God’s Proof (www.godsproof.com) ^{Volume: 1 Issue: 5}

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake”

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us not forget the many Christians around the world that are in service to Jesus Christ by spreading the gospel message. Recently we received an email from our missionary friends in Vietnam. They requested prayer for an urgent situation. Please read the following letter and pray for the Vietnam people that the gospel will continue to spread in spite of the persecution.

Dear Friends,

Over the past week I have become aware of some disturbing developments here in Vietnam. Let me give you some very brief background: early in 2001 there were some large, peaceful demonstrations in the central highland provinces of Kontum, Daklak and Gia Lai. The protests were staged by members of ethnic minority groups who are the native inhabitants of these areas. The issues are complex, but in essence they were calling for fair access to land use, religious freedom and an independent state. The government quickly squelched the demonstrations and there were many arrests, more intimidation and increased persecution of Christians. The situation had stabilized and had been "normal" for almost a year.

This past week I've learned that the authorities have intensified their persecution of believers in these areas over the past 3-4 months and the past couple of months the persecution of believers and the restrictions on religious activities in these areas are more harsh than they have been in many years. The following is based on reliable information from pastors who live in these areas:

In the past 2 months:

1) Three pastors were arrested and injected with some kind of drug by the police. Two of the pastors died and the third has brain damage.

2) At least fifteen buildings where churches meet have been destroyed in Daklak province.

3) Over 400 churches in Daklak province have been forbidden by the authorities to meet.

4) In the few churches that are still being allowed to meet in Daklak, ethnic believers (non-Vietnamese, tribal people) are forbidden to attend.

5) Over 20 lay evangelists have disappeared and are still missing.

Please pray for this situation: that the persecution would cease, that the missing evangelists would be released, for the Lord to protect and comfort the believers in these areas until the situation improves, for the power of Christ to be seen by all.

There is some encouraging news in the midst of all this. Two new small churches have been established along the new Ho Chi Minh Highway which is being built along the western border. In spite of the persecution in these areas there is still growth in the Kingdom!Also the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) broadcasts Christian teaching in Vietnamese everyday from Singapore. They have provided funds to buy small radios and have already supplied over 1000 radios to these persecuted believers who can no longer meet corporately. Now 3-4 families can gather at a time to listen to this Bible teaching as well as pray together.

In the wider picture, outside of these three provinces, there are also some signs of increased repression of the church. Christmas is a time of extensive outreach by the church in Vietnam. All of the churches prepare very special Christmas eve services. Some churches even have to add additional services and many unbelievers are invited to attend. However this year we have heard that some churches have been told not to hold Christmas eve services this year. To get around this some of them are holding them this week. Other churches have been told that they are not to invite unbelievers to the services this year. Please pray for the church in Vietnam this next week as you attend your various Christmas services. Pray that the authorities will allow the scheduled services to proceed, that many unbelievers would attend and for continued boldness among believers.

Over the past several weeks we have had some intermittent problems with our email. Some messages have been returned and some have not been received. We think the problem has been fixed now. So if you have written to us over the last several weeks but have not heard back, please resend your message. If for some reason you are still having difficulty getting through, you can write to us at kimbalkh@sens.chi.il.us

For some additional clarification - the most severe persecution is occurring in the more remote areas. We have personally not had any problems and are in no danger. Just wanted to make sure that is very clear.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you for your prayers.

Love,

Ken and Heather Kimball

Christ said in Matthew 5:10,11: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Many Christians around the world are continually persecuted because of their love for Christ. Many of these believers must go underground and meet secretly to worship the same Lord that we do openly. They must have Bibles and study materials smuggled into the country, while we can freely purchase these items from any number of locations. They break the law in order to gain a more personal relationship with Christ, while we exercise our freedoms when we come to church to worship our Lord.

The Bible speaks of a time when no one will be able to worship the Lord without persecution. We may feel that day is far off, however, for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Vietnam and other countries that persecute Christians, that time is now.

In 2 Tim 3:12, Paul stated to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Have you been ridiculed and mocked for your faith in Christ? Would a stranger know that you are a child of God if they were to meet you? Some of the boldest people in Christ are the ones that have received the greatest persecution.

Remember the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” Taking pleasure in persecution is an odd concept for many of us to grasp, however, Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor, after being incarcerated for over 20 years for spreading the gospel said that his best years were spent in prison for Christ.

Ken and Heather and all their children are friends of ours that we love. Please pray for them and the many others that consider not their safety when it comes to carrying out the great commission given to us by Jesus Christ.