JUST LIKE the Church in the Book of Acts began to meet in homes as a network of believers when it came under great pressures from the Jewish atrocities, the believers in Iran today have similar pressures that have encouraged them to meet in small home fellowships that are all networked together with other believers.
As persecution intensifies in certain areas, believers will move to different cities and start home fellowships there also, so that the spreading of these gatherings is something that is continually happening. The Iranians believe that Jesus Christ is with them in their small gatherings and therefore there is a confidence that they are meeting as a Church even if there are just a few believers present. They count it a necessity to network with others and consider themselves all part of one Church. There is no choice to try to find a different church for doctrinal preference or worship style; all believers are content to meet simply with each other.
In the Book of Acts, arguably over 25,000 new converts occurred within the first year of the history of the Church. Yet all of this growth was easily assimilated into small house Churches as they networked together seamlessly. The Gospel was preached in homes777 and the older brothers and sisters taught the younger when there were no Apostles or elders present. This life of the Body, where everyone was able to teach each other, allowed for fast growth and for adjusting to how the Lord was adding to the Church daily those who were being saved.
For the next 250 years, before there was ever a church building constructed, this practice of meeting in homes and of loose networking was the pattern for the early Church. The home itself was a Church where the husband would teach his family. In Iran and other countries closed to the Gospel, this is a method used by the Holy Spirit to preserve His Church. It is noteworthy that Jesus Himself primarily ministered in homes778 during His three years of public ministry. And not surprisingly the Lord taught His disciples to also use private homes in their ministries also.779 The same was true of the early Church Apostles.780
There is a great vacuum in the lives of the people of Iran. Eighty percent of the younger generation is dissatisfied with the fundamentalism of Islam which cannot meet their deepest needs. They are searching for real answers for the problems in their lives. Most young Iranians do not adhere to the Islamic faith. When they choose Jesus Christ they know they have chosen eternity in heaven, but they realize they must forsake all in this earthly life.781 The great Gospel of God given through His Son Jesus is recognized as worth leaving all behind and, if necessary, losing one’s life. There is no in-between; it is a total commitment of taking up their cross and following Jesus, becoming a living sacrifice. The following accounts exemplify the danger:
A house Church was raided by security forces on Friday, October 12, 2012 in the city of Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran. Two members of the Church were arrested and summoned to the Intelligence Ministry’s detention centre, Pelak, where seven other members of their house Church were being held.
A 27-year-old Iranian Christian was spending a quiet evening at home with his wife and young daughter when plainclothes security forces entered his house and arrested him. The security officers searched the home and seized personal belongings such as a computer, CDs containing films of Christian seminars and teachings, Christian books and Bibles, and family photo albums. The Christian was incarcerated. No information about his condition and whereabouts was given to the family for months.
In another case: Fifteen Christians were thrown in jail. They were put under severe pressure to recant their faith but refused to do so.
Nonetheless, “While it is safer to start a church in the West, it may actually be simpler to plant one in Iran. Go to a church planters’ conference in North America, and you will hear about budgets, programs, marketing campaigns, and the need for a good worship set. Attend a conference for Iranians, and you get a very different picture. They’ll talk about starting by sharing Christ with friends and family, gathering new believers for a weekly Bible teaching and fellowship, and then encouraging and praying with them to go and share with their friends and family.”782
We can follow their example by starting small fellowships under the Headship of Jesus Christ in the same way as our Iranian brothers and sisters.