Repost | Pray For Youcef: Iranian Pastor To Be Executed For Refusing to Deny Christ

The news is breaking that an Iranian Christian pastor likely faces execution due to his refusal to recant of his Christian faith.  Please pray for him, his family, and ultimately the gospel.  Christian history has proven that such methods of silencing the gospel are futile, but that does not negate the heartache and pain that such evil leaves behind.  It is well documented that Iran is changing from the inside and Islam is slowly losing its grip on its people despite of its leaders efforts to suppress movements like Christianity.

The Christian, Youcef Nadarkhani, is quite bold in the faith.  Consider the following paragraphs from Fox News and pay particular attention to his words:

An Iranian pastor who has refused to recant his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

An undated photograph provided by the American Center for Law & Justice shows Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who faces execution for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani, 34, recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.





Fox News - Iranian Pastor Faces Execution for Refusing to Recant Christian Faith 
The Blaze - Iranian Pastor Must Disavow His Christian Faith This Week…or He’ll Be Executed


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July 19, 2009: Hebrews 11:30ff - The Legacy of Suffering Joy

Audio is not available (so don't click on the title for the link) but my notes have been made available. To view them, click here.

July 19, 2009: The Joy of Persecution

Notes.

Weekly Recommendation: "Foxe's Book of Martyrs"

When I was a teenager, something that both frightened and encouraged me while always leaving me fascinated was stories of various martyrs throughout history. One of the first books I picked up recounting the many accounts of martyrs throughout the history of the church is John Foxe's "Foxe's Book of Martyrs." I have read this book a number of times and to this day find myself fascinated, encouraged, and frightened. I am always reminded of the truth that compared to these great men and women who were willing to suffering greatly for the gospel, I am an utter and complete wimp.

Oh, if only I had faith like these great men and women of God!

The stories in this book are rather grotesque as many have been rather creative in how to torture and murder God's elect. Christians were beheaded, crucified, burned, boiled, dragged, decapitated, branded, inpaled, eaten alive, raped, frozen, shot, and other horrific forms of execution.

But there is one thing that the reader must be aware of: Foxe is writing in a time, as a Protestant, when Catholics were the enemy. Much of Foxe's book covers the many wars, battles, fights, and executions between Protestant and Catholics during the centuries of Reformation. Foxe is very bias towards Protestants and says strong things about the Catholic Church. This bias clouds his judgments at times. Foxe frequently condemns the blood shed on account of Catholic barbarity and yet ignores the same ruthless acts of Protestants. Nonetheless, one is blown away by the boldness of Christians throughout the centuries regardless of the cost.

This book also serves as a good survey of Church History especially regarding the Reformation. Foxe gives special attention to men such as John Wycliff, William Tyndale, John Huss, Martin Luther, and the St. Bartholew Massacre. This is a fascinating read that will leaving you nausiated, and yet with a new sense of boldness.

The reason I am recommending this classic book (originally published in 1563) is because this Sunday we will be looking at Matthew 5:10-12 where Jesus says that Joy belongs to those who are willing to be persecuted for the sake of the gospel. Christians in America are clueless to what it means to be persecuted for their faith. The best we can do is to loose a friend, to be ignored, or to not get a promotion at work. Sadly, we think this is normal. A brief look of a book like this will bring us back to reality.

At the same time, I want us to think about why Christians aren't being persecuted so heavily in our culture. The culture is increasingly becoming post-Christian. Although there are increasing signs of persecution through taxes, hate crimes, etc., most Christians are oblivious to persecution. Why? I think it is because Christians have adopted a false gospel. The gospel is an offense. That is why so many of our brothers and sisters have been persecuted throughout the years. People only get angry when offended, and sadly, the cheap grace we preach today does not call men to repent leaving them either spiritually broken or offended.

I encourage everyone to read this book and be gripped by the hard truths of the gospel and go out boldly and live the faith Christ has called us to live.

For More:

You can read the entire book online by clicking here.

You can also download and listen to the entire book for free by clicking here.

See also the Voices of the Martyrs, USA ministry webpage which continues the legacy of John Foxe

DC Talk has also published two books in the tradition of Foxe called Jesus Freaks: Volume 1, Volume 2

Happy Are the Harrassed: John MacArthur Has a Record

I was reading the book The Beatitudes: The Only Way to Happiness, by John MacArthur as I was studying and preparing for next Sunday's sermon on Matthew 5:10-12 which is about being joyful though we are persecuted. In this book, MacArthur writes:

I know what it is to be arrested for preaching. I once preached to some black believers in a certain place in the South. I didn't get very far away from the preaching location before a police car caught up with m e, and I was taken to jail. They threatened to strip my clothes off and beat me with a whip if I continued to do what I was doing. That was in the United States of America! (197)

I have always heard that this had happened to Dr. MacArthur, but this is the first time I have heard (or read) directly from him. It says a lot about one's convictions whenever they are willing to subject themselves to the depravity of man, forfeit their comfort and safety for the sake of Christ.

