Quảng grew up in a Christian family; his father was a pastor, and his mother was a teacher. He loved the Lord just like his parents and would join them in their outreach efforts. He witnessed their wonderful example and enjoyed accompanying them, especially when they distributed food to believers and preached the gospel to other villagers, sharing that Jesus is the only way to salvation. His parents also opened a school for children from dysfunctional families or with special needs.
Growing up as a minister’s son was not easy for Quảng. He was bullied at school by teachers for being a Christian, who called him and his family traitors to the communists for following what they labelled an ‘American religion’. Sometimes, the teachers even encouraged other students to bully him because of his faith. Some people went so far as to accuse his parents of selling drugs to lure people into believing the foreign religion they followed. These accusations were meant to humiliate and ridicule his parents’ faith. But instead of retaliating, Quảng humbly accepted the mistreatment for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As an adult, Quảng followed in his father’s footsteps to become a pastor. He enrolled in Bible college, and soon after, became a full-fledged pastor, serving the Lord in the villages. However, the denomination he was connected with wanted him to stay in the city and help with the ministry there. Quảng, feeling that he wouldn’t be doing the ministry God was calling him to, chose not to stay. He decided to return to his village, determined to be a light in that area. He prayed and surrendered himself to serve God wherever He would lead.
Quảng started his ministry with great enthusiasm and was clever in his evangelism. He often visited other villages, asking locals for directions, which would naturally lead to conversations where he could share the gospel. At times, he would go to homes asking for a drink of water, and when people kindly offered him one, he would take the opportunity to share the gospel with them.
Sharing the gospel in the villages was never easy, especially since the local authorities claimed to be the law of the land and forced people to follow their commands. They played a significant role in disrupting Quảng’s ministry, harassing him and calling him names to discourage him from preaching. They tried to intimidate him in many ways, hoping he would stop evangelising. But in the face of persecution, Quảng remembered David’s words in Psalm 23: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” This gave him the courage and assurance that God would never leave him, and it filled him with boldness to continue the ministry.
Quảng was not the only one to experience persecution from the local authorities. Whenever he evangelised to the local people, the authorities would harass and interrogate them about what Quảng had told them. Once they became believers, the authorities tried to force them to give up their land and evict them from their homes. Sometimes, the authorities would steal their land outright, along with the crops they had planted. In some cases, they would even poison the land with chemicals, preventing anything from growing or killing any crops that were planted. While these actions affected the believers’ livelihoods, it never weakened their faith. Instead, their faith was strengthened, knowing that even in persecution, God was faithful in providing for their needs and sustaining them daily.
The Lord also used Quảng to plant several house churches, keeping them secret. One day, the local authorities discovered one of the house churches he had established. He was interrogated and accused of holding illegal meetings against the communists. Because he was already well known in the villages, the authorities offered him a compromise: they would allow him to register the church and its members, granting state recognition. However, they would have to screen the messages preached to ensure they didn’t oppose the government or communism.
Despite this, Quảng was determined to preach Christ no matter the cost. He refused the authorities’ offer, continuing to plant churches and encouraging other believers to serve the Lord regardless of the persecution they might face. He remained resolute in his mission to reach another tribe of 115,000 people who had not yet heard the good news of salvation.
Many believers in the villages are enduring hurtful words, painful blows, and fierce threats from local authorities, hoping to stop the spread of the gospel. Little do the authorities know that instead of hindering it, these challenges only helped spread the Word, allowing more people to see how beautiful Christ is.
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