Like the believers in these stories, this brother was attacked by villagers in his area because of his faith in Jesus.
Persecution is not uncommon in South Asia. Sometimes, entire families have been forced to leave their homes and villages–simply because they profess Jesus. |
Several Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries are encountering intense opposition. These missionaries all need prayer.
Believers and Pastor Facing Excommunication
The fellowship of believers in a South Asian village began to grow after a Gospel meeting was held in that area. However, these new believers are experiencing persecution as their families and local community attempt to excommunicate them from society because of their new faith.
Recently, a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary was forced out of his home. This especially affects the church because his home is also where they meet to worship the Lord.
The believers ask for prayer that God will intervene and change the hearts of those opposing them and that they will come to know the Lord. Also pray that these new Christians will grow stronger during this time of testing.
Avoided and Scorned
Jadhav and Paavan, cousins and first-year students at a Gospel for Asia-supported Bible college, are staying faithful to Jesus despite the harsh opposition they’re receiving from family and friends.
Jadhav was the first in his family to choose Jesus; he came to faith after hearing the Good News through a radio program.
In October, when Paavan’s father died, Paavan and Jadhav both attended the funeral. The cousins’ first taste of persecution occurred at the burial service, when the villagers argued that the man’s body should be burned–and not buried, as Paavan wanted. The villagers were trying to follow the tenets of their traditional religion, which calls for dead bodies to be burned. Christians in South Asia often choose burial rather than cremation, as cremation is such a strong religious ritual in their countries. The final decision was to bury Paavan’s father’s body despite the opposition.
Because of this incident, the villagers excommunicated Paavan and Jadhav. They were furious that the cousins did not listen to their counsel. The villagers desperately wanted to force the young men to return to their traditional religion and worship the gods and goddesses they once bowed down to. The villagers began to avoid Paavan, Jadhav and the rest of their family members who believed in Jesus. Not only that, but they refused to allow them to draw water from the local well.
This family is need of prayer to remain strong during this time.
Missionary Kicked Out of the Village
Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Nabarun Gupta has encountered hard hearts in the village where he is ministering. By God’s grace, a small fellowship of believers began to grow. However, the Enemy is opposing Nabarun’s efforts. The village leaders excommunicated him so he is unable to continue his work.
In this village, half of the people worship traditional gods and goddesses, while the others worship hand-crafted deities. The villagers are strong in their beliefs and faithfully perform the daily religious rituals for their deities.
Nabarun found that the villagers were stubborn and had hardened hearts toward Jesus. However, Nabarun did not give up and firmly believed that the village would come to the true knowledge of God. He prayerfully reached out to the villagers and was persistent even when there was little response to the Good News. Nabarun did not lose hope in the ministry to which the Lord has called him; instead, he has led revival meetings, spent time talking one on one with others about God’s love, and visited people in their homes. He even invited a film team to the village.
During one of his many encounters with villagers, an old man who was resistant to the Gospel confronted Nabarun. The old man was furious and scolded Nabarun for his efforts.
“You are a child born yesterday, are you really trying to teach me?” he said. “I am not interested in your tribal gods and religion because I have my own. Why are you trying to misguide the local youth? You should be chased out of the village.”
While many would have given up by then, Nabarun held firmly to his calling despite the lack of fruit he saw. Having hope that the villagers would one day choose to follow Jesus, he continued to reach out to the village by praying for the sick and sharing the love of God with them.
Over time, Nabarun began to see God do a mighty work in the hearts of the villagers. After Nabarun’s faithful efforts, three people finally chose to follow Jesus. By God’s grace, this number increased to ten, and Nabarun was able to start a small fellowship with these new believers.
However, the villagers became disturbed. In order to destroy the fellowship, they began to spread rumors that Nabarun was ruining the village by destroying their ancestral deities and customs. The rumor spread violently through the village and infuriated the elders and authorities. They eventually kicked Nabarun out of his house, and without warning forced him to vacate the area. This was obviously an effort from the enemy trying to stop the Lord’s work in the village.
As of now, Nabarun is not allowed to enter the village and meet with his believers. Since his absence, many believers in the village have fallen prey to deception. These new believers have been struggling since there is nobody to build them up in their faith. When Nabarun heard that the believers were losing faith, he was filled with grief and knew all he could do was pray.
Nabarun asks for prayer that the spiritual eyes of the villagers will be opened and they will come to know the Lord. Pray also that the believers who have lost faith will come back to the Lord and overcome the obstacles and temptations that they are facing. Pray that God will continue to use Nabarun mightily.
Missionary Told to Stop His Ministry
The ministry of a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary named Padmesh Sen was threatened recently. He has been serving in South Asia faithfully and the Lord has blessed his ministry with growth. But, as a result of the threats, Padmesh is discouraged.
He asks for prayer that God will speak to the hearts of those who are opposing his ministry. Also pray that they will come to know the truth and choose to follow Jesus.