Jesus is God in the Middle East!

As my plane took off into the horizon, the reality of ministering to our dear Sisters from the underground church in Iran gripped me with last minute jitters. Considering the absurdity of an American woman traveling alone to the Middle East in our current times, I sensed God reassuring my heart, “It’s just you and Me, kid.“ My stomach tightened as I flew farther away from what I knew was my home country, but eager for all God had planned to do in this distant land.As our conference began, I was honored to be a small part of God’s good work in the hearts of our oppressed and persecuted sisters in Iran. But I have to admit, our surrounding circumstances were difficult, challenging, and eye opening for me. While some Arab countries are more “free” than others, the darkness which permeates such a land that rejects Christ is at best inhumane and uncivilized. Traveling as a woman without my husband by her side opened my eyes even further. The Islamic culture, whether or not it is mandated by law, is a culture which exalts a man to satisfy himself at every level-with no accountability as to how this self satisfaction may effect others, most especially women. Even little boys past a certain age are not subject to discipline by their mothers. I have come to the conclusion that any ideology or religion which exalts one’s flesh to do as he or she pleases, with no regard as to how this effects anyone else or society at large, would also produce such selfish and vulgar human beings as the Islamic culture. As a group of women at this conference, we were exposed to this self-indulgent behavior while walking from our hotel to our conference room, even while attempting to purchase a bottle of water for ourselves. What was mild and simply annoying to these dear women who are desensitized to this offensive Islamic culture, was quite shocking to me.Because our conference room ended up being about a half mile walk from our hotel, we had to walk a half mile three times a day through the narrow streets of a Muslim neighborhood for our conference sessions. The streets were narrow, dark, and literally filled with groups of men. As we would pass them, they would make crude comments, throw things at us to get our attention, and even touch us inappropriately. It didn’t help any that we were the only females on the street. Only the men in the Islamic culture are allowed to be out in public. It was strange to see the coffee houses and stores filled with men rather than women. A couple of our women were grabbed from behind and kissed or inappropriately fondled as we walked. I felt like vulnerable prey for devouring wolves. The women explained to me not to argue or fight back, as the men love to prove their dominance. We all knew they could overtake us if we opposed them, so we walked as quickly and quietly as possible. Strangely enough, these street challenges in this “free” middle-eastern country were minor harassments to the dangers these women face in Iran every day. They are accustomed to actual laws allowing a man to take and do whatever he desires with a woman at any time, irrelevant of her age or status of marriage. I write these things to you to communicate the vulgarity of any society that casts out the light of Christ Jesus and everything He stands for. The Bible tells us “The Heart is deceitful and wicked, who can know it?” I have now seen first hand the result of any human being exalting him or her self instead of humbling oneself and modeling after Christ Jesus. The result is frightening.While facing these oppressive surrounding circumstances, I was reminded of my own background of sexual abuse and irrational control by my father when I was a young girl. Even in these frightening circumstances, God was working in me to be able to relate to these dear women even more. God used my surrounding circumstances to help me reconnect with my past emotions. My background of incest from my father gave me just a glimpse of their everyday lives. Like my father who claimed to love me, yet continually violated me, these dear women are violated not by “street degenerates,” but by men who claim to be holy and are doing these things “for the good” of the women. I have had to unpack such a paradox of being violated by what claimed to be “for my good.” Not only could I relate to their inner confusion and shame, my father also irrationally controlled and monitored my every move. Like the Islamic regime, my father’s goal was to take away my freedom to be an individual with personal rights. My phone calls were taped, I was followed everywhere I went, and my mileage tracked. These dear women, who live under such an irrational and controlling regime, hope to be invisible at best. Any sign of individuality marks them as targets of cruel abuse and violation. As a result, the sexual violation is just part of the larger scheme to take away all sense of individuality, stripping away from a human being both their worth as well as their identity. I was able to share from God’s Word how we are each, including women, uniquely fashioned to be and bear God’s image on earth. I was even able to teach from our very own SHAPE curriculum, encouraging these dear women that God has a plan to glorify Himself and build His church through them. This was revolutionary for women who have grown up their entire lives feeling more like a gender than a person.As a child growing up under my father’s controlling and humiliating games, I could also relate to their resigned helplessness. They are not weak women, but they are overpowered and they have no where to turn. As a result, they have to turn inward to escape their reality. After I shared my own story one night, a woman who struggles with Multiple Personality Disorder shared that she now understood herself better and asked for prayer to turn to Christ for strength and healing. The smile on her face was beaming as she finally accepted herself and could openly share her story without shame. She was filled with the hope of Jesus, assured of God’s love and purpose for her life. It was more than rewarding for me to see how I could personally minister to these dear women from my own past diagnosis of MPD. I was a living testimony of hope, healing, and wholeness in Christ. As I shared my own testimony of God’s healing in my life, they were encouraged as to what God can do in and through them. We do not know how God will choose to direct their circumstances, but we know He loves them and has a plan to use everything in their lives for His glory and the advancement of His church. Because they live in Iran, they have much opportunity to minister the love of Jesus to other hurting and oppressed women. As a result, God’s church is expanding in Iran!God’s church is not only expanding, it is developing. What was a scattering of a few is now growing and increasing into many. Just five years ago, the Christians in Iran were scattered and isolated from one another. But today, their “cell groups” are expanding and leadership is being formed to provide structure and order. This is probably why persecution and oppression is also increasing. House arrests are at an all time high and a new law has just passed. If one converts to Christianity they are to be executed, with no right of defense and sometimes immediately. But where darkness increases, the light shines even brighter! Jesus is most definitely on the move in Iran; His church is growing daily! By the end of the week, I was not only overwhelmed with the evil that permeated this land, I was also greatly encouraged by God’s revealed presence in this dark place. Jesus is revealing Himself in dreams and visions to those who cry out to know the One true God.As I flew home, I asked myself, “Would I go again?” The answer is undoubtedly, “Yes!” The trip was not for me, but for our sisters in Christ who suffer much in Iran. I thought of the woman who was just sold by her husband to his drug dealer to pay for his drugs. She is now this man’s wife, he beats her every day and there is nothing she can do about it. I then thought of a young woman I talked with. She is feeling led to minister to other hurting women in Iran. But she is afraid her father will find out she was raped, fearing he will have her killed for dishonoring the family. She is not irrational; these are valid concerns in Iran for women. And finally, I thought of a woman I spoke to at the end of the conference. Her husband and her bought bicycles and evangelized from village to village in Iran. The people were very receptive and glad to receive the good news of the love of Jesus. The government found out about them and imprisoned her husband. They tortured him so severely that he cannot think with his mind the way he used to. His body remains infected. She could not take him to the doctors in fear of the government accusing them of speaking badly against the government, which is punishable by prison or death. They decided to escape Iran to get him the medical help he needed. But their 17-year old son could not go to with them. Minors in Iran cannot obtain a passport. The 17-year old son convinced them he wanted his father to live and he promised to stay to continue the work his father started in Iran. They now live as refugees in a foreign country with very little means to survive, and they fear for their son they were forced to leave in Iran. “Would I return to encourage my sisters?” “Yes!”I have to admit they were not the only ones encouraged. By ministering to them, I was richly blessed with faith, courage, and a deep appreciation for Jesus as never before. I have been given a glimpse into a society absent of Christ, and it has caused me to drop to my knees in gratitude. The benefit of having a Christian influence in our culture and country is now clearer than ever. By getting to know these women’s stories I have witnessed the faithfulness of God in miraculous ways. They are brave women and they have encouraged me as to how God can better use my life for His good work.