A Tale of Two Churches: The Persecuted Church in Iran; the Sleepy Church in America

Christianity is growing rapidly in places in the world where the Church is being persecuted, and falling asleep in places where it is not. China and Iran are two places where, in spite of state-sponsored persecution, the Church of Jesus Christ is rapidly growing. Iran? Really? Yes. According to the YouTube video “Sheep Among Wolves, volume 2” Islam in Iran is dead and Christianity is exploding. The video is long – 1:53 hours long. But it moved and inspired me.

You can find the YouTube video at: Sheep among Wolves – Volume 2 (Sorry. WordPress would not let me embed the link).

Some quotes from the video:

 “The fastest-growing church in the world today has taken root in one of the most unexpected and radicalized nations on earth.”

“The Iranian awakening is a rapidly reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership, and is predominantly led by women.”

These women, if caught professing Christ, will most likely be raped, beaten, and then killed. But they offer their bodies as sacrifices to Jesus willingly, because they believe that if they are martyred, God will raise them up to new life. Amazing!

If I told you that Islam in Iran is dead; the mosques are empty, and no one follows Islam in Iran, would you believe me? According to the testimony in the film, “this is exactly what is happening”.

The Christians in Iran have found that persecution destroys the church that is made up of converts. Converts run away from persecution. The church that is made up of disciples will endure, even thrive. Disciples do not run from persecution; they will die for Jesus. In Iran, they don’t convert to make disciples; they disciple to make converts.

This, I believe, is something we in the West need to learn from Iran. Persecution is coming. If not by the government, at least by the culture. In fact, we are already seeing signs of it in America. For the church in the West to survive and grow, we need to understand how to make disciples in a culture that hates the church and wants to destroy the Body of Christ. We need new models for making disciples. Probably not exactly like they are doing in Iran – the culture in America is obviously different. But we still have much to learn from them.

One of the most important elements of disciple-making in Iran, which does translate to the church in America, is the importance of obedience. They expect obedience to Scripture – conformance to Christ’s commands, leading to sanctified lives. In the Great Commission, Jesus told us:

“Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”.

They expect transformed lives as they live in obedience to the power of the Word of God. I believe many of us need to recapture this ancient discipline of obedience to His word. We must be ‘all in’ for Jesus.

The video contains many heart-breaking stories. One story stands out for me. A Christian Iranian husband and wife escaped religious oppression and persecution and came to America where they could freely live their faith. After some time in America, the wife pleaded with her husband to take her back to Iran. “You’re crazy”, he told her. “You could be raped, beaten, or killed for your faith back there”. But she insisted. Her argument? “In America the church is listening to a satanic lullaby”. The church in America is asleep. The sleepy American church was a greater threat to her faith than the persecution in Iran.

Wow!! What a statement. Is this true? I am not sure. But in the Book of Revelation Jesus makes it clear that He is not pleased with a sleeping church, like the one in Sardis. He tells them:

“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what time I will come to you” (Revelation 3: 1 – 3).

But many will argue that the church in America is not asleep. We have megachurches, we have great programs in our churches, and social media is reaching more people with sermons, teaching, and church services than ever before. But are we doing what Jesus commanded us to do? Are we making Kingdom disciples or are we making converts? Or worse, are our members just ‘Christians’ who enjoy the fellowship and comfort of a faith that requires very little of them?

Are we seeing signs, wonders, and miracles in our churches? Are people being healed? Is the power of the Holy Spirit being manifested in everyday church life? Are we crying in our churches because of the radical things the Holy Spirit is doing there? If not, there is a problem. This is the church Jesus promised us, the church He died to create. He promised us – we will do greater things.

Is the power of God absent in our churches? Where power is absent, there is little reason for the unbelieving culture to pay attention to us. How many programs in our churches can be done just as well, or better, by a secular organization – or by an agnostic with a good knowledge of Scripture? Conversely, how many of the programs in our churches are being done in the power of the Holy Spirit? My guess is not a lot.

What is the way forward for us? As Jesus says, we need to obey His word and repent. We can begin with the Great Commission – “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” mentioned above. Are we doing that?

