Afghanistan: A Church Perspective
On August 15, 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. People all over the world mourned the demise of the freedoms ripped from the Afghan people. Many missionaries in Afghanistan left with just a day’s notice, escaping their impending deaths. Worldwide, people were left heartbroken, and those able to escape were left with guilt that, somehow, they were able to escape, while others were left to endure Taliban rule.
Even with this steady stream of heartbreaking reports of people being killed in Afghanistan, God is still working! The Kingdom of God is growing there. Take a moment to consider Biblical history. (Acts 8 is a good example.) Where there is persecution—where people are attacked because of their faith, or where people are dispersed for their beliefs—the Gospel is dispersed, too!
Look, for example, at the history of the Church in Iran. When the Iranian Islamic regime took over, the government killed many Iranian pastors to silence them and stop the Gospel from being spread throughout the country. But the opposite has happened. The faith of the believers in Iran became stronger, so much so that there are currently over 2,000 underground churches, and countless believers in the country! Are there believers imprisoned in Iran? Yes, many. But, the government cannot put everyone in prison.
I believe the same thing can and is happening in Afghanistan. Yes, there are people being killed in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Taliban is, of course, trying to silence Christians. Many people have escaped the country, but God has called many to stay. I believe that, just as what God did with the martyrdom of the pastors in Iran, the martyrdom of believers in Afghanistan will be a great testimony and faith builder to the believers there and all around the world. Persecution makes the church stronger!
In the natural, it appears that Afghanistan is falling apart, but in the supernatural, God is working. He is doing miracles. He is raising up an army of faith-tested believers for His Kingdom. Since the Taliban regained control, the leaders from our church and myself here in Athens have been flooded with messages and phone calls from Afghans seeking Truth, asking questions about Jesus, and ultimately rejecting Islam and becoming followers of Jesus. The darkness around those in Afghanistan is obvious. So, they are looking for, and finding, LIGHT.
I firmly believe that God will accomplish His purpose for the people of Afghanistan. This is just the beginning of something big God will do in this war-torn country. No one—not even the Taliban—can kill the Gospel. Not even the Taliban can put the Gospel in chains. What God wants to do, He will do. His Kingdom will prevail!