Pray For…Indonesia

Stats
•Population – 242,968,342
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 4%
•Total Number of People Groups – 680
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 182
•Language Spoken – Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch, local dialects
•Major Religion – Muslim (86.1%), Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu
•Human Development Rank – 111
•Persecution Index – 48

Indonesia gained its sovereignty in 1949 after centuries of Dutch colonization and years of Japan occupation during World War II. Indonesia’s first parliamentary elections however did not occur until 1999. Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy. Over 200 million Muslims live in Indonesia making it home to the world’s Muslim population. In recent years, Indonesia has tried to solve issues such as widespread poverty, corruption, and terrorism from Muslim militants. The World Food Programme states that, “52% [of Indonesians] live on less than US$2 per day with an estimated 35 million poor people who live on less than US$0.65 per day”. Indonesia is also made up of about 680 people groups spread out over its 6,000 of its over 17,000 islands. This archipalegic structure of Indonesia adds to the difficulty of spreading the Gospel. Of Indonesia’s 680 people groups, 182 of them are considered unreached. These 182 people groups account for over 170 million people. On top of the terrain, Indonesia is considered a “hostile nation” which means Christians experience widespread persecution due to their faith in Christ. Native believers and Christian missionaries alike must face many hurdles and dangers for the sake of sharing the good news of Christ. (Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Food Programme, IMB Global Research, Open Doors, Operation World, Joshua Project)

•Pray that the gospel will spread vigorously in a country so grounded in Islam.
•Pray that God sustains our brothers and sisters living in Indonesia and gives them grace to persevere.
•Pray for God to work in the hearts of the peoples of Indonesia and draw them to saving faith in Christ.
•Ask God to sustain those taking the Gospel of Christ to the remote portions of Indonesia.
•Pray that God would raise up a strong and beautiful church in Indonesia for His glory.