Day 18
Vietnam
Praise Points
Praise God for the Courageous Vietnamese Church, which is a beacon of hope in the region (The Bible, Ephesians 6:14).
Praise God for raising His Children from among Vietnam’s global trading partners whose concerns about the treatment of Christian Believers in the country are bringing down the society-based persecution (The Bible, Psalm 146:7).
Prayer Points
Pray for God’s comfort for the persecuted in Vietnam. Pray for the women and young girls who are forced into marriage or trafficked because of their faith (The Bible, Psalm 129:4).
Pray for the pastors and house church leaders who were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by Vietnamese authorities. Pray for their immediate release and God’s comfort for their families (The Bible, Psalm 25:17).
Pray for Vietnamese Christian Converts to find fellowship groups where they can learn, grow, and be encouraged (The Bible, Matthew 18:20).
A Call to Salvation
Let the Holy Spirit move all those who persecute Christian Believers in Vietnam through the actions of their victims in the face of violence. Let them seek the TRUTH and have their thirst quenched by the Living Water (The Bible, Matthew 5:13-16).
Promise for the Nation
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the Faith of the Gospel (The Bible, Philippians 1:27).
Vietnam is a country with a history of wars and carnage. It is one of the last communist countries in the world. Since the Vietnam War, the country invested heavily in education and vocational skills. Vietnam has the highest number of colleges in Southeast Asia and is a rising star in the Information Technology (IT) field. While the urban areas in the country are shaping up to be a modern economy, nothing changed in the rural areas. Christian Believers continue to be targets of violence, human trafficking, domestic violence, discrimination, eviction, and forced isolation. The Vietnamese Church is not yielding to any of the strongarm tactics by local authorities, armed forces, or to the pressure from families. They are not only undeterred from their faith, but they are also engaging in the Great Commission. House church networks are of particular interest to the Vietnamese government. Arrests, demolitions, and forced marriages are on the rise. The other forms of persecution show a dip. This is why Vietnam dropped a few places to be listed at 35th in the Open Doors Persecution List.
Day 18
Yemen
Praise Points
Praise God for the defiant Yemeni Church persevering under extreme persecution (The Bible, Romans 8:35).
Praise God for the Yemeni Christian Believers who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ despite the threat of violence (The Bible, Romans 8:31).
Prayer Points
Pray for our beloved Brothers and Sisters in Yemen. Pray for God’s comfort as they endure violent persecution (The Bible, Jeremiah 8:18).
Pray for God to supernaturally destroy the supply chains of the warring factions in Yemen and impede their ability to wage wars (The Bible, Psalm 9:5).
Pray for God to raise His Children – A new generation of Christian Believers from among the Houthis, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State in Yemen (The Bible, Acts 9:1-25).
Pray for more concrete measures by the rest of the world to mediate and bring a conclusion to the war in Yemen (The Bible, James 3:18).
A Call to Salvation
Let all those who seek to destroy God’s precious Children in Yemen have dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. Let them accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, surrender their weapons of war, and join the Great Commission (The Bible, Acts 2:17).
Promise for the Nation
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (The Bible, Psalm 46:10).
Yemen is a land of several territories with violent groups controlling them. The ousted government backed by Saudi Arabia, the Houthi rebels backed by Iran, the Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State are the prominent groups fighting across Yemen. Their ideologies and radical beliefs make it nearly impossible for Yemeni Christians to practice their faith. However, nothing is impossible with God. The Yemeni Church grows in secret. Yemeni Christian Believers meet in tiny groups to avoid detection. The humanitarian crisis makes their lives even more difficult. There are very few jobs available. The West seems content to supply weapons and not much in terms of trying to de-escalate the war in Yemen. For now, Yemenis seem to be forgotten by the world. The Open Doors Persecution List ranks Yemen at 5th only because of increased persecution in other countries in the top 10.