Removing the Veil (Focus: Laos)

Dear Friends,

It is one of my greatest privileges in life to travel the world, seeking out the remarkable ways in which people are turning to God, and then reporting back to the Empower Family the details of these movements. In this analysis, I present the various ​“means” or ​“methodologies” that national believers across the globe are using in their mission to introduce people to Christ. While each country, region, or people group may be different, they share commonalities in the strategies employed by Christ in building the global Church today as He did in the Early Church.

1. Ethiopia – Power Evangelism – Dreams/​Visions/​Healing/​Miracles/​Deliverance: Dreams — primarily for religious leadership of historic, false religions. Healings and deliverance serve as demonstrations of God’s existence, love, and power to the common people.

2. Laos – Compassionate Acts of Love: These acts are accompanied by bold and fearless preaching of the Word.

3. Serbia – Caring for the Despised and Marginalized: This is especially focused on the Romani or ​“Gypsy” population.

4. China – Personal Evangelism: Offering hope to the desperate and despondent under a punishing régime.

5. Vietnam and Cambodia (Southeast Asia) – Friendship/​Family Tree Evangelism: This approach is accompanied by physical healings and miracles.

6. India, El Salvador – Personal ​“Transformation”: Demonstrating the change in lives through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

7. Israel – Saturation with the Word of God: Revealing Yeshua as Messiah through the Scriptures.

8. Globally – The Veil of Understanding Is Being Lifted: As people take an initial step of faith towards Christ, the futility and fallacy of world religions is being revealed to them.

National church leaders and pastors have emphasized to me over the past year that one foundational element is at the heart of everything the Lord is doing. This is beautifully described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:14 – 18, and I would like to draw your attention to it by quoting from the New Living Translation (underlining is mine):

… But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

These pastors and leaders have reiterated to me on numerous occasions that as their people turn to the Lord and take a step of faith in His direction, they are almost instantly freed from the veil of confusion and distrust. This passage also applies to other false religions worldwide and like Israel, they have become hardened in their understanding of the Truth of the Gospel. In the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, they begin an extraordinary process of ​“spiritual metamorphosis” — transforming from lowly caterpillars into beautiful, born-again spiritual butterflies. I am told that this glorious change in life and character almost defies comprehension, because national pastors have never before witnessed such rapid and sustained spiritual transformation.

Surely, this is a profound and encouraging sign that we are witnessing a powerful work of God unfolding in so many countries and people groups. It provides us with unwavering assurance that Jesus continues to faithfully build His Church, just as He promised, in alignment with His Word. That’s why, this month we are featuring the incredible work in the country of Laos.

LAOS

Country Overview

Population: Approximately 7.7 million (2023 estimate)

Government: Laos is a one-party communist state.

Religion: The majority of the population (approximately 67%) practices Buddhism; Christians make up about 2 – 3%, with the rest practicing indigenous beliefs (Animism).

Ethnic Diversity: Laos is ethnically diverse, with over 50 distinct ethnic groups and 180 sub-groups, including Lao (majority), Khmu, Hmong, and various other indigenous groups.

Land Mass: Covering around 237,955 square kilometers, Laos is roughly the size of the United Kingdom.

Religious Persecution: Christians, especially in rural areas, face varying levels of persecution, including harassment, church closures, and forced renunciations of faith.

Empower Ministries partners with two national church planting movements in Laos. They are both seeing incredible growth in numbers and spiritual depth. This is a summary of my notes taken during interviews with the leaders and key pastors of each movement.

1. Church Growth

• Evangelism thrives in rural and tribal areas. One church planting ministry reports that in one rural province, 3,000 hear the Gospel each month and 10% pray to receive Christ. New believers gather in small groups for church services.
• Leadership training is mostly conducted in cities, because in remote regions everyone knows those who live in the area, and any visitors who are not related would be evident. They can conduct 3‑day Zoom Room online training sessions sometimes, if they are well hidden from authorities.
• Miracles and healings among tribal communities have led to entire families and villages turning to Christ.
• 3‑day funerals for believers are now common. Believing and unbelieving friends, family, and neighbours attend multiple times. Two services are conducted in the daytime and one in the evening. The services include singing and preaching the Gospel, and church members help with food. Authorities won’t stop the gatherings because they are funerals. It is common for individuals or even families to accept Christ at the funerals. Church leaders are also arranging Gospel proclamation services around birthdays and weddings.
• The month of December up to January 5^th is the prime time to preach the Gospel. Authorities allow it because of Christmas. Believers go in teams from village to village. Otherwise, it is illegal to preach the Gospel publicly or use Gospel tracts to convert people.
• There is incredible growth among the Hmong tribal group. Now over 10% are born again.
• In most regions, 60% of new converts are young people/​young adults. The leader stated, ​“They have revival in their hearts. They are warned by family that if they continue to follow Jesus they will be cut off from family and will lose their inheritance… but they will not back down.”

