Introducing local Iranians to Jesus through His Word.
We sat down with Sam, a Bible sharer in Oldham, to hear about how he’s using The Word One to One to read the Bible with people in his local community – predominantly made up of people from Iran – and how God has been working powerfully through their sessions.
Q. Thanks for joining us, Sam! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name’s Sam, I live in Oldham in Greater Manchester and I work at Oldham Bethel Church. We’re based in the heart of Oldham on the edge of an area which has a large Pakistani and Bangladeshi presence, so it’s a very multicultural place to be.
I’ve been a Christian for around 18 years. I grew up in London in a Christian family, but didn’t really engage with anything on a Sunday – it was more like a social thing for me, and I was mainly there for the football in the church sports hall after the service! But when I was 11, I went to a Christian camp and I remember during one evening there was a really clear and powerful explanation of the gospel. For some reason, it was at that moment that the truth of the gospel sunk in for me – it all clicked together, and I decided that I wanted to follow Jesus for myself!
After that point, I had this real hunger for the Bible which I’d never had before. Beforehand, you could say all you want about the Bible – it would never interest me. But suddenly, I just couldn’t get enough of it!
Since then, I’ve really grown in my discipleship and ended up in the north here in Oldham.
Q. How did you get started with The Word One to One?
We implement The Word One to One as part of a church-wide outreach strategy, and I also use it personally to open the Bible with others. Half our church family is from Iran, so there are significant differences in language and culture that we are aware of – so we’ve got a lot of resources that are written in English and Farsi, which is the main Iranian language. The Word One to One was a really helpful tool to help us get people reading the Bible together – both inside the congregation and with people outside of church.
In our context, there are several different situations in which The Word One to One really helps us. For example, there may be a married couple where one person has become a Christian but the other hasn’t; or you have people who have become disillusioned with Islam and view Christianity as a more intrinsically Persian religion, so they want to explore it for themselves; and you have people who are at so many different stages in their Christian journey and need discipling from the Word.
“The Word One to One was a really helpful tool to help us get people reading the Bible together – both inside the congregation and with people outside of church.”
So we get all sorts of people in all sorts of situations through our doors, and we want to read the Bible with all of them and help them on their journey!
Q. How has The Word One to One helped you and your church reach out to these different groups of people?
The Word One to One is very accessible – it’s got the Bible text, and the notes are written in really simple and clear English, so it’s really easy for people to translate into their own language. Because it’s so minimal and clearly presented, it means that anyone can pick it up and use it.
It’s proved to be a really helpful resource for our church as we seek to open the Word with people from all kinds of backgrounds.
Q. In what ways has The Word One to One helped your church congregation share the gospel with others in the community?
We have people in our church who are really good evangelists, and they’ll read The Word One to One with their kids, their lodgers, and others in their community – so it comes really naturally to them. We’ve also got others who do it on a smaller scale: there’s one Iranian guy who’s using it to read through John’s Gospel with his son. We’ve also hosted an evangelistic women’s Bible study, which has given the wives of the guys in the community an opportunity to explore God’s Word together.
Thanks to its simplicity and accessibility, The Word One to One helps people read the Bible together in all sorts of ways – so its flexibility is a real asset.
Q. Who have you been reading God’s Word with recently, and how did you get started with them?
The majority of my work is focused on discipling new believers, with many of them coming from Iran as asylum-seekers. I’ve found that it’s so helpful to begin reading the Bible with people, wherever they’re at on their faith journey – reading together provides an non-intimidating way to explore Christianity with them.
Iranian culture is similar to British culture in a few ways – and one of them is that asking too many direct questions isn’t the best way to communicate with people. We’ve found that people just want to read the Bible and follow Jesus – and The Word One to One helps to facilitate a genuine conversation instead of just firing off a load of questions.
“I’ve found that it’s so helpful to begin reading the Bible with people, wherever they’re at on their faith journey – reading together provides a non-intimidating way to explore Christianity with them.”
On a personal level, it’s been great to read God’s Word with others – it’s such a great way to run with people on their journey towards faith in Jesus, and it’s so easy and enjoyable to do!
Q. How have you seen God at work through reading His Word with others?
I’d say there haven’t been any spectacular stories – with the demographic that we’re working with, many of them come to us with the desire to read the Bible and discover who Jesus is, so we want to find out where they’re at and journey with them by reading God’s Word together.
It’s an amazing thing – so many of our Iranian brothers and sisters arrive with that desire, which so many other churches across the UK are working so hard to see in their own communities. The Word One to One has helped us get these people reading the Bible and chatting about Jesus, which is amazing.
We’re so grateful to God for giving us this unique opportunity, and we’re just rolling with it and seeing where He takes it!
Q. You’ve talked about the cultural differences between Iranian and British culture and how this has shaped the way you evangelise in your community – have you noticed a difference in how your community responds to the gospel?
Since the Iranian Revolution, people have become quite disillusioned with Islam – my Iranian brothers and sisters have told me that Islam feels like quite an anti-Persian religion in terms of its statutes, imagery and so on. Persian culture is quite liberal – for example, they love their arts, and so Islam feels quite constricting on their wider culture. However, Christianity isn’t like that – and many people see it as a more Persian religion and so are more open to it.
Also, God is doing something special in Iran right now – there’s a lot of coverage about just how many people are converting to Christianity, and we’ve been blessed by that in our own community.
Q. How has reading God’s Word with others impacted your own faith?
Definitely! It’s a real privilege to read with people who are right at the start of their journey – there’s just a real freshness, and it’s so inspiring. Even as you’re chatting about the gospel with them, you’re reminded just how amazing and profound it is!
I’ve found that reading the Bible with someone else gets you to a place where you remember the basics – it brings you to Jesus’ feet, and you get to listen to His teaching again. I’ve just had so many experiences where I’ve been struck by how simple yet profound it is to sit there with someone and read the gospel with them!
“Even as you’re chatting about the gospel with them, you’re reminded just how amazing and profound it is!”
Q. Do you have any advice for someone who’s looking at starting to read God’s Word with someone else?
Be willing to take risks for the gospel! Risk feeling awkward, looking stupid, being rejected – culture is always not going to be receptive to Christianity in some way, so it’s not on you.
The Word One to One gives you a great opportunity to get people reading the Bible and talking about Jesus, and it avoids some of the common rabbit holes since it draws people straight into the gospel. It’s amazing to see them explore the Bible and meet Jesus for themselves, so enjoy it!
Finally, it’s such a small ask – so make the invitation and see what happens. It only takes 20 minutes, so it’s not a huge commitment for anyone to make.
Learn more about how to invite someone to read the Bible with you.
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