寮國：儘管政府批准教會活動，迫害仍在繼續

“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. … if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”
(1 Peter 4:14, 16)

The Lao government has approved the constitution of the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC), in effect giving its churches the freedom to share the gospel freely in the country.

The Minister of Home Affairs signed the document, which includes a statement that church workers have the right to travel, meet together for worship, and evangelise non-Christians. According to Stand Asia’s sources, since the document includes the statement that evangelisation is part of the churches’ mandate, the authorities should not stop Christian meetings or arrest believers for sharing the gospel. The impact of this document is likely to be freedom to believers and transformation of the lives of many Christians.

The LEC president has started meeting provincial officials and local Christian leaders in each of the provinces to explain the LEC constitution and its significance.

Nevertheless, Lao authorities continue to persecute and arrest believers on flimsy charges. According to reports, officials are twisting a number of issues to make Christians look bad. The police have also apparently threatened to arrest all Christians.

In early August, police arrested Grandfather Ter in May district, Phongsaly province and prohibited him from sharing the gospel. Grandfather Ter is the first Akha to be arrested by the police for his Christian faith. The oldest of three brothers who returned to their village after detox and rehab, he was the first among them to turn to the Lord. This is the first arrest of a believer among the Akha people, so it’s a potentially critical time for God’s people in their area.

There have been other such incidents. On 17 August, police arrested Achan Bounkeo when he went to the market to buy lunch. On 3 July, police arrested four Christian leaders in central Laos, because they conducted a Christian funeral in a mainly spirit-worshipping village. The authorities took them to the district prison and later transferred them to the provincial town prison. Local Christians cannot visit them but can take food to them. On 15 March, a detained Christian pastor was sentenced to six months in prison. This prison term is likely to end in mid-September.

Laos has imposed tight border controls to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. Many Christian expatriate workers have not been able to return to Laos because of travel restrictions.

Christians make up just three percent of the population and are a small minority. Christianity, in particular, is considered a Western influence and especially dangerous. Conversion to Christianity can be seen as a betrayal to the family and Lao culture. Despite setbacks and ongoing persecution, the Lao church continues to grow at a purported six percent every year.

PRAYER POINTS

  • Pray for the LEC president, as he meets local officials and Christian leaders to explain the government-approved LEC constitution and its significance. Pray that the meetings will have a deep impact throughout the country.
  • Pray for arrested Christians and their families, including Grandfather Ter, Achan Bounkeo, the four Christian leaders arrested in central Laos, and the Christian pastor sentenced to six months in jail. Pray for strength and wisdom for them to face and respond to their situations.
  • Pray for believers among the Akha in the May district of Phongsaly province. May God strengthen the believers in this time of trial and the authorities come to know God through the testimonies of these believers as they stand firm.
  • Pray for Christian expatriate workers who have not been able to return to Laos because of travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

 

寮國：牧師和其他人因信仰相關指控被捕

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 8:35–39)

Life for Christians under the communist regime in Laos is very tough. The Open Doors estimate of 227,000 Christians in a country of over 7 million face frequent persecution, including forced conversion and imprisonment. According to accounts from believers in Laos, the threats come in the form of community pressure, including from family members, and institutional forms of discrimination from the state and other authorities.

On 15 March, Pastor Sithon Thipavong was arrested for holding a worship service in his village home and was subsequently imprisoned for this offence. It is said that he has led over 400 people to faith in the last year.

On 24 May, a case of family conflict occurred at a church near the capital city, Vientiane. Two brothers, Chan and Huang, were attending a church service when their father burst in, swearing at and threatening them. He demanded that they renounce their faith and sent them away, after which they ended up at their pastor’s home. However, the boys are now back home with their father because of the rice-planting season.

It has also been recently alleged that authorities have arrested four individuals for their faith, including a pastor in Bolikhamsai province in central Laos. This is not the first time that the pastor has been arrested for this reason. This time, it appears that the pastor was conducting a Christian funeral when the authorities arrived and tried to force the congregation to sign documents recanting their faith in Jesus. After refusing to do so, the pastor and three other leaders were taken to the district jail, where they remain.