2. Persecution of Believers

• Although the central communist government claims to allow freedom of religion, religious pressure has now shifted from national to local authorities and village chiefs. Believers are harassed, threatened and sometimes arrested to discourage conversion. Tribal leaders are rewarded for maintaining traditional animistic practices and rejecting Christianity. The village worships a ​“village spirit”, but Christians do not participate, and therefore are often restricted from using the village water well. Other times, believers are expelled from their village and forced to live in the jungle/​forest, or their house and crops are burned.
• Examples: a) Five believers were imprisoned for a month without trial, in order to deter others from accepting Christ. b) A pastor was recently questioned for preaching and singing without cultural department permission after someone listened to his sermon online.

3. Compassionate Assistance

• Empower’s national partner has commenced a new ministry for orphaned children. When parents die, relatives often absorb children into their households, but usually they are mistreated and not cared for. Christian families are now opening their doors to receive them (unsaved relatives are eager to give them away). The Church assists newly enlarged Christian families with education and daily needs.
• Livelihood development for men and women is conducted in villages and towns by the church network for unsaved families. Women learn cooking and baking skills, and men learn to fix motorbikes and cut hair. Also, there is training in operating fish farms, agriculture, animal husbandry, and gardening, which are open to anyone in the community. These provide open doors for evangelism and discipleship. Skills training takes place during the day, and in the evening a 3‑month discipleship program is held.

4. New Christian Development (Discipleship) Model

• Specialized Christian mentors (called ​“caretakers”) are assigned to new believers. Step #1 – Repentance. Step #2 – How to live, how to pray, how to read the Bible starting with the New Testament. Step #3 – Study the discipleship booklet containing 15 subjects designed for those in Laotian culture and background (not Western). Step #4 – Plant the new believers into the house church and then take the one most hungry for God and raise that person up as the pastor of the group.
• New believers are hungry for the Word of God. They are given a New Testament with the goal of reading it in one month and encouraged to underline key passages.

5. Stories of Victory

• The Deaf Shall Hear: An elderly lady could not hear for over 10 years. The pastor prayed, laying hands on her ears. Immediately she could hear! From this one miracle, 17 people came to the Lord.
• Martyrdom of a Leader: The cost of following Christ in Laos remains high. Three weeks ago, one of the top church leaders, overseeing 40 congregations, was murdered in his home. The police claimed they couldn’t find any suspects, though they usually solve such cases quickly. The loss of this leader left a deep wound in the Christian community, but his legacy of faith and perseverance continues to inspire young pastors.
• Death over Denial: Many young people are turning to Christ in the Hmu tribe. One young believer was anxious to share the Gospel at every possible opportunity. He was caught and put in prison, where he continued to witness to his cell mates and the guards. The police said, ​“If you promise not to evangelize and sign a paper, then you will be released, and you can still attend church. But you can’t preach Jesus to others.” His parents who were unbelievers tried to get him to take the deal. He stood firm and said, ​“I cannot give up what I have experienced. What I see is the power in the Word of God. I will not back down. If you want me to separate from Jesus, then take your knife, cut right here, and pull out my heart and I will die.”
• Transformed by the Word of God: When one man in Laos encountered the New Testament, it changed everything. Known for his quick temper and hurried nature, his life was a storm of unrest. But as he delved into the Word of God, a transformation began. His friends noticed a calmer, more joyful version of the man. He stopped drinking, choosing peace over chaos. His wife was amazed when she saw how her husband’s heart softened, and his priorities shifted. ​“I want to experience this Book,” she said. ​“I want to see what changed him so deeply.” This hunger for the Gospel spread like wildfire, as more people asked for the Book that could change lives.