“Saudi Arabia, receive your inheritance in the kingdom of God!”
But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”(Galatians 4:30,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | Middle East
Population | 36.79 million
Area | 2,149,690㎢, encompasses most of the Arabian Peninsula
Capital City | Riyadh (7.54 million)
People Groups | Total 45 groups: Saudi Arabs 70.3%, Bedouins 3.8%, Gulf Arabs 2.8%, Filipinos 2.7%, Punjabi Indians 2.3%
Unreached People Groups | 29 groups (91.1% of the population)
Official Language(s) | Arabic
Total Languages | 40
Bible Translations | Completed 24, New Testament 3, Partial 7
Religion | Islam 92.2%, Christianity 4% (Protestant 0.5%, Catholic 3%), Hinduism 2.5%, Non-religious 0.6%
Evangelicals | 0.6% (approximately 200,000 people)
》 About Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Christian history, while ancient, has gone through a unique process that makes it difficult to trace today. From around the 4th century after Jesus Christ, Christianity spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, forming communities in the eastern regions near Bahrain and Kuwait, and in the southern areas of Yemen and Najran. Najran, in particular, became an important Christian center, maintaining an active faith life through its connection to the Byzantine Empire and the Ethiopian Aksumite Church. However, when Muhammad emerged in the 7th century and Islam spread rapidly, Christian communities gradually weakened. Under early Muslim rule, Christians could maintain their faith by paying the jizya tax, but over time, most converted to Islam or were expelled, and the Christian community in Najran disappeared from history. Later, in the Middle Ages, Arabia became firmly established as the holy land of Islam. In the 18th century, Wahhabism combined with the House of Saud, establishing a more rigid Islamic fundamentalism. As a result, all other religious activities, including Christianity, were strictly banned. Modern Saudi Arabia’s constitution is based on the Quran and Sunnah (Islamic law) and does not recognize the existence of Christianity. However, many Christian foreign workers, particularly migrants from the Philippines and India, continue to live in the country. They worship unofficially in homes or private spaces. Although some say that recent reforms have led to slightly more religious tolerance, church construction and public religious activities are still not allowed.
》 Scripture Focus
| Galatians 4:3-7, 29-30(NIV) 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” |
》 Prayer Points
1. Mecca is the birthplace of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and the spiritual center of the religion. Muslims around the world pray facing Mecca five times a day and millions travel there each year to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lives. Many believe that participating in this pilgrimage cleanses them of all their sins. Let us pray that those who live as slaves under false laws will come to know and believe the truth that only Jesus Christ can redeem and save. Through the Muslim League based in Mecca, many Islamic missionaries are sent out using vast oil wealth to spread Islam and Wahhabism worldwide. They support Islamic-friendly countries, build mosques, and distribute 30 million copies of the Quran annually. Let us pray that God sends the Spirit of His Son into the hearts of those in Mecca and among the Muslim world so they may cry out to God as their Father.
2. There are no official churches or recognized Christian believers in Saudi Arabia. Even churches for foreigners are not legally allowed. Anyone caught converting to Christianity is reportedly executed without exception. However, some Saudis are secretly seeking Jesus, and the number of converts is said to be growing. Believers are now found in cities across the country. Some Saudis who have gone abroad for work or study have come to know Jesus through the kindness and love of Christians. This is something they had never experienced in their Muslim communities. The gospel is being shared through various media, including Christian satellite television such as SAT-7, Bible Channel, Al-Hayat, and Miracle Channel. It also spreads through Christian radio broadcasts like (Heralding Christ Jesus’ Blessings)HCJB and programs from the International Broadcasting Association. Bibles in different formats and gospel films like Jesus and The Passion of the Christ are secretly being circulated. Let us pray that all who hear the gospel in Saudi Arabia will believe in Jesus Christ and receive salvation. May they become people who lead others to the Lord through the love of Christ. Let us also pray that when the Lord returns, the church in Saudi Arabia will stand as His joy and His crown of glory.
3. Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia often face racial discrimination harsh labor conditions exploitation and restricted personal freedoms. Although many of them are Christians they rarely have access to the gospel and live under constant surveillance. Even home gatherings for worship are banned and believers are often tracked and harassed. More concerning is that many of these Christians hold only nominal faith lacking a deep commitment to Christ. Let us pray that racial discrimination against foreign workers will cease. May diaspora Christians recognize that persecution is not strange just as those born according to the flesh once persecuted those born of the Spirit. Let us also pray that they cast off dead formal religion and embrace the life-giving power of the gospel of the cross living no longer for themselves but with Christ alive in them so they may become bold witnesses to the souls of Saudi Arabia.
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