“Continue in your faith, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.”
Open Doors recently reported cases of churches in Sri Lanka being constantly harassed by being surrounded by Buddhist temples or Hindu shrines. In Sri Lanka, Christianity is a minority religion, and believers travel to and from churches often surrounded by Buddhist or Hindu temples.
Harassing church members and causing damage to property by people who oppose Christianity to hinder or prevent Christians from entering the church building were reported. Yoya (pseudonym), a pastor at a small rural village church, and his church members have been suffering from harassment for several years in a village with a strong Hindu influence.
According to Pastor Yoya, so many Hindu temples are scattered throughout the village where he ministers, and from the beginning of his ministry, he encountered big and small problems from his Hindu neighbours who were known to practice witchcraft and were very superstitious. Since Pastor Yoya began his ministry, the number of villagers who began to accept the Lord and attend church has grown.
As a result, some villagers started to be alarmed and began to interfere with the pastor’s ministry. In February 2023, in the middle of the night, a group attacked the church fence and damaged it. Pastor Yoya and his son came out after hearing a loud noise and saw people destroying church facilities. They also attacked the pastor’s son and injured his shoulder.
The pastor asked the police to investigate, and the investigation revealed that the people who attacked the church were related to the family of neighbours who were involved in magic and superstition. The police imposed a fine on them of enough to repair the fence, but they have not paid it to this day, so Pastor Yoya had to repair the church at his own cost. The Hindus’ hindrances and attacks did not end there.
In July 2023 and February this year, someone damaged the church fence and signboard. In addition to destroying property, they gather at the church’s main gate every Sunday to roar out loud to interfere with Sunday worship and often inter the believers who attend worship.
On some days, groups gather near the main gate, smoking, drinking, and trying to disturb believers coming to church in any way. Pastor Yoya continues to serve the Lord despite facing the challenges in this Hindu-dominated village. He said, “God has taken care of us so far, and we believe He will protect us continuously(Source: Gospel Prayer Newspaper Comprehensive).
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. (Colossians 1:22-23)
God, we thank You for building Your church in the middle of the Buddhist-dominated nation Sri Lanka where most of the villages are filled with idols and Hindu temples. Pray for Your protection upon Your people and churches experiencing enormous hardships. May You continue to help the Sri Lankan ministers and believers who are called to be holy and blameless to remain faithful and be firmly established on the foundation of truth. May the Word of God spread widely through the witnesses of Your church that the number of believers will continue to increase in Sri Lanka and they will rise as Your workers to complete the mission.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
