Head Coverings

“Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?” (1 Corinthians 11:13, ESV).

This photo of mannequin heads advertising the Muslim head covering for women called a jilbab [jill-BOB] was taken in a traditional market in Padang, but it could have been taken in just about any city in Indonesia. The main purpose of a jilbab is modesty. Good Muslim women will not go outdoors without having their heads covered. This is a sign of submission to God as well as to their fathers and husbands. Behind closed doors, within her own home a Muslim woman need not wear a jilbab, but if a guest comes to visit she will quickly put on her head covering.

For many Muslim women in Indonesia, the jilbab is seen as a status and fashion statement. It’s not uncommon to see very elaborate and expensively ornamented head coverings. It just goes to show how something meant to protect modesty can become the very expression of a person’s vanity. Many younger Muslim women have been influenced by Western culture and do not always wear a jilbab in public, but may only wear the jilbab to the mosque.

Pray that Sumatran women will come to realize that external fashion may make them appear holy, but does nothing to atone for the debt of sin.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction of sin to people on Sumatra that will lead them to realize that external good works will never make them right with God.

Pray for an increasing awareness that Jesus Christ is God’s great sacrifice for the sins of man and that many people among the peoples of Sumatra will hear and respond with faith to the Gospel.

Delman

This photo was taken in Bukit Tinggi in the heart of Minangkabau territory. These horse drawn carts are called Delman. It’s fairly common to have these horse drawn carts in tourist areas. To ride around a market area in a Delman is considered a cultural experience that both Indonesians and foreign tourists enjoy.

While many of the traditions on Indonesia are harmless and charming, there are other traditions that keep millions of people from even considering the Gospel. Only the Lord can reveal the difference between traditions that are positive and those that are spiritually fatal.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal that religious traditions will not save a single soul.

Pray for the peoples of Sumatra as they desire to move forward while preserving the best of their cultural traditions. This balance is a struggle for every nation.

Pray for believers to have wisdom to confront traditions that are keeping people on Sumatra from responding to the Gospel.

Beating an Old Drum

The photo of this drum was taken at a mosque in Jambi. The drum is often used to call the community together in times of emergency. It’s also used specifically during the month of Ramadan to let Muslims in the area know when the fast commences and when it can be broken.

The drum also has connections to past animistic beliefs concerning loud noises scaring off bad spirits. Most educated Indonesians will laugh about such traditional beliefs when talking with Westerners, but in private they often still believe. Uneducated Indonesians are also embarrassed to talk with outsiders about the world of spirits, but they most certainly believe in evil spirits and take traditional precautions to ward off their attacks.

The Bible clearly teaches that evil spirits exist. We are wise not to let our cultural bias negate the clear testimony of God’s Word. Spiritual warfare is real, but in Christ believers are far from helpless in the battle.

Pray that believers on Sumatra will walk in victory over demonic powers without resorting to traditional protections.

Pray that new believers from people groups on Sumatra will not succumb to mixing traditional, animistic beliefs with faith in Jesus Christ.

Pray for enemy strongholds on Sumatra to be brought down by the power of God through the faithful intercession of the saints on Sumatra. Believers here need to learn how to exercise the authority that they have in Jesus Christ.

Kikim People Group Profile

“Let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy” (Psalm 96:12, ESV).

The 80,000 Kikim [key-KEEM] live in the Lahat Regency of Southern Sumatra. They are a Malay people group who speak a dialect called Kikim. They live mainly along the Kikim River. People from the area quip that there are more trees than people in this region of Sumatra. Most Kikim work on palm oil or rubber plantations. The farming they do on their own land is often not enough to support their families

The Kikim follow Folk Islam with vestiges of animistic beliefs from pre-Islamic times. The Kikim are known for a traditional ceremony called Sedekah Rame. In this ceremony the entire village gathers to sit in the middle of a rice field and eat a religious meal. The field is called Tanah Badahe Setue (Land of Future Graves). The ceremony is concluded with a large bonfire. This spot is then designated as the place to make ritual offerings and burn incense to appease spirits for the rest of the year.

