The God of the Bible is a sending God; he sent his Son into the world to pay for our sins on the cross. He sends his Spirit to regenerate those whom he calls and to empower us for mission. And he sends his people out into the world to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28.19). God's ultimate goal in sending his Son, his Spirit, and his people is to gather a countless multitude from every ethnicity to ultimately stand before his throne "praising God and the Lamb" (Revelation 7.9-10).
For years I have used one of the most extraordinary books in print today titled Operation World. It is now in its 7th edition having just been republished last year. Operation World takes Christians on a journey through the world, country by country, over the course of a year. Each day there is a brief description of a country (or in the case of larger countries an area or people group). We learn about the country's economy, their politics, their people and their spiritual condition. Following these brief descriptions there are praise reports from the country in which prayers have been answered and a few things to pray for in each daily reading.
Praying through Operation World (in its prior edition) was truly transformative for me. Through prayer I partnered with God in his sending mission. Here are some of the recent answers to prayer according to Operation World:
Christianity has become a global religion. The concept of Christianity as a European or as a Western "white-man's religion" is now an utter myth. Though sometimes small in number, there are Christians living and fellowshipping in every country on the earth. World mission, globalization, and rapid migration have dispersed the Church into every corner of the globe.
Christianity's center of gravity has shifted to the majority world. Although the percentage of the earth's population that is Christian has remained relatively constant over the last century, the center of the church has moved from the north and west to the south and east. So, for example, there are now many times more Anglicans in Nigeria than there are in England. And there are far more church-going Roman Catholics in Latin American countries than in Europe.
The church has particularly grown in lands that now have, or have had in the past, severe persecution. Examples of places where both persecution and church growth have gone hand in hand include China, India, Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Iran, and Myanmar, to name just a few countries.
Evangelical Christianity grew at a rate faster than any other world religion. We frequently hear about the rapid growth of Islam and even of Mormonism and it is sometimes alleged that these two religious movements are the world's fastest growing religions. But if Christianity is subdivided into its constituent parts: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Anglican, marginal, and evangelical, then evangelical Christianity is the world's fastest growing religious movement. Evangelicals numbered 89 million (2.9% of the globe) in 1960. By 2010 there were 546 million evangelicals (7.9% of the entire world).
Renewal movements have also grown at an unforeseen rate. From the birth of the Pentecostal movement at the beginning of the 20th century to the first stirrings of the charismatic movement in the 1960's, to the empowered evangelical (Third Wave Vineyard-type churches) in the 1980's, there are now nearly 600 million people who are part of a Holy Spirit renewal movement. One out of every six people on earth can be identified as either an evangelical or a charismatic.
The gospel took root within hundreds of the world's least reached people. According to Operation World people groups with no known believers 10-20 years ago now have churches within them, some of them thriving, growing churches now involved in the Great Commission.
Finally, not only is God sending people from traditional missionary-sending countries such as the United States and England, but the majority world has become a dominant force in missions sending. This is one of the most exciting movements to happen in Christianity in the last quarter century. While the United States remains the largest sending nation of foreign missionaries, South Korea has replaced the UK as the second largest. India's missionary movement flourishes even as the foreign missionary presence within India has dried up. In many cases Indian workers are working within India, but in a cross-cultural context. Other countries that have joined in God's sending are places such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Brazil, and the Philippines.
Our God is a sending God. Vineyard Columbus has joined in God's sending activity as we are involved in international ministries in the Netherlands, in North Africa, in the Sudan, in Zambia, in Brazil, in Indonesia, on the West Bank of Palestine, and in Central Asia.
A special note: Consider picking up Operation World (7th Edition), edited by Jason Mandryk, and begin to join your prayers to the prayers of millions for our world.