PRAYER GUIDE – WEEK 9 (Oct 31st – Nov 6th)

Kyushu is the southernmost region of Japan, including the islands of Okinawa prefecture. This region is where Christianity has its longest roots, starting with the Jesuits’ arrival in 1549, and some of its most painful history.

Fukuoka is the major city in this region. Pray for God to strengthen churches and give a vision for ministry throughout Kyushu. There is a particular need for church planting in Saga prefecture.

Natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes, and mudslides occur in most regions of Japan. Pray for Christian centers like the Kyushu Christ Disaster Relief Center that coordinates churches and volunteers to help with relief work and donations.

Only ten percent of the pastors in Japan are under forty years old, and nearly half are over seventy. Thirty percent of churches have no pastor. The supply line of young pastors has slowed to a trickle and few pastors receive adequate salaries. Many pastors labor in small churches with little growth and aging facilities. They have tremendous ministry responsibilities and a limited support team.

• Pray for a new generation of young pastors who will preach the whole Word of God and encourage their churches toward an uncompromising allegiance to Christ.
• Pray that Japanese believers will encourage and strengthen their pastor by using their spiritual gifts for the building up of the church.

Passivity can be one of the most subtle yet difficult stumbling blocks in Christian life. Without an intentional daily walk with Christ, believers can find it harder and harder to stand firm in Christ and not get swept away in the relentless current of daily life.

In Japan, this is intensified due to a strong cultural value of group harmony. While this is a positive value in many ways, when over 99% of the people in Japan are not Christians, “just going with the flow” can subtly yet consistently pressure believers to bend.

• Pray for believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit as they read the Word, pray, and worship God. Pray that they will find strength to stand firm in Christ through whatever comes in daily life.
• Pray for an awareness about the stumbling block of passivity. Pray that believers can identify areas of passivity or “going with the flow,” and ask Jesus for help to stand firm or move forward as needed.

Though Protestant missionaries have been in Japan since the mid-1800s, it’s mainly through non-missionary routes that the body of Christ in Japan has grown in diversity. As the world’s third largest economy, Japan is an attractive country for many people to come to for work and educational opportunities.

Ethnic churches have been planted among Brazilian, Filipino, Korean, and Chinese communities. International churches can be found in the major cities. The body of Christ in Japan has an opportunity to testify that God is a God of all nations.

• Pray that churches in Japan have an opportunity to show both the diversity and the unity of the body of Christ – the diversity of languages and ways in which God can be worshipped; and the unity of churches blessing and serving alongside each other.
• Pray that Japanese churches will find good opportunities to work together with international and ethnic churches to reach out to their local communities.