
Churches in Sri Lanka need our prayers as they continue to face harassment from various groups.
14th March
The pastor of an Assemblies of God church in Padukka was stopped by a group of villagers while he was on his way to the place of worship. The group demanded that the pastor leave town and declared that Christians are no longer allowed to worship in the area. The matter was reported to local authorities. As the church was officially registered, the villagers were unable to pressurize authorities to shut it down. However, the church was requested to temporarily pause their activities in order to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
15th March
Fifteen kilometres away in the city of Ranala, the pastor of Calvary Church received a phone call demanding that he stop all religious activities because of multiple complaints. The pastor was asked to conduct worship activities somewhere else or to obtain and produce a court order allowing for worship services to continue in the village.
18th March
Officials visited the home belonging to the mother of a pastor who leads another Calvary Church in Padukka. The pastor’s mother was questioned about her religious activities as well as information on the pastor and her husband.
Pray for believers in Sri Lanka who are enduring all manner of trials in varying intensity. Pray that God will strengthen their spirit and their resolve to keep following Christ. Pray that their passion for the gospel and their personal testimonies will shine for Jesus and lead many others to repent of their sin, seek forgiveness and receive salvation in the Lord.
Pray for the three mentioned churches. Pray that God will give the leaders and congregants wisdom to make wise choices and decisions under such undue pressure and harassment from community members. Pray that these pastors will continue to remain steadfast in their faith. Pray that they will exemplify the love of God in both word and deed and patiently persevere in prayer.
(Source & Photo : VOMC)
#persecuted church