Church

Persecuted Christians inspire faith within Singapore church

"The persecuted Church can help the Church in Singapore," said Efren M Pallorina. "The persecuted Church is not there just for us to pity them but to challenge us and help us in our faith."

The Regional Director, Southeast Asia (Development), Open Doors International, was speaking at the ministry’s annual supporters’ dinner fellowship Partners on the Frontline held at Sha Villa, Rosette Restaurant in Singapore last Friday.

Isabel, a regular participant in Open Doors’ monthly prayer meeting, testified of the many lessons of faith she learned from being a part of the persecuted Church support network as a prayer partner.

Through the reality of persecution in the worldwide Church, believers can reaffirm that they are coming closer to the Second Coming.

“All this is happening for a purpose,” she said. “It is part of God’s agenda.”

The steadfast faith of those persecuted also becomes a challenge for Christians locally. Without a roof over their heads or even a Bible in hand, “what sustains them is God’s Word,” she stated, describing many Singapore believers as being rooted more in the economic and physical world than the Word and the spiritual world of faith, and as “spiritually impoverished”.

Thus challenged, Isabel and her husband began reading the Word of God everyday and teaching their four-year-old daughter to do the same, believing that it is only an intimate knowledge of the Bible that can make her strong.

The persecuted believers also sincerely put their trust in God through prayer, a stark contrast to many Singaporeans who have a good career and honestly “rely on our own strength”.

She also admired the persecuted Church for being close to God’s heart, being desperate to feel God everyday and living out the Bible everyday and having a “heart knowledge” rather than “head knowledge” of the Word. This is played out especially in the need for the persecuted Christians to learn from the Lord to forgive their persecutors.

“The best way to disarm a terrorist is to make him a Christian,” she said. “Only God can do this. Christ loved those who crucified Him. Only God’s love can help us to love those who persecute.”

Open Doors, which supports persecuted believers across the world, also works with youth to pray for the persecuted Church in an initiative known as Youth Underground and getting women in free countries to support those who are being persecuted in missions-risky countries, in Women to Women.

Moreover, the ministry's representatives travel to areas where believers are persecuted to offer their presence and comfort.

The organisation is presently helping secret believers in countries where it is life-threatening to come out as a Christian by building safe houses far away from their persecutors where they can gather.

Open Doors, Singapore, conducts its regular prayer meetings on the last Tuesday of each month at its office at 8, Sin Ming Road, #02-06 Sin Ming Centre, Singapore 575628.

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Persecuted Christians inspire faith within Singapore church

"The persecuted Church can help the Church in Singapore," said Efren M Pallorina. "The persecuted Church is not there..