Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. -1 Chronicles 16:11
SUNDAYS • Praise and thanksgiving
Lord, we praise you for creating hundreds of East Asian people groups in their rich diversity, showing your creativity and love for all peoples. Through your abundant grace, we trust you for indigenous, biblical church movements in each people group of East Asia, evangelizing their own people and reaching out in mission to other peoples.
MONDAYS • People on the move
Lord, there are thousands of East Asians moving across borders today. They travel for a wide variety of reasons—education, business, tourism and some as victims of human trafficking. We pray that these people would have multiple opportunities to hear the gospel and accept Christ as Savior.
TUESDAYS • Embracing newcomers
Lord, we know that moving to a new land is often disorienting. We pray that churches throughout these recipient countries will use opportunities to show Christ’s love in action by welcoming newcomers and helping them settle and adjust to very different settings. Through this, may the hearts of newcomers be open to receive the gospel.
WEDNESDAYS • Equipping new believers
Lord, we pray for churches, mission agencies and other organizations as they work together to help Asian believers prepare to return to their home countries. Empower their ministries, Lord. May the missionaries serve effectively, equipping East Asians with the knowledge of your word. Provide new believers with adequate spiritual support when they return home.
THURSDAYS • Salt and light
Lord, may Japanese Christians be salt and light wherever you have placed them. Empower them as your witnesses and give them boldness to speak of you in a society where faith is not often talked about. We pray for renewed strength and joy in Japanese churches. Even with much effort, their churches are shrinking, with a vast majority of pastors over age 60. Strengthen the team’s vision for “Revitalizing the Japanese Church.”
FRIDAYS • Need for wisdom
Lord, we thank you for how the Hudson Taylor film team has spent time listening to how they might best encourage young adult believers with the virtually untold story of Hudson and Maria Taylor. We ask for your clear guidance this Fall for the writing of a new script treatment. Anoint this creative team with your wisdom.
SATURDAYS • Vietnamese students
We thank you, Lord, for brothers and sisters following you at universities in Vietnam. We pray that many young people will join together in communities who submit to the lordship of Christ. May they contribute to building up the Church and actively influence their places of study and society with the gospel.
Pray for East Asia’s Diaspora
About East Asia’s Diaspora
Vietnamese in Macau. Chinese students in Kansas. Japanese students in Oxford. Whether voluntarily or
involuntarily, East Asians are moving across borders, and the global church is reaching out to them. Many of
these East Asians will return to the country of their birth. Before they return, will they be prepared to thrive as Christians back home?
On the Move
There are over 250 million migrants around the world today and 85 million of them are from East Asia. Five
million international students bring diversity to universities. Forty percent of all international students come
from China alone. Many leave their homeland for economic or political reasons. Some are the victims of human trafficking. Others are tourists. In 2016, there were 122 million Chinese tourists overseas. People are often more open to the gospel when they are outside of the comfort and pressure of their home.
Moving to a new land is disorienting. Churches have great opportunities to show Christ’s love in action through welcoming internationals: meeting newcomers at airports, helping them settle and adjust to life in a new country, inviting them over for meals, helping out with language or career development skills.
Ministry Vision
To be a disciple of Jesus is to follow Jesus. As the Father sent him, so he sends his followers. The vision is to see the worldwide movement of East Asians discipled and sent out to their own people and beyond! Pray for Asians returning home with Christ, to thrive and be missional in their home country. Pray for those that go on to other countries to be cross-cultural in mission.
East Asians tend to be open to the gospel while overseas, and many make a commitment to Christ through campus ministries. However, there is a great tragedy about ministry to the Asian diaspora. Experience shows that eighty percent of new Christians do not continue in the church when they return to their home countries. Family, societal and governmental pressure, high work demands, and failure to connect with a local church are among some of the reasons for this problem.
Prayer
Lord, we pray that Asians on the move would hear the gospel and believe. Please help believers all over the world to welcome the stranger. We ask that you would help Asians to return home with Christ, prepared for the pressures they will face, and to continue growing in their faith.
To download the pdf version of our Prayer Powerlines newsletter, CLICK HERE.September 2019 Powerlines
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