Please pray for believers in Brunei

September 10 | Brunei – The Good News of Jesus Christ is reaching the Bruneians through today’s technology. Some of them go to the extent of looking for Christians to talk about Jesus. Please pray for the Christian children in Brunei, to be ready to share their hope in Christ.

BRUNEI – officially the Nation of Brunei, “the Abode of Peace,” is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. It is the only sovereign state completely on the island of Borneo, with the remainder of the island belonging to Malaysia and Indonesia. Brunei’s population was 401,890 in July 2011. (Wikipedia)

OIL RICH – Brunei has the second highest Human Development Index among the South East Asia nations after Singapore, and is classified as a developed country.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked 5th in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. The IMF also states in a 2011 estimate that Brunei was one of two countries (the other being Libya) with their public debt 0% of the national GDP. Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth richest nation out of 182 nations due to its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. (Wikipedia)

CHRISTIANS represent approximately 10% of Bruneians however their activities are strictly limited:

Christianity is the religion of about 10% of the population of Brunei. Contact with Christians in other countries, the import of Bibles and public celebration of Christmas are banned by decree. Christians in Brunei are not allowed to proselytize. Schools are not allowed to teach Christianity. If religious organizations fail to register, its members can be imprisoned. Teaching of non-Muslim religions in schools is prohibited. Marriages between Christians and Muslims are prohibited. People, who change their religion from Islam to another, are subject to societal and official pressure. There was 0.6% Evangelicals in 1996. (Wikipedia)

OPEN DOORS – warns of the threat posed by Sharia Law:

About two-thirds of the people in this tiny Islamic nation are ethnic Malays. Although in theory all other religions may be practised in peace, in practice only non-Malays are allowed to choose their faith. If a Malay converts, this ‘disturbs peace and harmony’ and they are automatically scheduled for re-education to Islam. The monitoring of Christian meetings increased in 2011. In October the Sultan announced the introduction of an Islamic Criminal Law which will complicate the situation for the Christian minority further, especially those known to have converted.

Since most Christians in Brunei are either expatriots and migrants, the government’s strategy seems to be to isolate them from any religious interaction with the Malayan Muslim population.

“He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thes. 2:14)

Please pray for believers in Bhutan

September 8-9 | Bhutan – In some of Bhutan’s provinces, neighbors do not welcome the presence of Christians, especially when they gather for worship and fellowship.

BHUTAN – located on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, is landlocked between the Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to the west and south…. The land consists mostly of steep and high mountains crisscrossed by a network of swift rivers, which form deep valleys before draining into the Indian plains.

RELIGION – It is estimated that between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Bhutanese population follow Vajrayana Buddhism, which is also the state religion. About one-quarter to one-third are followers of Hinduism. Other religions account for less than 1% of the population.^[69] The current legal framework, in principle guarantees freedom of religion; proselytism, however, is forbidden by a royal government decision^[69] and by judicial interpretation of the Constitution.^[70]

Wikipedia makes no mention of Christianity. However, OPEN DOORS indicates that there are approx 16,500 believers meeting primarily in homes –

As the country moves from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, the situation is likely to change for believers. The church in Bhutan is no longer an underground church, since Christians are allowed to meet in private homes without any interference from the authorities. However, Christians in remote villages encounter more difficulties. The government is exploring possibilities for church registration, but is also concerned to prevent evangelism and is considering an amendment to the penal code aimed at prohibiting ‘conversion by coercion or inducement’.

Pray that God will provide opportunities for believers in Bhutan to practice their faith without antagonizing their community. Pray that they will gain the good will and favor of their neighbors.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

Please pray for believers in Lebanon

September 6 | Lebanon – The potential of Christian TV is exciting. Some of the live programs have been made in parts of the Arab World where death is looming, and the response from the local population has been tremendous.

Pray that the Lord will speak to the hearts of people when they see these programs, and for people who are ready to sacrifice their own lives to bring the message of hope to them.

Christianity has a long history in Lebanon – see Wikipedia. Various Christian sects make up approximately 39% of Lebanon’s population – Wikipedia – however, politics and religion are fused and sectarian violence is a reality of life. Added to the tension is the civil war in Syria which threatens to spill over into Lebanon.

Please pray for protection and direction… a willingness to follow Jesus day-to-day.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:21)

Please pray for Syrian believers

September 5 | Syria – Many Syrians have left their homes as they cannot continue living there anymore. Most of them left because of the intermittent fighting; others left because they’ve been asked to get out as fast as possible. And then there are many people who have simply left because they don’t see any future in their old area. Please pray for this situation.

The civil war in Syria is on the TV news daily. Caught in the crossfire are approx 200,000 bekievers representing 10% of the population – see Wikipedia. Before the civil war, Christians were well integrated into Syrian society –

Christians (as well as the few remaining Jews in the country) engage in every aspect of Syrian life. Following in the traditions of Paul, who practiced his preaching and ministry in the marketplace, Syrian Christians are participants in the economy, the academic, scientific, engineering, arts, and intellectual life, the entertainment scene, and the political arena of Syria. Many Syrian Christians are public sector and private sector managers and directors, while some are local administrators, members of Parliament, and ministers in the government. A number of Syrian Christians are also officers in the armed forces of Syria. They have preferred to mix in with Muslims rather than form all-Christian units and brigades, and fought alongside their Muslim compatriots against Israeli forces in the various Arab-Israeli conflicts of the 20th century. In addition to their daily work, Syrian Christians also participate in volunteer activities in the less developed areas of Syria. As a result, Syrian Christians are generally viewed by other Syrians as an asset to the larger community.

The civil war has changed all that… and no one knows how it will end.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26.3-4 ESV

With the civil war continuing to rage, the future of believers in Syria is uncertain. Please pray for an end to the conflict… and protection of believers in the aftermath.

Please pray for Iraqi believers

September 4 | Iraq – Continue to pray for the struggling church in Baghdad. It’s been another challenging year. The great thing is that the church is still reaching out in an amazing way. Pray also that the media will reach many people with hope, as there is very little of it in the city.

Wikipedia contains an extensive entry on Iraq – click here – and, in summary, the current turmoil is described here.

Overwhelmingly a Muslim country (95%), Religion in Iraq is described here. However, Christianity has a long history in Iraq – predating Islam by 500 years – click here.

OPEN DOORS describes the current plight of Iraqi’s 300,000 believers here –

Sectarian violence caused tens of thousands of Christians to leave the country in 2011. Christians feel that the government fails to protect them, with individuals being threatened, robbed, raped or kidnapped and churches being bombed. Iraq’s constitution says each individual has freedom of thought, conscience and belief, but there is no article on changing one’s religion and Islamic law forbids conversion of Muslims to other religions. In August, at least four churches were targeted by bomb attacks in Kirkuk. The situation in Kurdistan, for a long time considered a safe haven for Christians, has deteriorated due to Islamic extremism.

Please pray for Iraqi belivers – for the refugees, for protection, and for strength.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Ps. 25:5)