Not long ago, the head of one Middle East ministry told me a remarkable story he knew firsthand, one that is indicative of the kind of impact satellite evangelism in general—and SAT-7 in particular—is having.
An elderly woman in Iran was watching the JESUS film in Farsi in the privacy of her little apartment, he recalled. She had always been fascinated with the person of Jesus Christ, but she knew so little about Him. She did not have a Bible. She did not know any Christians. She had never been to church. She was not even particularly seeking out a film about Jesus that night. She just stumbled onto it while flipping through the channels coming into her satellite receiver.
But as the story unfolded, she began to respond to the love of Christ. She was intrigued by His teachings, amazed by His compassion and miracles, and moved by His love and forgiveness even for His enemies, even for those who had condemned Him to death and nailed Him to the cross.
When she saw the depiction of Jesus rising from the dead, she found herself in tears.
At the end of the film, the narrator explained how a viewer could pray to become a follower of Jesus Christ. In doing so, he read a Bible verse—Revelation 3:20—in which Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Unfamiliar with the passage and thus not aware that Jesus was speaking metaphorically—saying that if a person opens the door of his or her heart and welcomes Him in, then He will come in and save that person—the woman thought, I guess I had better open the door. So she got up from her chair, walked over to the front door of her apartment, and opened it.
She was suddenly blinded by a bolt of light emanating from a figure in the doorway.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It is I,” Jesus said.
“Come in, my Lord,” she said, and Jesus entered her home.
For the next few minutes, Jesus spoke to her about Himself, told her He loved her and had forgiven her, and told her to get a Bible and begin reading it. And then, as suddenly as He had appeared, He was gone.
The woman, startled but excited, looked back at the television screen and noticed there was a phone number she could call for more information. She picked up the phone and dialed it immediately.
The call was routed from Iran to an overseas number through a secure telephone system that terminated at a secret call center—one Lynn and I have visited—where Iranian converts who are trained as counselors answer calls such as these and help those wanting more information about becoming a Christian or growing in their faith.
“I just saw Jesus,” the elderly woman told a counselor, her voice trembling.
“That’s great,” the counselor replied. “Isn’t it a wonderful film?”
“No, no, you don’t understand,” the woman said. “I just saw Jesus—in person, in my home. He appeared to me. He told me I am now His follower. Can you help me get a Bible and understand what I should do next?”
