Thousands Hear Gospel In Indonesia Despite Protests (Worthy News Focus)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Despite reported protests from radical Muslims, thousands have heard the Gospel during Palu’s Friendship Festival and related evangelistic events in Indonesia, Worthy News learned Thursday.
Longtime Canadian evangelist Peter Youngren and Swiss evangelist Jacob Wendesten, who participated in the Friendship Festival, said they visited the world’s largest Muslim nation “to serve, not to divide.”
Security at the January 30-February 2 event in Palu, the capital of Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province, was tight after hundreds of Muslims from various Islamic groups protested against the festival.
Despite the unrest, no significant incidents were reported at the festival organized by the Persekutuan Gereja dan Lembaga Injili (PGLI), the Fellowship of Churches and Evangelical Institutions of Central Sulawesi.
The festival is part of a broader effort by Peter Youngren and Swiss evangelist Jacob Wendesten to reach Muslims and others with news “that Jesus Christ took
away the sins of the world” for all those who believe in Him.
Although Christians are in the minority in Indonesia, many Muslims turn to faith in Christ, according to church leaders and missionaries speaking to Worthy News.
Youngren said he also held rallies in other areas of Indonesia, including Merauke, Indonesia’s most eastern city in South Papua Province.
TRANSMIGRATION PROGRAM
It has seen an extensive transmigration program, causing the Muslim population to grow from 5 percent (50 years ago) to more than 75 percent today, according to research by Youngren’s World Impact Ministries (WIM) organization.
The population is a mixture of traditional tribes and immigrants from Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. “Regardless of background and culture, the people showed a great openness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Youngren said, adding that “many” were healed from deafness, blindness, and other diseases.
But perhaps the biggest miracle was the openness to the eternal life offered by Christ, suggested participants. “I’m a teacher in a school where many Muslims attend. Before this Festival, I could never mention Jesus’ name, but now everyone is talking about Jesus,” said teacher Murni in comments obtained by Worthy News.
“I also helped on the platform to test the people that had been healed so I know personally the tremendous joy that came to their hearts. Many Muslims who were not physically sick attended just to see what God was doing. People heard stories of what the Lord had done the previous nights, and then they attended the following service only to experience it for themselves,” added the woman, who used one name.
“Seeing people receive Christ was exciting as many people didn’t have an understanding about God, who loves them,” noted Taina Youngren, the wife of preacher Peter Youngren.
“Healings were remarkable – signs and wonders witness that Jesus is alive today. When tumors disappear as they did in Merauke, it is a great testimony of Christ’s life,” she added.
As news spread about the Christian faith, fellow preacher Jacob Wendesten was even invited into the recently built 5,000-seat Al-Aqsa Mosque, the largest in the region, where he could meet Islamic leaders, WIM announced.
YOUNG MIRACLE
Wendesten said he felt a calling to preach the Gospel at a very young age after his mother prayed for him when he got a deadly form of cancer at the age of six. When his mother, Annika, found out, she cried out to God for “a word of comfort.”
When she opened her bible, her eyes fell on the 30th chapter in Jeremiah: “Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.”
His mother, Annika, “immediately began to ask God to heal her son, and so it was, Jakob got miraculously healed.” News about his miracle began to spread “all over the hospital, and no one could explain how,” inspiring Wendesten to preach the Gospel.
He traveled to Indonesia from Kentucky, where he handed his wife, Shana Wendesten, pastor of New Beginnings Worship Center, besides other mission activities.
Despite the growing interest in the Gospel, both evangelists suggested that Islamic extremism remains a major challenge for churches and individual Christians in Indonesia.
That became clear in Palu City, where the Palu City Aqidah Guarding Alliance (AJA) warned that the promotion of the evangelistic Friendship Festival festival has been “excessive” and “threatens religious tolerance in Central Sulawesi.”
Billboards promoting the event, which featured images of Muslim women, were prominent throughout Palu City leading up to the festival.
BILLBOARDS REJECTED
“We reject the implementation of the 2025 Palu Friendship Festival and request that the festival billboards that have been spread at various points in Palu City be immediately removed,” said Ari Fachri, action coordinator for AJA, during a demonstration in front of the Palu mayor’s office on January 17.
The AJA said Pastor Youngren, “known to attract Muslims to his large faith healing events,” claims that they can be healed with faith in Christ. This, protestors said, makes the pastor intolerant.
“We ask the government to be more assertive in responding to similar activities in the future to maintain peace and harmony between religious communities,” added Ustad Hartono, another representative of the Muslim protesters, in published remarks.
Several Islamic groups conducted demonstrations on January 17, 24, and 29 to cancel the event. Still, eventually, local authorities allowed the festival under the condition that it would promote itself as a “Christian-only” event.
Central Sulawesi Governor Rusdy Mastura added, “We all want to maintain religious tolerance. Let us work together to preserve harmony.”
Mastura told demonstrators he was not taking sides but seeking a peaceful resolution. “We must not be carried away by emotions but uphold good morals. The [Islamic] Prophet Muhammad came to improve morality,” he noted.
Speaking at a dinner at the Aston Hotel, preacher Youngren said, “I do not see those protesting [outside] against me as bad people. They act out of their beliefs, and I respect that. But I think they don’t really know me. I have never considered one religion superior to another.” He said the event aimed to share God’s love with everyone, regardless of their background. “This message often has a healing effect.”
Some 11 percent of Indonesia’s over 280 million people profess to be ‘Christian,’ including about 3 percent evangelicals.
However, church sources say the actual figure could be 20 or even 30 percent as “many Muslims turn to Christ” despite Islamic extremists attacking churches.
(With reporting from Worthy News contributor in Indonesia).
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