God is moving powerfully across the earth! Multiple indicators point to the unprecedented advancement of God’s kingdom and the spread of the Gospel around the world. Here are a few highlights.
Christianity is expanding globally, with the growth of the Church outpacing the population growth rate.1 This growth is particularly notable in the Global South (South America, Africa, and parts of Asia), with an estimated 67% of all believers now residing in those regions. The Pentecostal/Charismatic wing of Christianity is driving this global expansion. There are now 644 million “Spirit-empowered” Christians on the earth, representing 26% of all Christians worldwide.2
The 21st century has witnessed the emergence of a historic, worldwide movement of day and night worship and prayer. Despite scandals among US-based prayer leaders in recent years, the global prayer movement is thriving. Millions around the world are engaged in the four global days of prayer. The 110 largest unreached cities in the world are being strategically targeted with day and night prayer. Earlier this month, 24-7 Prayer hosted a global week of 24-7 prayer in over 1300 locations in 100+ nations3. The 10 Days prayer movement is mobilizing united prayer in hundreds of locations throughout the nations. A growing number of local churches and denominations are establishing prayer rooms, with hundreds of houses of prayer in the US and even more around the world.
The word of God is spreading like never before. Bible sales in the UK have risen by 87% in the last year, largely driven by young, first-time Bible readers.4 The YouVersion Bible app has been downloaded nearly one billion times.5 The Scriptures are now available in over 2500 different languages, up from 582 languages in 1970.6
Statistics from recent years have shown encouraging trends. Those who are a part of Gen-Z, which includes those born between 1997 and 2012, are incredibly open to the Gospel, with Barna referring to them as the “Open Generation” due to their unusual openness to spirituality and religion.7 Justin Brierly has been documenting the decline of atheism and the growing interest in Christianity among public intellectuals in his books and podcast called “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God.”8 Pew Research has indicated that the number of religious “nones” (those who have no religious affiliation) has started dropping for the first time in many years.9 God is clearly moving!
The Harvest Is Great
Yet despite these encouraging trends, there is still much work to be done. Jesus left his apostles with the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). The ultimate vision of Scripture is that worshipers from every tribe and tongue would gather around God’s throne and offer praises to the Lord (Revelation 5:9, 7:9). The prophet Malachi saw a vision of praises and prayers arising “in every place” around the world (Malachi 1:11). Jesus promised that before He returned the Gospel would be proclaimed in “all nations” (Matthew 24:14).
The original Greek word that gets translated into “nations” in both Matthew 24:14 and in the Great Commission is the word “ethnos”, which means ethnic group. Jesus was not mainly referring to political states but to unique ethnic “people groups.”
Knowing that Jesus promised that the Great Commission would require reaching every “people group” with the Gospel, Christian missiologists have been strategically identifying and studying the people groups of the world to see if they have been “reached” or not. In other words, how far along are we in the ultimate goal of the Great Commission?
The Joshua Project has identified 17,523 people groups in the world. They estimate that 7,363 (42%) of those groups are “unreached”.10 Yet only about 3% of Christian missionaries are serving among these unreached people groups.11
Most of these unreached people groups are in the “10/40 Window”. The 10/40 Window is a geographic band encompassing parts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude. This vast area is home to a significant portion of the world's population, including many of the world's least-reached people groups. Only 1.7% of money given for Christian missions is currently going towards efforts in the 10/40 window.12
It is worth noting that many who labor in these unreached nations report anecdotally that Christianity is growing more broadly than these official reports indicate. This is not surprising. One can imagine how hard it would be to collect accurate data on the number of believers in nations where a confession of Christ could result in persecution or even death. Therefore, the Gospel may have spread well beyond the latest statistics.
Even still, the task is unfinished. Every people group must be reached. We seem to be moving in the right direction, but the commission is truly great. At times, it can seem overwhelming.
I believe that Jesus felt the same weight of this missional task when he looked out at Israel and saw them as “sheep without a shepherd.”
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
Jesus saw that the harvest was plentiful, but that laborers were few. The need was greater than the resources. In light of this great need, what are Jesus’ first instructions to his disciples? Therefore… go? Therefore…. serve? Therefore… mobilize? Therefore… raise money? No. His first instructions were “Therefore, pray...”
