Persecution Blog

When Philosophy Can Get You Killed

We live in a very practical-oriented world. Pragmatism was born in the US—although it is probably that we just gave a name to something that already existed. The main theme of pragmatism “if it works, use it” has opened the door to a lot of good things since the opposite “if it doesn’t work, don’t use it” seems like an obvious truth.

In reality, however, the world is dominated by philosophy that trickles down to the practical level. One of the first uses of philosophy is ideology, when a philosophical perspective becomes a political, religious, or economic system. After discussing the highly theoretical ideas of Whitehead, Oppenheimer, Rousseau, Kierkegaard, and Wittgenstein, Francis Schaeffer remarks: “these things are not just theoretical in their effect” (He is There and He is not Silent, 53). These philosophies are
changing the world. They have a profound effect upon our daily life even though we are not aware of it.

What people think can work its way into very practical agendas. Karl Marx studied Hegelian Idealism and the end result can now be seen in Marxist revolutionary guerilla movements that are very active in our world today. Some of them are persecuting Christians. We live in a world dominated by ideologies that clash and create tremendous tension in society. Many of these ideologies are contrary to the teachings of Jesus; consequently there is some natural tension between the Christian view and particular ideologies. Some of these ideologies seek to be all-inclusive, believing that everyone should believe their ideology and they will do whatever it takes to bring everyone into their fold. Radical Islam fits in this category. Holding on to our faith and worldview can get us killed in some places.

In the same way, pragmatism can lose sight of moral bounds and appropriate parameters of action when it advocates doing whatever needs to be done to succeed, stepping on human dignity, bypassing justice, and dismissing fairness. It has much in common with the more radical ideologies that desire to conquer the world and ruthlessly endeavor to coerce everyone into their mold. These radical ideologies do not tolerate well the Christian faith, if they tolerate it at all. Christians stand in the way of dominating the minds and hearts of the world. Christians hold Christ as their ultimate loyalty and this is an impediment to radical ideologies that demand total allegiance. North Korea is a perfect example of this intolerance. They have replaced God with their own ideology. This is in reality the essence of the original sin that sought to be autonomous from God. With all their ‘progressive, revolutionary rhetoric,’ they have managed to land back in the Garden of Eden, making the same wrong choice.

For further reading on the subject of philosophy and persecution, go to www.vomclassroom.com and go to the class on “God’s Mission to the World: The Occasion for Persecution—Part 1 Theology of Mission.”

Roy Stults, PhD, is the Online Workshop Coordinator and Educational Services Coordinator for The Voice of the Martyrs. He graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (BA and MA), Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Doctor of Missiology), and The University of Manchester (England) with a PhD (theology). A Vietnam veteran, Dr. Stults served as a missionary for 19 years and pastored U.S. churches for eight years. Prior to joining VOM, he was a Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

 

Mohammed Part 6: Prayer in Jail is Different

Today we will wrap up the excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. You may want to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 prior to reading today’s post.

I know those who have worshipped in jail; when they come out they never can repeat that experience. Prayer in jail is different than when you pray outside.

After 21 days they took us to a group jail where everybody is there. They took us to a place where there were 400 detainees. In one room there were 12 murderers. There were 65 gay people that had committed other very serious crimes. One of the people who was arrested with me, one of his relatives was in charge of jail. So they took care of him well during those 21 days. They sent him to a better room where there were fewer people. He met me in the jail yard and he took me to his room and gave me tea. And they told me that your room has changed. He was there earlier so they had assigned him a room. He said be careful because the room they are sending you to they are crazy, full of murderers or drug addicts and I will ask my relative to change your room and bring you in with me.

I said if God is sending me there I don’t want to be here. So I drank the tea and I went to my room. It was 65 people in one room. There were 45 beds and 20 people would sleep on the floor.

