As Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, continues to mourn the death of at least 28 victims of a collapsed mine disaster, Michael Youssef offered the gift of eternal life in Christ on the first evening of a three-day mission at the Istora Stadium on Thursday night.
Thirty-eight workers were initially trapped last week when part of the tunnel caved in at Freeport’s Grasberg, one of the world’s biggest gold and copper mines high in the mountains of the remote Papua province.
Ten people were recovered alive soon afterward, but rescue efforts were hampered by the narrow tunnel and the unstable situation, with rocks continuing to fall from the roof.
In the face of this tragedy, Youssef preached a powerful message on the value of the individual soul to thousands in the stadium and to countless others on live TV across Indonesia via the IndoVision network, and hundreds came to the platform to receive the security of new life in Christ.
In a country with a staggering population, the value of an individual human being was a compelling message.
Although the arena has 15,000 seats, the message was delivered to millions via broadcast and online media—impacting untold numbers with the hope of the gospel.
Youssef and his son, Jonathan, ministered at a local church for Iranian refugees Friday. In addition, the elder Youssef has been working with local pastors and ministry leaders to train them to take this message to all of Indonesia because he believes a three-day evangelistic campaign is not enough in the face of mounting challenges to the Christian faith.
“We must train local pastors and ministry leaders to extend this message to a nation hungry for the truth,” he says.
He adds, “This is just one small element of Leading the Way’s ministry. Our commitment to proclaiming truth in a world of competing voices has never been more important. Now is the time for taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people who need it most.”
The meetings over the next day will continue to be streamed live Saturday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. U.K. time, on leadingtheway.org.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
