Today is Day 4 of our
36 Day Spiritual Adventure of getting to know and then actively praying for
Northern Thailand Impact Ministry (NTIM) and all of the various unreached
people groups in and around Northern Thailand. Please join us and invite your
friends to join us for this great time of seeking the face of God on behalf of
millions who have never heard the message of our Lord Jesus.
Thailand-Home to Over 70 Different
Ethnic Unreached People Groups
When
most people think of the country of Thailand, they mistakenly think that the
Thai people are all from of specific people group where everyone speaks the central
Thai language in their homes. However, that simply and very clearly is not the
case. Yes, most citizens of Thailand can speak central Thai but ethnically, linguistically,
and culturally, Thailand is made up of between 70 - 100 different people groups.
It is true that the Central Thai are the largest people group in Thailand with
a population of around 20,000,000 according to Joshua Project statistics.
However, what that also means is that out of the 70,000,000 people in Thailand,
71% are from a different ethnic group than the Central Thai group. What that
means is that 71% of the Thai people speak a different language in their homes
with their families and close friends than they do when they are in public or
in school.
We
live in the far Northern part of Thailand where there are dozens and dozens of
different ethnic groups living here, some of them from neighboring countries as
close as a 45 minute drive from our home. I can be at the border of Laos and
the border of Myanmar (former Burma) in less than 45 minutes. I can be at the
border of China in less than 6 hours by car. We truly are strategically located
in a place with a great diversity of unreached people groups living all around
us. Our church, Baan Athitaan Church, is a true community church made up of
over 23 different people groups that meet together for worship every Sunday
morning.
Please
take a look at the map of “Progress of the Gospel by People Group.” What I want
you to notice is where all of the red is located. The red areas are the areas
of the world that are home to the least reached people groups of the world.
Most of them are in North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and South East
Asia.
Thailand is right in the heart of South East Asia and is strategically
located and has the potential to have a strong influence for Christ on hundreds
of people groups in this part of God’s world yet we much reach a good portion
of the Thai people first in order for this to happen. Today of the 70 million
people who call “Thailand” their home country, less that 1% truly know Jesus as
their personal Savior. Would you please pray that God would burden the hearts
of God’s people all over the world to pray fervently, to give
generously (especially during the Christmas season), and to go intentionally
(on a short term or even better a long term mission trip) and partner with us
here at NTIM to reach the nations for Jesus by “making disciples of all the
nations.”
Prayer Example:
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for the rich diversity of people groups in
Thailand. We also thank you for planting a community church right in the heart
of Northern Thailand to help facilitate evangelism and discipleship in that
part of your world. We ask You to be pleased to expand the impact of NTIM to
these various unreached peoples and to give NTIM an opportunity to be a vessel
that You are pleased to use to reach many of the unreached ethnic people groups
in this part of your world. We pray that You would burden the hearts of Your
people all over the world to pray fervently, to give generously, and
to go intentionally to where Your Message is needed most. We pray this
in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.”
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