Malaysia 2
February 3rd

“Malaysia belongs to Christ, and are heirs according to the promise!”
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29,NIV).

》 Country Profile

Continent | Southeast Asia
opulation | 34.21 million
Area | 329,847㎢ Consists of West Malaysia (PM) Peninsula of the Malay Peninsula and East Malaysia (EM) on the northern 1/3 of Borneo Island.
Capital City | Kuala Lumpur (8.42 million people)
People Groups | Total 182 groups Bumiputra ethnic groups 63.8% (Malay 52.8%, indigenous 11%), Chinese 20.6%, Indian 6% (Tamil 5.8%), others 0.6%, immigrants (non-citizens) 9%
People Groups Unreached | 77 groups (50.2% of the population)
Languages | Malay, English
Total Languages | 44
Bible Translations | Completed 12, New Testament 13, Partial 6
Religion | Christianity: 4.2% (Protestant 1%, Catholic 1.6%, Unregistered 1.5%, Evangelical Christians: 0.7%) / Islam: 88.3% / Ethnic Religions: 7.5%

》 About Malaysia

Malaysia was introduced to Islam in the 14th century by Arab traders. In 1405, the Sultanate of Malacca, founded by a descendant of the Kingdom of Temasek, became a powerful kingdom, controlling parts of eastern Sumatra. However, in 1511, the kingdom fell to the Portuguese. Later, in 1641, the Dutch took over Malacca, and by 1786, the British began ruling the entire country, starting with Penang. During the early 20th century, the British brought in Chinese and Indian workers to develop the rubber and tin industries.
After gaining independence in 1957, Malaysia faced challenges like communist uprisings, conflicts with Indonesia, and territorial disputes with the Philippines over Sabah. In 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent nation. To protect the rights of native Muslims, the government introduced the “Bumiputera Policy,” which provided special privileges to native Malays in all sectors of society. However, this led to discrimination against minority groups, including indigenous peoples.
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy, with nine Malay states ruled by Sultans. Every five years, one of these Sultans becomes the King. Since 2019, the King has been Abdullah of Pahang, and Anwar Ibrahim has been the Prime Minister since 2022.

Malaysia’s economy is based on the production and export of tin, palm oil, and petroleum. Its industrial base includes manufacturing and tourism. However, since 2015, the economy has faced challenges due to falling oil prices, a drop in currency value, and a major government corruption scandal involving a state investment fund. The global decrease in demand, influenced by the U.S.-China trade war, and the COVID-19 pandemic further slowed economic growth.
Despite these issues, Malaysia continues to rely on its rich natural resources and has resumed major infrastructure projects. The government is also increasing support for the automotive industry and fields related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (like technology and innovation). Malaysia’s GDP per capita is approximately $26,400

》 Scripture Focus

》 Prayer Points

1. The Malaysian constitution clearly guarantees freedom of religion, but Islam is designated as the state religion, and Sharia law is enforced, making conversion from Islam illegal. Those who convert face imprisonment and persecution. According to Open Doors, Malaysia ranks 43rd in the world for Christian persecution (2023). Despite these challenges, we are thankful that churches still exist and that evangelicals continue their mission in this country.
About 80% of Christians in Malaysia are from minority groups such as the Chinese, Indian, and indigenous communities. Most of them live in Borneo’s Sarawak and Sabah regions. The Christian Federation of Malaysia represents major Christian denominations and opposes government discrimination and persecution. The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) supports evangelical churches and missions. Although the church in Malaysia faces persecution, it remains firm in faith, following the example of Abraham. Let us pray that the Malaysian church shares the gospel with the Muslim population, leading them to the blessings of salvation through faith.

2. The Bumiputra people, consisting mostly of Malays and indigenous groups, are predominantly Muslim. The Tamil Indians follow Hinduism, while most Chinese Malaysians practice Buddhism, with about 11% being Christians. The Malays dominate West Malaysia and are classified as an unreached group, with a Christianity rate below 2%.
Despite ethnic and religious complexities, we must remember that Christ unites us all. We pray that churches in Malaysia will courageously share the gospel with Malays and other unreached groups, overcoming legal and social barriers. The Tamil people, about 1.9 million in Malaysia, face issues like organized crime, unemployment, and social instability. Let us pray that Tamil Christians will recognize their identity as children of God and become witnesses of the gospel, spreading the message of life to unreached people groups.

3. Foreign missionaries are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain visas, leading to a decline in their numbers. However, local churches are stepping up, sending their members into missions. The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) and the Malaysia Center for Global Missions train and support these missionaries. Organizations like Interserve, OMF, Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT), Operation Mobilization (OM), and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) work with hundreds of Malaysian missionaries to spread the gospel globally.
Although evangelism is banned, not only for foreign missionaries but also for Chinese and Indian Christians, East Malaysian churches focus heavily on international missions, while West Malaysian churches face persecution and are less active in evangelism. Let us pray that, just as Abraham was blessed to be the father of many nations through faith, the church and missionaries of Malaysia will bring the gospel to their land and beyond, raising up a new generation of God’s people.

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