Thousands of Indonesians have heard the Gospel during the Palu Friendship Festival on the island of Sulawesi.
Security was tight after hundreds of Muslims staged multiple protests against the event.
It was led by evangelists Pete Youngren from Canada and Jakob Wendesten from Switzerland.
The festival was organised by the Fellowship of Churches and Evangelical Institutions of Central Sulawesi.
PROTESTS DEMAND THAT THE GOSPEL OUTREACH BE CANCELLED
It was originally planned as an interfaith event, but an outcry from Islamic groups forced authorities to limit it to Christian activities.
Demonstrators accused Pete Youngren of being “intolerant” because he published a book on efforts to achieve (spiritual) “victory” in (spiritual) “enemy” territory.
They considered Jakob Wedensten offensive for publicly mentioning the existence of a small radical Muslim group.
Muslims blocked the Friendship Festival venue and called for the event to be cancelled.
But the governor of Central Sulawesi, Rusdy Mastura, allowed it to go ahead.
“We all want to maintain religious tolerance, so let’s work together to maintain harmony,” he told the protestors.
A security force of nearly 500 military personnel, police officers and government officials ensured it proceeded without incident.
Pete Youngren who founded World Impact Ministries is renowned for holding Friendship Festivals in over 60 nations during the last 35 years.
Some have attracted as many as 600,000 people in a single service.
The evangelist claims 16 million salvations.
He has regularly held outreaches to large crowds across Indonesia without any previous incidents.
Mr. Youngren said of the protestors: “I think they compare me to the pastors they’ve heard of. Because I never consider one religion to be better than another. Never!”
“I’ve launched the same activities everywhere in the world. Not only here in Palu.”
“We bring the message of God’s love to everyone, usually, this message brings extraordinary healing experiences,” he said.
“It is not only a testimony of miracles, but also about how God’s love can change someone’s life in the long term.”
Both evangelists said they visited the world’s largest Muslim nation “to serve, not to divide.”
They preached that Jesus took away the sins of the world for all those who believed in Him.
They also agreed that Islamic extremism remains a major challenge for churches and individual Christians in Indonesia.
That’s because there’s an escalating interest in the Gospel in Indonesia and more and more Muslims are turning to faith in Christ — which is alarming Muslim leaders.
HUGE TURNOUT FROM MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY IN INDONESIAN FRONTIER CITY
Worthy News reports Pete Youngren has recently held rallies in other areas of Indonesia, including the easternmost city of Merauke in South Papua Province near the border with Papua New Guinea.
It has seen an extensive transmigration program, causing the Muslim population to grow from 5% around 50 years ago to more than 75% today.
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,” Pete Youngren observed.
He added that “many” were healed from deafness, blindness, and other diseases.
‘Murni’ who teaches at a school attended by many Muslims said: “Before this Festival, I could never mention Jesus’s name, but now everyone is talking about Jesus.”
“I also helped on the platform to test the people that had been healed, so I know personally the tremendous joy that came into their hearts,” she added.
“Many Muslims who were not physically sick attended just to see what God was doing, after hearing stories of what the Lord had done the previous nights.”
Around 11% of Indonesia’s 280 million people profess to be Christians. Around 3% identify as evangelicals.
Photo: peteryoungren.org — Shows Merauke Friendship Festival with Pete Youngren in lower left corner
Article by Tony Davenport
