Persecuted church

It was over two years ago while at a Conference in South Africa that I was approached by an Iranian man in his early thirties who asked if I would travel to a country in the Middle East to give teaching and encouragement to young leaders who were undergoing persecution.

The concept at the time was that I would go to a relatively moderate Islamic country and that they would travel from the countries where persecution was more intense.

The arrangement was delayed for two reasons.  The so-called Arab Spring meant that the location needed to be changed but the second reason was far more serious.  On 26^th December 2010 my contact was himself arrested along with 40 other Christians and detained in one of Iran’s worst prisons in Teheran.

Separated from his wife and young children he is currently serving six years for converting from Islam and encouraging others to follow Christ.

A new location selected, Chris Jones and I travelled to meet a group of around 50 leaders all who had undergone persecution – some under torture. Those who had suffered imprisonment had been forced to leave their country with nothing but what they stood up in.  As they were not given passports their status was that of a refugee.  There is a huge price to pay for following Jesus around the world and the opportunity to meet and minister to them was one of the most humbling and impacting times of my 44 years in ministry.