Luther or Khomeini? The Pandemic of Hope…

I am re-blogging this post from several years ago. It is about All Saints Day Eve (today), Martin Luther, and the Reformation. But it is also about God’s continuing work among Iranians. What I wrote (below) is dated but still relevant. I have included a more updated report that you can watch on YouTube called the Pandemic of Hope.  https://youtu.be/xMuZnvU3DF4

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On this day after All Saints, what does Martin Luther have in common with the Ayatollah Khomeini? Very little, except for each man being radically committed to his faith. The radicality of Khomeini has produced thousands of refugees fleeing Iran because of its religious oppression, while the faith of Luther has been a means of conversion for thousands of these Iranians immigrants to Christianity. Germany is home to the largest Iranian community numbering 150,000. In an article in Christianity Today titled The Other Iranian Revolution (July/August 2012), Matthias Pankau and Uwe Siemon-Netto chronicled the impact of the gospel on Germany’s Iranian population, especially among the Lutherans. Twelve years ago, a tiny independent Lutheran church in Leipzig began teaching German as a second language to refugees. The church used Luther’s German translation of the Bible as a textbook.

Some Thoughts on Revival…

Go to the menu portion of this (or any) blog and see a paper that I wrote on Revival. As a church, nation, and world, we are desperate for a new work of God. As you will read, the darker the night the more God’s people will be on their knees. And the more God’s people pray, the greater the hope of a fresh work of the Holy Spirit.