The “Asian Century” is a term used to describe the belief that, “if certain demographic and economic trends persist, the 21st century will be dominated by Asian politics and culture, similarly to how the 20th century is often called the ‘American Century,’ and the 19th century the ‘British Century,’ ” according to Wikipedia.
While most of the world is focused on what happens in Asia economically, politically, or culturally, it is vital to point out the far more important and eternal side of the equation—what is happening spiritually in Asia. Students of Church history and missions know that along with the rise of Great Britain and the United States as world powers came the call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Even as the great wheels of industrialization, business, and military empires began turning in these nations, the fires of great spiritual revivals were burning brightly. It could well be said that those revival fires stoked the furnaces of world missions for the next 200 years.
The global growth of Christianity shows surging growth in both the Southern and Eastern hemispheres. By the year 2025, four of the top ten nations predicted to contain the largest Christian populations are located in Asia. In 2025, only the United States and Brazil are projected to have more believers than China, followed closely by India and the Philippines.
So why is this important in the field of world missions? Because the Church of Jesus Christ is composed of people. The Church is God’s agency to carry out Jesus’ command to make disciples of all the nations. The aforementioned shifting growth statistics indicate that Asia has already become a major source of manpower for carrying out the task of world missions. Take the India Missions Association, for example. This mission began in 1977 with only five member agencies. Today, it has more than 220 agencies representing about 50,000 missions workers.
As recently as October 2008, our missionaries and mission partners in Asia gathered in Malaysia to lay out plans for a great missions thrust from Asia to the rest of the world. Ministry leaders from South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Papua New Guinea, India, Thailand, the Philippines, and other parts of Southeast Asia gathered to pray and plan in obedience to God’s call into global missions.
We continue to hear stories from Asia of faith and courage, boldness and persecution, risk and revival. Recently, one of our missionaries related the story of a Bible institute student who was very burdened about a nation in Central Asia that had recently expelled all of its Western missionaries. He volunteered to go on a special survey trip there because he had a passport from Eastern Europe. While on that trip, the student was arrested along with a group of underground church leaders. His church family in his home country prayed fervently for his protection and release. They were elated to hear of his release but shocked when, upon his return, he asked them to commission him as their missionary to Central Asia. When they asked why, he replied, “Because now I have become qualified by proving that God is with me in times of difficulty and that I can have a fruitful ministry even under persecution.”
I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s experiences after being stoned at Lystra: “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’ ” (Acts 14:21-22).
Join us in keeping your eyes on the East even as we pray together for God’s great power to be shown through the growing church in Asia.
Dr. Michael Loftis is the president of ABWE. Prior to this role, he and his wife, JoBeth, served twelve years in overseas leadership in nine countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The Loftis family lives near New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.
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