Pray for Malaysia
(Info from Operation World, 7th ed.)
Population 27.9 million. Christians 9.3%. Evangelical Christians 4.3%.
Largest Religion Muslim.
Fastest Growing Religion Non-religious.
• Islam grows in both numbers and influence. The constitution guarantees religious freedom for all faiths, but laws and actions threaten this. Over 100 radical Islamist groups push for rule by shari’a law for all of Malaysia. State laws prohibit evangelism of Muslims in 10 of 13 states, and conversion from Islam to another faith is illegal in all but one state. Pray for wisdom and courage for all Muslims who choose to follow Christ. Laws and society isolate Malays from the gospel. Pray for them to encounter Jesus!
• Church growth is steady, and churches now engage more in society and politics. Christians cooperate more than ever before, even across denominational and racial lines. Malaysia has a good number of Bible colleges, seminaries, and church-training programmes, but many smaller churches still have no trained pastor. The government forces Malaysians to use Malay as a common language, but restricts its use for Christian literature and church services. It fears that Christian use of Malay will cause Malays to become Christian. One main issue is the ban of the word Allah (God) that is used in Christian Bibles and literature. Pray for all faith communities to have freedom to use the entire language. Expatriate Christian workers have declined in numbers due to visa restrictions, but various ministries depend on their input. Praise God that the mission vision of the Malaysian Church continues to increase (over 30 active agencies).
Peninsular Malaysia (PM)
• PM is only 3% Christian. 80% of Malaysia’s population live here, but only 25% of its Christians. Praise God that Christianity now grows among all non-Muslim ethnic groups. Pray for a deep work of the Holy Spirit to allow believers to preserve and build up the Church, despite the pressures from Islam and non-Christian family members.
• Pray for the less evangelized. The Malaysian Church has the resources and cultural knowledge to reach them, but it also needs the courage and commitment.
• The Malays are one of the world’s largest unreached groups. Some now worship in house groups and multi-ethnic churches, but no public congregation of ethnic Malays exists.
• The Chinese have a significant Christian minority (mostly among the urban, English-speaking Chinese). Only half the 450 Chinese villages have a church, and few of those who speak Hainanese, Hakka, or Teochew are Christian.
• The Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia (PM) are original inhabitants of the Malaysian peninsula. The Malay-dominated government considers them Muslim, but most practise animism. 8 of the 19 groups have no churches or believers.
• Indian Malaysians make up a high number of the country’s poor. They include many Tamil Christians, but also other less-reached minorities, especially Punjabis and Telugus.
• Drug addicts need effective Christian ministry. Addiction is a major problem, especially among Malay youth. They generally face rejection from family, and often turn to crime.
Sabah
• Sabah is the nation’s poorest state, with 26% below the poverty line. This beautiful region suffers from racial prejudice, corruption, crime, drug trafficking, and piracy. The government gets significant income from Sabah’s natural resources, but it fails to invest it wisely in ways that help the local people.
• Peoples who need prayer. Praise God for rapid church growth among the Chinese, Kadazan-Dusan, Tagal, and Murut peoples! Pray for local Christians to engage and evangelize their society, as expatriate mission and ministry is difficult here.
• The Muslim peoples of Sabah are almost untouched by the gospel. Pray for specific outreach to Filipino-related peoples (mostly refugees), Indonesians (mostly illegal immigrants), and local Malay and Muslim tribal peoples.
• Indigenous (Bumiputera) groups have had large people movements to Christ, but the Church has neglected them. Few languages have the New Testament. Tribal peoples suffer the greatest levels of poverty, unemployment, and lack of education.
Sarawak
• Sarawak enjoys spiritual blessing, with 70 years of God at work! The majority of Iban and nearly half the Chinese are Christian. But the Church faces many trials. Materialism in urban areas pulls people away from faith, and pressure from Muslims is strong in rural areas. Ministry and discipleship are extremely difficult due to the remote location, and due to the traditional animist beliefs of the Iban people (former headhunters). Pray for churches to overcome their trials! Ask God to call more pastors and Christian workers to this needy but responsive province.
• Pray for Christians to assist the poor, and to reach out in love to other peoples around them who suffer even greater needs. Most indigenous groups remain poor, especially in rural areas. The government takes advantage of their situation, and the churches often overlook them. Many have little opportunity for education, employment, or healthcare.