Fifteen beds, each three bunks, so there were 45 beds with 20 [sleeping] on the floor. I entered and I saw this scene and I was shaken. My knees were weak and I just knelt down, it was really bad. It was too tight and when I sat down there were two people on both sides of me sitting because there was not enough space. Someone asked me if they had just brought me to jail and I said no, I have been here for 21 days.

This person asked me, “Where were you before? If you were in solitary haven’t you gone crazy for being alone there for 21 days? I was in there for six days and went crazy.”

I said, “I was not alone in my cell, I was with God.” He was shaken. When I said I wasn’t alone I was with God, he was shaken and said I want to talk to you. I knew then I was sent there to give him the message and I said we will talk later.

Another person by my side said, “they arrested me four days ago; I haven’t used drugs for four days and my body is hurting a lot.” I put my hands on him and I prayed. Right there he said, “My pain is gone.” So it was confirmed that God had sent me there for a mission. There were three cameras in that room. I was there eight days. In the eight days I was there in that room 24 people came to Christ. Two of those who came to Christ were on death row. They would never come out. So I said God had sent me.

We would go under the beds; I would witness and pray with people under the bed. Because of the cameras I would take people under there to pray the prayer of salvation there so the cameras could not get us. It was the sweetest time of my life.

After five days there they said I could put up bail and get out. I was postponing paying bail to come outside so I could have more time to witness. I was not worrying about my family because I knew that God was taking care of them. All my life belongs to Jesus. So they said you can go, we told you – you can put up bail and go so why don’t you? They were suspicious why I was here when I could go out. So I postponed it for three days but then...I came out...

I was a very violent person before I came to Christ. It was God’s love that made me like this. In jail when the food came everybody was attacking the food, but I would wait until last and would get the least amount of food. It was because of the other prisoners watching out for me, making sure that I would get food. The guards all heard about Jesus...

The day I was out of jail I continued my ministry. And until my last breath I owe Jesus. Whatever I have done it was the Holy Spirit in me. I know who I was and I was so weak before so all the glory goes to Jesus. I remember the folk story of the donkey who Jesus rode on. The donkey went to his mother and said, “They respected me!” And his mother said, “No it wasn’t you. It was who was sitting on you.”

So I feel the same: I am nothing Jesus is everything. Without Jesus I am the same person I was before.

YOUR TURN: If you've been blessed by Mohammed's testimony of faith and courage, share it with your friends. You may want to share via social media, or print it out to share with your pastor or Sunday School class, or even Muslim friends who might be drawn to Mohammed's story of coming to faith.

Mohammed Part 5: "Your Life will be Changed"

This week we are sharing excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. Come back to the Persecution Blog throughout the week to read more of Mohammed's amazing testimony. You may want to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 prior to reading today’s post.

The next day they took us to the judge for my case; he was a religious leader. So this is how they presented my case, or started. They said they had arrested me in a home with another man and two girls and the girls were not covered. So that was the first thing they brought against me was about those women and I said, “The covering should be on our [men’s] eyes, not on the women.” This made him mad. He said, “You are very crafty if you are saying this to me. What have you told others? You are trying to make yourself holy saying our eyes have to be cleaned.”

So I shared my testimony with the judge about how I was a drug addict and how Jesus has saved me. Since I was freed from my drug addiction I told him from that day on every time I see a drug addict, I share the gospel so they can be free from drugs. I told him, “And this works, I am free from drugs and you can ask them they have been freed from drugs too.”

They were trying to connect me to a [house church] network and I explained to them that I got saved through satellite television and I am doing this because I am so thankful to God because he saved me from addiction that is why I am sharing with others; I am not part of a network. So the judge looked at the case and saw that we were not doing political things, we are just using Christ’s name to help addicts, so he saw that this wasn’t a serious thing so he said ok, go.

I felt the Holy Spirit was on me and whatever [the judge] was asking I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking through me. But there was another person who was arrested that came after me. That person was zealous but the Holy Spirit was not speaking through him so he did not have the wisdom but he had just the zeal. He was not wise he started saying boldly we are Christians this is what we do and you cannot stop us, challenging the judge. So we were about to be released but because of what that person did, the judge said to take them to jail and do more interrogation of them.

