Buddhist Outreach

NEW! Download a .pdf (64kb file size) of all 30 Days to print off and carry with you.

Begin with today's date and join us in interceeding for God to do great things among Buddhists. In these 30 Days of Prayers for Buddhists we want to introduce you to a lovely people who desperately need to know their heavenly Father. There are millions of Buddhists who live and die without knowing the realities of a living, helpful God or a forgiving Savior.

Step into the lives of Buddhists. Feel what they experience and understand what they believe. Then listen to the heart of their Creator. What does He want to do for them? How does He want to use you?

Let yourself be drawn into God’s viewpoint of love for each Buddhist and join Jesus and the Holy Spirit in interceding today.

Need: Buddhism’s standard of morality is extremely high. Beyond the many rules, each person must deny all desires if he or she hopes to reach nirvana. Theravada Buddhism teaches that each person must save himself without help from any outside power. The laws are like a clear mirror showing what’s wrong, but there is no soap powerful enough to clean.

Need: Almost 1 in every 6 people around the world could be called a Buddhist or has been strongly influenced by Buddhism. 150 million Theravada Buddhists live in countries like Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. 850 million Mahayana Buddhists live in such countries as China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, and wherever Chinese people have settled. Many of these are folk Buddhists who mix Buddhist beliefs with ancestor worship and other religions. These are faceless statistics to us, but God knows each and loves each as parents love their children.

Need: The cross is confusing to many Buddhists. Those who believe in karma and reincarnation easily assume that Jesus died for His own past sins. Many Buddhists think it is impossible for one person to receive the punishment of another.

Need: A number of primarily Buddhist countries have serious poverty. Barely 1 out of 2 people in Laos can read. In Cambodia the average family tries to subsist on around US$25 each month. Out of the 1.3 million children that are born each year in Myanmar, almost 1 out of 10 will die before they reach the age of five. The Gospel is for the poor, with its practical help and the hope of heaven, but few in these countries have felt God’s loving arms through His church.

Need: Many philosophical Buddhists think it is foolish and unscientific to believe in any god. Buddha said a supreme God is unknowable, and that people should focus instead on what can be known and changed. Some Buddhists think the idea of a compassionate Creator is ridiculous since the world is unstable and full of suffering.

Need: If everyone in the village is Buddhist, can you imagine how difficult it is to become a Christian? This is especially true since most Asian cultures place harmony as one of their highest virtues. In many Buddhist countries people consider conversion to Christianity a betrayal of the family and the country. Jesus is considered a god for foreigners and outsiders.

Need: The unique sect called Tibetan Buddhism has fifteen million people in at least sixty ethnic groups. Persecution and war killed hundreds of thousands and scattered refugees from Tibet around the world, especially into Russia, Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Mongolia. The Dalai Lama has given Tibetan Buddhism a non-violent, peaceful face, leading to the conversion of many westerners. A closer look reveals that much of this sect’s focus is on magical ceremonies and contact with spirits.

Need: Gold-gilded temple by the thousands, hundreds upon hundreds of dedicated orange-robed monks, and a multitude of intricate ceremonies are the pride of Buddhists. Add to this the thousands of Buddhist scriptures, libraries full of books on Buddhist philosophy and a highly developed system of meditation. Its high moral call demands the denial of all desires. Pride in their religion leads many Buddhists to not even consider Christianity. They assume it has less to offer. The power and joy of a relationship with God remains unexplored.

Need: Cities tend to have a negative impact on every religion, including Buddhism. People in a big city may still call themselves Buddhist, but live their lives with a secular, materialistic focus. Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is an example of where city life chokes out religion and Jesus must compete with a thousand attractions. Peaceful Thailand is a prospering tropical paradise. 90% of its millions are Buddhist and more than half of the country has never heard the gospel. In the south it’s 75%.

Need: Busyness is a weed that crowds out the chance for the gospel seed to grow. For example, Japan has around 88 million people who follow a mixture of Buddhism and Shintoism. However, their companies keep the men so busy that they have almost no time for their own religion, let alone to consider Christianity.

Need: Most Buddhists are very inclusive in their thinking and feeling, viewing each religion as good. A restaurant might have incense burning before pictures of Buddha, Jesus, ancestors and a local god. If a Christian portrays Jesus as the unique Savior, a Buddhist will often think, “I can accept Jesus as an enlightened teacher, but surely He’s not the only way!”

Need: Buddhist temples have done much to give children an education and some moral direction. Today television and video games are filling their minds with garbage instead. Poverty grinds many families until their children are unwittingly sold as sex slaves. China has made it illegal to witness to anyone under the age of 18. Millions of Buddhist children don’t yet know about the Jesus who welcomed children on His lap.

Need: Christian missions have existed in some Buddhist countries for hundreds of years with little response. This leads many Christians to feel it is impossible to reach Buddhists. Missionaries have often turned instead to those who are more responsive, such as those from animistic hill-tribes. The faith of the Church remains too small, not expecting great things from God among staunch Buddhist populations.

Need: In some countries with Buddhist background, the communist or socialist governments are persecuting Christians and limiting evangelism. Christians have died for their faith in North Korea. Many are regularly imprisoned in Vietnam. Open-air evangelism is not allowed in Myanmar. While some Buddhists are impressed by the Christians’ courage, many others can’t imagine taking the risk or simply haven’t had a chance to consider it.