Home group prayer

Lord Jesus, we give you thanks for your faithful servants in Laos. We give you thanks for their steadfast commitment to you through all circumstances.

We pray today for each and every individual in Laos who has accepted you as Lord and Saviour. Might they know that you are with them in the valley, that you go before them, and that you will never leave them nor forsake them.

Lord, we pray especially for the leaders of your church in Laos. Be with them today. By the power of your Holy Spirit, remind them that their life gives you glory and their labour is not in vain. In particular for Pastor Sithon and other church leaders arrested across Laos, may they know today the comfort and peace that can come only from you. We think of their families who anxiously await their return and pray for justice in this situation.  We lift up to you the police, politicians and all those involved in the justice system — we pray that the faith of our brothers and sisters will shine as a light and change hearts and minds for you.

Lord, we gave you thanks that you know the names of every man and woman suffering for your name’s sake in Laos — you know them and you love them. Lord, we pray that this truth will be written on their hearts today and will give them joy amidst the pain.

In the name of your Son, we pray.

阿門。

馬來西亞：恢復對基督徒夫婦失蹤案的調查

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour — from violent people you save me.”
(2 Samuel 22:2–3)

The NGO Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (aka Suhakam) is to resume its inquiry into whether the 2016 disappearance of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, was an “enforced disappearance” — that is to say, whether state agents were involved in abducting them.

The family of Ruth said they were encouraged by Suhakam’s commitment to the inquiry: “This public inquiry is our hope of finding our sister Ruth and brother-in-law Joshua.”

Joshua, a Malay from Taiping, Perak who converted to Christianity from Islam, and Ruth, a Batak Christian from Indonesia, were last seen on 30 November 2016 and reported missing on 6 March 2017. The inquiry resumes as their families fear that the government has been delaying efforts to uncover the truth.

Suhakam commissioner, Jerald Joseph, said that they would finalise the dates for the inquiry’s resumption with stakeholders and lawyers after confirming the easing of restrictions enforced in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that they had planned for 15 days for the inquiry, but this was an estimate that depended on how the inquiry developed.

Before it was postponed because of the restrictions, the inquiry had heard from a witness that the couple were intending to flee the country after receiving threatening phone calls and emails over Joshua’s alleged preaching of Christianity to Muslims and baptizing those who convert. The inquiry also learnt that Hilmy had been baptizing converts since 2011, usually in bathrooms using a showerhead and once in a pond.

Muslim citizens of Malaysia are prohibited from converting to other religions unless they receive the consent of a Shariah court. Islam is the country’s official religion.

Suhakam commissioned a similar inquiry to probe the separate disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat. They reported their findings in April 2019 — both men were victims of enforced disappearances. They had been abducted by the Special Branch, an intelligence unit of the Royal Malaysia Police.

Suhakam said it was likely that Joshua and Ruth had disappeared for the same reason. Police have denied this allegation.

More than 9 percent of Malaysia’s population of 31.5 million are Christians.

家庭小組禱告

Dear Heavenly Father,

These are difficult times, Lord, even for those of us who are free to worship you without persecution. How much more do your sons and daughters suffer for you in countries like Malaysia, where they must endure bias, hatred, violence and even abduction and death at the hands of those who do not know you.

Lord, we ask you give your faithful in Malaysia an extra dose of your divine peace, strength, fortitude, grace and love to withstand the onslaught of these spiritual, emotional and physical slings and arrows. Lord, endow them with supernatural capacity and ability to stand up to their attackers, knowing you are there with them, Lord, and you are their eternal refuge and fortress and saviour.

Lord, we also ask you touch the hearts of the persecutors, that the scales might fall from their eyes, that they might see you through those they persecute and be convicted of their sinful ways, and cry out and fall to the ground worshipping you as the One True God. And unite this divided land as only you can, oh God.

奉耶穌的名禱告。阿門。

巴基斯坦：針對基督徒的土地糾紛致教堂遭破壞

“Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that
God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?”
(Psalm 68:16)

A group of armed men in Pakistan vandalized a church in Punjab province in early May.  Police said the group desecrated a cross and demolished the gate and boundary wall of the church in Kala Shah Kaku town, some 40 km from Lahore, the provincial capital. The alleged cause was a land dispute — the group told Christians to vacate the church land, claiming it belonged to them.  Church leaders lodged a police complaint following the incident.

