GOOD NEWS STORY FROM IRAN

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Exciting Signs of Spiritual Change: Iranians Pursue Truth Beyond Islam

In Iran, an intriguing phenomenon is currently unfolding. It suggests a potential surge in secret Christian conversions throughout the nation. This silent movement is met with both optimism and the possibility that Iranians are exploring alternative paths. But what if they are abandoning faith altogether?

Unprecedented Change in Iran’s Mosques

At a staggering number of 50,000, mosques closures are taking place in Iran, sparking curiosity and encouraging examination into the underlying causes. Is this discreet occurrence a subtle sign of a concealed Christian movement? 

While many mosques receive government funding in addition to private funding, the government is not the primary supporter nor does it have the authority to close mosques.

Mohammad Abolghassem Doulabi, a senior cleric for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, gave a speech to a group of religious students in which he stated that 50,000 of Iran’s 75,000 mosques have closed their doors. Doulabi blamed the devaluation of the Iranian currency and a lack of direct government support for the closures.

Some scholars, however, were not quite as quick to agree. Mohammad Taghi Fazel Meybodi, a cleric and a member of the Assembly of Scholars and Teachers of the Seminary of Qom, believes the type of government support is one source of the problem. “If the government did not support mosques and interfere in the affairs of mosques, our mosques would probably not be emptied today,” Meybodi said.

He also cited the politicization of mosques and preaching as part of the problem.

Iran’s Quest for Spiritual Truth

Iran, a nation steeped in history and rich religious traditions, finds itself in a period of introspection. Iranians, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a yearning for spiritual nourishment, are actively exploring their options. 

While not widely recognized, the potential for secret Christian conversions cannot be dismissed. These conversions may represent a quiet revolution of faith, with numerous Iranians embracing the teachings of Christ in the privacy of their hearts.

A Silent Revolution of Faith

Many Iranians are making transformational decisions behind closed doors, embarking on new paths that provide solace and spiritual fulfillment within the Christian belief system. 

These brave personal journeys lead them away from the familiar embrace of Islam, guiding them toward a different realm of faith.

Questioning Established Religions

It is crucial to consider another plausible explanation for mosque closures – the growing trend of Iranians questioning established religions altogether. Some individuals may be disillusioned with organized faith, prompting them to explore alternative truths or seek spiritual independence. 

While the reasons behind the closures remain enigmatic, this undeniable development in Iran serves as evidence of the shifting religious landscape. It showcases the profound longing within Iranians to establish a deeper connection with the divine. 

Whether this manifests as secret Christian conversions or a broader rejection of organized religion, one thing remains certain – Iranians are on a quest for truth. They seek solace, hope, and enlightenment for their souls, no matter which path it may lead them down.

GOOD NEWS STORY – ON FIRE FOR GOD

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‘On fire for God’: Over 11,000 students attend worship event to pray, celebrate the Lord

Amid ongoing concerns about the younger generation’s religious dedication, thousands of students attended a worship event aimed at equipping youth with the knowledge of Jesus.

The latest Motion Student Conference, which concluded on July 29 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, hosted over 11,000 students representing 230 churches from 31 states and six countries. In addition, 2,000 volunteers assisted with organizing the event.

Motion is organized by the Church of the Highlands, a congregation with multiple locations throughout Alabama and Georgia. Attendees ranged in age from middle school to college and participated with their youth leaders.

Mark Pettus, president of Highlands College and associate pastor at Church of the Highlands, told The Christian Post in an emailed statement that Motion exists to empower a generation to live out Ephesians 2:10, which states:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

“It provides an environment where students discover their identity in Christ and set their faith in motion to do the good things He planned for them,” Pettus stated. 

During the conference, students had an opportunity to attend sessions featuring speakers and worship band members before breaking into community groups to “unpack” what they learned, Pettus added. 

“Motion is more than a conference and more than bands and speakers,” Pettus continued. “It’s about a generation of young people empowered by Jesus, equipped to make a difference, and living out their faith.”

This good news story follows my recent post which reported that about half of Gen Z respondents in the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2023 study agreed with the statement that “the message of the Bible has transformed my life.” Among Gen Z adults between the ages of 18 and 21, 49% agreed that the Bible had a transformative effect on their lives. That number rose to 52% among Gen Z respondents between the ages of 22 and 26.

As we move towards the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return, Biblical prophecy tells us that persecution of Christians will increase. Tribulation, even great tribulation is ahead when the Antichrist declares himself to be God in the new temple yet to be erected in Jerusalem. I do hope that Highlands College know where we are in Biblical history and therefore end times prophecies so that they prepared these young people for the escalating tribulation that is coming.

GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL OF NATIONS

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“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21

Daniel was shown by God that He sets up kings and takes down kings—the opposite of something that is random or arbitrary.

God had used three kings, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, his son, King Belshazzar, and Darius, King of the Medes and Persians for His purposes to judge His nation Israel. It was for a season, 70 years.

“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” Daniel 8:1-2

God is still using kings and presidents for His purposes today. The re-establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 was a miracle and it had been prophesied by the O.T. prophets including Moses. Even before Israel went into the Promised Land, Moses told them that they would be cast out and scattered, but at the prophesied time God would regather them, and their Messiah, Jesus, would rule and reign the nations of the world. He would do so from a completely new Jerusalem on the highest mountain in a world restructured by the coming wrath of God as described in Revelation: the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.

The Seven Trumpets of God’s Wrath

“Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed… Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind... Revelation 8:6-9, 13-15

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood... The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.” Revelation 16: 1-4, 17-21

“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

GOD IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE WITH THOSE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO HIM: FATHER, SON & HOLY SPIRIT.

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There’s a whole lot of baptism going on these days. Signs of revival have been ongoing around the U.S. since February when a spiritual awakening began at Asbury University. Initially, the awakening seemed to be happening mainly among college students. But the latest evidence is being seen in the form of hundreds of salvations and baptisms of all ages at churches across the country in just the last two weeks alone, not to mention over the past two months. From scores of souls being baptized at churches, to dozens being baptized at one prison, pastors across the U.S. are declaring that God is on the move. Pastor Eric Petree of Citygate Church in Cincinnati, Ohio posted online, “Over the past two weeks at Citygate we have seen 650 people give their life to Jesus, 93 baptized, and yesterday hundreds of people filled the altars seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

Sam Rainer, lead pastor, at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Florida, tweeted on Sunday, “Today we baptized 21 people at the beach. God is good! What a blessing!” At the Crossroads Church Jersey Shore Campus, 17 people professed their faith in Christ through public baptism. At the University of Houston, several students chose to be baptized in a public fountain after a Bible study. And Regent University in Virginia Beach just baptized nine students last week. A revival event was reported in mid-April in Damascus, Maryland at Difference Makers Church with non-stop worship that lasted for several days, with young people dedicating their lives to Christ. Jeremy Tucker posted the following photo, saying, “Worship has been going for 41 hours straight! Young people from churches all over Maryland/Virginia/DC are gathering to unite the bride of Christ for non-stop worship! We thought we’d never see it, but the Holy Spirit is finally breaking out in Maryland! Come, Lord Jesus!”

The GOSPEL is still the power of God to all who believe!” Many are also declaring their freedom in Christ, even behind prison walls. The God Behind Bars ministry reports, “First Baptisms Inside of this Prison in 7 years”. 35 men in a prison in Reno, Nevada were baptized!! What a powerful moment.” A recent conference at Trinity Baptist Church in Lancaster, South Carolina, reports, “Many were saved over the 2 days, and even more were encouraged to Keep on for Jesus!  …at the close of the Service, God moved on my heart to ask for prayer for those teens battling suicidal thoughts and over 20 raised their hands for prayer.”

And the list goes on and on. For weeks, churches have been reporting multiple baptisms, including people spontaneously choosing to join in. Christ Fellowship in Miami recently reported 14 baptisms. For the last few weeks, Faith Assembly Church in Winterville, North Carolina has reported baptism after baptism, week after week. Hope Missionary Church North Campus in Ossian, Indiana reported 31 baptisms just a few weeks ago. And two weeks ago, 14 more baptisms were reported at Revival Church in Modesto, California. A student-led evangelistic event based in Oklahoma quickly became one of the largest outreaches in the country after more than 80,000 people signed up for tickets within a matter of days.  Fill The Stadium (FTS) was a gospel outreach being held at the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium and happening in late April.

Source: CBNNews Robert Furman

HOW JESUS CHANGES LIVES

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Jesus will love you into His Kingdom. This is a great authentic testimony from a girl who was living the gay lifestyle. You just know that she experienced the love of God in how she relates His dealings with her. How gracious and forgiving, He was at all stages of her journey and despite one major backslip.

Delafé Testimonies is a global evangelistic project with the mission of creating the world’s largest archive of Jesus’ testimonies. Their vision is to save souls, build community, and set people free through the testimony of Jesus. One of the ministries God has raised up for these last days prior to Jesus’ return.

https://youtu.be/jCAoIUEvToM

DO YOU CARE ABOUT GOD?