 

There are no known believers among the Kikim. There are no known cross cultural workers focused on reaching the Kikim with the Gospel. Lahat is the nearest city that has a concentration of believers to reach out to the Kikim.  

Pray that:

God will call a workers to live in Lahat and focus on reaching the Kikim.

The Holy Spirit will break the spiritual bondages that have been forged by generations of participation in community wide occult ceremonies.

Believers in Lahat will experience revival and then get training to share the Gospel with the Kikim and other people groups that live near this strategic city.

Believers will be guided to people of peace among the Kikim and they will boldly share the Gospel.

Education and economic opportunities for the Kikim will improve.

New Kikim believers will be given good discipleship and gathered into Kikim house fellowships.

Many intercessors will adopt the Kikim for prayer until the church is firmly established among them.

Bees Under the Crescent

This bee hive weighs hundreds of pounds. It’s on the main dome of a newly remodeled mosque. Certainly the people in the community are not happy with this development, but there is a certain amount of fear that people will get injured as they try to remove these unwelcome neighbors. Eventually the job will be done.

Believers living under the crescent of Islam are often seen, like the bees, as unwanted pests to be removed. Because of this, believers try to stay out of sight. They certainly don’t want high visibility for fear of negative reactions from their neighbors. Unfortunately, many believers allow this fear of community reaction to keep them from sharing the Gospel. If all the peoples on Sumatra are ever going to be reached with the Gospel, believers need to overcome their fears and get busy like bees!

The Words of God are sweeter than honey. Pray that all the peoples on Sumatra will be able to hear God’s Word.

The Gospel is Good News that transforms lives. Pray that the Gospel will become like a buzz in the air that reaches every corner of Sumatra.

God’s plan for the Gospel to go forth is for believers to be bold witnesses. Pray for the Holy Spirit to stir up believers on Sumatra to go forth in boldness to proclaim the Good News. Pray for training that will equip believers to share in a way that is effective and culturally sensitive.

Sumatra Plugged-in

This photo is of a university student in Padang, Sumatra. It’s not unusual to see college students with lap-top computers, which is a big change from just five years ago. Likely, in another 20 years home computers and access to the internet will be common enough to make on-line evangelism, discipleship and networking a viable strategy, but most Sumatrans don’t have access to a computer outside of an internet café.

The only universal technology that Sumatrans have is the cell phone. Communication with this technology must be brief, but it’s possible to network large numbers of people.

Pray for workers to have wisdom in using available technology to communicate the Gospel and to network believers for focused prayer.

Pray for workers to be open to making regular evaluations of technology with a mind towards strategy.

Pray for workers focused on reaching college students on Sumatra.

Beautiful Batik

This photo was taken in Jambi, Sumatra. This woman is painting hot wax onto fabric to create a pattern. Next, she will dye the fabric. In the dying process the pattern becomes more distinct as the dye will not adhere to the fabric that has the wax on it. When the dyeing process is completed the fabric will then be made into formal clothing for weddings and other special occasions. The fabric is also used for shawls, table clothes, and wall hangings. This art form is called batik [ba-TEEK].

Batik is popular all over Southeast Asia, and was first developed on Java, Indonesia. The origin of the word “batik” is Javanese and means “painted.” Many areas have their own distinctive pattern of batik. It’s not unusual to see husband and wife wearing matching batik during festive times. It’s often considered appropriate to wear batik when preaching in a Sumatran church or while giving a formal speech in public.

In Matthew 22 there is a story of a King who gave a great banquet. All kinds of people were invited to come. When the banquet hall was finally full the King entered and noticed a man who was not properly clothed. He questioned the man, and when the man had no response the King had him bound and thrown out. So it will be on the last day for all the Sumatrans who will stand before the Great King clothed in anything other than Christ’s righteousness.

“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 22:13, ESV).

Pray that every person on Sumatra will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel so that they may be clothed in Christ.

Pray that all the righteousness of religious traditions and good works will be shown to be as filthy rags compared to the righteousness that in given by faith in Jesus.

Pray for Sumatran church goers who are trusting in good works and church attendance to realize the difference between religion and true faith in Jesus Christ.