Nepali believers are determined
to remain faithful to the Lord.
Photo: International Mission Board
For the past several years, the church in Nepal has been growing at a significant rate. Christians have shown the love of Christ by caring for orphans, fighting human trafficking, and providing necessary job training. Recognizing the benefits, even the communist government requested assistance from the church.
As the church's influence has grown -- resulting in more people coming to faith in Christ -- the challenges being experienced due to opposition have also been on the increase. Hindu nationalism in India has spread into Nepal, bringing with it a push for anti-conversion legislation and threats against Christians. The aftermath of the mounting pressure includes death threats against church leaders, the destruction of churches, and threats of endangerment to children at school.
According to Joe Handley of Asian Access, Christians are refusing to be intimidated: "They tell me that 'We're not going to stop. No matter what the government does, it won't stop the work of God, and we will continue to obey Christ's command to take the Gospel to the ends of the nations and the ends of the earth.'" The Nepali believers are asking for prayer as they move forward with the grace of the Gospel.
Pray that these believers will not be fearful, but rather would stand firm in the power and love of God (2 Timothy 1:7). May they continue conveying His love and peace to many others in Nepal's communities through their various humanitarian and evangelistic outreaches.
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