A Damaged Church Grows – Christian Freedom Worldwide

“I used to be glad after they mentioned to me, “Allow us to go to the home of the Lord!”

Psalm 122:1

Three years in the past, a church of latest believers found the associated fee for following Christ.

They had been overwhelmed. Their church broken. Their adversaries had been their neighbors.

“They had been making an attempt to cease folks from coming to our Savior Lord Jesus Christ,” mentioned Chakma. He’s a frontrunner on this small church in an remoted forest.

The excellent news is that God’s church is rising even in far-flung and hostile locations. However when you think about what these Christians are enduring, it’s extraordinary that they continue to be steadfast of their religion. One trait of Christianity is that persecution grows the church in sudden methods.

Their bruises are an affidavit of their religion in God. Their church, rebuilt with assist from you and others to Christian Freedom Worldwide, is an affidavit of God’s church caring for each other.

Their story is beneath. Briefly, Chakma’s church in Naniar village was attacked by militant Buddhists. The lads had been threatened with loss of life, the ladies and kids had been brutally overwhelmed, and their church was broken.

The purpose of the attackers is to pressure Christians to disclaim Christ. The techniques are:

• Beat and humiliate them into submission.
• Steal their items and deny the flexibility to work and supply for his or her households.
• Forestall them from gathering collectively to worship or be a light-weight locally.

The Christians fled to Christian Freedom Worldwide’s shelter the place they discovered safety and restoration. Our director negotiated with village leaders they usually had been allowed to return to their houses.

However there was one situation: they may not rebuild their church. Then got here a second restriction: they may not transfer about, which means they may not work.

Since then, Christian Freedom Worldwide (CFI) is supplying meals and requirements for the households each month. We’re additionally coaching up a younger man to be their pastor.

This yr, lastly, village leaders allowed the Christians to rebuild their church. God heard our prayers and adjusted the hearts of the leaders.

With their labor and your items to CFI, the church was rebuilt. In Might, the Naniar Christians celebrated the opening of their new constructing.

However in August, Buddhist activists once more threatened the Christians. Half of the households fled to CFI’s shelter whereas others stay to guard their church and houses.

The Christians wish to keep in Naniar to be a light-weight of Christ to their village. Their church is an affidavit that God heals the damaged. Their constructing is an emblem that they’re part of God’s international church and a reminder that you just and different Christians are serving to Christians.

Finally, we’re following the instance of the early church after we take care of struggling believers. Paul wrote in his epistles about Gentile Christians donating to Jewish Christians. Giving to distant believers is a robust solution to unify and develop the church.

Once we assist persecuted Christians, the worldwide church grows in unity and religion.

Will you:

* Pray for ‘each day bread’ for Christians and the flexibility to satisfy and worship collectively.

*  Pray for adversaries, like Naniar’s neighbors, to be reworked by God’s grace.

Naniar Christians are resolved to comply with Jesus. However Chakma and different Christians will not be meant to do that alone. Your month-to-month present will present shelters, meals, Bible coaching and different sensible help to persecuted Christians as collectively we dwell for Christ.

Thanks! Your assist right this moment will present Naniar and different persecuted Christians with fundamental wants as they dwell for Christ – and join us collectively as one physique in Christ.

A Damaged Church Grows

A church of latest believers in Naniar, a small village deep in a forest, shortly grew.

“I realized from the Bible that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin. If anybody believes in Him, they’ll get everlasting peace and life,” mentioned one believer.

The excellent news unfold. “Many had been coming to Christ” mentioned Chakma, a church chief, they usually couldn’t slot in his house. “In 2021, we constructed a church home.”

Months later Buddhist activists violently attacked them. “They had been making an attempt to cease folks from coming to our Savior Lord Jesus Christ,” Chakma mentioned.

The Buddhists had been incited by a monk who mentioned the church made the village unholy and soiled. Armed with weapons, “they shouted at us to revert to our previous faith. If we didn’t, us males can be brutally killed and our households couldn’t dwell within the village.”

