Persecution and Passion
In 2020, there were 85 cases of persecution reported to an African indigenous ministry that is involved in reaching unreached people groups and multiplying disciple-making movements. Almost all of those cases of persecution involved new disciples who have recently come to faith in Jesus through one of the ministry’s disciple-making movements. The persecution came from those who practice the faith from which the recent believers turned. There were deaths and beatings, and a large number of the new disciples had to flee their village. They travelled a long distance with what they could carry and finally found a village that welcomed them. The ministry coordinated relief through grassroots leaders and sent resources to help the refugees resettle. Already, the new residents are having an impact in the village! They continue to pray for persons of peace, share their faith, and invite neighbors to join in a Discovery Bible Group.
Another case of persecution involved a disciple who had left the “faith of his birth.” Because of this, he was being shamed by his community, he lost his job, and he was forced to leave his community. The ministry team in the area is providing spiritual and emotional care and facilitated an income-generating activity for this brother, who has a readiness and a passion to go make disciples among his own community that threw him out. God has redeemed this terrible situation and used fellow-disciples to help him turn what was a display of shame into an opportunity of praise of the Lord Jesus.
Please pray that hostile relatives and communities would open their hearts to Christ. And pray for the disciples to be strengthened in faith to endure persecution and that they will remain obedient to Jesus.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it has hated you.” John 15:18 (ESV)
Total Transformation
In a village inhabited by over 100 families, team members had been conducting prayer walks and sharing the gospel for 5 years, but the villagers were totally resistant to the gospel. That would soon change when a girl from there was referred by the district administration and admitted to a children’s hostel. After coming to the hostel, the girl accepted the Lord, and she requested the team to pray for her village and visit the houses. Two brothers who had completed their studies in a Bible school visited the community for practical training. They were invited to pray for a man who was paralysed, the brother of the village chief. The Lord healed the paralysed man immediately!
This incident opened the eyes of the village chief. He was a strong supporter of another religious group, but after this miraculous healing, he accepted the Lord. The moment the chief accepted the Lord, he became very enthusiastic and wanted to share the gospel with the entire village. He also requested to start worship in the community right away. A foundation stone was laid for a place of worship, and construction was started that same night. Within a week’s time the construction was completed. Since then, regular worship is being conducted in the village and the whole village attends the worship meeting.
The people were filled with such a joy and the elder brother of the chief was so impressed that he volunteered to donate a plot for construction of a larger church building to accommodate 500 people. The whole town participated in the dedication service, with over 500 people attending it. In addition, the entire community is delivered from alcohol, which had enslaved the people for generations! Today no alcohol is permitted to enter the village.
Within the short span of one year, the villagers visited other communities with the gospel, and the Lord established 12 new places as house churches. Many more people are being added to the Lord because of the transformation of this village!
Revival Starts with Prayer via Phone-App
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3, NIV)
It was exactly 4:00 in the morning and the place was very dark. With a group of people, one young man hurried through a stony path to climb a mountain in order to reach the riverside. He pulled out his Android phone and looked around to find a spot where he could get a good internet connection. All the people who accompanied him were anxiously waiting to get the signal connected to his phone. Some of them had already started singing and praising God.
As the minutes ticked by, his phone got connected to the internet and he joined us through an app. We could barely see a few faces glittering in the dark. Slowly the sun started rising, and we were astonished to see that it was a large group of people who walked 90 minutes through the mountain just to pray through a phone. It was none other than “Pastor P” and believers from a certain village who joined in the “100 days Dawn prayer” during the early morning hour of 5:00 to 6:00 a.m.
It was extraordinary. There was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit when these innocent hearts joined in prayer. They do not know much about this technology. All they know is to stand in faith along with the pastor and pray during this time of need. What wonderful leadership and what a wonderful group of people who love Jesus!
It was Pastor P who brought such transformation to this village. A few years back, he, along with one of his Christian brothers, rented a room and started doing prayer walks in the neighbouring villages. Soon they got an opportunity to share the gospel with the village chief. The chief challenged them to pray for a 17-year-old mentally ill boy in that village. God heard their prayers, and today there are more than 85 house churches with 2,000 believers in the district where the pastor is presently working! Such great national revival can only begin with prayer.
Flood of a Different Kind
In a region consisting of many islands, with much of the population being of another religion, it is not easy to share the gospel. Recently, thunder and heavy rains affected two islands in the area. One of the islands is approximately 20% Christian, with many tribes and ethnic groups, and is open to the gospel. The other island is very difficult to reach with the gospel. To approach the local people there, Christians have done various things, including schools and clinics, trying to show the love of Christ and to help people.
With the heavy rains impacting these two islands, there was severe flooding and many problems with landslides. But in this special moment, some GCPN leaders were ready to bring a different kind of flooding to the islands – an outpouring of compassion and help. They got involved directly in the area, distributing meals and providing food packets. They sent teams from the church and Bible schools, including a medical team with doctors, and counselors for the victims. Only the believers provided help in these ways.
Please pray that a spiritual flood of God’s mercy and grace will come to these islands as people become familiar with what the believers have done to help. And pray that, as those who have suffered from these catastrophic events are touched with goodness, somehow they will open their hearts and that it will become easier to plant churches later.
Beaten and Bible Burned
“Village T” is a small community that receives its water supply from a nearby dam. The village is inhabited mostly by tribal people groups, but there are 100 additional families who migrated there from other nearby areas due to the water supply. Most people of Village T earn their wages as day laborers at a neighboring town. Drinking alcohol and gambling are two primary social evils prevailing among the men, who have earned a bad reputation among other villages in the area. In 2012, a church planter we will call “Pastor R” visited Village T to share the gospel. Pastor R’s evangelistic attempt infuriated the villagers. They beat him and burned his Bible and gospel tracts. They threatened him to try to keep him from visiting their community again.
Pastor R never gave up… he started praying for this village with a hope that one day the Lord would build his church there. On one occasion, a few ladies went to the community for a marriage ceremony. They happened to meet Pastor R and asked him to pray for them and their husbands. One of the ladies had a bleeding issue, and she received healing after the prayer. Soon, a house was opened for prayer and the Lord started his work in this village. Many left their old ways and several among them experienced a gradual change within their families. Approximately 35 families have recently accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord!
Thank the Lord for the persistence of Pastor R in praying for Village T even in the face of threats and persecution. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work in this village and that more will become disciples of Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16, NIV)
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