Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Jul 06: Indonesia, Java
Indonesia
Republic of Indonesia
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 1,919,317 sq kmThe Republic’s 17,500 islands (6,000 inhabited) stretch over 9.5 million sq km of the Indian/Pacific Oceans, with 33 provinces, 5 of which have special status. Includes the world’s second-largest rain forest and vast coral reefs.
Population: 232,516,771 Annual Growth: 1.19%
Capital: Jakarta
Urbanites: 53.7%
HDI Rank: 111 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 784 (26% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). Its increasing use is unifying the nation and lessening the importance of smaller languages to the younger generation Languages: 722 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Muslim| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 36,853,908 | 15.85 | 1.6 |
| Evangelicals | 13,010,751 | 5.6 | 2.8 |
| Muslim | 186,734,219 | 80.31 |
Challenge for Prayer
The challenges within the Church are no less serious than those outside it. While praising God for Christian growth, pray also for the overcoming of these weaknesses:a) Nominalism has blighted the Church in areas that have been Christian for centuries: Manado in North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, West Timor and Maluku. Many denominations are spiritually lifeless and riddled with carnality, internal politics, divisions and active practice of indigenous occultism. These bodies need renewal and revival with many having a true conversion experience.
b) The failure of discipleship. For those seeking the Lord and for new believers, there are too few teachers and disciplers. Many traditional Churches have little idea how to adequately disciple those in their midst. Rapid growth of newer Pentecostal and charismatic churches often outpaces the capacity of leadership to put in place good discipleship principles. The availability of Scripture and teaching in a language ordinary people understand will make a huge difference in the area of discipleship.
c) Theological error in the Church. Beyond forms and structures that encourage nominalism, inadequate teaching has led to a multiplicity of errors, to syncretistic Christianity loaded with occultism and animistic thought patterns and to controversy over “prosperity” theology.
d) Foreign expressions of Christianity for an Indonesian context. What may work for Christians in the West or in Singapore might not be ideal in all of Indonesia. Large mega-churches are springing up in Jakarta, as are outside forms and styles of church and worship. These have the potential to strengthen or to hinder the Church’s growth in Indonesia. Pray for wisdom for Indonesia’s Christians, that they might adopt what is both biblical and most useful for their own context, and leave that which is not.
e) New believers from a Muslim background often face rejection and persecution (including violence and occasionally martyrdom) for following Jesus. They can also find it difficult to fit into the existing Christian culture and church structure they encounter. Pray for households to come to Christ as a unit and to find healthy expressions of faith within their communities and cultures.
For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Indonesia.Java
Indonesia
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Christians of many traditions are drawing together as never before, uniting in prayer, worship, mutual support and information sharing throughout Java. Loving action by Christians continues to draw many Muslims to Christ, even amid persecution and destruction of church buildings. This is a time of harvest! The Christian response to needs in the aftermath of recent floods and earthquakes has been a powerful testimony. Likewise, the deliberate transformational approach of focusing ministry on the marginalized and most needy – orphans, lepers, AIDS victims, the mentally unstable and those in squatter communities in “unclean” cemeteries – has a powerful effect. Pray for greater momentum in reaching out to the much less evangelized in small towns and rural villages.For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a good comment, Negative comments will not be posted.