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Iran Transformed: An interview with Hormoz Shariat

Hormoz Shariat — Tue, 18 May 2021 20:13:46 +0000

Hormoz Shariat firmly believes that Iran will be the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ. He says it is ready for a major transformation—spiritually, socially, financially, and politically, and that it will be a Christian nation soon, as prophesied in Jeremiah 49:38. PneumaReview.com spoke with Dr. Shariat about how he came to Jesus, what he sees God doing in Iran, and how Christians in the West can pray for Iran’s thousands of secret believers.

PneumaReview.com: You were a Muslim who became a Christian. Please tell our readers how you came to the Lord.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat: I was a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California (USA) when I came to Christ by comparing Quran and the Bible. I realized that both could not be true. After that, I went to a church in downtown Los Angeles. That is when I heard the Gospel and responded to it.

PneumaReview.com: When you became a believer in Jesus you were in the United States, but you admit that you found it difficult to share your Christian faith. What advice would you give to a believer who is currently experiencing this same struggle?

Hormoz Shariat:

Believe in the power of the Gospel to change lives (Romans 1: 16).
Know that it is selfish to keep such a life changing message to yourself.
Love others. That will help you take your eyes off yourself, get rid of shyness and share the Gospel.
Do it anyway. Courage is doing what is right no matter how you feel.

Hormoz Shariat, Iran’s Great Awakening: How God is Using A Muslim Convert to Spark Revival (Iran Alive Ministries, 2020).
Read the review by John Lathrop

PneumaReview.com: In your book Iran’s Great Awakening you shared a great loss that your family suffered. Your brother, who was 18, was executed by the Iranian government on a minor political charge. How were you able to get through the pain of that event and go on to serve the Lord?

Hormoz Shariat: I mourned and prayed for 3 days. During that time, I felt God revealed his heart and plan to me. I realized that I am not supposed to hate anybody including those who killed my brother. And the fact that we have only one enemy: Satan, and those who killed my brother are not my enemies but victims in the hand of our one enemy (Satan). Also, I learned the best thing I can do for the injustice in this world is to share the Gospel.

PneumaReview.com: What kinds of ministry have you been involved in since you became a believer in Jesus?

Hormoz Shariat: First evangelism. Then I planted 6 churches in various cities in Northern California.

In 2001, after 9/11 events, we bought airtime from a secular channel to broadcast into Iran.

In 2011, we came to Dallas to start a 24/7 channel to reach into Iran.

We have used the channel not only for evangelism but as a tool to plant underground house churches.

PneumaReview.com: There are people who say that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. How would you respond to that statement?

Hormoz Shariat: Yes, there is one God. But the presentation of that God by Quran and Bible are so totally different that one of them is introducing a false God. On my programs, I give the characteristics of both Gods, and ask people to think about it and decide which one they want to follow.

By the way “Allah” was the name of an idol.

PneumaReview.com: What attracts Muslims to Christianity?

Hormoz Shariat: Things that are in Christianity that are absent in Islam: Love, Joy, Peace. When they see the love of Christians, the relationship we have with the Lord through prayer and worship, and the peace we have in our life, they are convinced that we have something that they do not have.

PneumaReview.com: In your book you write that you believe Iran will become a Christian nation. Why do you believe that?

Iran will become a Christian nation.

Hormoz Shariat: I believe that because I believe the Bible. God promises in Jer. 49:38 that He will set His throne in Elam (today’s land of Iran). What does that mean?

Also, what is happening in Iran today indicates that Iran could be transformed by the Gospel even during our lifetime. The fulfillment of this promise will be at Christ’s return.

PneumaReview.com: What are some of the current signs of the growth of Christianity in Iran?

Hormoz Shariat:

Iran has the fastest growing evangelical population in the world (Operation World).
The majority of Iranians have already rejected Islam. A recent survey has shown that less than 1/3 rd of Iranians (32%) consider themselves Muslims!
The rejection of Islam by masses. Islam is experiencing its greatest defeat in its history in Iran today.

PneumaReview.com: Are the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit a regular part of the life of the Iranian church?

Hormoz Shariat: Yes. Because Iranians read the Bible and believe all that is in it. Nobody has told them yet that not all the gifts are for today. Visions and dreams and miracles are common.

PneumaReview.com: You and your wife started Iran Alive Ministries. What types of ministries is it involved in?

Hormoz Shariat: Using media to go over the heads of the Mullahs into people’s homes to evangelize, help transform lives, and plant house churches.

PneumaReview.com: How can believers in the west best help the church in Iran?

Hormoz Shariat:

Pray. Because we are facing the dark spirit of the “Prince of Persia” mentioned in Daniel 10.
Support us financially. The people in Iran cannot support our channel. They depend on their brothers and sisters to take the Gospel to them.
Become a TV partner. People with good video content can join us to disciple a nation. We have partners like Michael Yousef, Jack Graham, Robert Morris, and others who are using our channel to reach millions of Iranians.