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Watch Ray Comfort of Living Waters minister the Gospel to this young man. He had no concept of what God had done to secure His salvation and thereby eternal life. Watch the change as the truth slowly dawns on Him. This is evidence of how the Holy Spirit works in our lives to transform us. Only God could bring about the change we see in this young man.

GETTING IN STEP WITH GOD

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We observe in Acts 10 and 11, God, rather than the apostles, took the initiative in most situations. The apostle’s involvement invariably requires their availability in prayer. God had heard Cornelius’s prayer and He also, with some considerable difficulty, sought to guide Peter as he prayed. Both Cornelius and Peter experienced the presence of God in a vision (Acts 10:2-3 and 9). Peter was rather slow to understand what was going on, trying hard to keep up with the God who had already gone before him. He eventually realised that he should visit Cornelius, but was astonished to find that God had already been working well beyond the bounds of the Church. To Peter’s amazement, he got halfway through his talk when the Spirit took over. The account reads as if the Spirit is rather impatient, perhaps even bored by Peter’s sermon, and doesn’t wait for him to finish (Acts 10:44)!

Even on the day of Pentecost, Peter was simply keeping up with God’s action and he did not initiate anything himself. He just happened to be present and took the opportunity to explain the events unfolding before his eyes, starting with a disclaimer to drunkenness (Acts 2:15).

God often makes his presence known to people, despite our slowness to ‘cotton on’ to whatever He is doing. We play our part, but very much as junior partners who are trying to keep up.

Our partnering with God is good for our mental health. It saves us from feeling we have the overwhelming responsibility of carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. It releases us to walk with the Lord, in the confidence that He has both gone before us and that we carry His presence with us. Our part is to be attentive and to look for signs of the Holy Spirit’s activity as we fulfil our call to have an impact on people and communities. Doing this by seeking to discern the presence and activity of the Spirit is a different approach to what most of us have been taught which seemed to put the onus on us.

On occasions, walking with God means we have to ‘walk on the water’. Like the disciples, as we set out from the security of the shore, we do not realise all that the journey will entail. The story of Peter walking on water revealed how rash he was, but it also shows us the level of his faith in Jesus compared to his companions who stayed in the boat ‘Peters’ are people who are more desperate to join Jesus than those of us who always weigh up the risk. We need to avoid recklessness, but when it’s in response to having heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit, faithfully stepping into a vulnerable situation will get us closer to Him.

Much of this post is extracted from Richard Brown’s book Cultivating God’s Presence

GOD PRESERVES HIS SERVANTS

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After 52 years of ministry, skydiving 98-year-old preacher, Roy Jernigan wants people to see Jesus in his life. I can relate to Roy’s testimony. I am 86 and I know God still has more for me to do specifically to alert the church to God’s soon-coming Millennial Kingdom on this earth. Checkout http://www.millennialkingdom.net

Asked to comment on the state of the American Church today:

Jernigan quickly explained that the main driver of his faith is the Bible without the trappings of denominational restrictions.

Jernigan has certainly got this right. The denominational church is not the church Jesus established as outlined in the Book of Acts. Jesus calls us all to be disciples who make more disciples. We all like the denominational church model as it removes this essential facet of the church. It is the pastor’s responsibility to grow the church so we can get on with our lives doing what we want to do.

“I’m not a denominational man. I don’t criticize the denominations but think about this: we have all kinds of denominations — Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, you name it, and every one of them has a different doctrine,” he explained. “They can’t all be right. And so, consequently, I don’t claim a denomination. I claim to be a Christian. And as a Christian, I follow the New Testament teachings on the Apostle Paul.”

And Jernigan’s nondenominational approach to ministry aligns with the direction of the American Church today. Data from the 2020 U.S. Religion Census show that in the last 10 years, the number of American Christian adherents in nondenominational churches nearly doubled in number and surpassed America’s largest Protestant denomination, Southern Baptist, by several million adherents.

Other recent studies also show that while America remains a highly religious nation, with seven in 10 claiming affiliation with some kind of organized religion, for the first time in nearly 80 years, fewer than half now say they have formal membership in a specific house of worship. Church attendance has also continued to decline in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

While he admits that being a Christian today is much harder than it was 50 years ago when fewer distractions were competing for people’s attention, Jernigan believes that the model of many church ministries today is partly to blame for people deserting the pews.

“I’ll be honest with you, one of the biggest problems that pastors have today is trying to build a church on their own,” Jernigan told CP.

“Today, preachers have gotten themselves into such a rut by building big buildings with stained glass windows and everything. And the people have deserted them because they get tired of being bled to death [financially]. And hear the preacher say, ‘you got to give, you got to give, you got to give.’ My conviction is you don’t have to hound Christians to give. If they are saved, they love the Lord, they will give,” he said.

