A 17-year-old Pakistani boy served as an evangelist for his tribe after he discovered Jesus. Rehan was working as a waiter when he met Safdar, a truck driver who worked with a Christian missions group called FMI. Safdar gave him an audio bible, which Rehan listened to. He later met with Safdar to talk about God and the Bible, and even converted to Christianity with a baptism.
Following his conversion to Christianity, the Pakistani teen shared the Gospel with his family and community members, Faithwire reported. At first, his parents showed concern because preaching Christianity in Pakistan is seriously dangerous. But with his courage, Rehan carried on.
A man named Nehemiah, who also worked with FMI, explained to Mission Network News that Rehan was not discouraged from his mission. He even invited missionaries to minister to his tribe and share the Gospel. The result was that the 60-person tribe soon stopped participating in Muslim prayer and accepted Jesus.
"One evening, he gathered all the tribe's members under one big tent. First, Rehan showed a movie about Jesus," Nehemiah recounted. "Then, an FMI partner shared a 15-minute devotion about new hope in Christ. That day, a 17-year-old boy led his whole tribe to the Lord Jesus Christ."
Rehan's story of bravery is remarkable, as Pakistan remains a dangerous place for Christians. Religious persecution is rampant and violence against Christians and other religious minorities is common. In fact, Open Doors USA's "2022 World Watch List" notes that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian.
"In Pakistan, Christians are considered second-class citizens and are discriminated against in every aspect of life," Open Doors USA reported. "Church leaders can be arrested if they don't abide by the authorities' wishes. These arrests act as warnings to the Christian minority and intimidates them further."
In fact, just last week, a Christian priest was shot dead by gunmen riding a motorcycle in Peshawar, a northwest region in Pakistan, DW reported. The 75 year old pastor was William Siraj, who died instantly upon being shot on the city's ring road. His colleague sustained non-life threatening injuries, while a third cleric remained unharmed. Police said they were reviewing CCTV footage to determine who the shooters were.
The clerics who were attacked were from the Church of Pakistan, a union of Protestant churches including the Methodists and the Anglicans. The church's most senior bishop, Azad Marshall, condemned the attack and took to Twitter to say, "We demand justice and protection of Christians from the Government of Pakistan."
Following the shooting, the After Killing of Christian Priest in Peshawar, Pakistan's Minority Spokesperson Anila Gulzar urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address issues of the religious persecution of minorities in the country at the United Nations Security Council and other international forums, News 18 reported.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Gulzar wrote, "Being the most vibrant democracy in South Asia and the largest in the world, I beg to the Indian government especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene."
