Iran has been in the news a lot for the last few weeks, following the Gazan attack on Israel. Iran is one of the nations that funds Hamas and helps it acquire the weapons and training to attack Israel.
Looking at things from a purely human point of view, Iran is an evil regime that funds terrorism. It kills innocent people and destabilizes the whole of the Middle East with its actions.
While, on a human level, I hate the Iranian regime, God frequently tells me, “Not so fast, David. I love those people. And my Son is calling them to himself.”
A couple years ago, our small group watched Sheep Among Wolves, Volume II. To say that this changed my life is an understatement. I can’t stress enough how impactful this film was for me. (Thanks, to my small group leaders for finding this and showing it.)
If you haven’t yet seen it, I urge you to spend some time watching. It’s powerful.
Most of the film is a series of interviews with Iranian Christians who have met Jesus while under horrific persecution. They have made the decision to follow Him and reject Islam. If they are discovered by their Muslim friends, family, or co-workers, they could be reported to the Iranian state and be jailed, raped, or killed. To follow Jesus is not a decision that they have taken lightly. It’s literally a life-or-death commitment for them.
In spite of this, they have believed Jesus and trusted Him. They know that other Muslims need Him just as much as they do. They believe in the Great Commission as a commandment from our savior, to be obeyed regardless of the cost. So, in a country where having a conversation about Jesus might end your life, they are reaching out to their friends, family, and co-workers, the very people who could turn them in to the state, to have exactly those kinds of conversations.
In Iran, the Christians just believe Jesus, do what he did, and leave the rest to him. It’s a simple Christianity, uncluttered with the trappings of the West.
In the free, western democracies that most of us live in, there is zero risk in having a discussion about Jesus with anybody. The worst they can do is say, “No thanks. That’s not for me.”
But in the West, we debate “What is faith?” We go to seminars on church planting, church growth, and “seeker sensitivity.” We ritualize church to make it seem more spiritual. Finally, we celebrate a handful of new disciples and tell ourselves, “Job well done.”
The difference between these Iranian Christians and the average Western Christian is pretty stark.
How many unbelieving people have you talked to about Jesus this month? How many new disciples are you working with? Are you taking your talents and investing them in the Kingdom, or are you burying them in a hole (Matthew 25:14-30)?
Personally, I don’t think I’ve had a single conversation with an unbeliever about Jesus this month. Any discussion of Jesus typically occurs with my “church friends.” They are wonderful people, to be sure, but I’m not helping to save them; they are already saved.
The church is not a building. The church is us. Why aren’t we obeying Jesus?
When I see a film like this, it is deeply convicting. Why am I hanging back and worried about a little embarrassment? Why am I not praying regularly for my friends, relatives, and co-workers? Why am I afraid to speak to people around me about Jesus? How can I be worried about mere embarrassment when these Iranian Christians are risking their very lives?
(Note: This is Sheep Among Wolves, Volume II. There is a Volume I. I found Volume II to be more impactful for me, personally, but Volume I is also great. Volume I was filmed as ISIS was in full swing and deals a lot with it. I also recommend it, but you can start with Volume II without any requirement to have seen Volume I.)
Today’s Prayer
Holy Father, who was, and is, and is yet to come, we know that you have commanded us to go to the nations and make disciples of everyone. You have sent us your Holy Spirit to assist us with that task. Help us to believe your many promises and take you at face value, just as a child does with a human father. Help us to reach out to everybody around us and give them the Good News of Jesus and his forgiveness of sins. Identify for us those people who will be receptive to your message, those that you are calling to yourself, those that need Jesus desperately. Give us the courage to deliver your message, regardless of the cost to ourselves. Keep the Christians living under persecution safe and protected so that they can continue the work that you have given to all of us. Amen.
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I watched it this weekend! A beautiful movie that more American Christians need to see. People are not their governments, look at ours. I have a question for you David. If the American church was one of the 7 churches of Revelation, which one would it be? I had it down to 4 of them but couldn't decide which one fit.
Laodicea: the lukewarm church from materialism and pleasure seeking.
Sardis: seeming alive but really dead with an attractive religious veneer.
Thyatira: infiltrated with paganism.
Pergamon: the church that trusted their own power.
I wish I could say we were Philadelphia or even a Smyrna, but sadly we are not at this point in time. Iranian Christians and others around the world that are under persecution have so much to teach us about really following Christ, but unfortunately many here only see them as our enemy. To me, one of the things this movie was putting out was that there must be a true Christian world church that is united against evil. The NWO has plans for a false one world religion that only seeks to destroy true faith, and bring us all into slavery under Satan. This true Christian church is our only hope to attain victory over that.
"How many unbelieving people have you talked to about Jesus this month? How many new disciples are you working with?"
I try, but just get derision and "this conversation is over!" responses. I think about this often. How far should we go in trying to get people to believe in God and Jesus? We certainly can't run after them, tackle them and make them believe. I just let them go and pray for them on my own silently. I have no influence on my family members, let alone strangers.