I have three kids and I am committed to serving my family 100 percent. But when I knew God is calling me to a mission and I give my family to God and I accept this mission. God knows that I have nothing negative in my heart towards this young Christian that caused us trouble. All I knew is that I believed at that moment that God is sending me for a mission. For ten days they interrogated us. Morning until night they would ask us questions. With our eyes covered and they would bring us back with our eyes covered. For ten days from morning until night.

Interviewer:  What kinds of things would they ask you during these 10 days of questioning?

As an example they asked me, “Are you a Christian?” and I said, “Well my ID card says I am a Muslim but I have encountered Jesus and he has changed my life.” “What do you think about the Quran? What kind of book is it?” they asked me. This is the first book for Muslims. They asked me who is Mohammad—Mohammad is a prophet for Muslims. They ask us many, many questions but their main purpose is to find anything to connect us to Israel or to America or to prove that we are supported financially from outside, that we are a part of a network; that was their purpose for questioning.

So they were trying to connect us to another network so they could arrest the rest but we were telling them we got things from the internet. When they asked us where did you get this CD, we said internet, where did you get this, we’d say we got it from the internet. We said all these things we have you can find it on the internet.

And we were telling them this faith works, we are free from drug addiction, if you try it in your own house it will work. We told our interrogators, “If you try Jesus tonight, your life will be changed.”

Come back next week as we wrap up Mohammed's amazing testimony.

Mohammed Part 4: Focus on the Presence of Jesus

This week we are sharing excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. Come back to the Persecution Blog throughout the week to read more of Mohammed's amazing testimony. You may want to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 prior to reading today’s post.

I am serving God now and I will serve God until the day of the end of my life. I have goals but I feel I have reached my goals. I feel like I am fulfilled.

I don’t want anything from God, because I feel like I am paying back for what he has done for me. I know he has a great plan for me and he will take me step by step towards his plan for my life.

Ed’s note: Mohammed was arrested a second time.

I went to a city to serve, to share the gospel. The zeal I have for evangelism, when I lead somebody to Christ, they get that zeal and become evangelists also. So in that city I had led people to Christ and when I came back those people had led people to Christ, so those people came to Christ through [our ministry] also. Last time I went to that city, one of the people I had led to Christ witnessed to somebody and that person’s father was an Information Officer. So that person had talked to his father about his faith, and said, “Oh, I would like to meet your friend, bring him.”

Interviewer:  So he was an Intelligence Officer or Security?

He was a Security Officer. [The new Christian told his father,] “Well, this person that witnessed to me doesn’t know much but there was a person coming from Tehran, he knows a lot.” So when I went there, they had plans for me and were ready for me.

For security, when I go to a city like that, I don’t do large gatherings. I go house to house every two hours and in every house there is a gathering and that’s how I serve. But that house we went to, they were ready for us and they arrested us. I didn’t believe they were going to arrest me and when I was walking off, they said, “Where you are going? We are here to arrest you.” All our books, CDs, anything they could find in the house, they took.

Interviewer:  How many people were there in the house?

Me and three others. Four of us were arrested, each one of us in a separate car. There were many cars, so they covered our eyes and took us. When they took us to jail, they put us in separate rooms. For 10 to 12 hours they were interrogating us. We were in a room [where] we couldn’t see them, there was just a mirror. They could see us and they would ask us questions.

But my answers were full of God’s love. In those situations, when you are being persecuted love has great power. So it was 12 a.m. and they said, “Just sleep in the corner.” One of the agents came to my room to sleep in the same room that I was in. He said, “We are studying you with softness, but if you don’t cooperate it will get harsh.” I knew about the cruelty, violence of the agents in Iran. So when the first 12 hours of interrogation was over and he said this was soft; they said tomorrow will be harsher.

