What Is The Christian Response To the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Hello, Brothers and Sisters in Jesus,

I'm sure that if you have been following the news at all, that you are aware that a nuclear deal has been reached with Iran. When I got up this morning and checked emails, I heard the morning news, "A nuclear deal has been reached with Iran." For many months, we have watched as these talks kept getting extended. I'm sure we all know that Iran is considered our enemy and the enemy of Israel, our ally and God's historical people.

Now I must offer a disclaimer before I start this post. I know next to nothing about foreign policy or about the implications of this deal for us or for the world. I know that people are either swearing by or swearing at this nuclear deal. I know that the deal is conditional upon Iran holding up their end of the bargain. Like everyone else, I certainly do not want Iran to be empowered to build weapons against us or anyone else. It remains to be seen if this deal will help or backfire. I do not take a position on the deal itself.

But whenever the media talks about deals with Iran and when I heard the news this morning about the deal that America struck with Iran, I do not think so much about the deal itself.

I was thinking about Pastor Saeed Abedini and his family. I was thinking about three other Americans and their families. I was thinking about these four Americans and their families because these four Americans have been in Iranian prisons for years. And it looks like they have been abandoned, at least by our American government. I am very sure that four families are experiencing incredible personal pain because the State Department has provided no word that their loved ones will be freed from incarceration in Iran. Yet the media, in all their coverage about this deal, are saying nothing about these four Americans or their families. Nothing that I can discern.

When you think of Iran, what do you think of? Nuclear weapons?

If your answer is that when you think of Iran, you think of nuclear weapons, that is totally understandable. The media give us the impression that Iran's nuclear threat to us all is all we need to know about this country. But the media often withhold valuable, needed information from us. We dare not depend on the media alone to get our information. If you will do your research, you will discover that Iran is an oppressive Muslim stronghold country and Iran's leaders oppress their own people even as they indeed pose a threat to the world. You may be aware that four Americans have been in Iran's prisons for years. Pastor Saeed Abedini, has been imprisoned for his faith for over three years. His wife has done all she could to persuade Congress and the American government to release her husband. She has traveled overseas to the United Kingdom to advocate for her husband. I'm sure the families of the other three Americans have put forth similar heroic efforts to secure their loved one's releases. Nonprofits have created petitions that millions of Western Christians have signed, demanding that President Obama release Pastor Saeed and the other three Americans. One petition called on the President not make no deal with Iran without securing the releases of the four Americans. President Obama has opposed this measure and, today, it sadly seems like all the families' pleas and our pleases have gone unheard by the American government. Yes, to be fair, Congress has voted to release the four Americans but without Presidential co-operation.

So where do we go from here?

You will never hear about it from the media, but the people of Iran are reportedly incredibly open to God. In fact, the Church in Iran is reportedly the fastest-growing Church in the whole world! The Iranian people are so disenchanted by their oppression that they have become open to the true God and are reported to be responding to Jesus in record numbers! What will a nuclear deal mean to the Iranian people? The media, of course, are not going to ask such a question. What do our brothers and sisters in Christ think of this nuclear deal?

This post is not being written to take a position on the nuclear agreement with Iran. This deal is already dividing people along political lines. I encourage you to respond to this by looking at Iran from Heaven's point of view, and to maybe join God in what He is doing in Iran by praying, giving, and advocacy.

Blessings in Christ,

Lisa DeSherlia

Visit This Website and Consider Joining God in His Activity in Iran

Military Action or Changed Hearts?

It is early in the year when those whom we elected in last year's mid-term elections, have been officially taking their new positions of power. One party, which has not dominated many states or the Senate, has taken over after many years. In the Senate, little time has been wasted in pushing this party's agenda, especially with a controversial piece of legislation which supposedly is a major job creator. Since we have a President who is against many of this dominating party's policies, we can be assured of much deadlock and much not getting done at a legislative level. But not all needs to be lost.

I know that at this time, terrorists are unleashing their evil in the world. Most of us are aware of the terrible attack in Paris by Islamists, though we don't yet know whether they are ISIS militants or from some other terrorist group. It is clear that these Islamists are not playing with us; they mean business. They truly believe that they are doing a good thing! Just as we believers hold that the ultimate expression of our faith in Christ is shown by death for Him or His people, Islamists truly believe that their ultimate expression of faith is shown in killing for what they believe in. Thus, when their religion was attacked by satirists, Islamist militants did what they "believed" was "right": They killed to show their displeasure. It seems that we have not seen the last of these attacks, either. So what should we conclude about Islam and about something called "Islamophobia" that could flare up as a result?

At the same time, we are hearing about Boko Haram militants killing people in an entire village in Nigeria, numbering as many as possibly 2000. Hundreds of those Nigerian schoolgirls, kidnapped earlier last year, remain in the hands of their kidnappers, supposedly "converted to Islam." Daily, grisly accounts of the bloody handiwork of Islamist militants stream across my Newsfeed. It's overwhelming. It is said that the persecution of Christians in Iraq has reached "Biblical proportions." Some had said that "Islam is a religion of peace" and that what we hear about by Islamists, are the actions of a tiny minority who are not representative of the followers of Islam. Yes, most Muslims may be peace-loving people, whether they speak out against these atrocities or fear to do so for repercussions.

The government, no matter what party takes over, can do only so much about radical Islam. They can authorize military might against our enemies but they cannot change these people's hearts against us. The government, whose tool is force, can do only so much.

Many books have been written, from a Christian perspective, about Islam and terrorists. Many of them are written from a prophetic viewpoint, predicting that a major meltdown in the Middle East, especially between Arabs and Jews, and an invasion of Israel by Iran and so forth. On the other hand, missionaries to the Muslim world are countering what they see as "Islamophobia," by writing books telling stories about God's work among Muslims in the most hostile and violent hot spots throughout the world. According to these missionaries to the Muslim world, Muslims are very much on "God's front burner." God is responding to the fears engendered by Islamists and resulting in "Islamophobia," by revealing Himself to Muslims in often supernatural ways and transforming their lives so that they become exceptional followers of Jesus Christ who follow Him no matter what the price. They often endure being disowned by their families, ostracized by their communities, jailed and even die for the Name of Jesus. So what should be our response to the fear brought about by extreme Islam?
The government can't change one heart. Only God can do that. How does this pertain to Muslims or anyone? Well, if we know Muslims in our communities we can take a chance to befriend them and share Jesus with them. Yes, it is easier said than done and I am preaching also to myself. It seems that most Muslim movements to Christ are taking place outside the West. But many Muslims live in the West. They need Jesus too. We can pray for the many Muslims, in and outside of the West, who are enslaved and deceived by their religion. Between military actions and our prayers and outreach, we can win the war on terror. Agree?