[Today's Prayer] Muslims in Indonesia Suspend Christian Church Service at Village Cafe
Updated: Aug 22, 2023

A group of Muslims in Indonesia's northern Sumatra state stopped a Christian worship service while police were watching.
According to the Christian Post (CP), members of the Gereja Mawar Sharon Church were worshipping at a cafe in Setia Village, Binjai Kota District, near Medan, the provincial capital.
According to a video posted on social media, after protests againts the church, a Muslim woman wearing a hijab led the disruption of the worship gathering. The video shows her standing next to a police officer and refusing the allowance of Christian worship with a loud voice.
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She said, “You minorities shouldn't always ask to be respected. As required by the government, we must respect each other. What is the use of making rules if we break them again? We mediated this from the front and back, but it never came to pass.”
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Indonesia ranks 33rd out of 50 countries in which it is most difficult to become a Christian on the list of countries that persecute Christianity released by Open Doors, a Christian persecution monitoring group.
According to the report from Open Doors, Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches that engage in evangelism can become the target of Islamic extremist groups.
“If churches are seen to evangelize and spread the gospel, they face opposition from Islamic extremist groups, especially in rural areas,” the report said. “In parts of Indonesia, non-traditional churches are struggling to get permits to build churches, and authorities often ignore their paperwork,” he said.
Source: Christian Today https://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/355714
But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin (Mark 3:27-29).
Heavenly Father, we hear that Muslims in Indonesia have stopped Christian worship taking place in a village cafe.
We are deeply saddened by the difficulties in building churches, evangelism, and worship that they are facing in a conservative Muslim-majority Indonesian society.
Lord, would you have mercy upon this land. Just as the strong must first be bound before they can plunder a house, we desire for you to bind and cast out the lies and viciousness covering this land in the name of Jesus.
May the Spirit of truth fully come upon this land so that the Indonesian people will no longer commit the sin of hindering worship and blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and may they repent and return to Jesus Christ, the Savior, with tears.
Also, let the brothers and sisters who are continuing to hold on to worship and keeping their faith never back down, but let them worship and spread the gospel until the end, trusting in the victorious Jesus Christ.
Therfore, let Indonesia no longer be a barren wasteland, but rise up as a holy nation and priest that worships and welcomes the Lord with praises of joy.
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