Muslims fast for 30 days. This is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During these 30 days Muslims will fast until sunset, not even drinking water, but at night they are free to eat and drink. Since 1992, a Christian action of prayer for Muslims during Ramadan has taken place.
About 20 years ago, the world had about 1.1 billion Muslims. Islam was a little known religion in most Western nations, and efforts on the part of the Church to share their faith in Christ with Muslims were scarce. Today, efforts have increased ten-fold and
30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim world is one of the many agencies who have embraced the call to share the message of Jesus amongst the Muslim people.
It was reported by a mission’s strategist in the
‘Mission Frontiers’ magazine last year that in 1997 only two church-planting movements amongst Muslim people groups could be identified. By 2010, however, over 1,000 baptisms and/or 100 churches had been planted amongst at least 25 Muslim populations in the last decade.
A major breakthrough happened in South Asia among the Bengali, where at least half a million people with a Muslim background came to faith in Jesus. In Iran, Christian satellite broadcasting supports a strong and growing underground church movement with thousands of house fellowships throughout the country. Several hundred thousand people of an unreached Berber group in North Africa came to faith in just one of several movements taking place in that region.
The technological advance of the past 20 years has transformed the way in which the Gospel is communicated to previously unreached Muslim groups. Radio and satellite broadcasting throughout the Muslim world has resulted in millions of Muslims responding to the message of Christ. In the Arab world alone, one ministry, SAT7, has a regular audience of 8.5 million.
So, what of the next 20 years?
According to a Pew study released in January 2011, 20 years from now the Muslim world population be double what it was 20 years ago, with Muslims representing a quarter of the world’s population. As followers of Christ, we must rise to meet this growth with a double portion of faith and love. Can we do it?
A leader from the 30 Days of Prayer agency believes we can: “We could not have anticipated this kind of growth 20 years ago, but we recognize that the spread of the gospel amongst Muslims in these last two decades has been fueled by the increase in prayer for the Muslims. We can expect no less for the next 20 years.”
Why do we pray during the time of Ramadan?
There are two reasons why the 30 days of prayer is held during the month of Ramadan:
Please note that praying during the month of Ramadan does not mean that we conform ourselves to the Muslim practices of fasting and prayer. As believers in Jesus Christ we disagree with Islamic ideas, theology and practice in several areas, but we place an emphasis on God’s love for Muslims. We encourage all believers to cultivate a spirit of humility, love, respect and service toward Muslims.
For more information, please visit
http://www.30-days.net/
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