to turn up the dial of his power! It’s as if he has drawn a line in the sand and says, “Don’t look back to what was, look to what is and is yet to come.”Stepping over the line we will find ourselves in new territory – a new season of occupation, a new place in the Spirit and a new standing in the things of God. “Do not consider the former things,”says the Lord, “Behold, I do a new thing.” Begin a new day and a new chapter in your life! In these last days it shall become very clear who is a disciple of Jesus and who is not. A true follower of Jesus does not just profess Christ, but is loyal, trustworthy and obedient to the voice of the Spirit.

God is giving the church in Europe and in the rest of the World a new opportunity to rise up and conquer through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”We thank God for the cross. It’s there that we find healing and renewal. The cross removes blame. It does not enforce wrath and judgement, but does the very opposite. He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west and as we respond to that love, and surrender to him afresh, we are going to be amazed at the strength and power that’s going to come into our lives.

When the Lion of Judah roars there is a release of power and authority in the church.We’re going to hear the roar of the lion coming out of the church of Jesus Christ. God is going to raise the church as a powerful prophetic voice and we’re going to roar with the roar of the Lion of Judah. There’s going to come such an amazing release of victorious praise – watch for it you singers, musicians and songwriters! As you tune in to the things of the Spirit you are going to hear the lion’s roar and a new song is going to be released, with a new sound in which the lion’s roar is going to be heard through praise and it will have a totally different effect on the people of God. It’s going to bring the fear of the Lord; it’s going to strike terror into the hearts of our enemies. For the Lion of Judah is going to roar throughout the church.

God is going to draw outrageous sinners to himself and they are going to come weeping and crying. He’s going to sweep through the Muslim community with the revelation of the crucified Christ. He’s going to show himself supernaturally and he’s going to confirm his word miraculously. If God is for us then who can be against us?

The voice of the lion is going to be heard through a generation of preachers who will preach the word of God and roar from heaven with the anointed authority of God.We’re going to hear the lion roar through a generation of able witnesses – ordinary people who simply say, “Once I was blind, but now I can see; once I was lost and now I am found.”And God is going to speak through these witnesses. Then we’re going to hear the lion roar in spiritual warfare – real spiritual warfare which is the effective overcoming of evil in the name of Jesus by being salt and light in our society. We will herald a change in the spiritual atmosphere because a new day has come and it is an opportunity for the Servant King to reveal himself to us all.

Below, an article I read on the Christian Post, reminding us how much the Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has remained for supporters a shining example of a faith-filled Christian standing firm in the face of persecution.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 soon after questioning the Muslim monopoly of religious instruction

According to Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Nadarkhani exemplifies a true Christian who is willing to sacrifice everything in this life on earth for his faith.
Nadarkhani, a married father of two, was arrested in Oct. 2009 for protesting the mandatory teaching of Islam at his children’s schools. He was then charged with apostasy and attempting to evangelize Muslims, charges for which an execution order was issued in Feb. 2012. He currently remains in Iranian prison awaiting further news on his execution order. Sekulow and the nonprofit ACLJ have been closely monitoring the evangelical pastor’s case.
The Iranian courts have asked Nadarkhani to recant his Christian faith in exchange for freedom numerous times. Each time, he has refused.
“The human response is any time we are in peril, is to save our human lives, rather than to think about our spiritual life,” Sekulow told The Christian Post. “[Nadarkhani] was given these opportunities to walk free from jail and renounce his faith. He was given three opportunities and he didn’t do so, that’s the example we hope to follow.”
“We hope that our faith remains strong and doesn’t waver, but in reality we know that is very difficult. I think that’s what highlights the story of Youcef Nadarkhani,” Sekulow added.
While the Scriptures perpetually teach about the trials and tribulations of the persecuted, Nadarkhani is a real-life example, said the attorney, noting that persecution is the core of the Gospel.
Below you can watch this video about Youcef Nadarkhani’s story:

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How you can help Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, sentenced to death in Iran for his Faith

Colin Dye — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:18:09 +0000

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 soon after questioning the Muslim monopoly of religious instruction

Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 soon after questioning the Muslim monopoly of ?religious instruction for children in Iran, which he felt was unconstitutional. ?He was charged, tried, found guilty of apostasy and sentenced to death. ?He?s been in prison ever since and has been under pressure to renounce his faith in order to have the charges annulled and the death sentence lifted. ?Within the last month we received unconfirmed reports that his execution order had been signed.
Will the Iranian authorities respond to the international appeal? I think that is harder to discern than we might imagine. The decision is ultimately up to humans with consciences and compunction.
As I pray for Youcef Nadarkhani and his family, I also pray for the Iranian authorities and the Iranian people. The consequences of failing this test could be terrible, and the Iranian people would be the first to bear them. We tend to forget that the most powerful rulers are still human beings, with consciences that squirm in anguish and flee in fear before these momentous choices. The burden of spiritual condemnation is an awful thing; Pastor Nadarkhani knows a peace and safety from judgment that his would-be executioners do not. Whatever may happen between now and when this column posts?Youcef Nadarkhani could be executed at any time.
What can we do?
Join CSW?s month of prayer for Pastor Nadarkhani!
On 12 April, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani turns 35.? But instead of planning birthday celebrations with friends and family, he remains imprisoned in Iran, living with the threat of an execution that could happen at any time.
That?s why CSW is launching a month of prayer and action for him in the run-up to his birthday.
In autumn 2011, CSW?s advocacy and campaigning triggered a wave of global action on behalf of Pastor Nadarkhani.? They mobilised 60,000 activists on his behalf. Their lobbying efforts stimulated statements from international politicians and widespread media coverage.
>> Will you get involved in the month of prayer for Pastor Nadarkhani?
Show your support ? join the month of prayer!?
In Acts 12, we read of Peter?s miraculous release from prison while the Church was earnestly praying for him. We have a vital role to play by standing in solidarity with Pastor Nadarkhani and praying a lifting of the death sentence, and for his unconditional release .
It?s really easy to get involved:?

