When churches start to grow, many anti-Christians feel threatened and begin persecuting believers. |
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries are not surprised by the persecution they face. The problems come in a variety of ways and even from people they dearly love. The following missionaries endured opposition and witnessed the hand of God protecting them from much harm.
Uncle Opposes Missionary Nephew
GFA-supported missionary Prajin Veer pastors a church with 40 believers, but his uncle, Narun—who is a staunch follower of the traditional family religion—strongly opposes him and his ministry.
Seeing the growth of his nephew’s church, Narun feared the entire village would soon become Christians. He began telling people not to go to Prajin’s church and started spreading false rumors about his nephew and the believers.
Surprisingly, all the negative rhetoric did not stop Narun’s own son from joining Prajin’s worship service.
Presently, Narun has quit openly opposing his nephew’s ministry and doesn’t disturb the believers. However, the family relationship has been severed, and Narun has quit speaking to Prajin and his family. Prajin asks prayers for his uncle’s salvation.
“Don’t Fear, We are With You”
In another situation, it was no surprise when anti-Christian extremists filed a police case against GFA-supported missionaries Abhi Dhat and Rasik Shelar, accusing them of “forcefully converting people.”
Pastor Abhi received a call from the police station, asking him to report at 11 a.m. But what happened next shocked the men. When Abhi arrived, the officer in charge of the case told the pastor, “Christians are good people. I know that they are doing good for our society. Therefore, you don’t need to fear; we are with you.”
By God’s grace, the police released Abhi and Rasik from their false charges and sent them back home to continue their ministry.