I learned to focus on the presence of Jesus. I said whatever happens to me it is worth it for what you did for me. I realized or learned what it means to wrestle with God because at that point I told God even if they rape me, I will not renounce you. I decided, because I want to share your glory, I am ready to share your suffering.

Come back tomorrow to read how Mohammed shared his testimony...even with the judge who would rule on his case.

Mohammed Part 3: Sent to Save

This week we are sharing excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. Come back to the Persecution Blog throughout the week to read more of Mohammed's amazing testimony. You may want to read Part 1 and Part 2 prior to reading today’s post.

Starting the next morning until now I have shared this good news of the gospel with whomever I have met. In a few months [from the time of this interview] it will be four years that I am a believer. Over 1,000 people have knelt down with me in these four years and have prayed to receive Christ. Thousands have heard the gospel. And even all those who have not prayed to receive Christ; these are seeds that I believe will come to fruition later. Because when I sow seeds I do it with everything I have.

I have shared the gospel with very young children who have prayed to receive Christ. Even when they are just starting to speak I have shared Christ with them. I prayed with old people to receive Christ who prayed that night and then died the next morning. I don’t evaluate the value of people according to earthly values; every person for me is valuable because of Jesus. In every situation I ask the Holy Spirit, “What you want to do?” so I am available to share the gospel. I started my ministry and there was a large portion of the Bible I hadn’t read.

Since I became a minister, I accepted my calling and I am reporting every detail of what I am doing [to church leaders]. So when they arrested me, I was in jail for one month, when I came out I didn’t report to my pastor about me being arrested, I reported to him my ministry [in prison].

Last summer, I went to the seashore, the beach [to share the gospel.] When they arrested me [there] for no reason I just knew that God was sending me to a place to witness. I couldn’t resist them. “I was wrong and you take me,” I told them. “I broke the law.” So I didn’t fight so they would take me to the jail.

They took me to jail and I saw two people who were bound, because their crimes were very serious. When I came to those people, I told them, “God has sent me to save you.” So by faith I believe that those who are around me God has sent for me to share the gospel.

So I shared the gospel very briefly, just about in 15 minutes, and they knelt and prayed to receive Christ. I only had those 15 minutes to share the gospel because after I shared the gospel, immediately after that the police came and said, “You have been very good and you shouldn’t be here. You are very kind to us we want to release you.” They opened the door and said, “You can go.”

When they opened the door to release me, I hugged those two criminals and they were crying and hugging me really hard. So the warden of the police was like, “You have only known these people for 15 minutes and they act like you are family.”

Come back tomorrow to read how Mohammed was arrested again, but how God's presence was with him. Go back to read Part 1 and Part 2 of Mohammed's story.

Mohammed Part 2: "God, Save Me"

This week we are sharing excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. Come back to the Persecution Blog throughout the week to read more of Mohammed's amazing testimony. You may want to read Part 1 prior to reading today’s post.

One day I was high on drugs and I turned on the television and was checking out the channels on satellite. For just a few seconds I was on a Christian channel and I only heard one sentence. The only phrase I heard was a brother saying: when I give my heart to Jesus — and I switched [the channel]. I only heard that phrase before I changed the channel.

I thought, “Christians are crazy they give their heart to somebody.” These days nobody gives somebody even a pen. [Ed’s note: the Farsi words for heart and pen sound similar.]

Ten days later I got drunk and again I turned on TV. And I was just flipping channels. Again with the Christian channel I just heard a lady say: when I gave my heart to Jesus — and I switched. These Christians are crazy just sitting down and giving their hearts away. I know this was God’s timing and miracle because I never heard that phrase [before].

It was 2 a.m. I was tired of taking drugs. I was taking drugs on the roof of my house. I was taking crack and it was the end of it in the glass. Just a few days before [that night], my family was going somewhere and said, “Let’s not take him, he doesn’t look good.” I hated to hear that. So that night I was on drugs and I was tired of life. I realized I may be powerful over many things but I have no power over my drug addiction.