As we look at Matthew 5:10-12, let us not naively think that persecution is something that only happens in the Middle East. Persecution is happening here as well, especially to those who don't water down the gospel.

For more:
Pyromaniacs: Pyromaniacs: John MacArthur arrested in Mississippi

Week Prayer for North American Missions: Hostility In America

As we finish our series on the week of Prayer for North American missions, I want us to focus on a tragedy that took place on Sunday morning. In Illinois, a Baptist pastor was shot to death during the early morning church service. Investigators are still looking into the case and will be charging the murderer. Before the man could, what seemed to be, commit suicide, some of the members of the church subdued the man, but by then, the pastor had already died. One bullet struck the pastors Bible.

As we have already seen, hostility and persecution happen around the world and America is no different. Although such an attack, at this magnitude, is rare and surprising, what a testimony it is to be willing to die for the Lord. Let us pray for this pastors family and let us pray for the church as they have an amazing opportunity to illustrate the gospel and bring more to Christ.

During tragedies like this, we oftentimes find ourselves asking why has God allowed such a thing. We must always return to seeking God's glory. The history of Church is full of such tragedies. Much blood has been spilt on account of being a follower of Christ. However, God has used such tragedies to further the gospel. So although we weep and pray for healing and comfort for the family and church for this pastor, let us pray that the gospel might flourish, a revival might begin, and ultimately, that God will be glorified.

Week of Prayer for North American Missions: When the Going Gets Tough

As we continue to pray for North American missions this week, we must discuss a sad, but true reality regarding the gospel and missions: hostility and persecution. The book of Acts records the first Christian martyr, Stephen, a deacon, but he is not the first to face hostility because of his allegiance to the gospel. Let us not forget that Christ Himself warned that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute His followers. Furthermore, He adds that it is not us that the world hates, but Him. These are both comforting and yet frightening.

This week, we need to pray for the safety, security, success, faithfulness, and perseverance of missionaries and believers throughout the world. America is an unusual spot in the world when it comes to the Christian faith. For the most part, Christians are free to worship and proselytize. But the rest of the world does not enjoy such luxuries.

Many in the world today are on the front lines of spreading the gospel and their earthly reward is hatred and animosity. Thank God for such believers! Rather than feel sorry for them, let us rejoice that God has found them faithful. At the same time, let us not get comfortable in our padded pews with our cheap and easy grace and think that this is what it is like to be faithful to the Lord. Rather, while we are safe and free, we should be praying for those who aren't; those on the front lines reaching the world for Christ fulfilling the Great Commissin.

At the same time, let us make ourselves ready. How strong and faithful will we be if we are ever persecuted, hated, ignored, or even killed? Will we persevere to the end, or will the moment things get tough will we abandon Christ? How faithful we are in the midst of trial and ridicule is what proves our faith. If any of us were to face such hate, would God find us faithful, or would God find us as cowards? Sadly, many Christians are ready to ban ship whenever our marriage struggles or the bills begin to stack. If we can't handle everyday life, how could we ever handle the offense of the gospel?

Today, let us pray for the safety, security, and success of our missionaries and believers around the world. Let us pray that freedom will thrive so that the gospel might be more readily preached. But ultimately, let us pray that the gospel spread like a wildfire regardless of governments, laws, politics, economics, cultural norms, traditions or any other hindrances to the gospel. Let us not forget, that the blood of the martyrs can still be the seed of the Church. Though many might suffer, the gospel can and will still spread to the glory of God.

Let Us Be Bold

Here is one of those quotes that just rips you inside. The title is what caught my eye: "So Preach as Though There Were Men Standing in the Back Waiting to Arrest You."

"The hallmark of the apostolic method of preaching was boldness. Again and again as we read Luke's account we are arrested by the power and boldness that characterized the way in which the gospel was proclaimed by those early preachers . . . This characteristic boldness is all the more striking when we compare it with the preaching of our day, which is so often lacking in this biblical boldness. We may not like to admit it, but it is nevertheless a fact that many of today's preachers may be loud and bombastic at times, may even become tactless and offensive at times, but for all that, they lack the boldness that is so obviously evident in the apostolic preaching of Acts" (Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 39).

I just can't help but wonder if we as a church and as individual believers will have this sort of boldness. It is true that the believers in Acts had boldness that we have never seen today. Perhaps it's because they prayed for boldness (Acts 4:23-31).

Right now, it is fairly easy to be a Christian. But do we live our lives with such boldness that we care more about our message than our reputation. Oftentimes I do not. Whenever I teach, preach, speak, live, converse, and relate to others, I find that I am more of a coward than a lion. I am one that wants people to like me, respect me, and find me funny. I fear that I do not have such boldness.

In our church services, do we care more about our numbers and the size of our offerings than the gospel? Beloved, let us be bold for Christ and trust that His glory will be seen through it all. Let us be like the first believers rather than the latest that make up our culture. Let us be bold with the gospel with apology, even if that means we loose it all.