God hears us when we pray according to His will. We see Him working in the lives of our families, friends, neighbours and colleagues as we pray for the needs of those close to us.
However, there are more than 3 billion people around the world who don’t know God. Often, they don’t even know a single Jesus follower who can tell them that God listens to their prayers.
Many of these people are concentrated across five geographic areas: the Sahel (1), the Arabian Peninsula (2), the North Caucasus (3),
South Asia (4) and the Mekong (5).
Will you join believers around the world in praying for people in these places who have never heard about God’s plan for redemption? Together, we will lift up Jesus followers who are boldly sharing Christ’s love in some of these areas and ask God for more people to join them in reaching those who don’t know Him.
The Sahel
In the eastern region of the Sahel, Christians make up less than 4 per cent of the population, while in the western countries, there are still very few. Like their neighbours, believers face many hardships, including food insecurity and internal displacement. Many Christians also face religious persecution. But through Jesus, the Sahel has hope, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus followers there are equipping believers to make disciples.
The Arabian Peninsula
It’s reported than there are fewer than 1,000 Jesus followers among Arabs in the region. Not only do believers suffer government persecution, but they also struggle to find community with other Christians and places to freely worship Jesus. Nevertheless, God is working. Many young people in the region are open to hearing the good news of salvation, and Jesus followers are actively living out the love of Christ to their Muslim neighbours.
The North Caucasus
The church is small in the North Caucasus, and it can be difficult for Christians to share the message of Jesus’ love with their neighbours in the face of cultural pressure and persecution. The region is particularly difficult to reach with the gospel message because of political instability, government corruption and ethnic strife. Amidst these difficulties, though, believers are living out the love of Jesus that brings peace and unity.
South Asia
The nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh comprise the region of South Asia and are three of the top five nations with the highest number of people who don’t know the message of Jesus. South Asia is home to more than 1.5 billion people, and the sheer number of those without easy access to the gospel is still overwhelming.
The Mekong
The vast majority of people in the Mekong region have never heard of Jesus or even met a Jesus follower. Historically, the presentation of the gospel was coupled with the message of abandoning one’s culture, which caused many to view the message of Christ as a form of colonialism. For this reason, growth of Jesus followers often occurs through the work of same- and near-culture believers who can contextualise the gospel message.