So I lifted my head and said, “God, save me.” I asked him to save me from my addiction to drugs. I couldn’t even imagine that I could live without drugs for even one day. Because I had tried before to be free from drugs and had failed. I told myself even if I could put away drugs, I would just live a little bit longer so what was the use. I said, “God, this is like another accident I am in. Would you save me again?”

Suddenly I found myself in the memory of the accident 15 years earlier. All the things in these 15 years came together. I didn’t know what hand saved me 15 years earlier but I tried to hold on to that hand. I always said there was a hand that saved me. So I realized it was the hand of God that saved me. The hand of God that saved me from this accident today saved me from this. It was revealed to me that night that it wasn’t my brother or the prayer of my parents, but it was God who saved me.

I fell on my knees and I repented. I said, “God I am sorry. I repent of saying that the prayers of my parents saved me or the spirit of my brother saved me.” I said, “God you have to save me from these drugs tonight.” I was praying and lifting my hands for two hours and my hands were numb. I expected to hear a voice or that I might see a light. I didn’t see that and I was really disappointed. I went back to sleep in my bed.

Before I went back, I looked in the sky and said, “God it doesn’t match your character to let me go empty handed. Either you are not real or I am too sinful that you would do anything for me.”

I got back and I turned on TV. I was changing channels. A few minutes before that I was on the roof asking God to save me and then I was flipping channels and again [I came to] this Christian channel and I heard, this time the whole sentence: when I gave my heart to Jesus I was saved. Exactly the same word – save; because I was asking God to save me when I was on the roof. All my life I was paying attention to these details. Pray for salvation, and the same words were used here in this sentence. I was always looking for main points of things and I would use them in my life. So suddenly it was revealed to me that salvation is in this.

So I continued watching that channel, and when I heard the testimony, I realized the person giving the testimony had a similar life to me. And his face, you know, to me he didn’t look like a drug addict, and I wanted to be like him. So he finished his testimony and then the pastor was talking and said, “Those who are watching this program, God wants to save you. You are in bondage to drugs and Satan and this is the way of salvation.”

I was a person testing everything and I tested that. The person said whatever heart and expectation you go with to God he will fill it. If you go with a small heart you will get small things from God, if you go with a big heart you will receive big things from God. I want to follow my heart completely. I prayed the prayer of salvation and I repented from the ignorance of my ancestry. I repented because I was following [Islam] without doing research. It might be strange for you but at that point I gave everything. I wanted to experience the whole thing.

When I closed my eyes to pray, I felt the presence of Jesus beside me 100 percent. I felt if I had opened my eyes at that point I would have seen him. I was too ashamed of myself and my sins to open my eyes. As a sinner, I don’t deserve to see him but my feeling was telling me God is here.

When I opened my eyes, a power inside me told me it was finished. "Your old life is finished."

Read Part 1 of Mohammed's testimony. Come back tomorrow to read how Mohammed became a powerful witness for Christ in Iran...even in police stations and jail cells.

Mohammed Part 1: "Whatever I did I was an Extremist"

This week we'll share excerpts from the testimony of “Mohammed,” a former Muslim who decided to commit his life to Christ, even if it meant he would face rejection and persecution in his native Iran. The words are his, unless otherwise noted in italics. Come back to the Persecution Blog throughout the week to read more of Mohammed's amazing testimony, and how he shared his love for Jesus even in jail cells and Iranian courtrooms.

I was 39 years old and in one night I came to Christ without anybody witnessing to me. For 20 years I was addicted. I was using five kinds of drugs. Six or seven years I was outside Iran. Being outside Iran, I was free to use all kinds of drugs. Whatever I did I was an extremist – using of drugs, even my religion.

My father went to war. My elder brother was in the Iran/Iraq war all eight years and he was wounded in the war. One of my brothers was in war for five years and was killed in war. When I went to war myself, I told my commander to please either send me to a place that by this time tomorrow I will be a martyr or [else] I will go back to my city. I don’t want to play around. For the God I knew [Allah], I wanted to do my best.

