[2024 Ramadan Day3] Indonesia, the army of the gospel advancing towards the nations / Brunei, spread the hope of heaven in the center of the nations

<Indonesia>

Indonesia has 230 million Muslims, which accounts for 12% of the world's 1.9 billion Muslims, making it the single country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Although 87% of Indonesia's total population of 270 million are Muslims, it is not an Islamic country.

When we preach the gospel to Muslims in Indonesia, they say, ‘There is a way to salvation in your faith, and there is a way in my faith.’ On the outside, they appear to be moderate and accepting, but on the inside, they show a strong character that does not accept and rejects anything other than his or her own faith. However, even among these Indonesian Muslims, there are souls who are coming forward confessing Jesus as their savior.

A sister who had been reading the Bible consistently for three months accepted Jesus in December last year, and a Muslim sister who came to Sunday worship confessed, 'I have a lot of conflict in my heart because the Bible seems so correct.' Through these events, we can see that only the truth can lead the souls of Indonesia to the right path. And recently, seeing many Muslims around them convert to Christianity, we also met a soul who wanted to know more about Jesus. We sincerely hope that many young people and the next generation of Indonesia will return to the Lord during this Ramadan period.

May you meet the Muslims of Indonesia during Ramadan! In the midst of their empty fasting as they are praying towards Mecca, would you grant them the grace to meet Jesus Christ, the one and only truth! May vitality flow from all directions and bring them to life with the Gospel!

<Brunei>

The official name of Brunei is “Brunei Darussalam,” which means a country where complete peace has been achieved through Islam. Islam was first introduced in the 15th century when the King of Brunei married a Malaysian princess. Afterwards, Muslim refugees and merchants from neighboring countries who lost their place amid the invasions of European powers flocked to Brunei.

The discovery of oil and natural gas off the coast of Brunei in the early 20th century led to tremendous development and wealth. The royal family, first elected in 1960, rules Brunei with absolute power and control of the media through huge oil profits.

Especially right after Ramadan, the gates of the palace where the emperor lives are opened, and the emperor gives pocket money of about 100,000 won to the children he meets and presents precious food to the young and old. The people pledge their loyalty to the emperor and wait for this day.

In Brunei, an anti-Christ system disguised as Islam and emperor worship is being built. After three believers who were preaching the gospel were arrested in 1999, the Sharia law, an Islamic religious law, was introduced as the national law in 2013, completely banning evangelism and restricting the entry of missionaries. In addition, churches are being shut down, anyone who possesses a Bible or celebrates Christmas is subject to criminal punishment, and from November 2023, an education law is being implemented that requires all elementary school students to receive Islamic education. Islamic rule continues to oppress the people and persecution against the church is intensifying.

Amen! God is raising up the Brunei church. Not long ago, God granted us the grace to participate in missionary training with pastors and youth leaders from the above and underground churches in Brunei. Many young people spent time listening to news about people from all over the world and praying together for them. And the pastor and young people said, “Now is the time for the Brunei church to spread the gospel. If even one soul can be saved, we desire to spread the gospel not only to Brunei but to all nations! Through training, God gave us a burden to pray for the nations and spread the gospel. We will surely march forward to the nation He is calling us to!”

Hallelujah! We praise the Lord who will raise up the churches in Brunei and spread the hope of heaven through those who have God's heart for the nations! May you raise up the army of the Lord that will break through all the spiritual darkness in Brunei and bring the kingdom of God to all nations!

[Today’s prayer]

1. Among the 230 million Indonesian Muslims, may you grant everyone who returns to the Lord the honor of seeing the vision of God's kingdom together, so that they can become an army of the gospel that leads Muslims from all nations to the Lord! Would you raise up 500,000 missionaries from Indonesia!

2. Through those who know God’s vision in Brunei, may you help the young people of the Lord who dream of the kingdom of God arise even in the midst of the spiritual darkness of Brunei! May we see missionaries be sent from Brunei to testify the gospel to all nations!