Take this for what it is worth. I have been praying about what to share next on this blog and have had in the last week several impressions to talk about Iran, with the title simple being - Iran. It was with that in mind that I was again doing some research today on the recent mass demonstrations as well as the explosive growth of Christianity there since 1979, but especially in the last two decades. However, God happened to put together something else for me to relate.
In regards to Iran I will note that it has a theocratic government reflecting its Shite brand of Islam and the government allocates massive funds and manpower both internally and externally to propagate Islam and to persecute any opposition to it. Partly because government repression is so severe, there has been great dissatisfaction with Islam among the youth. They have been turning to Christ in large numbers.
Some say the growth has gone from less than 1000 Christians in 1979 to 360,000. Then I began reading a number of over 800,000 and the last article I read suggested the true number is now about 3 million. And this is not just an economic or a cultural rejection of young people not happy with the way things are, an alternative designed to shock parents or society.
First, the potential cost for an Iranian Muslim to convert to Christianity could be imprisonment, financial and social disaster for the family and even death. Second, many have converted because they or someone in their family or village has had a dream or vision of Jesus, inviting them to come and know Him. And third, Christianity offers a relationship with God that is not fear based but grace based, an experience of love, hope and faith that God forgives sins, cares and has a plan for each life.
Today I came across a prophetic word for 2018 printed in Charisma Magazine from a Gregory Reynolds, someone I had not previously heard of but his message seemed interesting. He said that because of a vision he had he believed God was saying that this was (I think he was saying for the American Church) to be a year of threshing, where the chaff is separated from the grain. The process of threshing is not an easy one. The kernel gets tossed up, comes down and gets banged, then tossed up again, on and on until the wind (the Holy Spirit) carries the chaff away.
In other words, our faith is going to be tested like never before but it will ultimately result in a much stronger and effective Church.
I then went to Scripture to see if there was any conformation and here are the two sections I opened up to.
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1 Thessalonians 5-6)
Receiving the Word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit fits very well with what I was studying about the revival in Iran as well as what was sounding like an increase of adversity for our Church here in America as well. It also fits in with another article I read in Charisma magazine that was wondering if now was the time of fulfillment of a famous Smith Wigglesworth prophecy that said that in the last great revival coming upon our land there would be a combination of the Word (knowledge and application of Scripture) and the power (an outpouring of the Holy Spirit).
OK God I thought, let's make it a little tougher on You. I'm going to open up a Psalm. What can you do with that? So I opened up randomly to Psalm 85 and put my finger on verse 8.
I will hear what God the Lord will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly. (8) Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him. That glory may dwell in our land. (9)
In the midst of all that is raging about us in this crazy world today the Lord will speak peace to us. He will knock the chaff away and not let us return to our folly. His glory will dwell in the hearts and in the gatherings of those who fear Him.
Oh, there is a third conformation that God showed me today as well. Yesterday Jackie and I both noticed that there were what looked like bean bags laying on the edge of our lawn by the street, the kind you would play corn hole with. How and when they got there we can only speculate because the snow just melted early this week. Jackie noticed this morning that a black squirrel had been working on one of the bags. This afternoon I went out to gather them up to be able to dump them in the trash.
The bags were red and blue. There were seven of them. Five were frozen, one was just the cloth because of the squirrel, and the seventh had been bitten open with grains of corn spilling out. As I headed back into the house it occurred to me that the colors red and blue and the content of corn could certainly represent our country. In a way the black squirrel represents our spiritual enemy and he had some success. But the promise is still out there that things will unfreeze and we will have seed that will produce a great harvest.
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