The incident occurred as the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pointed out in their 2019 annual report that Christians have continued to suffer forced conversions and persecution under the country’s blasphemy law.  The report noted particular cases of forced conversion in Sindh and Punjab provinces.  In Punjab, 14-year-old girls had been forced to convert and to marry.  In Sindh, the families of two Hindu girls claimed they had been kidnapped for marriage and forced conversion.  According to human rights NGO International Christian Concern, at least 50 Christian women and girls faced this issue in 2019.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not reduced discrimination against Christians in Pakistan.  Authorities have apparently denied food supplies to them by claiming they were meant for Muslims.

Christians in Pakistan often face religious hatred and discrimination.  The country’s blasphemy law is controversial because it is often used to persecute Christians and other religious minorities, with consequences for their places of worship and residential areas. Blasphemy against prophets of Islam is a capital crime in Pakistan.  According to Open Doors, a mission supporting persecuted believers, Pakistani Christians are afraid to express their faith freely in case something they say is interpreted as blasphemy.  False accusations of blasphemy have led to imprisonment or even killings.

Christians constitute around two percent of the population in Pakistan.  Christian communities remain among the poorest sections of society, often do menial jobs, and are regarded as second-class citizens.  Three cities, Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, have large Christian populations.

Pakistan is currently fifth on the World Watch List, an annual report by Open Doors.  It is considered a country where extreme persecution of Christians takes place.

HOME PRAYER GROUP

天父，

We ask your blessings for the people of Pakistan and especially for Christians who are suffering from persecution there. We pray for the church in Kala Shah Kaku and its pastor and congregation.  May they be strong when faced with violence.  We pray for those imprisoned or suffering unjustly from the blasphemy law. We pray that you will help the people who practise violence to see the light and that way is not the answer. We pray that your Holy Spirit will descend on this community and all of Pakistan and cleanse it of religious and other persecution.

Especially in these times of the coronavirus, we pray that people will come together rather than pull apart. We need your spirit of peace and strength to get through these difficult times. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help the government and people of Pakistan turn it into a country where extreme persecution no longer exists. We pray that all will work together in peace and harmony to deal with the coronavirus and all the other ills which affect the country.

Watch over your flock in Pakistan and bring them safely to a land of peace and harmony.  May your Spirit comfort them and keep them safe from persecution and the coronavirus. We need your help and guidance in all we do.

奉耶穌的名禱告。阿門。

寮國：牧師因主持教會禮拜被捕

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1–3)

Authorities in Laos have arrested a pastor for holding a church service without official permission. The arrest took place on 15 March, a few days before the government issued an advisory against religious gatherings to stop the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

Police arrested Pastor Sithon Thiphavong in Kaleum Vangkae village in Chonnaburi district, Savannakhet province. Pastor Sithon has not been formally charged with any offence, and the provincial police department and the Lao Front for Construction, which oversees religious affairs in the country, have not responded to calls to confirm the arrest.

Pastor Sithon’s family members have not been allowed to visit him, though they can send him food via the authorities every day. They have been told that his case will be dealt with after the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted in the country.

Lao church leaders say that most believers don’t have the technical capacity to livestream services.

On 29 March, the Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith instructed everyone to stay at home from 1 to 19 April in order to contain the spread of the potentially deadly virus. The government has since extended the lockdown until 3 May and closed its borders with neighbouring countries. However, China, its neighbour to the north, has sent medical experts, medical equipment and medicines, and Vietnam, its neighbour to the east, has also offered to help fight the virus.

Laos announced its first COVID-19 cases on 24 March and, as of 10 May, officials claim that the number of confirmed cases has remained at 19 for 27 consecutive days.

According to a 2019 report by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom, the Lao constitution “ostensibly protects its people’s inherent right to religious freedom,” but members of the Christian minority are often targeted and arrested. Christians make up about 1.5 percent of the Lao population, while 67 percent of the people practise Buddhism.

