Mohammed Bagher Yusefi was murdered on 28 September. An Iranian Assemblies of God pastor, he left his home in Sari early in the morning to visit Christians in the nothern Iranian town of Ghaem-Shahr. Later that evening his family were contacted by the local authorities with the news that his tortured body had been found hanging from a tree.
The 34 year old pastor (otherwise known as Ravanbakhsh= ‘Soul-giver’) had converted from Islam to Christianity as a teenager. He had studied theology under Haik Hovsepian Mehr, one of three Iranian pastors who were murdered in mysterious circumstances in 1994. After completing his studies he was appointed to pastor three Assemlies of God churches in the province of Mazandaran.
It is believed that he had been under surveillance by local security police for some time, and questioned on a number of occasions.
According to strict Islamic law Muslims who change their religion should be killed. Mohammed Bagher Yusefi is the 7th Christian leader to be killed in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
Though grieving, the leaders of the Iranian church are determined to continue the work of preaching the gospel. Let us remember them and Ravanbakhsh’s family in our prayers and let their example motivate us to preach here.
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