“devoted to one another in love. Live in harmony with one another.”
[Aug.21.2022] The Vietnamese government subtly stirs conflicts between registered and unregistered churches by making pastors of registered churches ask unregistered churches to refrain from evangelistic activities.
According to Voice of Myrta Korea, a pastor from an unregistered church in Dak-lak province in the Central Highlands, continued to go to the remote and inaccessible areas to preach the Gospel to the unreached people despite the obstructions of public officials. The authorities told the pastors of the registered churches, who were under their control, to stop his evangelistic activities.
A local official jammed a wooden stick into one of his motorbike wheels, the main means of transportation used by the pastor of an unregistered church, to prevent the evangelism of this pastor. Even though the pastor and his family members were injured, he continued his ministry work. The local government officials then changed their strategy.
Hyunsook Foley, representative of VOM Korea said, “The authorities went to a registered church leader who has been appointed as the delegate of the region by the Evangelical Church of Vietnam(ECVN). The authorities told this leader that he had to stop the pastor of the unregistered church.”
The delegate from the ECVN called the pastor of the unregistered church and rebuked him, exhorting him to evangelize only within his local area. But the pastor of the unregistered church said that he obeys God rather than people, and that he will continue the ministry the Lord has entrusted to him, no matter what the cost may be.
Representative Foley said, “So the government and its registration process has come between these two brothers and created division in the body of Christ in Vietnam.”
As such, it has become common practice for the Vietnamese government to manipulate registered churches that have been approved to suppress the activities of unregistered churches. According to a report by the US State Department on International Religious Freedom in Vietnam published in 2021, the Vietnamese government is seriously violating religious freedom by employing authorities or mole to foster conflicts between churches.
“There is nothing that government officials like more than Christians fighting each other,“ Foley said, “For these churches, we suggest that they make efforts to help registered and unregistered churches avoid conflict with each other.”
Representative Foley, said, “No matter what the source of division was whether circumcision or food laws or following certain leaders, Paul’s advice was always the same: Trust Christ alone for salvation, don’t force anyone to violate their conscience, and love one another.”
”With unregistered churches, we try to help them understand that while Act 5 does teach us that only God should receive our unconditional obedience, it also teaches us that we must willingly and joyfully accept the punishments governments lay upon us for obeying God, even when those punishments are unjust, “she added. (Source: Gospel Prayer News).
Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:10,16,19)
Dear God, please rebuke the Vietnamese government for creating divisions by encouraging government-registered churches to restrict the activities of unregistered churches. Please destroy Satan’s evil schemes that try to destroy the body of Christ, and we pray for the church to be devoted to one another in love and fight spiritual warfare with one mind. Let the believers in Vietnam obey with joy and thanksgiving to the persecution they are receiving for the sake of the gospel, so that Your word may be fulfilled in this land and the kingdom of God may come.
prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
