Indonesia, a nation with over 215 million Muslim believers that total 13% of the total Muslim world population is in for a surprise! Unprecedented growth among Christians with an Evangelical and Pentecostal identity puzzles the nation. In Indonesia it is a disgrace and a dangerous act to convert to Christianity from a Muslim background. People who are converts are experiencing different kinds of persecution within the extended family, but also within society. Exact figures are hard to gather but a recent report estimates that 10% of Indonesians are Christians. A figure many Christian leaders believe is too low.
Some interesting facts?
- In the early 1960s there were no Evangelical churches in Temanggung, where the soccer-field revival took place; now there are more than 40.
- In the capital Jakarta, newly built mega churches send steeples into the sky
- Other Christians worship at unofficial churches based in hotels and malls, where Sunday services rival shopping as a popular weekend activity
- Asia’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ, built in 2007, presides over Manado city in eastern Indonesia, while Indonesian cable TV beams 24-hour Christian channels.
Time magazine reports: “What is it about Evangelical Christianity that has so resonated in Indonesia? As in many other crowded, developing-world countries where a person can feel lost in a teeming slum, the concept of individual salvation is a powerful one. At the same time, the attempted hijacking of Muslim theology by a small band of homegrown terrorists who have killed hundreds of Indonesians in recent years has led some to question their nation’s majority faith. So, too, has the general trend toward a more conservative Islam that has given rise to hundreds of religiously inspired bylaws, from caning for beer-drinking to enforced dress codes for women. Not everyone, though, is celebrating Christianity’s boom. Some Muslims view the faith as an unwanted foreign influence, even though Islam, too, is an imported religion”.
I am excited about this recent development and it gives hope to us who have not been part of such sweeping moves of God in our nations. If God can do it in strongholds of Islam, He can AND will move here as well!
John
Report: Christianity Growing in Indonesia – World – CBN News – Christian News 24-7 – CBN.com.
Synergetics 
I’m so glad I found your blog.
You’re exactly who we need to help get the word out about two amazing women who are raising money for orphans by running 50 miles in 50 states – the Running Hope Through America (http://www.runhope.com/) project.
I’m friends with Lisa Smith Batchen (http://tri.nity.me/cGvA1E), the ultra-marathon runner and Sister Mary Beth Lloyd, the Catholic nun who are at the core of Running Hope Through America effort. CNN did a story on them that you can watch here (http://tri.nity.me/9j7ZFs).
Lisa has already run two thirds of her 2500-mile journey across the US, raising money for the Orphan Foundation of America, AIDS Orphans Rising and Caring House Project. As a mother of five children I feel like I’m running and running to get it all done, but she is literally running and running! 50 miles in every state, no matter the conditions, and she’s doing it all for the children. The woman is an angel on earth.
I’ve created the Trinity Cross (http://tri.nity.me/bzBTvO) as a result of my faith in miracles and my devotion to family and God. Lisa is wearing a Trinity Cross on her run. In an effort to support Lisa and her team, we are asking people to make an $80 donation via this page (http://tri.nity.me/d79gqF).
Anyone who donates $80 or more will receive a Trinity Cross as a memento of Lisa’s effort to bring Hope to orphans.
When you know that a mere six cents a day can feed a hungry child, any amount will make a difference. Imagine –with an $80 donation more than 1300 children could be fed.
Please email me and let me know how you can help spread the word. We aren’t just looking for donations but partners in our mission to end suffering for these poor orphans displaced by AIDS. I know, together, we can make a difference in the lives of so many children.
I know, together, we can make a difference in the lives of so many.
As Always,
Coleen
Trinity Cross Collection (http://tri.nity.me/bzBTvO)
– A PRAYER FROM JESUS –
This prayer is from Jesus that we may here from Him, that He may meet our needs. It only consist of three simple steps.
1) We need to read one scripture. This will focus us in the word that brings everlasting life.
2) Since this prayer is from Jesus we need to direct our prayer to Him personally. Too often Christian focus they’re prayer’s to G_D the father. Scripture proclaims that Jesus should be the focus of our prayer.
3) The simplest part of this Prayer is to ask Jesus one question. Please, all that is required for this question is to make it simple. Let Jesus Himself finish the question when He gives you that understanding through prayer.
The PRAYER
The scripture that is the focus of this prayer is “ACTS 2:38”. It’s not necessary to do any study into this scripture. Jesus Himself will bestow the understanding that will resonate in your heart.
The most important part of this prayer is that we need to direct our prayer directly to Jesus. If you normally would say Father in your prayer, change your focus from the Father to Christ Jesus by lifting Jesus name up every time you would normally use Father in your prayer.
Maybe the hardest part of this prayer is the question that we need to ask Jesus. For man as we are, always try to understand the question and may add many additional quires. The simplest question is all that is required.
Simply ask Jesus ‘WHY’