The former home of Zoroastrianism, Azerbaijan
Historically, Azerbaijan was home to Zoroastrianism, the world’s oldest known living religion, which was ruled for over three and a half thousand years by the ancient Indo-Iranian religion of nomadic herding tribes who subsequently settled in Iran and northern India.
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Again According to the USCIRF annual report (2023), the major religion now is Shia Islam, which accounts for 65 percent of the population, with Sunni Muslims accounting for the remaining 35 percent of the country’s Muslims.
Atheists, Armenian Apostolics, Baha’is, Catholics, Georgian Orthodox, adherents of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Molokans, Protestants, and Russian Orthodox make up the remaining 4% of the population.
One of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles, Bartholomew, also established the seeds of Christianity in 71 AD. He was assassinated in modern Baku, not far from the Maiden Tower, because he was the first to read evangelical preaching in Azerbaijan.
According to the Joshua Project assessment, evangelical Christianity accounts for nearly nil, or 0.22 percent, of the country’s religions.
Currently, these few Christians in percentage have been working solely in Baku, the country’s capital city, where 25% of the population resides. As a result, there is a lot of work waiting for those Christians in Azerbaijan’s capital city to go to the other side of the capital.
A front-line worker told the Voice of Martyrs that Christians are utilizing social media to interact with Azerbaijanis outside of Baku. This allows Christians to interact with folks who want to learn more about Christ and work on hand-delivering Bibles to them; however, it is limited and only focuses on the capital city.
As a result, a front-line worker requests prayer for assistance in obtaining the freedom to carry out such actions, so that more people can be reached beyond the capital and an improved spirit of unity among Christian leaders can be multiplied. Let them reach all of Azerbaijan, as per your word in Matthew 28.
Let us pray for Azerbaijani Christians so that they will be able to spread the gospel and multiply outside of Baku, the country’s capital city. Father God, you know how Azerbaijani Christians have been working your work, and they need your power to leave Baku and teach your begotten son, His love, and His work on the cross.
I ask the Holy Spirit to grant them power and grace in the presence of non-believers, government officials, and religious leaders who are not evangelical Christians. “I am with you always, even to the end of the world,” you said, Jesus.
Allow yourself to be with your witnesses in Azerbaijan. Thank you for allowing this Azerbaijani witness to testify, and may your name be honored forever.
KJVMatt 28
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.