Four-thousand Christians gathered this week for the Arise Asia 2026 Missions Conference to rally around the goal of reaching three billion people with God’s good news.
Arise Asia, a mobilization movement focused on spreading the gospel to unreached groups across Asia, is hosting the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila, Philippines. The five-day conference is held from July 27th through the 31st.
This year’s theme “For the Joy” is inspired by Hebrew 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” – acknowledging how believers can endure to finish the Christian race of faith with joy.
Fifty representatives including company and Church leaders attending the event shared messages about evangelical outreach and running the good race.
Manny Pacquiao, a former world champion of boxing who is now an evangelist, shared the saving power of Jesus Christ. Beliefnet reports he urged the delegates to share the good news to bring others to the Kingdom of God.
He testified about the powerful, positive change Jesus Christ made in his life when he gave his heart to God. “Before that, people know my old life,” he said. “A lot of vices in life, drunkenness, gambling, everything like that. I had that. But when God changed my heart and gave me conviction and I surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted him as my Lord and Savior, then I obeyed.”
After being saved, Pacquiao set a life goal to share Christ, bringing others to the Kingdom of God and urged the delegates to do the same.
“We should set a goal in our day-to-day life: how many souls that you can target in one year to bring to the kingdom of God,” he said. “My target this year is to bring two souls to the kingdom of God. Just two. And then next year, maybe I can make five souls. So that’s my goal in life. I encourage you to do the same.”
Christian Daily International reports that Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director of the Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches and chair of the Arise Asia board, requested prayer that young believers would become ambassadors for Christ.
“I invite you to pray with me that thousands of young people will rise up as God’s agents and ambassadors to bring the gospel to these nations,” Pantoja said.
While Pacquiao and Bishop Pantoja focused on outreach, the founder and senior pastor of Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF) in the Philippines, Pastor Peter Tan-Chi, encouraged the delegates to finish their own race of faith well.
“God has told you to run the race,” Tan-Chi said. “Serve God with joy. Finish well. It does not mean you will never fall down. It does not mean you will never get hurt. But you get up.”
Tan-Chi, expressed that Christians’ race of faith is to please God above all, because they will account for their lives to Him in the end.
“You can please people. You can please your denomination. You can please your church organization. But God is emphatic — you are going to give an account of your life,” Tan-Chi iterated.
