April 2008 Pacific Rim Prayer Emphasis:
The Peranakan of Malaysia

“‘They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.’” Jeremiah 50:5, NASB.

Peranakan (per-AHN-AH-kahn) comes from a Malay term. Its root is anak, which means child. In the best sense it could translate as hybrid; at its worst it translates as half-breed. This term refers to any ethnic group that intermarried with Malay and did not assimilate into the Malay culture and religion.

There are a variety of Peranakan peoples in Malaysia, the largest of which are the 230,000 Baba Chinese of peninsular Malaysia. Basically, the Baba Chinese are the descendants of Chinese who intermarried with Malay in the mid 15th to 17th centuries prior to the large influx of Chinese into Malaysia in the 19th century. They speak a dialect of Malay called Baba Malay. In many instances these people would identify themselves simply as Chinese. Most of these people live in and around the state of Malacca.

The Baba Chinese practice Mahayana Buddhism which is a mixture of ancestral worship and animism. While there are some believers among the Baba Chinese the witness is not large enough to effectively reach the rest of this group. Many Chinese believers live near the Baba Chinese, but they often overlook these near-culture relatives in evangelistic efforts.

Pray that:

God will burden and give vision to Chinese believers in Malaysia to reach out with the Gospel to the Baba Chinese who live near them.

God will prepare the hearts of Peranakan people to receive the Gospel.

Believers who are burdened to reach the Peranakan will have wisdom for sharing the Gospel to many.

Many leaders will emerge among the Peranakan people to disciple the new believers.

Spirit led and empowered evangelists will be called to preach among the Baba Chinese.

Many Peranakan gatherings of believers will be formed before the end of 2008.

Peranakan people will clearly discern between deception and truth.