As in Jesus’ day, the task before us in 2025 is great. The need is immense. What should we do? I believe we should follow Jesus’ instructions. First and foremost, we should pray.
The Convergence of Prayer and Missions
It is ultimately God’s work that will accomplish His mission to reach all people. Jesus said that we should pray to the “Lord of the Harvest.” He is the Lord of the harvest, not us. This is why prayer is key. It’s God’s power that converts hearts, but He will do it in partnership with His people through prayer and missions. The only way the nations will be reached is through laborers who will boldly share the Gospel (Romans 10:14), but prayer will be the fuel behind it all. We plant with God’s word and water with prayer, but God brings the increase (I Corinthians 3:6).
In Jesus’ eyes, prayer and mission work together seamlessly. Some people may try to pit various ministries against one another. Some say that we need to get outside of the four walls more. Some say we need to stay inside and pray more. But one is no more important than the other. It is not a question of either/or but of both/and.
However, Jesus did indicate that we should pray first. Loving God is the “first” commandment that fuels the second commandment of loving people (Matthew 22:37-39). Both are vital, but our relationship with God is the priority. It gives us the grace and power to love others well.
Prayer fuels missions. It calibrates us to God’s heart. It charges us with boldness. It clarifies our assignment. And it cultivates an environment of fruitfulness. Let’s examine this connection more deeply.
1. Prayer Calibrates Us to God’s Heart
God loves people more than we do. In His presence, He imparts His compassion to us that awakens intercession and mission. When we seek His heart, He reveals it to us. We learn to love what He loves. We learn to hate what He hates.
What was driving Jesus’ passion for a harvest? It was His compassion for people.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray…” Matthew 9:36-38
When we sit with His word and allow His Spirit to speak to us, our desires align with His desires. Our vision for our lives conforms to His vision for our lives. Our selfish motives start to melt away, and His zeal for the lost, hurting, and broken fills our hearts.
Jesus tells us to “pray earnestly” to the Lord of the harvest. The Greek word translated “pray earnestly” is “deomai,” which means to beseech or to beg. This kind of prayer is only awakened when God begins to break out hearts for what breaks His. Those who have felt His passion and zeal for people can not help but pray “earnestly” for laborers. In those moments of encounter with God’s heart, we can’t help but say, “Here I am, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
2. Prayer Charges Us With Boldness
Before ascending to heaven, the risen Christ told the disciples to “go” into all the world to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), but He also told them to “wait” for power from the Spirit before preaching the Gospel (Acts 1:4,8). How did they know which instructions to follow? Did they wait or did they go? They did both! But they waited and prayed first. They prayed in the Upper Room for ten days, until the Spirit was poured out, and then Peter boldly preached the Gospel on the day of Pentecost.
However, Pentecost was not a one-time event. It was actually a pattern for the early Church. Just a few chapters later, some of those same disciples who were in the Upper Room gathered again to pray and be filled again with the Spirit. This infused them with fresh boldness to minister to others.
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
In prayer, God releases His power to us to fulfil our ministry assignment with courage, strength, and lasting impact. There are countless stories of burned-out laborers who went onto the mission field, but didn’t realize the need for intimacy with the Lord, prayer, and worship to sustain and fuel their mission. The laborers don’t just need to be prayed for; they need to pray! Trying to do ministry without intimacy is an act of futility. Jesus said that the only way to bear fruit is to abide in Him (John 15:).
Those who cultivate a relationship with God in the secret place will be those who carry the fragrance of Christ to neighborhoods and nations. Those who have been in Jesus’ presence will manifest His glory when they minister to others. Those who have experienced His love will be free from fear and insecurity so that they can boldly and unashamedly proclaim the good news of Christ everywhere they go.
3. Prayer Clarifies Our Assignment
Prayer is also the environment in which God speaks to us and leads us into our missional assignments. Prayer not only emboldens us and aligns us with God’s heart, but it also clarifies our specific role in the broader great commission.