The first time I got familiar with robberies, I was outside Iran. I went on to gang robbery. When I was with them, after one week I realized that whatever we bring into our house and whatever we eat is because of the robbery. I thought this is such an advanced country, how can there be so many thieves and robberies here? They said, “Let’s go; I will show you.” When I saw how they steal things, after one month those who were the gang leaders were giving me projects and asking me to steal things that they couldn’t steal.

When I got to know about drugs, the first time I used drugs I smoked it from night until morning. In everything I was an extremist. I couldn’t control my own flesh. I was strong in other ways but whatever my flesh wanted, I had to fulfill. Those who used drugs with me said, “Take this for tonight so in the middle of the night you won’t call us. Because whenever you want it you have to come and disturb us in the middle of the night.” So when I got the drugs, I would use it all that night, I couldn’t resist, if I had drugs in my home I had to use it. I would finish it and would go after [more the] next day.

I started exercising, this was before my addiction. Within a couple of months I was first pick in wrestling, and I was very serious when I was doing sports, but my coach did not allow me to go to more than local competitions. For local competition, I won him first spot. He only allowed me local competitions to win for him. I probably could have been an athlete at the national level.

When I found out that I had that potential, I asked God for one thing. “Why don’t you bring me a good teacher in life; I have so much potential?” Later I encountered Jesus and he was called the teacher. That is why I won’t let him go: he is the teacher I have been looking for all my life!

Come back tomorrow to read how Mohammed came to follow Jesus.

From Tears of Despair to Tears of Joy

“Unfortunately I attempted suicide last week. I am so depressed.… So many times I wanted to sit and talk with God, but I was afraid.…I want to be saved from this situation.”

—Roghiyeh, an Iranian Muslim

When Roghiyeh called from Iran to speak with the pastor from a satellite TV program, she was crying tears of despair and hopelessness. But through a beautiful presentation of love and truth, Dr. Hormoz Shariat helped her see that accepting God’s Son—Jesus Christ—would ensure God’s forgiveness rather than rejection. By the end of the phone call, Roghiyeh was crying tears of joy after finding new life in Jesus Christ.

Now you can watch video of Dr. Shariat as he talked with Roghiyeh on live TV.

Satellite TV is one of the most effective tools for reaching Iranians with the gospel and helping them grow in faith. The IRAN ALIVE DVD includes several stories of Iranian Muslims who have turned to Christ.

In addition, the FREE DVD includes an interview with Dr. Shariat, who provides updates on the church in Iran and discusses ways to present the truth of Christ’s love to Muslims you know or encounter.

VOM is offering this DVD for free to U.S. residents during the month of April. You can also purchase multiple copies to share with others. Share these powerful testimonies with your Sunday school class, your pastor or others who have a heart to reach the Muslim world for Christ.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST YOUR FREE DVD.

MOVING TOWARD MUSLIMS: Weed Duty

As a child, I’d often be put on “weed duty” in my family’s garden. I disliked the work. It was back-breaking, dirty, and tiring. Little did I know that later in life God would put me on “weed duty” again.

When you move toward Muslims, you may find some true heart-beliefs about God, the nature of man, and Judgment Day. Yet their minds and hearts are also crowded with weeds of untruths they’ve accumulated over time, such as: 

• The Bible has been corrupted.
• Good deeds can erase bad deeds.
• If someone is jealous of your possessions, something bad will happen to you.

Because of counter-Gospel information, Muslims may not be ready for a planting of new information right away. Before receiving the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins, they’ll first need to recognize they can’t pay for their sins on their own. Before accepting the promises held for them in the Word of God, they must first consider it trustworthy! Are we willing to join the Holy Spirit in the back-breaking work of “weeding” in a Muslim’s life?

I once presented a gift of a Bible to the head of a Muslim household. He took it, but said that my holy book had been changed.

