“And He said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23
This Bible verse is familiar to many, but what does this really look like for the global church? In Indonesia, the cost of following Jesus can look different for each believer, but there is a cost. Here are some examples of the persecution that can happen when an Indonesian becomes a believer:
Community
In communities, most believers see the cost through avoidance and shunning by neighbors. Other kids may be told to avoid the kids that are Christians. Believers may be left out of important neighborhood events. In more animistic societies, they can be the targets of spells and other demonic spiritual attacks. In extremely conservative neighborhoods, the persecution can take the form of violence against a family, their animals, or their house.
There have also been instances of community leaders confiscating ID cards from new believers. When this happens, life becomes much more difficult for the individual. They often can’t find work or marry.
As for churches, there may be attacks on the buildings themselves. Two notable instances of this in the 21st century occurred on the island of Lombok and the city of Surabaya. In early 2000, widespread church burning occurred in Lombok, causing believers to escape by boat to other islands and resulting in many churches completely destroyed. In 2018, three separate churches were bombed in the East Java city of Surabaya.
Family
Family persecution most commonly looks like shunning the new believers. This is especially devastating for a culture where family relationships are a major part of life. Families depend on each other for financial support, caring for children and elderly members, and help in other areas of life. Spells, demonic spiritual attacks, and violence can also be from family members.
Government
Generally, Indonesia is a country that welcomes its six official religions equally, a fact that is a source of pride for many of its citizens. There are instances of individuals being arrested for violating blasphemy laws. A few years ago, a former governor was arrested on blasphemy charges for speaking against the predominant religion, serving two years in jail.
Most people don’t realize that an Indonesian citizen’s religion is listed on their identification card. This determines things like who you can marry (you can’t marry across different religions) and where you can send your children to school (they must attend a school of the same religion as listed on their ID card). The process to change the religion listed on an ID card from Muslim to Christian is extremely difficult and frequently stalls in the bureaucratic process for months or years. However, if a Christian wants to change their ID to Muslim, the process is very quick and simple.
Ways to pray for Indonesian believers:
- Pray for courage to follow Jesus in spite of the cost
- For protection from those that disagree with their beliefs
- Pray for the government to protect the rights of all Indonesians
