Little could the Ayatollah Khomeini have realized, when he transformed Iran into an Islamic state in 1979, that he was unwittingly setting the stage for multitudes of Iranians to put their faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says of our Lord, "the way of the wicked, he turneth upside down."

Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the former shah of Iran, was friendly to America, but during his reign hardly a single person left Iran to seek asylum and Persians were especially difficult to reach with the gospel. As Khomeini rose to power, on the other hand, American flags began to be burned and the Shiite fundamentalists took control.

Thanks to these religious leaders, Iranians are now leaving their homeland in groves and are not only seeking asylum in other countries, but are also seeking the true and living God. These Iranian people now fleeing to Europe and America have been disenfranchised from Islam and are wide open to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While I am certainly no expert regarding Islam or the reaching of Muslims, the Lord has allowed our church in Nuremberg, Germany to baptize over 925 converts in the last twelve months. The vast majority of these new converts have been Persians converting from Islam to Christianity.

I not only believe that Iranians are reachable, but I am also thoroughly convinced that independent Baptist churches are more likely to reach these people, than any other group. Allow me to detail some of the reasons that I have come to this conclusion and to share some of the ideas which we have found helpful in reaching these displaced Muslims.

As a rule, Persian people are enthusiastic, energetic, and emotional people. They are bored by lifeless liturgy and ritualistic rigidity. They are looking for something real Å something exciting Å something alive. I often hear positive comments from these people in response to the fact that we laugh in church and have a big time. They like the warm handshakes, the heartfelt singing, and the fiery preaching.

Attending religious services in Iran was compulsory for them. They went because they had to Å because they were afraid not to. When they discover that there are people who enjoy attending church because they love God and love each other, they are almost overwhelmed.

Furthermore, almost every argument which they have ever heard against Christianity, does not apply to independent Baptists. They have heard that Christians bow down to statues, deify Mary, and wear amulets for protection. The Baptists, of course, do none of these things. They are told that Christians drink alcohol, whitewash premarital and extramarital relationships and even approve of homosexuality. This is again because they have never been exposed to us Baptists.

While many of these people think that the Shiite fundamentalists have gone overboard, they are not looking to bring their children up in an anything goes environment of promiscuity, permissiveness, and moral relativism. They are pleased to meet people who still fear God and seek to uphold His laws.

They are thrilled to meet people who are discreet in their relationships with those of the opposite gender. They are relieved to find churches where the women still dress modestly and the men are still in the leadership, yet treat their wives with love and respect.

Another reason I believe that we have the bet chance of reaching these people is because they have grown up believing in absolutes. They are not looking for wishy-washy, hope I don't hurt your feelings type of answers. They are looking for straightforward, absolute, no-apologies, take-it-or-leave-it truth.

A classic example of this is the King James Bible issue. Most non-Baptist churches they might visit will take an any-Bible-will-do attitude This fits the stereotype that they have of Christians and is a primary reason they dismiss Christianity.

Islamic apologeticists capitalize on German higher criticism in order to convince people that the Bible has been corrupted. Iranians have heard their entire lives that if Christians really believed that the Bible was inspired by God they wouldn't keep revising it every year.

When Persians meet people like us, who take the Word of God seriously and really do believe it, they have lost half of their pre-learned arguments.

At this point I would like to share a few hints to help you in your next conversation with a Persian. A wonderful way to open up the conversation is to let them know that the Bible has much to say about the Persian people and their history. These people have a great heritage of which they are proud. The Koran is basically an Arab book and ignores the Persians.

The Bible however, speaks of them in numerous places and often very complimentary. Take them to the books of Esther and Daniel. They will be amazed that the Bible speaks about Cyrus, one of the greatest Persian kings of all times in Isaiah 44:28 - 45:1, and calls him God's shepherd. Most scholars agree that the wise men of Matthew chapter two were also Persians.

Once you have spoken to their national pride and piqued their curiosity about the Bible, an important question to ask them is why they are Muslim. When I ask them this question, the most common response I hear is: "Because my parents were Muslim."

