In Iran today, believers are living under intense pressure shaped by ongoing political instability, surveillance, economic hardship and fear. Many families are struggling just to secure basic food and daily necessities while living under the constant weight of restriction and uncertainty.

Despite this, the underground church in Iran continues to grow in remarkable ways.

Speaking on the Pursuing Redemption Podcast with Heather Shore, Lana Silk of Transform Iran shared how God is moving powerfully in the midst of suffering, even as believers face isolation, persecution and widespread hardship.

A Church That Continues to Grow Under Persecution

Lana described how, even in one of the most restricted environments in the world, the church in Iran is continuing to expand as people encounter Jesus in deeply personal ways.

Despite surveillance, arrests and immense pressure, faith is spreading through relationships, courage and the underground network of believers.

This growth is not happening in comfort — but under pressure.

She explained how the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought deep suffering to Iran while also creating unprecedented openness among Iranians searching for truth, freedom and hope. Her father was imprisoned twice for sharing Jesus even before the Islamic Republic rose to power. Later, as persecution intensified and the church was forced underground, God called Lana’s family out of Iran to strengthen and resource believers from outside the country.

That obedience eventually led to the founding of Transform Iran.

Today, in its mission to transform Iran with the love and power of Christ, Transform Iran continues serving underground church believers and seekers across the country through evangelism and outreach, discipleship and leadership training, church planting, Bible translation, digital church gatherings, satellite TV broadcasts, 24/7 radio stations, humanitarian aid, trauma counseling, and more.

Despite severe persecution, the gospel continues spreading rapidly across Iran.

Iranians Encountering Jesus Through Dreams, Healing and Visions

Transform Iran regularly receives testimonies of Iranians encountering Jesus through dreams, visions, miraculous healing and other supernatural experiences.

Many come seeking understanding after deeply personal encounters with Christ.

“People come to us and say, ‘I met Jesus in my dreams. He healed me. What does that mean?’” Lana shared, describing how these experiences often mark the beginning of a journey toward faith as people search for truth and understanding.

This is how God works in Iran.

These encounters are increasingly common and are opening doors across Iran in ways that are often hidden from the outside world.

One of the most moving moments in the interview came as Lana recounted the story of an Iranian businesswoman recovering from abdominal surgery. Weak and in severe pain, the woman answered a knock at her gate and encountered a mysterious man whose compassion and presence overwhelmed her. Moments later, he disappeared. When she returned upstairs, she discovered her surgical wound had completely vanished. Soon after, one of her tenants arrived carrying an illegal Bible and bravely shared the gospel with her. The woman eventually gave her life to Christ and later became a pastor.

Isolation, Crackdowns and Growing Pressure

At the same time, life for believers inside Iran is becoming increasingly difficult.

Internet blackouts, surveillance and surprise raids have made communication dangerous. Authorities are inspecting phones, monitoring messages and detaining individuals suspected of Christian activity. Many believers are deleting contacts, leaving online groups and living under constant fear of arrest.

This isolation has become one of the greatest challenges facing the underground church today.

Even so, underground churches continue meeting secretly while believers risk their safety to encourage others, distribute aid and share the gospel. While their digital church network usually connects tens of thousands each month, much of this support is now disrupted due to internet restrictions inside the country.

Transform Iran continues to reach seekers and believers through any means possible, with Satellite TV and radio broadcasts being essential outreach tools that bypass internet blackouts and reach those who are otherwise cut off and isolated. At the time of this conversation, Transform Iran’s senior pastors were recording new programs to address urgent questions the Church is asking right now: How should Christians respond to persecution? What does biblical freedom look like? How do we pray for leaders who are hunting us down? And what, if any, resistance or uprising is appropriate for believers? The first episode aired just four days after production wrapped.

A Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

Iran’s worsening economic crisis has left many families struggling simply to survive. Businesses have collapsed, unemployment continues rising and many parents can no longer afford basic food, rent and medical care.

Through trusted ministry networks, Transform Iran continues delivering practical aid directly to struggling families while also bringing spiritual encouragement and biblical discipleship.

Jesus told us that His love is practical and active. This is a way we can really show that love.

The Cost of Comfort and the Call to Respond

Lana challenged believers in the West to see the global church as one body. “When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer,” she said, urging Christians to stand in prayer and practical support for believers facing persecution.

In the West, we often talk about what we should or shouldn’t be doing as Christians. But in a context like Iran, those are not the questions believers are asking.

There, following Jesus carries a real and immediate cost. Even seeking Him can come with risk, and choosing to follow Him often means fully understanding what it means to lay down your life in one form or another. She explained how believers in Iran encounter Jesus in such a real and transformative way — through healing, deliverance and deeply personal experiences — so their faith naturally becomes an overflow of what they have received.

“As people are planted in Him, they bear fruit,” she said, noting that many believers are leading others to Christ in remarkable numbers, with some seeing dozens or even hundreds come to faith through their witness.

Comfort can quietly become one of the greatest barriers to deep discipleship.

“We have the option of a very comfortable Christianity, but that isn’t really what we see in the New Testament,” Lana said. “And in many ways, we are the ones missing out.”

The testimony of the Iranian church is a reminder that faith was never meant to be passive or convenient, but alive, costly and deeply transformative.

Stand with the Church in Iran

Even in the midst of persecution and uncertainty, God continues drawing thousands of Iranians to Himself. Lana challenged believers in the West to become engaged, informed and prayerful as they stand alongside the church in Iran.

Don’t lose hope. Jesus is still on His throne. Get informed and get involved.

Your prayers and financial support can help strengthen Iran’s underground churches, care for struggling families and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to people searching for truth in one of the most difficult places in the world to follow Him.

A Legacy of Revival Behind Iran’s Church

A powerful part of Lana’s family story reflects the deeper spiritual roots behind today’s movement in Iran.

Her grandfather, at the time not a believer, attended a Christian meeting where he felt unable to leave. During the meeting he encountered God in a deeply personal way and heard a clear call: “Follow Me, and through you I will change the course of a nation.” Shortly after, he opened the New Testament for the first time and was radically transformed. That encounter led him to step away from his career plans and commit his life to serving through Bible distribution and ministry work.

Years later, he pursued a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit after sensing something was still missing in his walk with God. After a season of fasting and seeking, he experienced a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit that marked both his life and his family. From that moment, prayer meetings began in their home that continued for years. Entire family members were drawn into faith encounters, prayer and worship, and many who attended those gatherings came to faith, experienced healing and encountered the presence of God.

This was a “birthing” moment — a spiritual awakening that would later echo through generations and help shape the foundation of Iran’s underground church movement today.

Interview originally published on: Pursuing Redemption Podcast