Those who accepted his message were added to their number and devoted themselves to prayer
[Mar.09.2023] On the first weekend of March, on the 4th and 5th, large-scale evangelism rallies were held in Vietnam for two days. It is the first time that the communist Vietnamese government has allowed evangelism events except on religious holidays.
According to the Christian Post (CP), Franklin Graham, an evangelical pastor in the United States and chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA), held the Spring Love Festival at the Puto Sports Facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
BGEA said, “This is the first time that the Vietnamese government has allowed foreign speakers to preach the gospel on days other than religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas. More than 42,000 Vietnamese people attended in two days, and 4,300 of them accepted Jesus Christ.”
Reverend Graham preached, “There is only one way to God, and only through Jesus Christ.” “Your soul is worth more than the world. God loves you. We must live as disciples in Christ,” he stressed.
The rally also featured performances by Michael W. Smith and renowned local Christian artists like Leu Chibi, Isaac Thai, and Le Ngwett An. BGEA has worked closely with more than 300 local churches for the event.
Pastor Nguyen Bo Khan Jiam, co-chairman of the rally, confessed that the rally was an “incredible victory” for Ho Chi Minh City. “Thank the government for permission to hold the event,” he said. “It has been my long-cherished dream to see the gospel spread to our people in this city.”
Pastor Graham also met with Deputy Prime Minister Lemin Kai, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government Religious Committee ahead of the event to express his gratitude. “I would like to thank the government for giving me the opportunity to preach the gospel in Vietnam for the second time since 2017, and I will deliver the message of God’s love for the Vietnamese people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vietnam ranked 25th on the “World Watch List” released by Open Door. Open Door expressed concern in the Vietnamese fact sheet that “Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which mostly gather in family churches, are closely monitored and face discrimination at various levels of government and society.” (Source: Daily Good News Comprehensive)
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:40-42)
God, thank You for allowing many souls to come and hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ at the evangelism rally held in Vietnam, a country that persecutes Christians. Let the Vietnamese churches and saints who have prayed for this gospel rally receive great encouragement and pray even more diligently for the evangelization of their homeland. We pray that the faith of the new believer is unmoved and firmly established in the face of persecution and that the number of believers is added through the teaching of the word in this land.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
