Pray For…Greece

Stats
•Population – 10,737,428
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.4%
•Total Number of People Groups – 14
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 14
•Language Spoken – Greek
•Major Religion – Greek Orthodox (98%), Muslim, other
•Human Development Rank – 25
•Persecution Index – N/A

Greece has both a vast cultural history and a long history related to the Gospel. The New Testament is full of references of and letters to Greek cities like Corinth and Thessalonica. Greece was once a powerhouse in the Mediterranean. Its language was the standard in antiquity. It was the language chosen by the New Testament writers. However, even though it was evangelized by the first Christians thousands of years ago, all 14 of Greece’s people groups are considered unreached. The Greece of today gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. Years of monarchy and military dictatorship led finally to democratic elections in 1974. Since 2001, Greece has been a member of the European Union. But Greece currently finds itself in the middle of economic crisis. An increasing number of Greek citizens are becoming unemployed while inflation is on the rise. As for the spiritual condition of Greece, Greek Orthodox Christianity has been predominant for centuries, and very few Greeks would profess salvation by faith in Christ alone. Due to this, evangelical missionaries have begun to proclaim the Gospel in order to plant churches which has not gone without opposition. Some evangelical missionaries have been harassed and arrested for proclaiming the Gospel around Greece. Greeks are often suspicious and even at times hostile to anything that is not Greek Orthodox. It is only God who can change the heart. Let us lift up in prayer the more than 10.7 million who comprise Greece’s 14 unreached people groups.

•Pray for God to bring revival to the country of Greece
•Pray for God to soften the hearts of the people in Greece
•Pray for missionaries in Greece to have strength and courage for them as they continue to take the Gospel to Greece.
•Pray for boldness and unity for the few evangelical Christians in Greece.
•Pray for training and resources for the few evangelicals in Greece so that they may be equipped to share the Gospel.
•Pray for the current economic crisis in Greece. Ask for God to show His sovereignty and provision to the Greek people, and that He would guide the government as they make decisions for the future of Greece.