Everyone should minister freely to those within their sphere of influence, such as family, friends, and co-workers. However, there are times when God will lead you to minister to people who are outside of your normal relational sphere. Yet, how do we know who to minister to? How do we know who to pray for? Where is God sending us? Should we go to the nations? Should we funnel our offerings to a missionary? What exactly do we do? The only way to find out is to pray about it.
The options can seem perplexing, but praying first makes everything very simple. Here’s what we do:
Spend time with God, and do what He says.
This is how Christian missions has always advanced. The first cross-cultural missionaries received their assignment when the Holy Spirit spoke to them in a prayer meeting at the Church at Antioch.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:2-3
Every laborer who has been sent by God on a missional assignment has been launched from an encounter with God’s voice in prayer. Many times this happens as you’re simply worshiping and ministering to the Lord. In His presence, He speaks. Stay tuned in! Keep listening. He will clarify His purposes for your life. Press into His heart, and He will lead you by His Spirit. When He is ready to get your attention and send you, He will. In the meantime, keep praying. Keep loving your neighbor. In due time, He will release any specific assignments He has for you. But the only way to be ready to receive them is to stay close to Him.
4. Prayer Cultivates an Environment of Fruitfulness
Prayer not only prepares laborers for the mission (which was the focus of points #1-3), but it also prepares the lost to hear and receive the Gospel. Prayer pushes back against the work of the enemy. Prayer softens the hearts of unbelievers to receive the truth. Prayer and worship shift the spiritual atmosphere in cities, regions, and nations to create an environment conducive to the advancement of God’s kingdom.
The apostle Paul understood this principle, which is why he was regularly asking for prayer. When writing to the Church at Colossae, he described his ministry opportunities as “open doors” to the Gospel, and he urged them to pray for these doors to open.
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word… Colossians 4:2-3
Paul understood that the effectiveness of his evangelistic ministry was connected to the intercession that was being offered for him. Those prayers strengthened Paul and his team, yes, but they also prepared the way in the spirit for the Gospel. Their prayers helped “open doors” for people to believe in Jesus and encounter God’s life-changing grace.
Our prayers “water the ground” so that the seed of the Gospel takes root and bears fruit. A city, region, state, or nation that is saturated with prayer is more likely to see a harvest of souls. A sermon preached in a prayerless environment may have little impact, but the same message in a prayer-saturated environment is much more likely to be fruitful.
Perhaps this is why Gen-Z is described as being so “open” to God. After 25 years of a global day and night prayer movement, maybe the ground is becoming saturated. Maybe the hearts of the emerging generation are softening. Maybe the enemy’s resistance is weakening. Maybe the harvest fields are white. We just need the laborers! Now more than ever, may we pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples — that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into the harvest field.
‘How little Christians really feel and mourn the need of laborers in the fields of the world, so ripe for the harvest. How little they believe that our labor supply depends on prayer and that prayer will really provide “as many as he needeth.” The dearth of labor is known and discussed. Efforts are sometimes made to supply the need. But how little the burden of the sheep wandering without a Shepherd is really assumed in the faith that the Lord of the harvest will send forth the laborers in answer to prayer. Without this prayer, fields ready for reaping will be left to perish. And yet it is so. The Lord has surrendered His work to His Church. He has made Himself dependent on them as His Body, through whom His work must be done. The power which the Lord gives His people to exercise in heaven and earth is real; the number of laborers and the measure of the harvest does actually depend on their prayer.’ - Andrew Murray (from Chapter 9 of With Christ in the School of Prayer)
https://research.lifeway.com/2025/02/11/9-encouraging-trends-for-global-christianity-in-2025/
https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/research/global-pentecostalism/
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https://www.gordonconwell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2025/01/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2025.pdf
https://www.barna.com/the-open-generation/
https://justinbrierley.com/surprisingrebirth/
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/24/has-the-rise-of-religious-nones-come-to-an-end-in-the-us/
https://www.joshuaproject.net/
https://www.ywamnuremberg.com/blog/unreached-countries-1040-window
https://crossworld.org/blog/details/what-is-the-10-40-window-and-how-can-we-reach-it