Pray for Africa: The Revival Continent!

THE AFRICAN CONTINENT:

Population:	1,494,993,924
% Urban:	43.9 %
Languages:	2,110
% Christian:	48.8 %
% Evangelical:	17.7 %
Largest Religion:	Christian
% Largest Religion:	48.8 %

“I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician.
I am a poor, poor imitation of Him, or wish to be. In this service I hope to live; in it I wish to die!”

David Livingstone (1813-1873) – Pioneer Missionary to Africa.

As we continue to focus on Regions of the World, we focus prayer on Africa this week.
We praise God for the significant growth of missionary work in the past 2 centuries, which has resulted in astounding results unparalleled in any region of the world! Let us pray that David Livingstone’s missionary spirit will motivate the modern Church in Africa to ‘live and die’ for the ‘missionary purpose’ of fulfilling the Great Commission!
Three thousand years ago, King David prophesied Africa turning to God and her accelerated growth, and how all nations and kingdoms will rejoice over this!

“Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.“
‘Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord,

Psalms 68:31, 32

Holy Spirit Revival Fire spreading in Africa.

• Christianity has become the religion of almost half of Africa’s population and nearly two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa.
• From 1900 to 2010, Christians grew from 9.1% of the population to 48.8% and from 7.5 million to 504 million.
• Evangelical growth has been even more spectacular. In 1900, evangelicals numbered 1.6 million (1.5%), but now they exceed 200 million and approach 20% of the population!
• Of the world’s evangelical Christians, over 33% live in Africa – a proportion that increases annually!
• This is the most prominent evangelical population of any continent. African evangelicals are also increasing at a faster rate than any other continent.
• It is very possible that within our lifetime, over half of the world’s evangelicals will be from Africa.
• Pray that the spiritual vibrancy of Africa’s believers will spread to the rest of the world’s Christians.

The Pentecostals in Africa:

• Third Wave Pentecostal groups, strongly evangelical, have become a major element in the African Church.
• They are firm on the Scriptures and outreach, expectant of miracles, fervent in prayer, and courageous against the powers of darkness.
• The Assemblies of God in Africa and other major Pentecostal denominations have grown significantly in the past years and continue to grow and plant new churches.
• Several countries experienced significant growth in the Church – either large-scale church growth or breakthrough among previously unevangelized peoples.
• These include Ethiopia, Sudan, Benin, Nigeria, Algeria, Mozambique and Angola, just to name a few.

The Missions Vision of Africa:

“And although I see few results, future missionaries will see conversions following every sermon. May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom with few rays to cheer, except such as flow from faith in the precious promises of God’s Word.”

David Livingstone – Pioneer Missionary to Africa.

The mission force of African agencies and missionaries continues to grow and diversify.
Lacking the established infrastructures and financial resources of the West, Africans find creative new ways to train and send church planters.

• Specific areas of Praise:
• Research. A number of research initiatives are assisting greatly in identifying the task remaining and offering insight into strategy and methodology.
• Reaching Muslims. The vast bulk of Africa’s unreached are Muslim, many of them practicing an African brand of folk Islam.  Sub-Saharan Africans can be extremely effective at winning Muslims to Jesus and are doing so to greater effect than ever.
• Holistic ministry. African churches and missions are effective in combining prayer, compassionate ministry, development work, and church planting.
• Bible Translation. Increasing numbers of Africans lead translation programs in their own languages. Numerous seminaries in Africa now provide education in translation and related studies.

We join together with the African Church to Praise God for the above achievements and for the foundation the missionaries have laid in Africa. Pray for a dynamic Missionary Movement among the Pentecostal Churches to send out missionaries to North Africa and beyond! Pray for AAGA Missions and Africa Pentecostal Missions sending vision and initiatives.

Challenges for Prayer.

Nigeria and the Sahel, through which runs the north-south fault line between Muslim and Christian majority areas, are in profound need of prayer. The sporadic outbreaks of violence in Nigeria escalated into more frequent and intense pogroms against Christians by increasingly bloodthirsty fundamentalist Muslim groups (often importing fighters from farther afield). The Nigerian-originated Islamist and anti-education movement Boko Haram now assumes the role of the most-feared terror group in Africa.

Islam as a major external challenge for Christianity in Africa:

There are 230 million Muslims north of the Sahara and 325 million in sub-Saharan Africa.
The “race” to win peoples to Christ from the traditional religions in West Africa and across the Sahel has largely been lost; most have been Islamized. Muslim missionary efforts have extended to nearly every country in Africa.
Pray for African Christians, as well as mission agencies, to make Muslims a priority for demonstrations of the love of Christ. Culturally sensitive approaches must be developed for planting churches among them.

PRAY FOR THE 5 REGIONS OF AFRICA AND THEIR NATIONS.

Please take some time to read this information and pray for each Nation and its population.
As you view each map and nation, claim the promise in Psalm 2:8:
‘Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.”
Ask the Holy Spirit to create a burden in your heart for specific nations in Africa as you pray!
Pray for divine intervention and breakthrough in Missions in challenging Nations in Africa:

1. NORTHERN AFRICA

In contrast to the great move of God in Sub-Sahara Africa, the Northern region is a spiritually barren desert. Much prayer is needed, and more workers are needed to serve in this Muslim-majority region.
There is strong resistance to the Gospel, and we must make intercession to open doors and for open hearts for the Gospel.

NORTH AFRICA: The Challenge for Africa Missions.
Population in North Africa: 274 million.

Country  Population

Egypt  116,538,258

Sudan  50,448,963

Algeria  46,814,308

Morocco 38,081,173

Tunisia. 12,277,109

Libya  7,381,023

West Sahar 590,506

For More Information on prayer for North Africa:
Read: Pray for North African Countries.
Read: Pray for People Groups in North Africa.

2. WEST AFRICA:

West Africa: 456 Million People.

3. CENTRAL AFRICA:

“I’d rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God, than on the throne of England, out of the will of God.” ~ David Livingstone

Central Africa:
Population:
212 Million

Country                 Population

DRC  Congo        109,276,265

Angola                    37,885,849

Cameroon           29,123,744

Chad                       20,299,123

Congo                     6,332,961

Cent/Africa Rep.  5,330,690

Gabon                       2,538,952

Equatorial Guinea 1,892,516

Sao Tome Principe.  235,536

4. EAST AFRICA:

Historically, Christianity spread in Eastern Africa into Ethiopia in the first century when the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia was baptized by Philip the Evangelist. The larger-scale Christianization of Ethiopia did not occur until the 4th century through the royal conversion of King Ezana of Axum. East Africa has the largest concentration of nations and populations in the continent. It also has the most significant number of Christians and Churches which is a great Missional Force to accomplish the Great Commission!

East Africa: 500 Million.

5. SOUTHERN AFRICA:

Southern Africa:
73 Million people

Country              Population

South Africa     64,007,187

Namibia              3,030,131

Botswana           2,521,139

Lesotho               2,337,423

Eswatini               1,242,822

Pray for the Nations in Southern Africa. Pray that the Fire of Revival will spark from the tip of South Africa and burn across the Continent to spread to Europe and to the rest of the World!

Thank You for Praying for Africa!

Sources: The Operation World.
Maps: Wikimedia, Worldatlas, Creative Commons, World Christian Encyclopedia.