Not In Vain

Christian Radio International puts out a monthly publication about the progress of the Gospel across the world.

Let's read this article together.

It's called Not In Vain.

Dean Senning

Spelled S-E-N-N-I-N-G, was searching.

He had spent his youth in a rural Methodist church in Grundy Center, Iowa, but by age 20, he knew something was missing.

The gospel message at his great-grandmother's funeral and the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 verse 6, which says, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled!

These words haunted him, and he was not filled.

He was not satisfied!

He must not be a Christian!

Two years of struggling ended one desperate Sunday night in 1962 when Dean, age 22 by then, gave up trying to save himself.

In his hopeless, unrighteous state, he cried out,” Dear Lord, you will have to do it!”

Immediately something happened inside, and an inexplicable joy filled his soul.

God had answered his prayer to be saved.

For the next three years, while Dean finished an agricultural degree at Iowa State, he was discipled by the Navigators, who taught him to pray, memorize Scripture, and witness to his college mates.

When Dean met Rahim, a Muslim from Afghanistan, Dean knew that God wanted him to introduce Rahim to Jesus.

After months of praying for Rahim, he miraculously did receive salvation.

However, the jubilation ended when Dean realized that the staggering cost that Rahim must pay if he openly followed Christ, not just the loss of his government scholarship to college that paid for his education,

But the shameful return to his homeland to face persecution and probably martyrdom.

In that sobering moment, God used Rahim's courage to open Dean's eyes to reach Muslims.

God spent six more years molding Dean into a vessel “meet for the Master's use”.

Bible college, farming, candidate school, marriage, and deputation,

were the framework of his life, but ministry was always the goal.

When Dean and Lois, (Dean's wife, who was the daughter of a missionary to Chile) finally reached Iran in 1971, they had no idea God would knit their hearts to the Persian people.

They spent thousands of hours witnessing on the streets of Tehran and Isfahan, passing out tracts, following up with correspondence students.

40,000 Students Enrolled!

Delivering Bibles, discipling seekers, counseling converts, and building the Kingdom of God,. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Sennings moved to Los Angeles and continued Persian studies and sought to establish a Persian church there.

The work was always slow, hard and difficult, and time-consuming with little to show for their efforts.

Almost 50 years have passed.

Dean and Lewis still faithfully pray, witness and disciple new converts.

They still envision a church-plant for Iranians in Los Angeles.

And they still trust God for “fruit that remains” in the worldwide Persian community.

Several months ago, the Sennings asked prayer for Habib, a male college student from Afghanistan who accepted Christ through the teachings of a Christian Radio International satellite television preacher.

Despite a distance of over 7,000 miles, Dean has been discipling this young man through Skype by dictating verses to him in Persian, which Habib would then commit to memory.

Partnering with another Christian organization, Dean was able to help Habib flee the Taliban nightmare in Afghanistan and reach Europe safely.

The following is the most recent message from Habib.

He writes,

“Thank you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh God, I praise Thee.

Thank You for delivering me from the bondage and darkness that I am so free within and without.

It is my portion.

Oh my God, I thank You that You showed me the new life and delivered me out of Afghanistan.

I thought I could never get out of that country.

I thought it would be impossible, but for God it was easy.

With my prayers and with the prayers of many friends and brothers from different churches, especially Mr. Senning, it was easy.

I am now in ____________ (place unnamed) with a church and thankful for them.

I am thankful for you and many others that prayed for me.”

Dean turned 81 this year.

Messages like this one remind him and Lois that their 50 years of labor are not in vain among the Persian people.

One day in heaven, God will pull back the curtain and reveal the thousands of people who have been redeemed, rescued, and made eternal through salvation by their gospel efforts.

Amen.