More than 100,000 people attended the largest Christian evangelistic event ever held in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
...Overflow crowds packed the grounds of the Burt Institute, a Christian school in Lahore, capital of Punjab province, Oct. 20-22 to hear pastor Lee Jae-Rock of Seoul, Korea's Manmin World Mission. Police re-routed traffic as crowds swarmed through the streets near the school in a predominantly Christian area of the city, the ministry's Johnny Kim told Religion Today.
...Muslims comprised about 60 percent of the crowd. People reported being cured of physical and spiritual ailments after Jae-Rock invited them to come forward for prayer, Kim said. Jae-Rock invited his listeners to put their faith in Christ, and every night thousands prayed with him to do so, he said.
..."It was wonderful, so wonderful," Kim said. Christians who had been weary and discouraged returned to their churches enthused about God's power to change people's lives, he said.
...Pakistani church leaders and ministry heads supported the outreach. They hosted a reception for Jae-Rock, which was attended by government and Muslim leaders, Kim said. Col. Tetd Tresler, a Christian who is the national minister of Minority Affairs, welcomed Jae-Rock and said he thanked God for the outreach. The government encourages outside groups that invest time and resources in the country, he said.
...More than 4,000 pastors and church leaders from across Pakistan attended, and were encouraged to preach the message of Christ with boldness and power, Kim said. The power of God to heal and do miracles is available to Christian ministers and they should increase their faith so that "signs and wonders" will accompany their preaching, Kim said Jae-Rock told them in a two-day seminar.
...Punjab authorities tried to shut down the meetings on the first day. When event organizers arrived at the 50,000-seat Lahore Railway Stadium they found that police had locked the gates and city officials had revoked their permit because they feared an attack by radical Muslims, Kim said. Tresler intervened, allowing the Christians to use the stadium that day if they agreed to move the rest of the services to a Christian area of the city.
...Security was tight at the events. Police combed the rooftops of nearby buildings and detained and searched suspicious-looking individuals, Kim said. An armed guard was posted outside Jae-Rock's hotel room.
...Christians are persecuted in the heavily Muslim country that is known by U.S. intelligence officials to harbor terrorists, according to news reports. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but Christians comprise only 3 percent of the 150 million population and are routinely denied access to education, employment, and job advancement, Kim said.
...Laws are stacked against Christians. A law that carries the death sentence for those who blaspheme the Muslim prophet Muhammed has been applied unfairly to punish Christians, according to news reports. Christians are underrepresented in the government because only a few seats in the national parliament and local governments are reserved for minorities, according to news reports.
...Manmin World Mission has been active in Pakistan since 1996, Kim said. Many Pakistanis came to Seoul in the early 1990s seeking economic opportunities and the ministry reached out to them, he said. Some of those who became Christians decided to return to Pakistan to spread the gospel, he said, and more than 20 churches have been started in Lahore and Islamabad.