Need: Most Buddhists are not very hopeful about reaching Nirvana any time soon. They leave that for monks and try to make some merit in hopes of a better reincarnation and perhaps a short stay in some sort of heaven. Funerals speak of never meeting again. In their understanding, the wheel of suffering continues to roll with a crushing weight while they have no solid hope.

Need: Many Buddhists believe that a woman must be reborn as a man before she is eligible to reach nirvana. Most sects in Buddhist countries discourage or do not allow women to be ordained. Frequently women also bear the brunt of the hard labor of rice farming. In poor families it is often the daughters who stay home to help while the boys go off to school. Development agencies have found that the greatest way to help a countryÕs poverty and health problems is to educate and empower the mothers.

Need: Much of the Christian literature that has been translated for Buddhists is not easily understood. New ideas are introduced too quickly, foreign illustrations are used. Topics don’t fit. For instance Christians quickly want to talk about a living God and forgiveness through Jesus’ death, two major differences with Buddhism. Quality materials are desperately needed that lead step-by-step from what Buddhists believe and value to what Scripture teaches.

Need: Some Buddhists do not feel the need for a savior or a conviction of sin. They may see sin as only the breaking of the 5 Precepts which they think they haven’t broken. Others are fooled by their riches or status into thinking they are blessed because of their good karma.

Need: Refugees and immigrants from Buddhist countries have often settled in large groups in specific countries. For example, because of the Vietnam War, there are over a million Vietnamese in the USA, 300,000 in France and 150,000 in Australia. It is estimated that 35% of Vietnamese people have never heard the gospel. Christian churches have often neglected starting ministries and churches among the many Buddhist ethnic groups that have moved into their backyards.

Need: Many Buddhists are lulled to a fatal sleep by the false hope of reincarnation. God has given us this one life, but Buddhists assume there are many more chances to come. Theravada Buddhism teaches you can save yourself. Some sects of Mahayana Buddhism proclaim various beings as saviors. Millions strive on in the vain hope that their merits or prayers will bring them salvation.

Need: Buddhism has grown rapidly in western countries over the last forty years. They have at least 1500 temples in the USA and claim to have ten million followers there. Some turn from the forms and failures of present-day Christianity, to the peace and simplicity they see in Buddhism. Even many who call themselves Christians no longer believe that salvation is found only through Jesus.

Need: Many Buddhists have no access to a Bible or Christian literature. The Bible has not been translated into the heart languages of many Buddhists. For instance, there are 107 languages in Myanmar but only 2 languages with a full Bible and 10 with a New Testament. Over 80% of Myanmar is Buddhist.

Need: Theravada Buddhism clearly teaches that no one can escape the consequences of his or her sins. Tortures in hell are vividly pictured on many temple walls. Salvation comes only through one’s own good deeds and meditation. There is no forgiveness of sins.

Need: The family is under attack around the world and that includes many Buddhist families. Divorce and unfaithfulness have skyrocketed in countries previously known for their family values. One of the greatest horrors is child prostitution. In Thailand alone there are approximately 800,000 children under the age of 16 who have been sold or tricked into being prostitutes (200,000 under 12). Slavery, abuse, AIDS, broken hearts and broken dreams are the daily reality of these little ones.

Need: Jesus lived a life of radical simplicity, rejecting material things and living for the poor. He modeled peace in the midst of chaos and forgiveness in the face of hatred. Buddhists are drawn to just such characteristics. Unfortunately they often see Christians who are stressed-out while they pursue their own financial or political gain and see churches full of people fighting with each other.

Need: Many Buddhists are convinced that all suffering comes from personal sin, either done in this life or a previous life. Though this motivates many to avoid evil and choose good, it shames a blind beggar or a poor widow since most everyone assumes it is his or her fault. How many handicapped and impoverished people need the comfort of God’s love and the knowledge of Satan’s role in suffering?

Need: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Christian missionaries today are largely sent to where there is already an established Christian presence. Much of mission offerings also end up going to schools, hospitals and organizations which have on-going needs. Huge unreached areas can never vote on our boards or cry out for a missionary, yet God sees the one lost lamb and longs for His children to leave the ninety-and-nine and begin the search.

Need: The high-fat, high-sugar and high-meat diet of the west has taken the east by storm. This means that many Buddhist countries are suffering more and more from cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart disease. The interest in health information and lifestyle change is rapidly rising. Scripture is full of wisdom that leads to good health. God has incredible power to heal the heart and the body. Most Buddhists still wait to meet this Great Physician.

Need: Buddha told people to stay away from magic and superstitions. He also told them to depend on themselves and not to look to him as a god who could help them. But people feel a need for power, so millions of Buddhists have turned to fortune-telling, amulets, mediums, and all forms of magic for help. These are open doors through which the powers of evil deceive and destroy.

Need: God longs to have each Buddhist look up and say, “Abba, Father.” Jesus personally carried each Buddhist’s sins. The Holy Spirit strives today to draw each Buddhist closer to salvation. Sleepily, the majority of Christians are unaware of Buddhists nearby or far away.

“Prevailing prayer is God’s ordained means for extending His kingdom, for defeating Satan and his empire of darkness and evil, and for fulfilling God’s eternal plan and bringing into effect His good will on earth. It is God’s means of covering the earth with His blessings. Prevailing prayer is God’s priority strategy for our age....The history of the church can never be fully written until Christ in eternity reveals the mighty hidden prayer involvement of all His praying people. What a joy that revelation will bring to Christ’s prayer partners!”