Matpa in Bhutan

The importance of Tibetan Buddhism and the unity that it fosters are best seen among the Matpa during festivals and ceremonies. The entire community attends, dressed in their finest festive attire. Participants wear gruesome masks depicting powerful demons, and stories are told of how the Buddhist sage Padmasambhava defeated demonic forces with the truth of Buddhism.

Ministry Obstacles
Being an official Buddhist kingdom, Bhutan has been largely isolated from the influence of Christianity for centuries, until recent decades, when migrants from Nepal and India introduced the faith to the country on a significant scale for the first time. The Buddhist groups, however, have remained largely untouched by the gospel. They see Christianity as a foreign religion with little relevance to their lives. Others see Christianity as a threat to traditional Bhutanese values and culture. There have been few, if any, gospel inroads into Tibetan Buddhist cultures.

Scripture Focus
"For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise."  Mark 9:31

Scripture Prayer
Pray for today’s people group would comprehend that Jesus died for their sins and rose again demonstrating His power over sin and death.

Prayer Focus
Please pray for all the people groups of Bhutan, that the Lord will send the knowledge of the truth about his son, Jesus, to them with great power. Pray for the Lord to pave the way for gospel outreach among the Matpa. Pray for long-term workers who will produce gospel materials in their language. Pray for Matpa family leaders to be drawn to the King of kings. Pray for a contextualized gospel that will not be seen as foreign.

Presented by Joshua Project
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