Most of us will be well aware of the turmoil in Iran following the elections on June 12.
Iran’s top legislative body, the Guardian Council, has confirmed that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the election. The decision followed a recount of ten percent of the votes. Protests erupted in Iran after claims that the election was rigged. “Right now, we are seeing the outcome of what we understood for a long time to be the case, that about 70 percent of the Iranian population are dissatisfied with the Iranian state and would advocate for more freedom, with the separation of state and religion,” said Carl Moeller of Open Doors USA.
The instability has not put a stop to Open Doors’ work in Iran. Open Doors still provides Bibles, Christian literature, discipleship training, television programs, and satellite broadcasting for Iranian Christians. “We are still maintaining call centres that are masked and secretly routed from Iran to Farsi-speaking operators in the free world, so those types of things continue to go on, and those types of discipleship and Church-building activities will be taking place despite the political upheavals that are going on,” Moeller said.
Iranians have been opening up to the Gospel, and a quiet Christian revival is sweeping the nation. “We are seeing all across Iran a religious revival because Iranians are suffering from deep spiritual emptiness,” Moeller explained. “The social problems and difficulties of living under a totalitarian regime have created a desire on the part of the average Iranian to find real peace in their heart. And this peace is being found through Jesus Christ. Tens of thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ and finding in Him the real answers to the problems that they have.
”Now the election crisis is over Christians expect the government to crack down on religious freedom. Restrictions on internet and cell phone use are only the beginning of the coming repression. “The biggest problem that we see with the current protests is that right now, this has evolved into a political struggle between two elements that are both totalitarian and repressive. It isn’t a case of freedom versus totalitarianism any more,” Moeller explained. “So regardless of the outcome, we believe that there will be increasing pressure on the church there.”
Nevertheless, Iranian Christians are not about to give up their new-found faith. “People are willing to pay a price of their faith because it actually does provide the deepest answers to the longing they have in their heart,” Moeller said. “New Christians often tell their family members, friends and neighbours about Jesus.” One Iranian became a Christian while attending school in Scandinavia. Within a month of returning home, he had introduced 50 of his family members to salvation through Jesus Christ. After a year, their home church had grown to include 250 members.
Another man stole a pastor’s satellite dish. When he turned on the satellite dish, it was set to Christian programming. As a result of hearing the Gospel, the thief received Christ. He then told his friends about Christ, many of whom were also involved in criminal activity. Twelve people now attend a house church begun by these new believers. There is fear and as we’ve seen so graphically shown on our television screens, the force of this regime is severe. But these Christians are willing to face that cost. And many have done so at the cost of their lives, or their families.”
Source: Intercessors Network via Australian Prayer Network, with minor editorial playing about by me
