Jesus Speaks Farsi

There are a lot of encouraging stories of people from a Muslim background encountering Jesus in the Iran region, and many of us in the West may be asking the question, “Why isn’t God doing that in my church?” In our second episode of the Encountering Jesus series, Joe speaks with Afshin, a noted Old Testament scholar and teacher (Afshin is also featured in the Scriptures in Iran season, episode 3)...

In our first episode of the Encounters with Jesus series Joe will be speaking with an Iranian woman who spoke with Jesus face to face through a dream. Asrin is from a Kurdish family who are typically hated by the government in Iran. After a terrifying experience as a teenager because of her ethnicity, she wanted to join the Kurdish Militia and fight for justice against the Iranian government but a...

A short conversation with Dara Lynn and Joe to celebrate one year of  Jesus Speaks Farsi. They'll discuss current events in Iran, recap the past year of episodes and let you know what we have to look forward to in 2023 on the podcast. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church please visit elam.com/iran-story . For more information about our orga...

Thank you to everyone who joined Elam’s International Day of Prayer for Iran recently. People and churches from over 60 nations around the world came together to pray for the current situation in Iran and on today’s episode, we’ll hear from one of the leaders of this prayer initiative. Roozbeh has been on a previous episode of Jesus Speaks Farsi and if you’d like to hear his testimony you can list...

The nation of Iran is at a tipping point as its people, mainly led by courageous women, are taking to the streets against the injustices of decades of oppression. Many are saying these are the most intense protests since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Despite the hardships and the hardline Islamic regime, the people of Iran continue to receive the Gospel and respond with hope and joy. In this epi...

In this final episode of the Scriptures in Iran series, Joe, Dara Lynn and Jen sit down over a cup of chai to talk through the stories we’ve shared. We discuss our thoughts as Westerners about the stories we’ve heard about the impact of the Scriptures in Iran. Grab your cup of tea and join us for another episode of Jesus Speaks Farsi. For more information about the recent history and incredible gr...

In today’s episode, Joe speaks with his good friend Ali about Ali’s fascinating journey to faith and his current work, Bible translation. Just like Afshin (episode 3), who is a mentor of Ali’s, Ali is working on translating the Bible into languages that have never had the Scriptures before. Ali’s team is currently working on 20 translation projects including the Shekaki, Qashqai, Dezfooli, Ahvazi...

On today’s episode, Joe shares one of his favorite stories from the church in Iran about a man whose dream about Jesus led him to a Christian who gave him a Bible. Joe reminds us that behind every incredible testimony like this is the faithful obedience of countless believers who have prayed, shared, given, and served. While Jesus is the story's hero, He also invites each of us to play a part...

Join Dara Lynn as she chats with Afshin, one of the only Iranians with a PhD in biblical studies. As a student, Afshin's focus was on the Old Testament, specifically the Psalms. Not only is he a celebrated teacher in the Farsi-speaking world, but he is also part of the team that translated the Bible into modern-day Farsi. His wealth of knowledge of the Scriptures and the way he understands th...

Today, Roozbeh is a beloved Iranian worship leader, but as a young man his life was full of anger and hate and he always felt like a storm was raging inside his heart. In today’s episode, Joe and Roozbeh talk about Roozbeh's experience reading the New Testament for the first time and how he became a follower of Jesus while living inside Iran. They'll also discuss why reading the Scriptur...

David Yeghnazar, Executive director of Elam Ministries, joins Jen and Dara Lynn today in the first episode of our new podcast series, “Scriptures in Iran.” In this series, we’ll be hearing from different Iranian believers about how the Bible in Farsi is transforming lives across the region despite its being banned by the Iranian government. In today’s episode, David shares his personal journey wit...

There are some stories too good not to share. In this episode, Sara tells a short story about another Iranian woman who loves the Scriptures - her mother. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church please visit elam.com/iran-story . For more information about our organization, please visit elam.com . Send us Fan Mail Download the Iran 30 app and pray...

In this final episode of the Women in Iran series, Joe, Dara Lynn and Jen sit down over a cup of chai to talk through the stories we’ve shared. We discuss our thoughts as Westerners about the stories we’ve heard about women from Iran. Grab your cup of tea and join us for another episode of Jesus Speaks Farsi. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church...

In today's episode, Joe has a conversation with Sara, a woman who has been instrumental in the growth of the Iranian church. We hope you’re encouraged to hear how, by God's grace, she helped plant seven churches inside Iran, despite persecution and the challenges of being a single woman. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church please visi...

In today’s episode, Jen and Joe will be chatting with Amirhossein about his experience growing up as a man in Iran and his perspective on the oppression women face there. We hope you’ll be encouraged by our conversation with Amirhossein as he shares why “women are meant to fly.” For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church please visit elam.com/iran-sto...

In today's episode, we'll be talking with Bahar. As a woman born and raised in Iran, Bahar always sensed that the way women were treated in her culture wasn’t right or how things were meant to be. She was told to be quiet, to never laugh and to stay in her place. In this episode, we’ll hear how she ended up finding her place in the story God is writing for women in Iran. For more informa...

Today’s episode is the first in our second podcast series - “Women in Iran.” In this series, we’ll hear from three women about their extraordinary journeys to the Christian faith while living in a culture that systematically oppresses women. Mojdeh, our first guest was born in Iran and raised in a Christian home before the 1979 revolution in Iran. She’ll be sharing how this event has significantly...

In this bonus episode, Jen will be joined by fellow podcast teammate Moread who handles the design and publishing for Jesus Speaks Farsi. We love having Moread on the team for his insight and first-hand experience of Persian culture. Born and raised in Iran, he left the country as an adult and has since become a follower of Jesus. Today, Moread is passionate about sharing the story of what God is...

In this final episode of the Persecution series, Joe, Dara Lynn and Jen sit down over a cup of chai to talk through the stories we’ve shared in this series. Persecution and suffering go hand in hand and bring up a lot of difficult questions for our Christian faith: Why does God let his followers go to prison? Where is He in all the suffering? What should we as Westerners do with these stories from...

We’ll be checking back in with Farshid from our first episode ( One Year in Solitary - Persecution E1 ) in this series to hear what life was like in prison after leaving solitary confinement. The majority of the 120 leaders arrested along with Farshid, like Ladan and Anahita, had been released from prison, and many had even left Iran. Farshid, however, would go on to spend another four years behin...

In this episode, Dara Lynn talks with Anahita, a senior leader within Iran’s house church movement. We’ll hear how only a few months into her marriage, she and her husband Matthew were both arrested for their involvement in church planting. She’ll also share the fascinating story of their escape from Iran over the mountains. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of th...

In this episode, Jennifer’s talking with Ladan, a senior leader in the Iranian church who has shared the Gospel with thousands of people across the Iran region. She’ll be sharing her story of meeting Jesus and planting house churches in Iran. We’ll also hear how that led her to take a taxi to jail and ultimately spend nearly a month in solitary confinement. For more information about the recent hi...

In this episode, Joe will be talking with Farshid, a key leader within the early underground house church movement inside Iran. He’ll be sharing his story of spending almost a year in solitary confinement. Despite the incredible hardship he underwent, Farshid exhibits contagious joy in Christ. For more information about the recent history and incredible growth of the Iranian church please visit el...

Did you know that the church in Iran is one of the fastest growing churches in the world? Farsi-speaking people are meeting Jesus every day and seeing their lives transformed by the Gospel. The Jesus Speaks Farsi podcast seeks to share the stories of these brave men and women, stirring your imagination for what is possible with God. We hope these stories remind you that Jesus is alive, the Gospel...