As recently as 25 February, in Long district, Luang Namtha province, three Christian families totalling 14 people were evicted from their village and their houses demolished for refusing to recant their faith in Jesus. According to Open Doors, the country’s overall persecution score increased by one point over 2019 mostly as a result of increasing reports of violence against Christians.

Dear Heavenly Father,

In this time of great hardship and suffering throughout the world, let us take a moment to remember your sons and daughters in Laos who are suffering even more for their faith. Let us lift them up to pray for an extra dose of strength, hope and peace that only you can bestow to sustain them. May you convict those who persecute them to see the error of their ways and help them to see you through the actions and attitudes of your faithful servants there. As we are all on our knees now, Lord, because of the coronavirus, we see how weak and futile are efforts made on our own, and we see even more clearly how we are powerless without you, Lord. On our knees is the perfect place to pray to you for your help to unite this divided country in your holy name.

In the name of your Son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

尼泊爾：牧師因被誣告被捕

“You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.” (Exodus 23:25 ESV)

Junu Acharya, Pastor Acharya’s wife, said that her husband had received a call at night from an unknown man who asked for prayer for his sick wife. Pastor Acharya invited the man and his wife to his house for prayer. While she was being prayed for, four police officers turned up, surrounded and arrested him, then took him to the police station. Junu Acharya added, “I immediately called two of the brothers from our church who can drive and followed the police’s vehicle. I was afraid that he would be beaten up by police or would be taken somewhere else. I wanted to ensure that they were taking him to the police station.”

Christian leaders in Nepal have spoken out against the arrest of Pastor Acharya. Pastor Mukunda Sharma, Executive Secretary of the Nepal Christian Society, urged fairness from the District Superintendent of Police and no pressing of criminal charges. He told the District Superintendent that “the police cannot prosecute the pastor for exercising his faith and that it is a gross violation of human rights. He assured me that the pastor was taken into custody only for an inquiry.” C. B. Gahatraj, president of the Federation of National Christian Nepal, has stated that the practice of praying is not in conflict with the laws of Nepal.

This is the first time that a Christian in Nepal has been arrested for a message shared on social and other media. Christian leaders say that the arrest is turning into a high-profile issue, with Hindu fundamentalist groups linked to prominent political leaders taking an interest in the video.

家庭小組禱告

天父，

We pray to you for all your suffering children during this COVID-19 crisis. We pray for all those who are suffering from the sickness and their loved ones. We pray for those who have lost their lives and their grieving families and friends. We pray that you will grant comfort to those who have lost jobs and income as a result of the virus. We pray for those who are depressed and suffering from being alone. We pray as well for Pastor Acharya and his family. We pray that he will continue to be able to serve the Lord and his flock and pray for his parishioners. We pray that they will receive the care they need when ill or in need of spiritual guidance. We pray that this does not signify religious intolerance in Nepal and that he will be released immediately. We pray that Christians will not be persecuted for their faith and you will comfort and guide them to be free of such persecution. We all must be one family under God to free ourselves from the sickness of sin.  Be with us all at this difficult time and ease our anxieties. Let us know that with You we have no reason to fear sickness, death or prison. You overcome all.

In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN.

印尼：教堂建設受阻

印尼：教堂建設受阻

「耶和華是我的亮光，是我的拯救，我還怕誰呢？耶和華是我生命的堡壘──我還怕誰呢？ 當惡人向我進攻，吞噬我的肉體時，當我的敵人和仇敵攻擊我時，他們就會跌倒摔下去。雖有軍隊圍攻我，我的心也不害怕；即使發生戰爭，我也會充滿信心。 （詩篇 27:1-3 新國際版）

印尼中爪哇省當地官員過去六個月阻礙一座浸信會教會的竣工。由於當地穆斯林居民反對在省會三寶壟的 Tlogosari 地區進行建設，官員拒絕頒發完工所需的許可證。去年，政府要求教會收集60多個當地居民的同意簽名，但儘管教會收集到了84個簽名，建設仍被叫停。

由於看不到解決方案，浸信會決定採取法律行動解決爭端。教會律師扎因納爾·阿里芬 (Zainal Arifin) 表示：“拒絕的原因不斷發生變化，從偽造簽名到許可證過期，直到最後，居民的拒絕並未觸及主要許可證問題。”教會的瓦胡迪牧師補充說：“我們將繼續為此而戰，因為如果不加以製止，這將為三寶壟的宗教和崇拜自由開創一個壞的先例。”

