In the words of Samuel Zwemer, known as the Apostle to Islam, “If you want to do the most difficult task in the world, but the most rewarding, work with Muslims.”
In an area spanning 22 nations from Morocco to Oman lies the home of 407 million people, 95% of whom have never heard about Jesus. Within this region is the birthplace of Islam, making its inhabitants very resistant to the gospel. The desert climates, continual wars, persecution, and other hardships make it all the more difficult for Christian workers to share the truth of Jesus in this area.
And yet, in an area that seems so hostile to the gospel, Muslims are coming to Jesus. They are having dreams and visions. They are encountering the Word of God through social media and technology. The Lord is truly moving among Arab Muslims like never before, making himself known to a people in desperate need of him.
Prayer Points
Pray for more laborers to choose to leave the comforts of home to live among Arab Muslims with to share the truth with those in their new community.
Pray for Muslims to have encounters with Jesus through dreams and visions.
Pray for whole families to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Pray for strength and joy through persecution.
Pray for healthy churches of believers from a Muslim background to be planted throughout the Arab World.
Pray that the message of Jesus would be accessible to all Muslims in the Arab World and for Christian workers to be creative and divinely inspired as they use technology to reach those who have never heard.
Pray that Jesus would be glorified in the Arab World.
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit…. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Joel 2:28-29, 32)
Peter quoted the prophet Joel in Acts 2:17-21 in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. On that day 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus resulting in the start of the Church. May we, as followers of Jesus, look to this story and say, “Do it again, Jesus!” Believing by faith that God can and will pour out his Spirit on the Muslim world around the world resulting in healthy, vibrant, reproducing churches.
Prayer Points:
Pray for the Lord to pour out his Spirit around the Muslim world.
Pray for many Muslims to see the outpouring of the Spirit and recognize the power of Jesus and their need of him.
Pray for the Lord to plant his church in the Muslim world.
Pray for Jesus to be glorified in the Muslim world.
Pray for the 500+ Million Muslims – almost one-third of the Muslim World – living in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
“For there is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.” – 1 Corinthians 16:9
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are the second, third, and fourth largest Muslim countries in the world. Only about seventy years ago this region used to be one country. It houses the largest population with the highest concentration of Muslims, on the smallest land mass in the world. While many Muslims on the western side speak Urdu—and on the eastern side speak Bengali—there are still 75+ languages that have no scripture. While some local catalysts are sparking a few disciple-making movements, there are still less than 3 field workers per million Muslims working in this region with people groups less than 2% Christian witness.
From the snow-laden mountaintops of the Himalayas in Pakistan, reaching into India—to the rural villages, crowded cities, beaches and jungles of India—to the rural farms and rivers of Bangladesh, the diversity in these three countries are apparent. But all three countries are rich in the valuable resources of fertile land, populous labor, and a long history. In many places, the countries still deal with undercurrents of cultural tension between Muslims and Hindu’s—and each country struggles to economically sustain a massive population on a small land mass. Also, with a sliver of witness for Jesus Christ in all Muslim people groups, Judeo-Christian ethics and Biblical values have not permeated their worldview.
Opportunities
Christians represent a tiny percentage of the population. But because of the country’s large population, a sizable number of Christians exist that could be mobilized to reach out to nearby Muslim people groups. All three countries can offer business visas to entrepreneurial foreigners. Believing, intentional outsiders can bless the communities in which they live while working towards a disciple-making movement. Language schools, vocational training, and other service-based businesses may do well. In Pakistan, foreigners with degrees might teach in universities. India tends to favor businesses that hire locals. Bangladesh could also benefit from agricultural or community development specialists.
“I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19
Pray for…
50 million Muslims to come to faith in Jesus Christ in the next ten years in this region.
Spiritually mature local believers to commit to authentic, reproducible discipleship among Muslims in these countries.
Strongholds of Islamic extremism to be rendered ineffective in Pakistan.
Young people to navigate the tension between innovation and tradition, choosing Jesus with their families, in India.
For long-term transformation in the battle against extreme poverty in Bangladesh.
“About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, ‘Cornelius!’” (Acts 10:3).
Dina, an 11 year old refugee, has an autoimmune disease causing the early onset of arthritis in her joints. She mainly lays on a cushion on the floor with her hands and knees contracted from the illness. After listening to her medical history and being assessed by a physical therapist, one of our local staff felt prompted to share: Jesus the Messiah raised up a twelve year old girl from the dead. He wasn’t sure how this would be received as Dina wasn’t dead and he didn’t want to imply anything. Immediately her mother started crying. “Last night I had a dream, my daughter had died and I went to visit her grave. There was a young man in his 30s wearing white sitting by a grave who kept looking at me. I wasn’t afraid but curious who is this man? I then walked back to my house and fainted and two neighbors helped me up. While falling I had a vision of helping my daughter button her white school shirt. I couldn’t cry at the grave, but my daughter’s shirt reminded me of this man at her grave and I started weeping.”
While Dina’s mother wasn’t sure who this man was, our local staff were able to share that it was Jesus and that He is the resurrection and the life. Our team prayed for Dina, and while there wasn’t an instantaneous healing she was able to scoot over to the wall and push herself up against the wall to stand. Her mother hadn’t seen this before. Pray for Dina and her family that they would welcome Jesus Christ into their hearts and home and that they would desire to learn more about God through discussing the Bible as a family
Every day Muslims around the world are experiencing visions and dreams. Jesus is calling Muslims to himself. Let us pray that the hearts of Muslims are open to the truth in these dreams and visions.
Prayer Points:
Pray for Jesus to reveal himself to Muslims through dreams and visions.
Pray that Muslims will be open to receiving the message of Jesus through dreams and visions.
Pray for Christian workers to be in the lives of those experiencing dreams and visions to share the gospel with them.
