The breakup of the Soviet Union flung the doors open to the lands of 50 million Muslims. Workers flooded into Soviet Central Asia in the nineties, eager to engage those who had been isolated so long from the Good News.
Their initiative was rewarded. By the early 2000s, thousands of Central Asian Muslims had become followers of Jesus in an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One Kazakh pastor remembered, “In those days, we’d get together Saturday evening to pray and prepare Bible studies. The next day, anywhere from three to 20 Muslims would repent from their sins and become saved. This happened every week – month after month! We just thought it was normal.” Dreams, healings and miracles occurred regularly.
In other Central Asian countries, China included, the breakthroughs among Muslims were just as real, even if the numbers were less dramatic than in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
But leaner times followed. Persecution, materialism, and disillusionment thinned the ranks by as much as 50% in some countries. Though all of the major Central Asian Muslim people groups – Uighurs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Turkmen – experienced breakthroughs, on average less that one half of one percent of the populations are Christ followers.
With the mass exodus of foreign workers, local leaders have been challenged to take initiative and ownership of God’s work in Central Asia. Growth has been slow and incremental, but encouraging. Additionally, fledgling initiatives have sprung up to take the Good News to Muslims further afield with remarkable early success.
Pray For:
Boldness for Central Asian believers to share their faith. New religious laws and persecution have caused many to succumb to fear.
Encouragement and spiritual vitality for Christian leaders, personally, in their families and in their communities
Holy Spirit inspired faith and creativity for followers of Jesus to see their financial needs met. Most of the early work was driven by foreign funds that have since dried up.
Divine blessing on the mission initiatives coming out of China and Soviet Central Asia. These sending efforts have the potential to advance the Gospel in the remaining task in unprecedented ways.
“and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your
faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Quote on Miracles Among Muslims
“The
reports indicated that, depending on the region, a minimum of 50
percent (in the most extreme and violent Muslim areas) and a maximum of
70 percent of all the new churches planted among Muslims happened in
part because of signs and wonders (typically miracles of healing and
deliverance) that accelerated and facilitated the process of disciple
making….. The clear conclusion for the workers in the field, regardless
of their theological backgrounds or assumptions, is that God is moving
dramatically and creatively to display His love and glory among Muslim
peoples today.”-from the book Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale
Story of Healing
“Paul was a Christian field worker in a large village in North India, managing a factory with about a dozen employees. One of Paul’s employees was an Muslim man named “Adam”, and he had a terrible crisis. You see Adam’s first child had died at birth because she had a hole in her heart, and now “Eve”, Adam’s wife, was pregnant with a second child. After the death of the first baby, doctors had advised that Eve would likely continue to have babies with this same defect. The community and their extended family believed the family was cursed. Adam hoped for the best, but about 8 months into Eve’s second pregnancy, Eve began to bleed again (much like she had done with the other baby who had died) and Adam became desperate. Paul’s habit of discipleship in the workplace and his conspicuous spirituality gave him an opening to offer healing prayer for the unborn baby. Paul came to Adam’s home and specifically prayed that God would heal the baby in Jesus’ name.Miraculously, the baby was born healthy, without a doctor! Adam and Eve were overjoyed and credited the miracle to Jesus. Another miracle happened in that family shortly after that, and Adam and Eve began sharing broadly about what God had done, through Jesus, for their family. Later, Adam inquired of Paul about this Jesus who saved their baby, and Paul invited Adam and his wife to study the word of God and learn more about Jesus and his power to heal!”
Prayer Requests
Pray that
Jesus’ followers would obediently and boldly “Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8)
Pray His servants would display “shameless audacity” (Luke 11:8)to persistently pray until God heals!
Pray that the miracles that occur would be recognized and the healed would give Glory to God (Luke 17:18)
Pray that the signs and wonders would continue to accelerate the church planting movement of God among cousins.
220 million Muslims in the six countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei. 88% of them live in Indonesia – the largest Muslim country in the world.
There are also millions of Christians in SE Asia. According to Joshua Project, about 10 million evangelical followers of Jesus live in Indonesia. What if 10% of Indonesian evangelicals are ‘empowered’ (Acts 1:8) to witness to their Muslim neighbors?
PRAISES & PRAYERS
Thank God for significant growth of the church among different ethnic groups in SE Asia in recent years. PRAY for
greater awareness and commitment among local church leaders to reach
the unengaged Muslim people groups and places with least access to the
Gospel. PRAY for better collaboration between churches and mission agencies. PRAY for more laborers from all over the world to come to SE Asia and serve alongside national workers.
A growing number of Indonesian Christian students & young professionals are responding to the Great Commission. PRAY for
more churches, organizations, ministries and partnerships to facilitate
effective sending of workers to Muslim people groups. PRAY for protection, provision and fruitfulness among those who are sent to pioneering locations.
God is drawing SE Asian Muslims to Himself through dreams, visions, miracles and loving witness by followers of Jesus. PRAY for
biblical and culturally-relevant discipleship of believers from Muslim
background that would enable them to reach their own people effectively.
Praise God for existing communities of believers from Muslim background in SE Asia. PRAY for multiplication (quantity and quality) and vision to reach other Muslim people groups in the region.
ASK the
Lord for Muslim ‘men & women of peace’ (Matthew 10; Luke 10)
similar to Zacchaeus, Cornelius, Lydia and others in the New Testament
who opened their households and networks to the Gospel. ASK the Lord for Southeast Asian ‘Sauls’ (Acts 9) who will become ‘Pauls’ to their own people and others.
“…that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away… But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” (2 Corinthians 3:14, 16 ESV)
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and houses the two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. Yearly, over two million make the Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca. May those seeking spiritual pilgrimage find the true God in Christ.
Population: 36,917,000
Unreached Population: 33,631,000 (91.1%)
Evangelical Population: 0.53%
Prayer Points:
Pray that the Lord removes the veil that hides his truth from Saudis.
Pray for Saudi believers to be bold in their proclamation.
Pray for a church planting movement to blow through Saudi Arabia effecting the entire region and the Muslim world.
Pray for believers from surrounding countries to come and share the Gospel in Saudi Arabia.
Pray for strength and joy in persecution.
Pray for Jesus to be glorified in Saudi Arabia.
Watch this great Prayercast video as you pray this month for Saudi Arabia.
In Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan it is true that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The statistics below show just how great the need is for the light of Jesus to penetrate the darkness that veils these nations from the truth. War, terrorism, and governments keep their people from hearing the gospel. And yet, Jesus loves these people dearly and longs for them to come to right relationship with him. It is time for us, as the Church, to partner with Jesus in seeing Iraqis, Iranians and Afghans saved.
Iraq
Total Population: 41,001,000
Population Unreached: 40,180,000 (98%)
Evangelical Population: 0.40%
Iran
Total Population: 84,895,000
Population Unreached: 84,561,000 (99.6%)
Evangelical Population: .52%
Afghanistan
Population: 39,637,000
Population Unreached: 39,635,000 (99.9%)
Evangelical Population: 0.02%
Prayer Points:
Pray for believers in these three nations to be bold in their proclamation.
Pray for strength and joy as they endure persecution.
Pray for Iraqis, Iranians, and Afghans to experience dreams and visions of Jesus.
Pray for believers from nearby countries to choose to live in these three nations as missionaries.
Pray for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Pray for a church planting movement to develop in these three countries.
Pray for Jesus to be glorified in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Iraq