As I feel liberty, I will pursue this further by asking, "and why were they Muslim?" "And your great-great-great-great grandparents Ä why were they Muslim?" Most Persians know their history well. Iranians did not become Muslims by choice. They became Muslims by coercion Ä by the sword!

They likely think that your history is somewhat similar. They expect that you were "baptized" a Christian because your parents were Christians, because their parents were Christians, etc. They think your great-great-great-great-great grandparents became Christians because of the sword. As Baptists we have a very different story.

We were not baptized as babies. We did not become Christians automatically just because our parents were Christians. We had to make a decision of our own free will whether we would believe or reject the gospel. Don't forget that these people probably left Iran because they wanted to make their own choices. As unregenerate souls, they have probably even made many wrong choices.

Now you are appealing to them on their level. God could have forced people to believe, as the Islamic mullahs attempt to do; but instead, He gave us a free will and wants us to choose Him. If you can get this point across to them, you will have likely won their heart and gotten them thinking, even if you have no knowledge whatsoever of Islam and Christian apologetics.

A second goal is to get them to admit that the Bible and Koran can not both be true. Even Shiites have been affected by ecumenicism and many are now teaching that the Koran is true and brings salvation to the Muslims and that the Bible is also true and brings salvation to the Christians.

They have a very sophisticated system to validate all monotheistic religions, while still teaching that for a Muslim to convert to Christianity results in condemnation. You need very little knowledge of the Koran to achieve our goal. It suffices to know that the god of the Koran, Allah, has no son. I have never met a Muslim, who was not aware that Allah is without parents and offspring. You then show them one of the many verses in the Bible which indicate that Jesus is God's Son.

At this point you are not asking them to agree with you that Jesus is God's Son. Right now you are simply trying to point out that this represents an irreconcilable difference between these two books. I then remind them that the Koran indicates that Jesus did not die. The Koran states very specifically that they took someone else who looked like Jesus and crucified him, while Jesus ascended into heaven without dying.

I show them one of the many verses in the Bible which tell us that Jesus died for us. Most of the people with whom I have dealt have been honest enough, that when shown these things, they had to admit that it is not possible for both of these books to be true. At this point you have shown them that God did not want them to be forced to believe. He wanted them to freely choose to believe. Furthermore, you have shown them that it is impossible to believe both. They simply must make a choice.

Next I ask them who Jesus is. Most will respond that He was one of God's prophets. Though this answer is insufficient, it is nonetheless true and you can agree wholeheartedly with them. Point out to them that both the Koran and the Bible tell us that Jesus was born of a virgin. Both books teach that He was sinless. Explain to them what a great privilege it is for them to be able to read the Bible for themselves and find out what it says. I often ask them why they think it is that Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet, while at the same time forbidding the people to read His words? Show them John 20:24-31. Encourage them to begin reading the gospel of John. Ask them if they would be willing to pray before they read. Have them pray a simple prayer like: "God, if Jesus really is your Son, please reveal that to me as I read Your word".

Be very honest about who you are and what you believe. At the same time, be friendly and start with common ground. I often say something like, "Isn't it interesting that the world's three large monotheistic religions all recognize Moses as God's prophet?"

The Jews believe Moses was of God; the Christians also believe and so do the Muslims. Since all three groups believe this, perhaps we should start with his words. Use the law to show that we are all sinners and under a penalty.

Then point out Leviticus 17:11, ". . . for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Now share what is missing in Judaism and Islam. Share the blood which was shed to make an atonement for their souls. Share from your heart how you received the gospel and how God made a difference in your life and how He gave you assurance of eternal life.

Remind them that they now have the freedom and opportunity to make a choice. They can choose to accept God's free gift of salvation, which was paid for with the blood of His dear Son Jesus. It has been our experience that once the Persian people grasp these simple truths, they become some of the sweetest Christians and most fervent soulwinners, it has ever been our privilege to know.

TORCH EDITOR: If you wish to know more about how to reach Persians for the Lord you can contact Bro. Bachman through Pastor James Bachman, ROANOKE BAPTIST CHURCH, 1167 Seminary Street, Roanoke, Indiana 46783. Phone: (219) 672-3784.