As one of the most religiously restrictive countries in the world, it might seem like Iran is a lost hope when it comes to Christianity or even evangelism as a whole. But that’s not the case at all according to Lana Silk, CEO of Transform Iran. Despite the fact that traditional means of evangelizing are nearly impossible and “very dangerous” in an Islamic theocracy like Iran, where 99% of people are Muslim, the country is seeing a spiritual exodus of sorts as more and more Iranians find peace and joy in Christ.
“God really is working. Iran is not a hopeless nation,” Ms. Silk recently told The Washington Times’ Higher Ground. “Incredible things are happening. The church is advancing at a rapid, unprecedented rate. People are hungry.”
That’s not to say things are simple for Iranians looking to reject the status quo and forsake Islam. For decades, the country has been entrenched in an ideology of oppression, resorting to censorship, threats, persecution, and torture to control the public and enforce adherence. But the idea of ruling with an iron fist has started to backfire in recent years as more and more Iranians are discovering freedom in Christ.
“You’re looking at a church that is growing and thriving because people are being forced to conform to something that is not lifegiving,” Ms. Silk explained. “They’re rebelling against that and they’re looking for something different and when they look, they’re finding Jesus.”
And it’s not just people finding Jesus.
Ms. Silk often hears stories about God revealing Himself to people in supernatural ways — people that weren’t looking for Him at all. In fact, she says stories of God appearing to Iranians in dreams and visions are “incredibly prevalent” in their ministry as He “consistently reveals Himself to them and encourages them and strengthens them in ways that are supernatural miraculous.”
“Middle Easters are dreamers,” noted Ms. Silk, who was born and raised in Iran. “We see that historical context right through the Old Testament. And of course, we’re in that Middle Eastern territory right there and God used dreams constantly and visions to speak. And I believe that’s part of our heritage as a people group to have that as a form of communication.”
One of her favorite examples comes from a young woman named Meesha, whose life was transformed when Jesus began to appear to her in visions and dreams urging her to trust and follow Him. At the time, Meesha was a dutiful Muslim and a single mother of three, whose father, brother and husband had all been murdered by the Iranian government. But something inside of her began to change after her supernatural encounters with Jesus.
“One day, when [Meesha] was praying her [Islamic] prayers, every time she went to say the word ‘Muhammad,’ the word ‘Jesus’ would come out involuntarily,” Ms. Silk said. “And she would catch herself and think, ‘Oh no, start again, that’s not right.’ So she would pray again and ‘Jesus’ would come out. We know the name ‘Jesus’ is so powerful. It’s not just an ordinary name, and she keeps saying this name and as she is praying Jesus begins to touch her heart.”
In that moment, Meesha decided to surrender her life to the Lord, and the transformation that followed was immediate. And while Meesha was eventually forced to escape the country and leave her children behind, God has proven Himself faithful, using her divine encounter with Him years ago to transform the hearts of many ever since.
“God is kind. He loves people. He loves humans and He wants relationships with us,” Ms. Silk said. “We hear these stories of people that may not have had any other access, but God sees their heart. God sees that if they’re actually open, if they’re wanting truth, and He is so willing to expose Himself, share Himself with them through whatever means necessary to have them hear Him and see Him. And that always encourages me.”
( *Washington Times* )