Christians in Iran are eager to share God's word with others. Many carry the Bible with them everywhere they go - just in case they meet someone they can introduce to Jesus.
While running an errand in a small shop in Tehran, a Christian began witnessing to another customer in the store. The Christian eventually gave the man a copy of the New Testament. The man was very grateful and left the store.
A spice shop in Iran. This is a model photo, as for security reasons it is not possible to show an image of the actual shop owner. (Photo: Hamad Saber)
At that point, the shopkeeper called the Christian over to him. He had seen the Christian give the man the book. Excited, the shopkeeper took out a New Testament that he had hidden in a drawer behind the counter. Just three weeks earlier, someone had given him this Bible. The shopkeeper said he was struck by the words of Jesus Christ, so he looked up Matt. chapter 5 and began reading aloud to the Christian from the Sermon on the Mount.
He said to the Christian, "Look what it says - 'Love your enemies... If you love only those who love you, how are you different from everyone else?' We have nothing in our religion like this."
The Christian began to share his own testimony and talk about Jesus' love. The shopkeeper was so interested that he closed the store for the rest of the day. The Christian shared from God's word for two hours. At the end, the shopkeeper said he wanted to pray and repent and receive Christ as Lord.