“How could God allow mere humans to change his Word?” I asked. I honestly wanted to know his answer.

He had a typical answer: over time and many versions, the Bible was tampered with and no longer trustworthy. But I prodded a little further. “You believe in the Injeel, right?” I asked. (“Injeel” is the Arabic word for Gospel.)

“Of course, yes!” he exclaimed. “We believe in the Tawrat (Books of Moses), the Zabur (Psalms), the Injeel (the Gospels), and the Holy Qur’an which is the last and final book.”

“Then there must be an Injeel that is pure, that we can read and believe in,” I replied.

He agreed that there might be an uncorrupted Bible somewhere in Indonesia. I smiled and pointed to the book I gave him. “I can assure you, this Injeel is the true one and is translated correctly. I hope you will read it.”

At times one’s misconceptions can be poked and prodded by simple questions, leaving the Muslim with something to think about. Other Muslims may need to read scholarly research or even conduct it themselves!

Little by little, untruths can be uprooted in a firm yet non-threatening way. And when I find truth already woven into the heart-beliefs of my Muslim friends, I rejoice! I acknowledge that truth and encourage it.

On an overnight campout with friends, I woke up early to spend some time with Jesus. When my Muslim friends emerged from their tents, they were curious to know why I got up early to read the Bible and pray, even if I don’t “have to.”

I was happy to share with them how God delights to meet with his children and speak to them personally, so they will understand and love him more. Though it was a new idea, they agreed with me, and we even continued our discussion by reading a psalm of praise to God together. Today, these friends are still wrestling with some weeds of untruth, but they are closer to the Kingdom of Jesus than ever before!

Just as weeds or unproductive plants need to be tilled up before new seeds can spring to life, the soil must also be tilled in the hearts of Muslims for the Gospel to be planted. Pray God will send out more laborers among Muslims who will take on “weed duty.”

YOUR TURN: It is not only Muslims who have "weeds" which must be pulled out before the seeds of Gospel truth can take root. What "weeds" do you encounter among those with whom you are sharing Christ's love?

"Anna" blogs about friendship, culture, and Kingdom-living from her home in the Middle East. She loves Jesus and wants to see Him cherished by her neighbors and people everywhere. Anna will be posting on the Persecution Blog each month. Feel free to ask questions or suggest future topics in the comments section for this post. Anna is a pseudonym, and all names in her posts are changed for security reasons.

Death Transformed

The text of today's post is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, taken from a sermon he preached while serving as pastor of two German-speaking congregations in England prior to World War II. Bonhoeffer would eventually return to Germany, where he was both a pastor and an active worker against the Nazis. His life on earth ended when he was hanged in Flossenburg Concentration Camp on April 9, 1945. But as this sermon excerpt shows, Bonhoeffer had been thinking about death and what it means for a Christian for quite some time:

No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence.

Whether we are young or old makes no difference.  What are twenty or thirty or fifty years in the sight of God?  And which of us knows how near he or she may already be to the goal?  That life only really begins when it ends here on earth, that all that is here is only the prologue before the curtain goes up—that is for young and old alike to think about.  Why are we so afraid when we think about death? ...Death is only dreadful for those who live in dread and fear of it.  Death is not wild and terrible, if only we can be still and hold fast to God’s Word.  Death is not bitter, if we have not become bitter ourselves. Death is grace, the greatest gift of grace that God gives to people who believe in him.  Death is mild, death is sweet and gentle; it beckons to us with heavenly power, if only we realize that it is the gateway to our homeland, the tabernacle of joy, the everlasting kingdom of peace. 

How do we know that dying is so dreadful?  Who knows whether, in our human fear and anguish we are only shivering and shuddering at the most glorious, heavenly, blessed event in the world?

Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith.  But that is just what is so marvelous, that we can transform death.

Bonhoeffer is remembered on The Martyrs' Wall at VOM headquarters.

YOUR TURN: How does your faith in Christ change the way you look at death? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

To learn more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, read BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas.