How well it was one night, when Apostle Peter was in the jail, and they were going to kill him the next morning. He was going to die under capital punishment, as this little Jew is going to do now. But what did they do? They did the same thing that we here in Houston are trying to do. They formed a prayer meeting at John Mark's house. While they were praying, the Angel of the Lord went to the prison, and opened up the prison bars, and opened the gates. And beyond that, led Peter out, and come right down to the prayer meeting.
I believe, tonight, that that same God lives. If He isn't the same God, then there is something wrong. Certainly.
What was it done? By a prayer meeting, by faithful Christians who believed, and believed that God would deliver their brother from capital punishment. Them were Christians who stayed all night and laid upon their faces, and cried out and prayed.
Our Iranian friends again ask for the prayers of the saints. A recent crackdown on Christians by the government has resulted in the imprisonment of a number of believers.
Brother Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor, was originally arrested by Iranian authorities in 2009 on charges of apostasy. He was then convicted of those charges, sentenced to death, and in September 2011, the Iranian Supreme Court upheld his conviction after he refused to deny his Christian faith. God heard our prayers and after a number of years in prison, Brother Youcef's sentence was commuted and he was released. This persecution was not limited to him. Many believers, both men and women, were threatened, beaten, and imprisoned at the hands of Iranian authorities. These saints stood strong on their convictions and never renounced the faith that has been anchored in their hearts.
In May 2016, Brother Youcef and four others were arrested during home raids in Rasht, a town in northern Iran. The following summer, in 2017, they were found guilty of "acting against national security" by "promoting Zionist Christianity" and given ten-year sentences by one of the leading judges in the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The brothers were not kept in custody during the appeal process. Their appeal hearing in December 2017 took place before two judges, both of whom are alleged to have played prominent roles in the crackdown on freedom of expression in Iran.
According to one report, when asked in the hearing to repent, Brother Youcef replied:
“Repent? What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?”
The judges replied: “To the religion of your ancestors – Islam.” To which Youcef replied: “I cannot."
This past summer, the Nadarkhani family was physically assaulted in their home, and Brother Youcef was taken back into custody. Since that time, he has been incarcerated in the notorious Evin Prison, in Tehran, with other believers waiting for their unknown fate.
Evin Prison in Tehran
We received this latest update from one of our Iranian contacts.
All of the believers are in Section 8 of Evin Prison.
They are in different halls within the cell blocks, but when in the yard, they are able to see each other. It is interesting to say that the prison guards have reported this to the judge, that they are congregating with other believers in prison.
It's possible to separate them from each other, but this hasn’t happened yet. We know that the lights on the top of the lamp stand wherever they are shinning!
We talked with the lawyer, and although their verdicts are definitive and final according to him, there are still hopes of getting another hearing.
With trust in God, and we are taking action. The lawyer may not show much hope, but we continue to pray. The families of the prisoners also have a high morale and are in good spirits.
In friendship with each other, the memory of the time of the apostles become a reality.
In previous statements, the Iranian spokesmen deny that Brother Youcef faces the death penalty, though that sentence was spelled out in a ruling handed down by Iran’s highest court in past verdicts. Other charges by the prosecution have been offered against the believers, including “preaching to youth without their parents’ permission, converting his home into a church, and offending Islam.”
Brother Youcef Nadarkhani
Our faith remains in the same place it was nine years ago when we first learned of this persecution. Please continue to remember our brothers and sisters in Iran when you speak to Father.
And there’s no one person can do it by themselves. It takes us all, together, to pull together, to pray together, to stand together in unity, in the Spirit.
63-0604 Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever