IRAN: "This Is My Plan"
VOMRadio
The Voice of the Martyrs
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 12 December 2020
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sitting in a solitary confinement cell in Iran, Robert Aserian felt God comforting him with these words: "If you are here, it is My plan." God had prepared him for prison in a unique way: as a pastor he'd counseled many Iranian Christians after they'd suffered imprisonment, so he knew some of the challenge he would face.
Listen as Robert shares the challenges of interrogation, prison and solitary confinement. One way Robert passed the time in solitary confinement was composing and preaching sermons—even though his congregation wasn't there to hear them. He also tells how every prisoner goes through difficult times in prison, and how he responded during those difficult days.
Robert will also discusses how former prisoners face intense pressure and isolation after they're released, and tell us that praying for prisoners after their release may be more important even than during their time in prison. Finally he'll equip us to pray for the nation of Iran and for the church there.
Rev. Robert Aserian serves today as Director for Training at Pars Theological Centre, training and equipping leaders for the Iranian Church. You can hear conversations with other leaders of Pars here and here.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Robert Aeserian was a pastor in the Islamic Republic of Iran. |
| 0:05.2 | He boldly shared the gospel in the national language, Farsi. |
| 0:09.7 | Government officials responded by putting him in solitary confinement. |
| 0:15.6 | He faced loneliness and discouragement, but in the midst of his suffering, God spoke an important truth to his heart. |
| 0:25.4 | That told me that if you are here, it is my plan. |
| 0:28.8 | You know, because I have questions, challenge, say Lord, why you allow them that they arrest. |
| 0:36.2 | Holy Spirit told me that I bring you here. |
| 0:38.9 | This is my plan. |
| 0:42.2 | Jesus never promised his followers an easy path. |
| 0:45.0 | In fact, he told his disciples that the world would hate them. |
| 0:49.0 | He sent them out as sheep among wolves. |
| 0:52.0 | Jesus's words came true in the life of the Apostles and |
| 0:54.6 | they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world. |
| 0:58.7 | Join host Todd Nettleton as we hear their inspiring stories and learn how we can help right now on the |
| 1:04.6 | voice of the Martyrs radio network. My name is Todd Nettleton. Welcome |
| 1:08.0 | back to Voice of the Martyrs radio. You know last week, Pastor Robert |
| 1:11.6 | Assyrian was with us. He grew up in the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of |
| 1:17.1 | the Armenian community, considered to be traditionally Christian. The Armenian Orthodox Church was big on tradition and |
| 1:25.9 | Robert didn't learn or see what an authentic relationship with Jesus looked like. |
| 1:35.8 | The Iranian government tolerated the Armenian Church as long as they only used the traditional Armenian language in their |
| 1:40.8 | services and as long as they didn't reach out to Muslims. But God |
| 1:46.7 | got a hold of Robert Assarian's heart. He was transformed by the gospel. He |
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