A Powerful Force (6/18)

We can gain a sense of excitement as we listen to, read, or watch reports of how God is working in the world today - we serve an active God, who is revealing His truth throughout the earth and has entrusted to each of us the message of the gospel, a message that has transformed our lives, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have been born-again. There is much about which to rejoice. In Isaiah 43, we can see a picture of a God who is expansive and mighty, who desires for all to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus:
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth--
7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, "It is truth."

Today, we want to look to an area that could be termed, "the East." Crosswalk.com included this eye-opening statistic recently:

Last year, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity reported that Asia is home to 415 million Christians — more than the entire population of the United States.

The U.S population is reportedly more than 340 million.  So, that's an impressive number out of Asia. 

The Crosswalk article states:

About 8 percent of Asia’s population now identifies as Christian — up from 3 percent in 1910, according to the Pew Research Center and the World Christian Encyclopedia published in 2019 by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.

Why is this growth occurring? The article notes, "Christianity is growing rapidly on the continent due to a combination of spiritual hunger amid modernization, strong community support, active missionary work, and the faith’s ability to adapt to local cultures."

Well, you probably have heard about the growth of Christianity in China, even amidst attempts to mute or water down the message of Christ. The article relates:

Following decades of government-imposed atheism, Christianity has surged there, with an estimated 6 to 9 percent of the country now identifying as Christian -- a number representing 85 to 128 million Christians. Protestants, especially those in unregistered “house churches,” account for the vast majority of Christians. Daryl Ireland, a Boston University School of Theology research assistant professor of mission, said that just four decades ago, there were only 1 million Christians in China.

Crosswalk also states:

Although only two countries in Asia are considered majority Christian -- the Philippines and East Timor -- it is growing in dozens of countries. Mathews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, told The Economist that the “center of gravity of Christianity” is shifting globally, from Europe and North America to the rest of the world. While much of the growth is happening in Africa and Latin America, Asia is also contributing. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of Christians in Asia increased by about 1.6 percent each year, The Economist said. If accurate, that would place the proportion of Asia’s Christians above the 8 percent reported by the World Christian Encyclopedia in 2019.

Other countries experience growth in Christianity include:

• South Korea, where about 1/3 of the population are "identified" as either Protestant or Catholic. Crosswalk says, "Megachurches dominate Seoul’s skyline, and South Korea now sends more missionaries abroad than any country except the United States."

• Nepal, where there has been "rapid growth" recently, even though the practice of Christianity has been limited by government and some pastors have been arrested.

• And, the nations of "Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia..." according to a report from Crux.

We certainly live in exciting times in which to be a Christian.  This even applies to areas where Christianity is practiced away from the watchful eye of government officials, who are intent of persecuting those who would believe on Christ.  Even then, God is drawing people to Himself and people are coming to Christ.

We also recognize that we are part of a vast entity, the body of Christ, which is impacting the earth, spreading the love of Christ and carrying out His mission to see souls saved and to live the truth. We can be encouraged that so many in our world today name the name of Jesus, and that can bring hope to our hearts. 

We can be motivated to get in on what God is doing.  If you are saved, you have experienced the love of God and have access to the greatest power in the world today - the power of the Holy Spirit. That's the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.  We can find encouragement and strength as we allow Him to move through us and use us for His glory.