Continuing to pray for China

We are continuing praying for China since beginning of this month. December newsletter gives you details of each day prayer requests. Here I would outline a few for this week.
Traditional Chinese religions are atheistic in principle – Confucianism is all about rules of law and regulations that lead person to righteousness, bottom line its legalism; Buddhism and Daoism is also about human efforts. The new religion, Falun Gong, attracted over 70 million followers in over a decade to another form of self-improvement. The people of China need to know that real God, the Creator is personal and is involved in our lives, that salvation is free to take by faith. Pray for the Gospel to be made available to all Chinese.
Official Christian protestant church in China is registered as “Three Self Patriotic Movement.” Three self is not a Chinese for Trinity. It’s a missionary motto of self-governance, self-support and self-propagation. It survived the Communist regime as it emphasised indigenous efforts, and not outside influence. Registered churches had collaborated with the government in the past and are perceived as corrupted. No denominations are recognized in China, and all protestant branches are incorporated under the same “umbrella.” There is a need to reconcile independent house churches and organized churches for united Christian witness.
The new generation of youth is seduced by western values through internet and other by-products of globalization, yet without moral roots they are turning to existentionalism and survival by all means. Pray for opportunities to instil morality and ethics or righteousness through the exposure at Universities, home and abroad.
Remote provinces of China remain closed to Christian witness. Tibetan mystic Bon-Buddhism is still persecuted by the local government, and in such environment Christian witness is nearly impossible. Regions near Mongolia and Manchuria had been influenced by Islam for centuries and its desert environment keeps communities closer together, more committed to their traditions, making Christian penetration very difficult.
In Xinjiang Region ethnic conflicts between Uygur separatists and Han Chinese make Christian witness unacceptable by indigenous people groups. More than 60% of people living in the area are Turkic, related to the tribes of Central Asia. Pray for unique new ways of introducing the Gospel there.
In a special way pray for Chinese Diaspora, communities around the world, that as they discover Christ in Europe, Australia, USA, Canada they would make efforts to witness to their relatives in the mainland China.
As you are praying weekly, daily for all nations, I trust your awareness of how large the harvest is grows too. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!