In a neighboring country to Iran, I meet leaders of underground churches in Iran. One evening meeting lasted almost four hours and included worship, Bible teaching and an after meeting with praise and prayer. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully and touched these courageous leaders.
At the after meeting, one woman reacted violently and cried. It wasn't until the next day, when I had lunch with the woman, her husband and their daughter, that I understood why she reacted the way she did. The couple told me that they had been under severe persecution and in the presence of the Holy Spirit she was able to cry out and God was able to heal and comfort.
At lunch, the husband takes the floor as his wife is busy looking after their little bundle of joy. For security reasons, we will not mention their names.
How did you become a Christian?
"It started when a friend of mine told me that this year he would not attend Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate the killing of the third Imam, Hussein Ibn Ali." Ashura is one of the biggest festivals in Shia Islam.
"'Why,' I asked? He replied: 'I don't understand the god of Islam. Christianity is more humane than Islam. Christianity says that the woman is equal to the man, but in Islam you can have several wives, even temporary ones. It's not a proper religion. I don't believe in that god.'"
"I listened to my friend and that was the turning point when I started going to church. I wasn't ready to accept Jesus as God, but during the worship in church I had a good feeling. At one point, I read Matthew 11:28, where Jesus says, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' As I read this word, I felt the same peace that I felt during worship in church. In that moment, I gave my heart to Jesus.
Why did you go to prison?
"What follows is a Judas story," says the man with a serious look in his eyes. Someone betrayed the couple. The person collected information about them for the intelligence service and received a reward in return.
"At the time, our son was three months old. The night before the arrest, I sensed something was up and started cleaning my phone of sensitive information. The next day I was arrested and interrogated for 14 hours. I was threatened that our child would be taken away from us if I did not cooperate. I didn't give in to the threat and didn't give out sensitive information about other Christians. But I struggled with my feelings as the threat to forcibly take our child away was perfidious."
"When I still didn't give information about the underground churches, the agents started promising me money and that I could travel to and from the West if I became an informant against Christians. They also said they would reduce my sentence. The bail I had to pay to be released before the trial was huge, so I said, 'I don't have a penny', so they had to release me."
"However, the secret service kept calling and threatening me. And even though I eventually learned their tricks, the constant threats and phone calls were a huge pressure to live under."
"We were being watched by an intelligence agent. For example, I had gotten a job in a store, but the agent threatened the employer, so I was fired. I got another job working with plastics. Again, the agent came and got me fired."
How do you deal with the emotions after arrest, two layoffs and Judasen?
"It was horrible at first, especially the threat that the authorities would take our child. I would wake up at night thinking: where is my son? I went to the doctor, who said: You have brought this pain on yourself. If I were you, I would leave the beard according to Islamic custom and cooperate with the authorities. But I said, 'I can't be a hypocrite' and found a new doctor. The new doctor gave me medication for stress."
"A year ago I was in meetings like the ones we are in now. My wife was fasting for me and praying that I would no longer need the pills. At the meetings, God intervened so that I no longer needed the medication for stress."
What do you do when fear comes?
When fear tries to come back and wants to control my mind, I say 'no' and start singing praises. I proclaim that God is in control, that God is almighty."
"I still have the occasional fear, but not as much. The last month with the agent calling and threatening has made me uncomfortable. I don't know what will happen going forward, but I know that God is in control and that He is sovereign. That gives me strength."
Are you sharing the gospel less now to reduce persecution?
"I continue to share the gospel, but my ministry is at a lower level during this time when I am on the radar of the authorities. I work differently and avoid activities where agents can easily monitor me."
