Turkey is a major travel location for people throughout the world. People come to enjoy the rich cultural heritage and experience the art, and architecture of the glorious civilizations that previously and currently called this part of the world home. Today there are about 82 million people that call Turkey home. It stands as a bridge both literally and figuratively between the east and west.
Less than half of one percent of the people in Turkey are evangelical Christians. The vast majority of the country’s population unsurprisingly are the Turkish nationals at about 56 million. While most of the rest are other smaller indigenous peoples who consider themselves to be at least nominally Muslim. Few of the over 70 million Muslims living in Turkey have ever truly heard the gospel. To put that huge number in perspective, 70 million is a few million more than all of the people currently living in the United Kingdom. This makes Turkey one of the most unreached countries in the world.
History
Unless you are a student of geography, you might be surprised to learn that many of the locations mentioned in the New Testament, such as; Ephesus, Colossae, Galatia, and Asia Minor, including each of the seven churches of Revelation. Eastern Turkey is also home to the city of Antakya (Better known as Antioch). Even the hometown of the great Apostle Paul, Tarsus, is located in modern-day Turkey.
Sadly, today the remains of once glorious structures of Greek, Byzantine, Armenian, Georgian, and Syrian churches can still be found throughout the country, but most are destroyed, abandoned, dilapidated and unused. The spread of Islam across the middle east captured much of eastern Turkey in the 7th century. Then for the next 800 years, the area was a battleground between the Islamic Ottoman empire which was growing in strength and number while the remnants of the Roman Empire (now known as the Byzantine Empire) were holding onto the Western part of modern Turkey and especially Constantinople (now Istanbul).
In 1453, after centuries of war and crusades, and a 53-day siege, the Ottomans finally defeated Byzantine forces and took control of Constantinople. The whole affair must have been a gruesome sight. Nicolo Barbaro wrote an eyewitness account and described the blood flowing through the city streets “like rainwater in the gutters after a sudden storm.”
Modern Turkey
Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Modern day Turkey was established as a secular state. However, the region’s long association with Islam and more than a millennium of bitter wars with “Christian” Europe make conversion appear almost an act of treason. To be Turk is to be Muslim, even if in name only. Family pressure, police intimidation, and threats from Turkish nationalists and Muslim extremists keep many from coming to Christ. Those who do trust Christ are forced to remain secret believers. Among the general public, there is a resistance to all things Christian that makes any form of witnessing difficult.
Though traditional ways continue to exist in some areas, secularization is on the rise and the typical 21st century Turk lives a modern urban life, with all the materialistic privileges and temptations that come with it. About 60% of Turks live in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, and Izmir. Hospitality is very important especially with tourism and travel making up about 10% of the country’s economy. In general, Turks are known as courteous, gentle people who readily show hospitality to strangers. They are also very patriotic and have a deep sense of nationalism and pride for their country.
Although there are Christian resources available to the Turkish population in their own language, and there are established Christian workers amongst them, they remain predominantly Muslim. Today, Turkey’s indigenous evangelical population is estimated to be around 100,000. I encourage you to learn more about the people of Turkey and intentionally pray for them with me.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the truth that the good news of Jesus Christ is open to all people. Jesus died to redeem enemies of God and to make reconciliation. Thank you, God, for the slow but steady growth of Turkish evangelical Christians. We pray that Muslim Turks across the country would have their eyes opened to the truth of the gospel.
We pray for thousands of Turks to hear the gospel in 2019 and begin a life in Christ, and that those new believers would turn into evangelists who will share the gospel and seek the salvation of their brothers. We pray for a mighty work of your Spirit in Turkey. Fill those historic places with your presence and lead people to read your word fresh and new and give them eyes to see Jesus as more than a prophet (as Islam teaches) but as the only begotten Son of God.
We pray for radical change in public attitudes toward Christians. Reveal yourself as the one true God in this Islamic saturated society. Allow Muslims in Turkey to build strong, healthy relationships with believers so they can see the love of Christ and be open to the gospel. We pray for the people of Turkey who are trying to work their way to God but finding it impossible, and those held captive by materialism, that they would find true hope and meaning in the real, living God.
Finally, we pray for the believers and churches of Istanbul and other cities, that they would resist the temptation to change the gospel message to become more palatable and in doing so lead millions down a false path of salvation. We pray that would steer them clear of the false gospel of prosperity and that you would keep your church pure, holy, and free from corruption. Help them to persevere in love and faithfulness. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.