Are we loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we loving each other as Christ loved us? With agape love?

Are we going into our city, “Proclaiming the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out demons”, as Jesus commanded? Why aren’t more churches doing this? In my experience, many are afraid. “What will people say about me?” Or, we don’t have enough faith.  

We can examine our programs. Do they advance the Kingdom of God – the rule and reign of Christ? Do they require the Holy Spirit to produce results? If not, why not? One reason might be that they are the types of programs that make us feel like we are doing something for God, but allow us to do “man’s will, man’s work, man’s way.” These are programs that don’t require much of us except time and money.

What about going out into our neighborhoods and sharing Jesus? Or leaving the church walls and asking a stranger, “can I pray for you”? Or, on the street, walk up to someone and say, “I notice you are limping. Would it be ok if I prayed for your leg to be healed?” And when they tell you, “Wow, the pain is gone”, tell them about Jesus.

There are many more ways to wake up the sleeping church in America. Jesus tells us, “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent”. Obey God’s word in every part of our life. Practice true repentance. Daily!

A believing core of a sleepy church can wake up the church with prayer, especially asking God to fill the hearts and minds of the members with the indwelling Holy Spirit and a passion for God’s word. Not a desire for more ‘head knowledge’ of God’s word, that can often be an idol; but a passion for more of the transformed heart that God’s word can accomplish so that we can release His Kingdom more effectively.

Paul told us, “If anyone (including a church) does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8: 9). And a church that does not totally belong to Christ is a sleeping or dead church.

Some of the sleepiest churches are the ones with the most programs. As John wrote to Sardis, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead”. The church that is ‘awake’ is the one in which the Holy Spirit is active, filling everything in that church: the sanctuary (can’t you tell when the Holy Spirit is ‘in the ‘house’?), the worship, the teaching and preaching, the hearts of the people, and the ministries of that church. You can sense an active, dynamic, vibrant church – one that is wide awake – by the real love and joy you experience in that church – the love members have for each other, for their leaders, for visitors, and for the world around them. You cannot fake this love – it is more than being nice to visitors. ‘Nice’ is good, but it must come from a heart overflowing with the love of Jesus.   

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”. Jesus does not command us to plant churches – He commands us to make disciples. Maybe we need to fundamentally rethink what church means. Is the Iranian model so impossible for America? No property or building, no central leadership, and led by the ‘least of these’; where people, living stones, are the building, not the brick structure. Why can’t a traditional church ‘plant’ that kind of church? “But”, we say, “we couldn’t do that. It might get messy”. It will get messy. But do we trust the Holy Spirit? Do we believe Scripture?

Jesus tells us that His sheep know His name; they will not follow another. Why are mainline denominations hemorrhaging members? Is it because they have begun to teach either a false gospel or a message long on facts and head-knowledge but short on the Holy Spirit and transformation of hearts? The sheep are hearing another message and running away.

Paul reminds us, “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of words, but of power”. Jesus would say, “The Gospel is not a matter of words, but of power”, because Jesus calls it, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God”. His power is being manifested in the churches in China, Iran, and Africa. I saw it in Brazil when we invited the Holy Spirit to heal spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But a widespread culture of fear, false doctrine, and apathy (unbelief?) in many Protestant churches in America shuts the door on these aspects of the Spirit.

Persecution is coming to Christians in America. Probably (I hope) not like persecution in Iran. But Christians who stand for Christ and His word, who walk in obedience to His commands will be called bigots, racists, homophobes, or worse. And in our polarized, increasingly hate-filled culture, these words have power and potentially real consequences. Satan hates Christians. The darkness that is being unleashed over America can be pushed back, but the churches need to wake up, put on the full armor of God, and go to war. Not against “flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6: 12).

We are called to love those who have been spiritually seduced by the unbelieving culture – culture rooted in ancient spiritual powers of darkness. We must give ourselves unreservedly to Jesus who is the way and the truth and the life – the only real life. We have to model and release that life – a life of peace, joy, and mercy. We must become Kingdom men and women to the world around us, walking in His power and His love – no matter the cost.  

Seriously,

John