By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

TEHRAN, IRAN (ANS) — A letter from Saeed Abedini, a U.S. minister imprisoned in Iran, has made its way, through family members, to the Assemblies of God national offices in the United States.

Saeed Abedini and his family via ACLJ

The letter, carried out from Iran’s notoriously brutal Evin Prison, in northwestern Tehran, tells of beatings and interrogations, around-the-clock bright lights and ongoing lies designed to create hope, in order to crush it.

According to a story from Dan Van Veen of the AG News & Information Service (www.ag.org), “The remarkable letter also reveals a depth of faith and compassion that could only be granted by God.”

Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. minister, has been imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran for his faith since Iranian authorities removed him from a bus in September 2012 while he was visiting his homeland.

Recently, Naghmeh, Abedini’s wife, received a letter from her husband through family members who were able to visit him in prison. Naghmeh passed the letter on to Assemblies of God (AG) General Superintendent Dr. George O. Wood, with the encouragement to share the letter with everyone.

“Saeed’s letter is nothing short of a modern-day Pauline epistle,” states Dr. Wood. “As I read his letter through several times, I could only marvel at how God’s faithfulness transcends time as the same Holy Spirit that was with Paul in his times of desperation is fully evident in the words of our brother Saeed.”

“I always wanted God to make me a godly man,” Saeed writes in his letter. “I did not realize that in order to become a godly man we need to become like steel under pressure. It is a hard process of warm and cold to make steel. The process in my life today is one day I was told I will be freed on bail to see my family and kids on Christmas (they are all lies) and the next day I am told I will hang for my faith in Jesus.”

“It’s amazing to me how this letter, from an imprisoned pastor, inspires and ministers to me when he, it would seem, is the one who needs our prayers,” Wood states. “I encourage believers to allow this letter to inspire them to greater things, to pass it on to friends and to continue to uplift Saeed, Naghmeh and their two young children to God in prayer.”

To read the letter, which is less than 500 words, click this link: http://s2.ag.org/abendiniletter. To read the original “AG News” story about the imprisonment of Pastor Abedini, see: http://s2.ag.org/saeedstory.

Here is the Letter:

— A letter received from Pastor Saeed Abedini, American citizen imprisoned in Iran. —

When I heard that empty Christmas settings were placed during Christmas as a reminder of my imprisonment

and those imprisoned for Christ, tears of joy filled my eyes. I was able to share about this with other prisoners and

they were shocked by the love and support we have for each other in Jesus. I told them how in the Bible we are all

considered brothers and sisters (despite race, color, or nationality) and we are to share in each other’s pains.  This

comes from our Lord.

The Word of God says that when we are persecuted for our faith, we are to count it all joy. When I think that

all of these trials and persecutions are being recorded in heaven for me, my heart is filled with complete joy.

The Bible says that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. Without the joy of the Lord we cannot live. It is this joy

in our life that gives us strength to continue in this life. Without strength, we cannot continue the work of the Lord

and without joy, there is no strength.

I always wanted God to make me a godly man. I did not realize that in order to become a godly man we need

to become like steel under pressure. It is a hard process of warm and cold to make steel.  The process in my life

today is one day I was told I will be freed on bail to see my family and kids on Christmas (they are all lies) and the

next day I am told I will hang for my faith in Jesus. One day there are intense pains after beatings in interrogations,

the next day they are nice to you and offer you candy. These hot and colds only make you a man of steel for

moving forward in expanding His Kingdom.

When for 120 days you are asleep in a room with one big light that is constantly lit and does not separate

day or night and when you can only see true sunlight for a few minutes a week, that’s when you are becoming

His Workmanship and you can be a vessel in bringing His Kingdom in a dark place and you are able to share the

Gospel of Peace and Life to the dying world. And this is where you learn you can love your enemies with

all of your heart.

I am looking forward to the day to see all of you who are behind me with your prayers and to embrace you

in my arms. Thank you for the love you have showed me.

What is in us is stronger than what is in the world and it has conquered the world.

—Pastor Saeed Abedini, in chains for our Lord Jesus Christ

Used by permission, courtesy of the Abedini family.

via ANS

Categories: news

Tags: christian persecution, mission news