“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV
Believers among South Asian peoples experience persecution as a part of their daily lives. Recently, a pastor in Himachal Pradesh, India, was forced out of his home for leading a prayer meeting, and a church in Andhra Pradesh, India, was burned. Christians in Pakistan live in fear of the blasphemy law, which states that anyone who defiles the name of Muhammad may be punished by life imprisonment or death. In the Maldives, Christians are not permitted to read the Bible or meet openly.
In addition to these limitations of religious freedom, South Asian Christians encounter false accusations from political groups and threats from community and family.
With Christ’s power as their strength, South Asians face these hardships head on. They continue to “fight the good fight” and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
For prayer requests and stories about persecution in South Asia, please visit the websites below:
http://asiastories.com/features/the-persecuted/
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12 NIV