去年，在當地激進穆斯林團體提出抗議和威脅後，當地酋長吊銷了印尼日惹特別地區一座五旬節教會的許可。該官員表示，先前頒發給教會的許可不符合 2006 年規範禮拜堂建設的聯合部長令所規定的要求。教會的牧師 Tigor Yunus Sitorus 表示，他隨後要求成員前往其他教會參加禮拜。今年一月，雙方達成協議，教堂將搬遷至另一個村莊。

印尼的宗教寬容受到了威脅。 2018 年 5 月，爪哇省坦格朗一家法院以宗教誹謗罪判處亞伯拉罕·本·摩西牧師四年監禁，罪名是與一名穆斯林司機分享他的信仰。儘管印尼穆斯林普遍被視為寬容、溫和的群體，但激進的伊斯蘭組織一直試圖推行暴力版本的伊斯蘭教。

親愛的天父，我們將印尼受迫害的教會託付給您。請給你的兒女更多的力量、毅力、和平、希望和信念，讓他們堅強地抵抗壓迫勢力。主啊，請觸動那些試圖透過停止建造教堂來阻止你的話語傳播，並以其他方式迫害你的追隨者的人的心。請讓這些壓迫者認識到他們的錯誤，並幫助他們透過你忠實的兒子和女兒認識你是唯一真正的上帝。主啊，只有您才能將分裂的土地統一起來，使其成為一個屬於您的大家庭。奉耶穌的名禱告。阿門。

馬來西亞：牧師仍下落不明

“禍哉，那些用虛假之繩牽引罪惡的人，那些用車繩牽引罪惡的人”(Isaiah 5:18 ESV)

馬來西亞牧師 Raymond Koh 光天化日下失踪三年後，其家人對政府和高級官員提起了民事訴訟。他的妻子蘇珊娜·劉 (Susanna Liew) 表示，他們別無選擇，只能訴諸法庭尋求正義，以解決對丈夫失踪的調查。 2017 年 2 月，在 Koh 牧師被綁架三週年之際，兩名前國家警察局長和其他 11 名被告在吉隆坡高等法院出庭受審。

這起訴訟是在2019 年11 月由諾哈雅蒂·穆罕默德·阿里芬(Norhayati Mohd Ariffin) 提起類似訴訟的四個月後提出的。 Mat) 的妻子，安里·切馬特自2016 年12 月失踪。第二天早上，人們發現他的汽車被遺棄，擋風玻璃被砸碎。馬來西亞人權委員會 (Suhakam) 剛開始對另一位牧師 Joshua Hilmy 和他的妻子 Ruth Sitepu 的失蹤事件進行調查。

蘇珊娜·劉在聲明中表示，如果警方及其情報機構馬來西亞特別調查局能夠在一周內破獲朝鮮領導人金正恩同父異母兄長金正男被謀殺的案件，那麼他們應該能夠解決她丈夫失踪的案件。截至目前，劉還沒有收到任何贖金要求。

「我們的希望正在慢慢消失，但因為對上帝的信仰，我們仍然堅持下去。我相信雷蒙德仍然活著並被關押在某個地方，我們希望他們盡快被釋放。一個家庭如果再這樣下去，恐怕也維持不下去了。

Koh 牧師在吉隆坡創立了希望社區 (Harapan Komuniti)，這是一個幫助窮人、單親媽媽和吸毒者等的慈善機構。監視器拍到了一群全副武裝的男子在吉隆坡郊區的一條公共道路上綁架他的畫面。在此之前，牧師收到了郵寄的一盒子彈，警告他停止工作。儘管如此，他仍然堅持從事他的職務。

2019 年 4 月，人權委員會在公開調查中得出結論，特別部門是 Koh 牧師和 Amri 強迫失蹤的幕後黑手。

2019 年 7 月，政府任命了一個特別工作小組根據人權委員會的調查結果採取行動，但此後沒有任何進展。儘管劉先生會見了前首相馬哈迪和現任首相丹斯里慕尤丁，但許牧師的下落和狀況仍然不明，而且無人被追究責任。

