FEBRUARY FOCUS: PRAYING FOR REGIONS AND RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD.

In February, we will continue to pray for the world by focusing on different regions and religions.
As we pray, we must first have God’s perspective of the World and HIs promises and purposes for the World:

God’s Persepective and Promises for the World:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

‘As surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth... ‘ (Numbers 14:21).
‘And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” ‘ (Isaiah 6:3)

‘Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.‘ (Psalms 2:8)

Prayer for the Region of Asia:

First, we focus on Asia, one of the world’s largest regions. We share some important missional facts from Operation World, highlighting key needs for prayer. As quoted above by William Carey, the first missionary to Asia in the modern Missionary movement, when you read the Bible together with the maps of these Regions, you will see God’s Will for the nations and the Chruch to pray: ‘Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. ‘

The Impact of Prayer on Asia.

Paul’s Missionary work began in ‘Asia Minor’ – which was a Roman Province, which is is modern day Turkey. (See the maps below how Asia today begins from Turkey).
Although this area did not cover the whole of Asia we see today; He established some powerful Churches like Ephesus in Asia! Later on, in the Book of Revelation, Jesus spoke specifically to the ‘Seven Churches in Asia!”
However, Paul’s challenges were no different from what many Asian Christian leaders and workers face today! But he recognized the power of Prayer of people in many Churches that helped him to fulfill HIs Mission.

‘We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.
Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again.
On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.‘

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

We appreciate your prayer for the Churches in Asia this week!

The vast Continent of Asia stretches from Turkey to Indonesia and consists of 6 main Regions.

Religions in Asia:

The three largest non-Christian religions in the world are rooted in Asia; they are also the most challenging for Christians. In Asia alone, there are 1.3 billion Muslims, 1.2 billion Hindus and 470-920 million Buddhists (the higher figure if the Chinese, Japanese and other intermingled ethnic religions are included). Pray for renewed fervor in intercession, vision for mission, and all the resources required for a new wave of Christian workers sent to these nearly 3 billion people in need of Jesus.

Praise God for what God is doing in Asia!

Church growth in Asia continues to be remarkable for its sheer scale, for its unprecedented occurrence in previously unevangelized nations and regions, and, in many areas, for how long it has been sustained. Some of the greatest growth in the past decade or two has been in China, India, Nepal, Iran, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, and, although unverifiable, North Korea.

• All Christians have increased from 22 million (2.3%) in 1900 to nearly 370 million (8.8%) in 2010.
• Protestant, Independent, and Anglican Christians increased from under 3 million (0.3%) in 1900 to nearly 200 million (4.9%) in 2010.
• Catholic growth was slower but still significant – from 11.1 million (1.2%) to 142 million (3.4%) over the same period.
• Evangelicals in Asia, nearly 150 million, now number more than those on any other continent apart from Africa. It is also the continent with the second-fastest growing evangelical population; if measured only by conversion rate (and not including biological growth), Asia has the fastest growing evangelical population by a significant margin – 33% faster than any other region.
• From what Paul started in Asia Minor in Turkey, today it has spread to the Whole of Asia!

Prayer Needs:

While we praise God for great strides in the evangelization of Asia, the remaining challenge is awesome. Asians comprise:

• Over 81% of the 4.7 billion non-Christians in the world.
• 85.4% of World A – unevangelized individuals. Asian countries represent 9 of the world’s 10 largest unevangelized populations.
• There are also 680 million Asians with no formal religious affiliation who present a unique challenge in their own right.
• Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.
• The least reached peoples on earth are predominantly Asian. The Joshua Project lists 17,286 ethno-linguistic peoples. Of the 7,250 least reached peoples on this list, 5,629 are in Asia. 
• PRAYER: Take a moment to pray for the above facts and ask the Holy Spirit to send Revival to Asia!

PRAYER FOR DIFFERENT REGIONS IN ASIA:

South Asia Region.

The population of South Asia is estimated to be 2.04 billion or about one-fourth of the world’s population, making it both the most populous and the most densely populated geographical region in the world. In 2022, South Asia had the world’s largest populations of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Zoroastrians.

Nations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

• Decline and nominalism go hand in hand in several areas. The same problem exists among the established traditional churches of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.  Emigration and a lack of evangelistic vision contribute significantly to this. Pray for a reversal to this trend.
• Growth is definitely occurring, predominantly among Tribal groups, Dalits and the lowest castes. In fact, the response to the gospel is such that churches are unable to keep up with the demands of those expressing interest in or commitment to the Lord. It is likewise nearly impossible to enumerate all that is occurring, especially in India, because of the sheer scale of what transpires there, the lack of structure to much of the ministry and the socio-religious climate that keeps many within their traditional religious frameworks, even after meeting Jesus.
• Missions vision. The vast majority of Kingdom increase in this region is through the faithful witness of indigenous believers sharing the good news village by village and town by town. But the gospel has rarely jumped across ethno-linguistic or caste boundaries. This is changing as the South Asian Church increasingly commits to reach the least reached groups in its region – of which there are literally thousands.
• Predominantly in India but also in Nepal, Pakistan and elsewhere, ministries specifically seek to communicate, in a focused manner, the life-giving gospel to these unevangelized groups. This will take great patience and faith, since new languages, new cultures and new methods of ministry must be learned – with no guarantee of immediate response – but already, India has more national missionaries than any other nation. May other South Asian countries catch the same vision.
• PRAYER: Take a moment to loot at some of these needs in one of the most populous regions of Asia. All the Unreached People Groups of South Asia must be reached before Jesus returns.
  Pray this prophetic promise of Jesus for South Asia:

‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ‘

Matthew 24:14

West Asia and the Middle East.

West Asia Nations.

The population of Western Asia is 312 Million.  

