(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday September 30, 2021 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

Brunei: Population: 445,000, Christian 52,000 (11.7%)

Brunei is a Muslim-majority nation under the rule of a dynastic sultan and Islamic Sharia law. There are about 20 churches in Brunei and few opportunities for Bruneians to hear the gospel. While oil wealth has ensured that few people lack in material needs, spiritual needs are great. Despite the risks, a few bold evangelists and missionaries continue to bring the light of the gospel to this dark land.

Almost 80 percent of Bruneians are Sunni Muslims, and nearly all of the 9 percent who are Christians are ethnically Chinese. The government is the main persecutor of Christians.

Brunei is a Muslim-majority nation under the rule of a dynastic sultan and Islamic Sharia law. There are about 20 churches in Brunei and few opportunities for Bruneians to hear the gospel. While oil wealth has ensured that few people lack in material needs, spiritual needs are great. Despite the risks, a few bold evangelists and missionaries continue to bring the light of the gospel to this dark land.

The government is the main persecutor of Christians. Bibles in Malay, the country’s official language, are illegal and are confiscated if discovered. No bookstores in Brunei sell Bibles.

While some historic churches exist in Brunei, no new church buildings are allowed. In 2015, all Christmas displays were banned. Churches are often afraid to reach out to Muslims because they are monitored closely by the religious police. Even inviting a Muslim to a Christmas celebration would be problematic. The penalty for evangelizing Muslims is a $15,000 fine, up to five years in prison or both. Nevertheless, several secret believers have been baptized.

• Pray that seekers and new believers will be protected from persecutors among the country’s leaders.

• Pray that more Brunei Muslims will think critically about what they believe.

• Pray that more leaders in the country will hear the truth and want to know Jesus. 

• Pray that Muslims will learn the truth about God and Jesus Christ.

• Pray that secret believers will wisely witness for Christ to their friends and family.

• Pray that God will break that squeeze and release His church to be a blessing to this nation. As Islam grows, pray that God will strengthen the church there.

• Pray also for the church in Brunei, that God would bless them and use them for His kingdom. Pray for wisdom for pastors and church leaders, as they identify ways to encourage their members to be faithful to Him, as well as be salt and light for the nation.

OMAN Population: 5,25 Million,  Christians 185,000 (3.6%)

The Sultanate of Oman is less restrictive than its neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula. There are a limited number of church buildings, and the few Omani Christians in the country usually meet covertly and only carefully discuss their faith because of the risk of persecution from family, community and govern

Nearly all Omanis are Muslims, including around 70 percent Ibadi Muslims, with the remainder a mix of Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Family members and communities pressure those who convert from Islam to Christianity, and the government intervenes if Christian converts become well known or are viewed as a source of shame in their community.

Leaving Islam is not a criminal act in Oman, but Christian converts can face legal challenges in several other ways. There are so few Omani believers, and the risk of persecution is so high that Christian converts must meet in small groups and use caution in sharing their faith. Foreign Christians are permitted to meet, but they are not allowed to meet in homes or to evangelize other Omanis.

The government allows the Bible Society to sell Bibles and Christian literature to foreigners inside the country, but not to Omanis. There is only one Christian bookstore, in Oman’s capital, but Omanis can easily access digital and audio Bibles online.

• Pray for local believers who lost their jobs because of their faith.

• Pray for the protection of missionaries serving in the country.

• Pray that the truth of God’s Word will overcome the falsehoods of Islam.

• Pray for the undercover work of NGOs who provide Bibles and discipleship materials and spiritual support.

• Pray to the Lord that new believers will not fear of what will happen when they start following Christ. That the Lord will take away the fear that one of their new fellow Christians will betray them.  Please pray this bondage of fear will be broken.

• Pray to God to bring isolated secret believers into fellowship with other believers. Pray for whole families to come to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Pray for Christians who desire to raise up families who love and honor God through Jesus. Pray for God to connect believers to one another for the purpose of marriage. . Pray for God to raise up families who glorify His name.

• Pray that The Lord will direct the steps of the NGOs who support the Christian community.

Again, we want to lift up persecuted witnesses to the Lord: 

• Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
• Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
• Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
• Pray for Anita, a Christian convert facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
• For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.

Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator

Prayer Conference Call Details

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

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Call in number: 712 775-7035

Access Code: 281207#

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What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team

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Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.