South–East Asia is home to many Christians enduring oppression and suffering for their faith. One of our partners supports a network of churches in a country closed to Christ, and has shared an example of the kind of persecution faced by pastors in this region…
I got a phone call from Pastor ‘B’ last month. He said,
“Please pray for me. The village authorities came to me and threatened me to stop holding worship services at my house. They said I must sign a paper that states that I have renounced my faith, and that I will stop gathering with others for worship. If not, I will get arrested and be put in prison.
“The authorities threatened us with guns so that the members of my church and I will be sign the paper out of fear. I told the authorities that I do not want to sign the paper and if they want to arrest me, then can go ahead.”
I encouraged Pastor ‘B’ to be strong and not be afraid. I told him to be faithful to God and He will take care of you all. I encouraged him that he wasn’t alone – there are many people being persecuted and imprisoned for their faith in the name of Jesus. In the end, God helped them.
The pastor and his members have only been Christians for one year, and yet are facing tremendous persecution. The reason that this incident happened is because the pastor was planning to expand his house church to better accommodate the 130 people who attend regularly on Sundays. Please pray for them!
How to pray
- Praise the Lord that the church is growing in closed countries in South–East Asia!
- Pray for Pastor B and many pastors like him, who face threats from the authorities for their faithful witness and shepherding of God’s people
- Ask the Lord to uphold them through every trial and keep them walking in the narrow way
- Pray that many officials, whether police officers, village heads or national leaders, would come to know and praise the Lord in these difficult places, as they see the faithful, devoted worship of believers