Hoa came to know Christ at age 17. Like many of her peers, she grew up in a Buddhist family. When school friends invited her to church, she met Christ and gave her life to the Lord. She eventually moved to Ho Chi Minh City to work in business.
Over time, however, Hoa’s fervor for the Lord diminished. She married a non-Christian man and was ridiculed by her mother-in-law who worshipped ancestors and wanted Hoa to do the same. After a bout of severe illness in her family, Hoa learned that her mother-in-law had asked a spirit doctor to curse them. When the spirit doctor died, the family’s health returned. Through these trials, Hoa was driven to the arms of her Savior once again.
The Spiritual Climate in Vietnam
Hoa’s story is not unlike many Christians in Vietnam. In fact, in a population of 93 million, less than two percent are evangelical Christians.[1] While Buddhism and Confucianism are widely accepted, ancestor worship is the dominant religious practice, inciting a fear of spirits in many people. Introducing the good news of Jesus Christ to Vietnam’s people will require reaching entire families and communities, not just individuals, with God’s love.
Praise God that a small Christian population is steadily growing in Vietnam. A small number of Kinh believers (the majority group) follow Christ in the North and South, totaling around 447,000 believers. Bibles are available in Vietnamese (though not all minority languages), and Christian radio programs among the Hmong minority have had a wide-range impact. Approximately 350,000 Hmong in Vietnam follow Christ, largely through the influence of radio.
While we see encouraging evidence of God’s work in Vietnam, many of the country’s 53 minority people groups are still unreached. Restrictions on religious activities have eased in recent years, but churches still exercise limited freedoms, and in some regions, experience harassment from police. Authorities might do anything from breaking up a meeting to arresting church leaders to pressuring believers to renounce their faith.
As we focus on prayer for Vietnam this month, pray that God would send his word forth among the Vietnamese, and that it would take root for his glory among the unreached.
Our Prayer for Vietnam
- God, empower Vietnamese Christians to reach out to friends and family with the message of the gospel, sharing a clear call to obedience and commitment.
- Lord, provide biblical training for church leaders, especially younger church leaders who have had little theological study.
- God, may your Spirit break through the spiritual chains of those who live in bondage to a fear of spirits.
- Lord, send workers who will bring the message of the gospel to minority groups who have yet to hear.
Visit omf.org/us–precise/pray-for-vietnam to download prayer materials for Vietnam. Text PRAYVIETNAM to 24587 to receive daily prayer points on weekdays throughout February.
Hoa’s story was excerpted from “A House Divided.” Read the full story HERE.
[1] “Vietnam,” Joshua Project, accessed February 4, 2016.
Subscribe
0 Comments