Jernigan also criticized preachers who treat their ministry as a business. “I think it’s the wrong approach. Commercial? You don’t commercialize God. I believe this is a gross mistake, that people, you see so much of this today, trying to commercialize and put things into a peaceful (more like bless me) type of thing rather than teaching the Bible,” he said. “I do believe if preachers would come down off the high horse, and quit preaching, what I call cotton candy messages, that’s all fluff and no substance, I believe there’d be a great difference in the world today.”

And as the church continues to compete for the attention of society today, Jernigan is worried that current social trends might lead to a point in society where Jesus is “completely rejected.”

“Today, there is much more to pull a person away than there was in my day,” he said. “It is much more difficult. And it does appear to me that as the time approaches (Jesus return to put things right), that things are going full circle to the extent that Christ … is going to be completely rejected.”

He urged Christians who left institutional churches but still want to maintain their Christian faith to keep reading the Bible and praying to God for direction.

“My heart goes out to so many people, it really does,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there that are hungry, and they’re thirsting for the Word of God, but they don’t have anyone to give it to them.” You be one of those Christians that does do what Jesus called us to do i.e. bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost.

GOD USES CALAMITIES AND CATASTROPHES FOR HIS PURPOSES

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We only have to look at the history of God’s own nation Israel to realize that God used catastrophes often to judge it. In fact, God often used barbaric nations like Babylon, Persia, and Egypt to inflict that justice but then subsequently He invariably brought those nations crashing down. God has to judge sin and He will use catastrophes to turn people back to Him.

The great catastrophe of sin brought about by Adam was not settled by the worldwide flood brought about by God. The sin continued through Noah, his wife, and his children. Then in Genesis 10, we see the Table of Nations. From the sons of Noah, we see all people speaking the same language and migrating together into one place in the land of Shinar. This was in direct disobedience to God’s command given to Noah and his sons: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it” (Gen. 9:7). This was the second time God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He had given the command to Adam in Genesis 1:28. This command is directly and essentially linked to God’s redemptive plan for the world.

Sadly, it is never the goal or desire of corrupted man to do the will of God. Our nature is to follow selfish pursuits. We will protect our little kingdoms regardless of what God may command or what He may want. God must intervene. Amid catastrophe, crisis, and the times when it seems as though the Lord is most absent that He is actually most active. Learning to see gospel opportunities when many others only see crisis is not a skill that comes naturally. Yet it is a skill that the body of Christ must learn. The closer we approach the time of Jesus’ return, the more natural and man-made disasters and calamities we will see. So also then will gospel opportunities increase—if we have eyes to see them.

What about the calamity that has hit California. The sheer volume of rainfall in the state is statistically massive. According to the National Weather Service, rainfall levels are as much as 600% above average across California.

Meanwhile, just under 200,000 homes and businesses were without power as of Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

And while the start of 2023 has already proved devastating for California, there could be more challenges in the coming days. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy rainfall across the state Tuesday and in Northern California on Wednesday, warning that “no significant letup” is expected anytime soon.

Evacuation orders were issued up and down the state Monday due to the threat of flash flooding and mudslides, including in the Montecito area in Santa Barbara County, which is home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The flooding has already left at least 16 dead.

What will Christians do in this crisis, hopefully, they will see the opportunity to step in and help which will provide gospel opportunities?

GOD THINGS HAPPENING IN ITALY

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Franklin Graham’s Noi Festival in Milan Breaks Attendance Record, Hundreds Respond to Gospel

Noi can mean we or us. It can also mean together or united,” “It also means joining forces, belonging to something bigger.”

More than 520 evangelical churches came together to plan and pray for the Noi Festival with Franklin Graham in Milan, Italy over the weekend, resulting in a historic turnout of people hungry to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), this marked the first time in Italy’s history that hundreds of Italian churches worked together to share the Gospel. The churches’ efforts resulted in a standing-room-only crowd of more than 13,200 people at the Mediolanum Forum Saturday night. 

God is certainly doing something in Italy as this wonderful response to the Gospel follows the recent election of Italy’s Christian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni – whose campaign was based on the belief that the government’s job is to support family, church and civil society rather than control it. 

Make sure you pray for Giorgia Meloni and Italy as she is sure to come under intense spiritual warfare. I recently returned from Florence, Italy where I attended my eldest granddaughter’s wedding. Despite the fact that Florence has no visitors from China or Japan due to Covid, still, tourist numbers are breaking records so the city is flourishing.