家庭小組禱告

天父，

我們為 Raymond Koh 牧師、Amri Che Mat、Joshua Hilmy 牧師、Ruth Sitepu 及其家人祈禱。我們祈禱您能保護他們免受傷害，並讓他們知道您是如何將他們捧在手心的。照顧他們並確保他們的安全。為 Susanna Liew、Norhayati Mohd Ariffin 以及他們的家人、會眾和組織的其他成員帶來安慰，他們非常關心他們並非常擔心他們的狀況。

我們祈禱，那些為了逃避真相而說的謊言能夠終止。謊言使邪惡更加猖獗。不追求邪惡就是邪惡。我們祈禱馬來西亞警方和其他政府部門最終能夠採取行動，找到這些失蹤的英雄，並將他們帶回他們的家人和朋友身邊。

我們為那些失去牧師的教會禱告。我們為希望社區祈禱，願該機構繼續為其關心的窮人、單身母親和吸毒者帶來上帝的希望、和平與愛的話語。馬來西亞需要更多這種只有你們才能給予的希望、和平與愛，而不是暴力與壓迫。 我們為馬來西亞所有牧師和他們的會眾祈禱。我們祈禱您保佑他們平安並保護他們。我們祈禱馬來西亞政府保護所有公民，包括基督徒。天父，您知道這些勇敢的男男女女的命運，他們為了向全人類傳福音而遭受苦難。我們感謝他們為我們所做的一切。 願您保佑他們和他們的家人。

以耶穌的名。阿門。

汶萊：慶祝聖誕節屬於刑事犯罪

「所以不要害怕，因為我與你同在；不要驚慌，因為我是你的上帝。我必堅固你，幫助你；我必用我公義的右手支持你。 (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

2019 年的聖誕節在汶萊是低調的。大多數外籍勞工離開是為了到國外慶祝聖誕節，以逃避政府強制實施的慶祝聖誕節的禁令。那些出國的人通常會在新年後回來。

2014 年，汶萊將慶祝聖誕節定為刑事犯罪。汶萊蘇丹哈桑納爾·博爾基亞提出這項禁令，因為擔心「過度公開」地慶祝穆斯林節日可能會誤導穆斯林民眾。同年，汶萊根據伊斯蘭教法頒布了更嚴格的刑法。

汶萊是穆斯林占多數的國家，實行伊斯蘭教法，包括石刑和截肢等懲罰。違反伊斯蘭教法還可判死刑。 包括基督徒在內的整個社會都必須遵守伊斯蘭教法，並被迫遵守伊斯蘭習俗和儀式。

當地的阿訇提倡禁止慶祝聖誕節，並警告說，採用聖誕節的裝飾就等於模仿其他信仰，而這在伊斯蘭教的某些教義中是被禁止的。在汶萊，改變伊斯蘭教信仰是違法行為，穆斯林背景的信徒如果試圖脫離伊斯蘭教就會面臨回歸伊斯蘭教的巨大壓力。

據報道，宗教事務部官員已經訪問了當地企業，以確保他們沒有展示聖誕裝飾品，包括聖誕帽和帶有聖誕節祝福的橫幅。

居住在汶萊的基督徒仍然可以去教會參加特殊禮拜，並在家中與朋友和家人一起慶祝。基督徒可以在自己的家中慶祝聖誕節，但必須先向當局報警。而且，在某些基督教徒密集的社區，如果事先通知當局並獲得許可，可以允許懸掛一些公共裝飾物。

