BHUTAN: Prayers Answered On College Campuses

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The Voice of the Martyrs

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🗓️ 2 November 2024

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

With almost 90% of people in Bhutan identifying as Buddhists, those who follow Christ are a tiny minority. Pastor Rajiv, a church planter and leadership trainer in South Asia, works to reach Bhutanese people for Christ and knows what happens when someone follows Jesus in this restricted nation.

In Bhutan, the king is seen as both a political and religious leader. One of his duties is defending Buddhism in the nation. Becoming a Christian is seen as being a traitor to the country and the king. It’s also against the law, so Christians who gather together must do so in secret.

Yet being in fellowship with other believers is crucial to spiritual growth and perseverance. Pastor Rajiv reveals his heart for young people and shares how vital it is for them to meet together to study the Bible and pray with one another. Over the last ten years, God has made Pastor Rajiv’s prayers reality: there are now Christian groups that meet on all the college campuses in Bhutan.

Rajiv will share his own story of coming to Christ and how he was called into missions. He will also share stories of Bhutanese who have come to faith along with the pressure and Christian persecution they face from the government if they do not renounce Christ.

“When you want to live a radical life for Christ, you’ll be willing to pay the cost,” Rajiv says.

As you learn how to specifically pray for Bhutan and for Pastor Rajiv, pray with Christians all over the world for the persecuted church this month as part of the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. Also, be inspired by this year’s IDOP video, which features the Martinez family in Colombia.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Believers in Jesus never take a vacation from serving the Lord.
0:05.0	Pastor Rajiv remembers visiting Bhutan, a nation closed to the gospel.
0:10.0	So I would travel into the country as a tourist, go to their colleges, sit in the cafeteria, and pray,
0:18.0	Lord, this is what we want to see. And we see it with the eyes of faith that there will be a Bible study group here.
0:26.8	And in 10 years, God has made that possible.
0:30.8	So tourists definitely can go in with that great passion of prayer.
0:40.3	And God will open the doors. Jesus never promised his followers an easy path.
0:44.3	In fact, he told his disciples that the world would hate them.
0:48.3	He sent them out as sheep among wolves.
0:51.3	Jesus' words came true in the life of the apostles, and they're still coming true today
0:55.7	in the lives of his followers around the world. Join host Todd Nettleton as we hear their inspiring
1:00.8	stories and learn how we can help right now on the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.
1:06.1	Welcome again to the Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is Todd Nettleton. We're in our studio today
1:10.6	in Bartlesville, Oklahoma with Pastor Rajeev. He is going to be Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is Todd Nettleton. We're in our studio today in
1:10.8	Bartlesville, Oklahoma with Pastor Rajiv. He is going to be another of our one-name-only
1:16.4	guests because we want to protect him. We want to protect his family and the work that he's doing
1:21.9	in South Asia. Pastor Rajiv is involved in church planting. He's involved in leadership training, and he's involved in student ministry, especially focusing on the nation of Bhutan, focusing on reaching the Bhutanese people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1:37.5	Pastor Rajiv, welcome to the Voice of the Martyrs Radio.
1:40.9	Thank you.
1:41.5	It's my privilege.
1:43.0	Maybe let's start at the beginning. What is your own
1:45.9	story of coming to faith in Christ? I am a missionary kid. My father. Me too. My father, when he was
	...

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