Arabian Peninsula (MNN) — You don’t often hear “good news for believers” coming from the Muslim-dominated Arabian Peninsula, or AP.
Christians face extremely high levels of persecution in the nine countries of the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Converting from Islam to Christianity is forbidden and even carries the death penalty in some AP nations.
The AP is also a hotbed for Islamic extremism. Church growth seems extremely unlikely in conditions like these. But that’s exactly what’s happening according to Chris*, a believer whose organization supports persecuted AP Christians.
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“Twenty years ago, [there were] no believers,” he says. Today, God is raising up Christian leaders in the region through Chris’s organization.
“I think that’s incredible, what God is doing…I want to tell you in order to get more engagement, to have you praying and…standing with us to reach out to the local believers.”
Some AP citizens spend their summer holidays in Europe, where believers reach them with the Good News. Others encounter Christ through dreams and visions. Media ministries reach yet another group of people.
In Yemen, the “[Holy] Spirit is working more ‘forcefully’; we see fruit and a lot of believers coming together,” Chris shares.
Praise God with us for this development, and please continue circling the Arabian Peninsula in prayer. The number of believers in the Arabian Peninsula is still very small, and they often get discouraged by their minuteness.
“Pray that God will open the gates,” Chris requests. “Although we are thankful for the believers that God is bringing, my prayer is that God will open the gates a little bit wider so that we could see 10 to 15 in one place coming to faith.”
Pray also for Christian women, as they experience isolation to an even further degree.
“[It’s a challenge for] ladies…to come out of their houses, even. That’s just the way that society has built itself,” explains Chris.
Ask the Lord to connect Chris and his organization with nonbelievers who’re seeking to truly know God. Pray strength and encouragement for the small but growing number of AP believers.