Our channel was ranked Number 1 as the most watched Christian channel in Iran with 7.7% (that is 6 million) people saying they watch us daily. We estimate 24 million watch us at least once a week.

Further Reading:

John Lathrop’s review of: Hormoz Shariat, Iran’s Great Awakening: How God is Using A Muslim Convert to Spark Revival (Iran Alive Ministries, 2020)

Hormoz Shariat: Iran’s Great Awakening

John Lathrop — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 23:43:59 +0000

Hormoz Shariat, Iran’s Great Awakening: How God is Using A Muslim Convert to Spark Revival (Melissa, TX: Iran Alive Ministries, 2020), 272 pages, ISBN 9781733749046.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat is from Iran. He was a Muslim who became a believer in Jesus. This transformation took place in the United States. Becoming a Christian radically changed the course of his life. Not only did he become a new creation in Christ, his new found faith also changed his career. This volume contains a number of different types of information. Some of what the author has written is personal, some of it is biblical, and some of it is historical. He provides the reader with a glimpse into what God is doing among Iranian Muslims.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I is “My Journey Out of Islam,” Part II is “Iran Will Be a Christian Nation,” and Part III is “Iran is Just the Beginning.” In addition to the main text, in the back of the book readers will find “Questions For Reflection.” These are designed to help the reader engage with the material that was covered in the chapters.

Could the astounding revival that is taking place transform Iran into a Christian nation?

Part I of the book is autobiographical. In this section the author shares information about his pre-Christian life, how he came to faith in Jesus, and the ministries he has been involved in since then. Before he became a believer he was having problems in his marriage and was generally unhappy with life. He thought his unhappiness was because he had left his faith, Islam, behind (page 12). He reexamined his Muslim faith but still felt empty (page 13). He started reading the Bible. He expected to find Jesus the prophet but he found that Jesus “seemed to be more than a prophet” (page 14). He accepted Jesus into his life (page 16). Dr. Shariat and his wife became believers in Jesus within a couple of weeks of each other (page 16). In this section he also shares some of the joys and struggles he experienced in his life after he came to Jesus. Even though he became a Christian in the United States he admits that he struggled to share his faith. However, he overcame that struggle. He planted a number of house churches in California, though he says they did not last long (page 21), served as a radio announcer for a Christian program (page 21), and eventually started Iran Alive Ministries, through which he hopes to reach one million Muslims for Christ (page 27). That all sounds very good, and it is, but he did not have an easy road. There were some painful experiences along the way and things that, at times, looked like setbacks.

God cannot be thwarted, He can build His church even in hostile circumstances: and He is!

Part II focuses on some prophetic passages in the Old Testament. The one he draws most heavily from is Jeremiah 49:34-39. He also gives some attention to Ezekiel 38. The reason for his focus on these texts is because they refer to Iran. He gives considerable space to examining what they say. Based on these texts he describes what will take place in Iran in the future, as well as possible ways in which what Scripture says will be carried out. In this section he lays out the scriptural reasons why Iran will become a Christian nation.

Part III deals with some of the things that are happening among Muslims in Iran in contemporary times. One thing that is happening is that the Lord is appearing to Muslims in dreams and visions (page 178). Dr. Shariat says that the miraculous is taking place so frequently that it is considered normal (page 178). In this section he also says that in the future Iran is going to become a missionary sending nation (page 187)

There are things in this book that may surprise some readers. One is the growth rate of the church in Iran. Citing Operation World, the author points out that Iran has the most rapid rate of evangelical growth in the world (page 133). This is taking place even though there are very few church buildings open in Iran (page 137). And the languages used in the churches that are open cannot be understood by Iranians (page 137). There are underground churches but there are not many of them and they are dangerous to attend (page 137). Another surprising thing is that though the media shows videos of Iranians shouting “Death of America,” the average Iranian loves Americans (page 175). Dr. Shariat shares some interesting examples of this (pages 176-177).

If you are interested in Global Christianity, missions, the gospel in the Muslim world or similar topics I think you will enjoy this book. It is interesting to hear the author’s testimony and what God is doing in Iran. Dr. Shariat’s ministry, Iran Alive, is playing an important part in the sharing of the gospel in Iran and the strengthening of the faith of the believers there. Many Muslims are coming to faith in Christ. This is truly amazing because they are becoming believers in a land where the stakes are very high for being a Christian. God cannot be thwarted, He can build His church even in hostile circumstances: and He is!

Reviewed by John Lathrop

Preview Iran’s Great Awakening: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Iran_s_Great_Awakening/1uAMEAAAQBAJ