Western Asia’s population is equivalent to 3.79% of the total world population. Western Asia ranks number 4 in Asia among subregions ranked by Population.

Nations:
Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia Yemen, Syria, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain,

• Protestant denominations are few and small, and many struggle with nominalism. They likewise face pressure and persecution, although in a number of countries they are growing. Interdenominational relationships have not always been smooth and gracious. Pray for unity, strength and revitalization.
• Believers from a Muslim background (BMB/MBB) are growing in number in almost every context and on an unprecedented scale. This is happening in trickles (in places such as the Arabian Peninsula) and in torrents (Iran, Iraq).
• Pray for the persecuted Christians in this Region.
• According to the ‘Open Doors’ report, “extreme persecution” of Christians throughout the Muslim world is part of a continuum begun nearly fourteen hundred years ago. The same patterns of persecution are still prevalent — including attacks for blasphemy and apostasy, restrictions and attacks on churches, and a general contempt for — followed by the vile treatment of — “subhuman infidels.”
• According to The World Watch List, 38 of the 50 worst nations are Muslim-majority. The report further cites “Islamic oppression” behind the “extreme persecution” that prevails in eight of the 10 worst nations.
• PRAYER: Pray for the persecuted Christians in the Muslim nations and for a GREAT HARVEST of souls for the Kingdom of God. Pray for those laboring in difficult conditions and for MORE LABORERS to be sent out from other Nations!

Central Asia.

Former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Total Population of 83 Million.
Central Asians belong to religions introduced within the last 1,500 years, such as Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Ismaili Islam, Tengriism and Syriac Christianity.  Buddhism, introduced over 2,200 years a Zoroastrianism, over 2,500 years ago.

• Indigenous evangelical Christians have multiplied to number tens of thousands in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and even Turkey, but in all of these places they face pressures from many sides – the government, Islamist groups, the Orthodox hierarchy and family members/society at large.
• The perception of evangelicalism as being foreign is one reason for such trouble; the hard line taken by many governments against religious extremism has unintended consequences for Christian groups.
• PRAY for the rooting of the Christian faith in Central Asian cultural forms, for continued growth, for the positive witness of believers and for the further development of mature indigenous leadership.
• PRAY also for Russian, Ukrainian, German, Korean and other expatriate believers who still comprise a majority of evangelicals in these lands.
• PRAY for those facing Persecution: Pressures on Christians are more severe in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and especially Turkmenistan. Foreign workers have been expelled from these countries, congregations scattered and church leaders imprisoned.

South East Asia.

• Total Population: 698 Million
• Country              Population
• Indonesia           283,487,931
• Philippines        115,843,670
• Vietnam            100,987,686
• Thailand              71,668,011
• Myanmar            54,500,091
• Malaysia             35,557,673
• Cambodia         17,638,801
• Laos                     7,769,819
• Singapore          5,832,387
• Timor-Leste      1,400,638
• Brunei                   462,721

• Church impact is very uneven in this region but includes a number of areas where minorities are remarkably responsive to the gospel. Large ethnic minority churches thrive in Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, while the majority populations remain rooted in Buddhism or Islam. Pray for these groups to continue to grow in the Lord and transmit the gospel to neighbouring peoples. The Philippines and Timor Leste are two of Asia’s four majority Christian countries.
• Exciting growth has occurred, especially in areas previously closed or hostile to the good news. The Church is growing to unprecedented levels in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and even in some areas of Indonesia. But the breakthrough is yet to come, especially among the namesake peoples of several nations: the Thai of Thailand, the Burmese of Burma/Myanmar, the Malays of Malaysia and the Lao of Laos.
• PRAY for Missions vision. In much of Southeast Asia, missions vision is limited to impacting the unreached majorities in each respective country. The sizeable Christian minorities in Singapore and Malaysia have an outstanding mission-sending record. But something special is happening in the Philippines, and to a lesser degree, in Indonesia. There are millions of economic migrants who live and work abroad as part of the Filipino diaspora. 
• PRAY that the Churches in the Asia Pacific will send forth more missionaries to the World.

 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
 And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
 As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” ‘

Romans 10:13-15

East Asia.

• Population: 1.65 Billion.
• East Asia has 20% of the World’s population:
• Country              Population
• China            1,419,321,278
• Japan               123,753,041
• South Korea     51,717,590
• North Korea     26,498,823
• Taiwan                23,213,962
• Hong Kong        7,414,909
• Mongolia             3,475,540
• Macao                   720,262

• The Church in East Asia is one of remarkably contrasting situations. In South Korea, it is a large and influential minority, an integral part of South Korean society. In North Korea, it is an underground movement hunted down and reviled by the autocratic regime. In Japan, it is insignificant in size but respected. In Taiwan, the Church is larger but still a small minority. In mainland China, it is a burgeoning and increasingly important minority, while in Mongolia, it is a rather new but quickly growing element of society.
• Persecution remains particularly intense in North Korea, where Christians are targeted for extra misery and oppression from among this already-long-suffering people. The number of martyrs in North Korea will never be known this side of heaven, but countless thousands have suffered and died as a result of their faith in Jesus.
• In China, the intense persecution of decades past is subsiding in some regions but remains the same in others; it appears to no longer be a nationwide government policy to oppress Christians, but at the local level persecution can remain severe.
• Even in the more open societies of Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea, active witnessing Christians can face opposition and strong pressure to conform to societal norms.
• PRAY THAT PERSECUTION IN CHINA AND NORTH KOREA WILL CEASE!
• PRAY FOR COURAGE AND BOLDNESS FOR CHRISTIANS IN EAST ASIA.

The Two Giants in Asia: Click Here to Read about India and China.

Thank You for Praying for Asia! Next week: Prayer for Africa.

Sources: We sincerely appreciate the valuable Prayer information from The Operation World.
The Open Doors.