For those who have never known the Persecuted Church, I would take the following with serious and sober awe: This confident hope is eloquently expressed in the following note that was written by pastor Farshid Fathi. Pastor Farshid is incarcerated in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, because of “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9). His thankfulness for the past, his clear vision for the future and his heartfelt joy in the present have been such a personal challenge to me that I wanted to share his words with you: Dear brothers and sisters, We are celebrating Christmas in prison with honor and unexplainable joy in Christ. 2013 is going to end, and we are very thankful to the Lord for everything we were given this year. I had called 2013 ‘the year of revelation.’ Now I am very excited because I am calling 2014 ‘the year of God’s presence.’ God calls us to walk before Him and be blameless, as he said to Abraham. So far, walking before Him is very sweet and so exciting. It is filled with great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights, hunger, purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God. So my dear brothers and sisters, if you read this, be ready for a very exciting journey in 2014. Thank you so much for remembering me in your prayers after 1,100 days. With blessings in Christ, your brother, Farshid (Note: and I must give credit to Anne Graham Lotz )
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 23:14:04 +0000