The Bible still changes lives
Romi in Malaysia shows that God’s Word is essential to equip persecuted Christians to stand strong for Jesus, no matter what.
A small village in the mountainous lake region of West Malaysia is home to Romi and his family. They belong to the Semelai tribe – part of the Orang Asli, the original indigenous inhabitants of the Malaysian peninsula. “We are the original people of this land,” Romi says. “We have lived in Malaysia for 600 years. We farm our own lands, and that’s how we live.”
Romi grew up considering himself a Christian. He didn’t really know anything about the Christian faith, other than the fact he celebrated Christmas. But he thought nothing of dabbling in the superstitious and traditional practices of his community. He believed in witchcraft and knew he could ask the local witch doctor for healing.
Why?
Because he didn’t understand the Bible.
Knowing Jesus… But not a Saviour
Romi and his family live in an open-air stilt house – a construction that provides some relief from the non-stop heat and humidity in this part of Malaysia. Chickens and dogs roam the grounds, and children race one another in and out of the fruit trees. His life is interwoven with the natural world, but for years, his spiritual landscape was a confusing mix of inherited customs and a vague sense of a faith he didn’t understand.
Raised by a Christian mother after his father’s passing, Romi grew up familiar with the name “Jesus”, but didn’t truly know Jesus or the truth of the Gospel.
His mother, likely influenced by a missionary, tried to follow the Christian faith as best as she knew how without proper discipleship. Romi observed her devotion but struggled to grasp the faith himself. He secretly tried to read his mother’s Indonesian Bible – the only version available – but the language was difficult, and he never had anyone to explain the teachings. “We knew the name ‘Jesus,’” he recalls, “but never considered Him our Saviour.”
His teacher, while referencing “Isa” (the Arabic name for Jesus), presented him as a prophet, not the Saviour. Coupled with the fact that reliance on traditional healers was not seen as contradictory to Christianity, it was easy for Romi to ignore his mother’s Christian faith and go along with whatever his community told him was true.
As in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, the Word had fallen on rocky ground. Although he accepted it with joy, he fell away quickly, because he didn’t have roots deep enough to stand strong when trouble came.
He lived his life in this way until he was 34, when he finally heard the truth about Jesus – a name he knew, but a Person he’d never truly met.
A life-changing encounter
In 2000, a Chinese evangelist came to their village. The evangelist explained who Jesus is, what it means to follow Him and how to read the Bible. “That’s when I truly met the Lord Jesus Christ. That experience completely changed my life – stepping out of the old life and into the new one,” Romi says.
The evangelist brought Bibles with him – the first time Romi and the other believers in the village had access to God’s Word in a language they could fully understand. He also had a pastor move into the village, who discipled them in understanding, reading and sharing the Word of God together. It was then that the Scriptures truly began to take root in Romi’s heart, and his life was transformed.
Facing community pressure and family challenges
However, Romi’s journey has not been without its challenges. Living in a community deeply rooted in tradition means that Romi has lost some of his friends and has been ostracised by others.
He’s constantly navigating cultural pressures. Within his own family, division arose. His children continued to seek healing from traditional healers, and the loss of his brother led to a clash of beliefs – a desire within the family to perform traditional cleansing rituals that Romi knew contradicted his Christian convictions.
Romi used the incident as a way to share the Gospel. “I told them that as Christians we don’t need to participate in these rituals because we believe through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross, all our sins are forgiven, and therefore the dark powers have no hold on us,” Romi says.
Romi also knows that there’s always pressure to give up on following Jesus. He knows that leaving Christianity could bring improved standing within the community, give him access to government benefits and potentially even better opportunities for his children. But he holds firm, trusting in the truth of the Gospel.
“My hope is, no matter the resistance we might face as Christians, we keep holding on to Jesus,” he says. “No matter the testing or the bribes we might receive, we believe in Jesus, who is alive and worthy of worship. We don’t have to change our religion. We stay faithful to Jesus.”
Growing in faith
It’s through the faithful support of Open Doors’ partners that Romi and his community have been able to stand strong in their faith. Bibles, discipleship materials and regular study groups have become lifelines, enabling them to connect, share their experiences, and deepen their understanding of Scripture.
Through these programmes, Romi’s daughter, Wafa, has come to faith in Jesus, no longer trusting in traditional practices. “Now, I know Jesus is God and I know that I can pray to Jesus for healing and Jesus is the only one that I can depend on,” she says. Wafa now serves in the youth ministry at the village church.
For Romi, it all starts with the Bible and the understanding of God’s Word. “For me, the Bible is extremely important,” he says. “Because the Bible teaches us everything. In our questions, we are conversing with God, and that’s very important. What the Bible says we can’t do is like God telling us directly. That’s what’s important.”
The fragility of faith and the importance of discipleship
Romi knows how fragile faith in Jesus can be in this part of Malaysia. He’s seen how easy it can be to return to traditional practices that are contrary to God’s Word.
Christians in Malaysia and around the world live under constant pressure to leave their faith in Jesus. Without access to Bibles and discipleship, many believers living in this type of environment – where they are persecuted or discriminated against for their faith – will give up their faith in Christ. That’s why local partners work to ensure every persecuted Christian has access to God’s Word, along with the tools to understand it.
“I hope that believers will continue to believe in Jesus Christ so that there are no other gods that they turn to but Jesus,” Romi says. “No matter the challenge, they will keep holding onto Jesus.”
Open Doors works through partners around the world to provide Bibles and discipleship resources to persecuted Christians who experience pressure and persecution for their faith. A gift of R180 today can help provide a persecuted believer with God’s Word and the tools to understand it.