然而，唱聖誕頌歌、擺設聖誕樹、交換賀卡和禮物、用聖誕用品裝飾家居等聖誕節活動是嚴格禁止穆斯林的，因為當局認為這些活動可能會損害文萊人的伊斯蘭信仰。

所有教堂，包括已註冊的教堂，都面臨限制，並受到當局的嚴密監視。非傳統基督教團體不能註冊為教堂，而必須註冊為世俗組織。

汶萊有57,400名基督徒。他們佔總人口43.4萬的13.2%。

親愛的天父，我們支持在汶萊忠實為您服務的您的兒女。請給他們額外的平安、力量和勇氣，以面對那些因他們的信仰而迫害和歧視他們的人。願他們在這個嚴格的伊斯蘭文化的黑暗中閃耀你的光芒。主啊，願那些迫害者在他們身上看到你，並判他們承認他們對信徒和你犯下的罪孽，以便他們承認你是唯一真正的上帝，並跪下請求你的寬恕。也請感動汶萊政府和蘇丹的心，讓他們視您為唯一真正的國王，唯一能為他們分裂的土地帶來團結與和平的人。我們以你兒子耶穌基督的名請求。阿門。 

斯里蘭卡：基督徒繼續遭受騷擾

斯里蘭卡：基督徒繼續遭受騷擾，未來令人擔憂

2019年，斯里蘭卡的基督徒繼續面臨襲擊。 據斯里蘭卡全國基督教福音派聯盟（NCEASL）稱，該國已發生83起此類事件，包括官員騷擾、辱罵和襲擊。

10 月份，一名分區秘書與 Deniyaya 警察局的一名警官一起向一名牧師詢問了他的教會 Hokma 聖經中心的合法性。他們敦促他從分區秘書處獲得宗教活動的授權，儘管該教會自 2007 年以來一直在該地點活動，並且牧師也擁有有效的證件。此前，他們要求立即停止所有服務。他們還堅持要求，如果該地區有任何教堂在運作，就應該告知他們。

斯里蘭卡基督徒遭到攻擊之際，僧伽羅佛教民族主義政黨斯里蘭卡人民陣線的候選人戈塔巴雅·拉賈帕克薩剛贏得十一月的總統選舉。此事發生時，該國正處於史上最嚴重的政治動盪和暴力事件之中。

拉賈帕克薩在當選後不久的一次演講中呼籲未來的合作：「儘管我知道我可以在僧伽羅人的支持下贏得總統選舉，但我特別請求泰米爾人和穆斯林人民成為這一進程中的合作夥伴。但他們的反應卻出乎我的意料。他繼續說道，“但作為你們的新總統，我再次請求你們作為真正的斯里蘭卡人團結在我周圍，為了我們國家未來的發展。”僧伽羅佛教民族主義者希望拉賈帕克薩能為該國多數族群開創另一個黃金時代。

「我們建立了一種意識形態，即國家需要一位不會在少數民族面前低頭的僧伽羅領導人，」僧伽羅佛教民族主義組織Bodu Bala Sena（佛教力量軍）的民族主義領導人Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara 聲稱。

許多人有理由擔心拉賈帕克薩的當選將對斯里蘭卡的宗教和諧產生什麼影響。近年來，佛教民族主義和針對基督徒的暴力行為增加。今年早些時候，自我激進化的伊斯蘭極端分子在復活節星期天襲擊事件中炸毀了酒店和教堂，造成 250 多人死亡。

家庭小組禱告

天父，

我們為您在斯里蘭卡的孩子們祈禱。我們祈禱新政府能夠公開譴責迫害少數族群和其他信徒的人並採取行動。我們要求停止針對斯里蘭卡基督兄弟姊妹的暴力和騷擾行為。我們感謝斯里蘭卡兄弟姐妹的信仰，他們在面臨迫害和騷擾的情況下仍然繼續讚美您、崇拜您並傳播他們的信仰。我們祈禱，那些宣揚仇恨少數民族和其他信仰的人將會被沉默，斯里蘭卡得以成為一個宗教自由和民族和平的地方。

我們緬懷那場可怕的內戰中所發生的暴力和破壞，並為那場戰爭的受害者以及仍在遭受其後果的​​人們祈禱。我們祈禱我們每個人都會愛我們的同胞，因為您按照您的形象創造了我們所有人。

願基督教的和平訊息傳遍整個斯里蘭卡以及亞洲其他基督徒遭受迫害的地區。我們感謝您堅定不移的愛，它幫助我們度過生活中遇到的所有困難。我們祈禱您能眷顧在斯里蘭卡的兄弟姊妹，他們正在做您的工作，傳播您的訊息，造福所有人。

奉耶穌的名禱告。阿門。