The lads bumped into the forest. The Buddhists broke into their homes and beat the ladies and kids. Their houses had been looted. Their church was broken.

They lived in terror for weeks. “Most days we didn’t have something to eat. All of us had been ravenous. It is extremely laborious to explain that painful story of our hardships,” Chakma mentioned.

CFI’s coworker introduced meals to the households. “With out this assist we may die from being starved,” Chakma mentioned. “We prayed and cried to the Lord to guard us, assist us to rebuild the church home. Earlier than leaving, [CFI’s coworker] inspired us to face firmly in Christ.”

After one other assault, the households escaped to CFI’s shelter the place they stayed for months.

“I can’t however imagine in Jesus Christ and worship Him. Even when I die for my religion in Jesus Christ, I cannot return to Buddhism.” A Naniar Christian

CFI’s director negotiated with village leaders. The believers had been allowed to return however forbidden from rebuilding the church or shifting freely, which meant they may not work.

Since that point, CFI has supplied meals, faculty charges, and requirements for the households. Pastors will not be allowed to go to the village, so CFI is offering Bible coaching and housing for Tabil, a younger man within the church. On Christmas in 2022, the Christians gathered of their damaged church to have fun God coming into our damaged world.

Greater than two years after the assaults, village leaders lastly permitted the Christians to rebuild their church. Due to God for altering their hearts!

Naniar Christians supplied the labor and CFI supplied the provides. It was difficult to get supplies to this remoted village. The grime path that winds up hills is barely broad sufficient for strolling or motorbikes and turns into thick with mud within the wet season.

In Might, Naniar Christians celebrated the opening of their new church. It stands as an affidavit that God restores the damaged and is rising His church.

Chakma mentioned, “We pray to God that the [Buddhists] really feel the blessing of this church and be made holy by the Holy Spirit to allow them to come to our solely Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Thanks who helped us to rebuild this church.”

But Once more

In August, Buddhist activists threatened the Christians once more. Half of the households fled to CFI’s shelter. Others stay to keep up a presence and defend their newly rebuilt church.

They’re dwelling their religion within the presence of their enemies. They’re strengthened with help and encouragement from CFI.

On the time of publication, the church nonetheless stands.

Why We Want a Church

Tabil was chosen by the Naniar church to arrange to be their pastor. The 22-year-old has completed a theology course and is coaching to share the Gospel with illiterate folks.

He despatched this message from inside their rebuilt church:

Why is the Church Home essential for us?

We as Christian believers can not exist with out praising and worshiping God. It’s powerfully efficient after we worship and pray collectively within the church. The church is a holy home of God the place our brothers and sisters in Christ come collectively to glorify our God. That’s the reason we expect the church is essential within the lifetime of a believer.

What’s our mission and imaginative and prescient with Church Home?

Our imaginative and prescient for this church is to ship the phrase of the Lord to the misplaced sheep on this village, to allow them to know the Lord, to win them to Christ, to bless the village by this church.

We wish to see adjustments on this village in order that we are able to win these misplaced youngsters and glorify God, irrespective of what number of obstacles, struggles, sufferings, persecutions come earlier than us. Might folks obtain God’s blessings by this church. Might these misplaced youngsters know and perceive God.

We thank God for blessing us with a stupendous church by CFI. We’re nonetheless receiving God’s blessings by CFI. Along with your assist and assist, we’re nonetheless okay in lots of troublesome conditions.

Particular because of [CFI’s director]. God is blessing us loads by him. By him God gave us a stupendous church home. Now we are able to sing, reward and worship God soulfully and for His functions.

Thanks to CFI’s members who work tirelessly and are nonetheless by our facet. We pray to God that you could be stand by the facet of many extra believers sooner or later.

Might God bless you all the time

“You’ve got been by our facet with the blessings of God and we hope that you can be by our facet sooner or later and in our happiness and disappointment.” Tabil