Share this post with your friends using the social network buttons on this page and ask them to join CSW?s month of prayer.
Tweet your support for the prayer campaign using #Nadarkhani ?and the link www.csw.org.uk/nadarkhani in your tweet.
Arrange to pray and light a candle for Pastor Nadarkhani in one of your church services during the month ? using the prayer sheet for churches.

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Growing rumours of war between Israel and Iran: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Colin Dye — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 10:25:17 +0000

Speculation over a possible military strike on Iran by Israel continues as latest reports suggest Israeli Cabinet ministers previously opposed to attacking Iran have changed their minds.

Every day in the news we hear of violence and atrocities in the land of Israel. In modern times this conflict has been ongoing, beginning with the return of Jews to their homeland at the end of the 19th century. It has continued during the British rule in the 1920s, the division of the nation into separate Jewish and Palestinian states in 1948 and the Six-day war of 1967. As rumours are growing that Israel is about to launch an attack on Iran, I invite you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 62:2-7
“The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You will also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be any more be termed desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices at the bride, so your God rejoices over you. I have set watch-men on your walls, 0 Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the name of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth”.
A Chastening
When I visited Israel the Lord began to chasten me in my spirit. This chastening has been a pleasant experience though. The Bible says, ‘Don’t be like a mule or a horse that needs the bit and bridle to pull it into subjection.’ He wants to guide us with his eye. The Holy Spirit was so gentle with me, so revelatory and so repetitive; there was no mistaking what he was saying to me, and I confess that in the last ten years I have sinned before the Lord and before his people. My sin has been one of neglect. When we read about watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, we think first of our own Jerusalem. What is our Jerusalem? London, but we have no right to claim the blessings for our ‘Jerusalem’ until we’ve understood God’s purposes for His Jerusalem. This is what the Holy Spirit chastened me about, and I have responded and repented.

Israeli President Shimon Peres reiterated last Sunday that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely.

The Jew First
We are not wrong to take these blessings for ourselves but we must remember that they are not ours, they are the blessings of God’s covenant people and that we have been brought into them. The Gospel is given to the Jew first, and the covenants are for the Jew first because God chose the Jews to reach the world – and that includes us
When we read the scriptures we take these passages and apply them to ourselves – and they do apply to us -instead of reading them first in their original context, remembering that God’s purposes to bless the world begins with God’s purpose for Israel.
Watchmen for Jerusalem
When the Bible talks about Israel, it is not a symbol – it means the land of Israel and Jerusalem means the city of Jerusalem. But because we are so far removed from the land of Israel we apply these Scriptures only to ourselves. That is not wrong but in our praying we must begin by being watchmen for Jerusalem.
Our primary concern must be to see the Jewish people come to recognise their Messiah. One Rabbi said in a lecture about Christianity and Judaism that he knows the Messiah will come on the Mount of Olives, and on that day he will stretch his arms out towards Him and ask ‘Is this your first or second visit?’ So sure was he that much of what the Bible teaches about the coming of Messiah has already been fulfilled.
Why is it that God wants to see this happen in Israel and Jerusalem? Look again at Isaiah 62:2-7. This prophecy is going to be fulfilled, because the salvation of Israel is the salvation of the nations.
Pray for Jerusalem
So God said, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray that Jerusalem will become a praise in all the earth. Pray that Jerusalem’s righteousness will go forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. In Romans chapter 11 we read that a blindness has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles. And if the hardening and the falling away of Israel were the means by which the Gentiles came into the blessings of the Jews how much more will their fullness be. What is this fullness? It is life from the dead. The restoration of Israel is part of God’s purpose for the end time harvest and end time evangelism for all nations.

Jerusalem view from the mount of olives

Some say that if you going to pray for the peace of Jerusalem what about the Arabs and the Palestinians? And what about the Europeans, the Africans the Americans and the rest of the world? God’s purpose is to take this nation, Israel, and through it bless the whole world. He has already done that through the Bible – which was written by inspired Jewish men of God. Through Jesus who of earthly decent was Jewish, who died on the cross in Jerusalem, and who is coming back again and when he does the first place feet shall touch is the Mount of Olives.

This does not mean that we all need to become Jewish, neither do we need to turn the Jews into gentiles in order for them to be saved.
So, in your watchman hour, pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Father in the name of Jesus, I come before you and I ask your forgiveness for my neglect of something so clearly revealed in scripture and in my enthusiasm to reach the gentile blessings I have at times neglected your heart for Israel. I thank you Lord for your freedom, for your cleansing and I thank you for the release of your blessing through repentance and restoration in Jesus’ name.

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