Together for the Gospel: Praying for Asia

Suzanne Pearson • Mar 14, 2023

With concerns over aerial surveillance, military aid to Russia, and increasing tensions with Taiwan, it seems that China is constantly in the news. Asia as a whole remains largely in the throes of economic upheaval caused by supply-chain disruptions and other aftershocks of the pandemic.

And yet the Gospel spreads. Christianity grew twice as fast as the general population in Asia during the 20 th century, and that trend continues in the 21 st . According to sources cited in this article from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Christians now make up 8.2% of people living in Asia.

How can we, as the global Body of Christ, pray together for the Church in Asia? Here are five ways:

1. PRAY for self-sustaining, growing churches.

TEAM Asia global workers report the formation of new congregations everywhere from large cities to remote villages. The Gospel is touching areas and people groups that have long been unreachable.

One TEAM global worker says that many house-churches sprung up during the pandemic, and the national evangelical church in that country promptly took steps to support and encourage those house-churches to grow. “It was a time when more individuals than usual stepped into a leadership or discipleship role, and quite possibly an outreach role to their neighbors, and the national church worked to make the most of the situation. It’s a cool example of God at work during a time of a lot of stress, discouragement, and isolation. ” Many of those congregations still meet together in homes, while others have rejoined a local church, but in either case, God is building up the Body.

Pray that these bodies of believers will stand solidly on the Word of God and grow in wisdom and knowledge of Him.

2. PRAY for God to continue to build on ministries borne out of COVID restrictions.

For many of us in the West, pandemic restrictions are beginning to fade from our memories. But in parts of Asia, lockdowns and other regulations are just recently easing. Amazingly, God used the unique challenges of COVID to grow His Church in Asia in amazing ways. One global worker shares this:

“[Churches] did an amazing job of utilizing digital tools during the pandemic. There were city-wide and nationwide prayer meetings, worship nights, training of all kinds with dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of believers joining in. [Believers used technology] to keep in touch with one another, share prayer requests, find practical ways to help (like delivering food and medicine to quarantined members), share the Gospel with friends and relatives, and counsel the discouraged and mentally distressed. Some went one step further and used online tools to link people in cities who lived close enough to manage in-person meet-ups or gatherings. Now, believers continue to utilize this hybrid strategy even with the risk of AI surveillance. Their courage inspires me! ”

Pray that believers will continue to find Spirit-led ways to adapt and thrive in ministry in an ever-changing post-COVID world.

Despite economic hardship, persecution, and numerous other challenges, the Body of Christ in Asia is growing.

3. PRAY for Christians facing persecution and/or political violence in Asia.

According to Open Doors , 2 out of 5 Christians in Asia face religious persecution. The most extreme forms of persecution are often brought against people converting from Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism. A new believer in Christ is frequently cast out from his or her home, family, and community. Persecution comes also from government entities or political factions when Christians faithfully meet together despite laws prohibiting such gatherings.

Many Christians (and others) in Asia find themselves in the midst of other kinds of violence as well. In one politically charged area, a children’s hostel has recently been the target of aerial raids, scattering hundreds of refugee children into the jungle, hiding for their own safety. A global worker shares, “There is a deep need for peace. I am praying for supernatural ability of Christians to forgive their enemies and for peace to rule in that land.”

Pray for the Lord to bring peace, protection, and provision to those facing persecution and other forms of oppression and violence.

4. PRAY for God to raise up Asian workers, and for Western churches and workers to embrace the role of “partner.”

No longer is cross-cultural mission work a primarily Western endeavor. God is clearly raising up ambassadors of the Gospel “from everywhere, to everywhere” and Asia is no exception. In the last few months alone, TEAM has partnered with multiple groups of workers and mobilizers in Asian nations to set the strategy for cross-cultural sending and provide resources for the next wave of evangelism, discipleship, and planting. A TEAM global worker says this about one such recent gathering:

“Much time was given to praise and prayer and sharing stories, testimonies, and reports. These kinds of activities develop and build the ‘one spirit’ fellowship and trust necessary for partnering. Next, we engaged in a facilitated process of identifying problems and obstacles in areas such as church mobilization, member care, working on multicultural teams, access and visa issues, and, of course, finances. Our six working groups then went on to identify potential solutions to each of the problems and obstacles. We came away with practical next steps to implement over the coming year. ”

Pray for Asian believers to hear the call to missions and for TEAM and other traditionally-western entities to effectively come alongside polycentric sending movements.

5. PRAY for continued Gospel response!

Though many are coming to Christ in Asia, 60% of people living in Asia are still considered unreached (source: Joshua Project ). A global worker in Thailand shares that she and her co-laborers are seeing whole villages respond to the Gospel like never before. Yet other areas and nations remain steeped in spiritual darkness.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to pour out on these regions, that we may get a glimpse of the promise in Revelation 7:9, where we will behold people “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024
When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024
TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”
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