There is a strange news story circulating on the Internet. Some experts claim that the majority of migrants, also described by some as illegal immigrants, are Christians.

If you have heard that, the actual count is more complicated, but something is happening in the world, and it is interesting.

First, it’s probably better to describe migrants as immigrants. We know, many people cross borders to live in other countries, and they often break laws to do that. I have met hundreds of immigration or refugee claimants who have legal problems. After they enter, the host Government can deal with them, and in many cases they are allowed to stay in the new country. Some are declared “illegal” usually by a judge in a court, and they may be deported. So the term “illegal” is not easy for us to apply.

Let’s just go with “migrants.”

Also, the numbers come from the Pew Research Center, and that is a respected organization.

• READ: Nearly half of world’s migrants are Christian, Pew Research shows

Here are some of the numbers:

There are about 280 million “immigrants” in the world. Comparing A- percentage of the world population / B- percentage of immigrants:

• Christians A – 30 % / B – 47 %
• Muslims A – 25% / B – 29%
• Jews A – 0.2% / B – 1%

So, according to the experts, Jewish people are the most likely to move; Muslims move in large but proportionate numbers; and Christians are almost half of all immigrants, and they migrate in very large numbers. Apparently, Christians are 30 percent of the world’s population, but close to half of all immigrants are Christian. That means, According the Pew Research numbers, more than 130 million Christians have moved recently, and there is no reason to believe that trend will stop.

If you are interested, there is also information about other major religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, but the percentages are not unusual for them.

Sometimes it’s worthwhile to decipher statistics. Something seems to be happening around us, and we could miss the information, if we ignore the numbers.

First, let’s deal with the disclaimers: Yes, some people commit fraud, and they might claim that they will be persecuted if they are deported back to their home country, because they have converted and become Christians. Also, we don’t know who is a believer, with strong personal convictions, and who belongs, in a shallow way, to a family tradition.

There may be some truth in the disclaimers, but the numbers are too big to ignore. Apparently, hundreds of millions of people who migrate are calling themselves Christians, even if that is not important for their immigration case.

Something else is happening.

One influence probably is religious persecution. Christians tend to be persecuted for their beliefs more than most other religions, and they may be motivated to move. One source, in 2021, describes “309 million Christians living in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, up from 260 million in last year’s list.”

If you weren’t put off by the statistics, here’s a boring word: Infrastructure.

Keep reading.

Long ago, a man named Jesus asked people to follow him. There is no record of cathedrals, temples, or mosques, or mass pilgrimages and festivals. All of those things are the infrastructure of organized religion, the props that support the believers. I have learned that faith in Jesus is personal, and doesn’t depend on external props.

It is good to have a few friends who are on the same journey, and most of us read the Bible regularly. Did you know, that is not a difficult thing, with cell phones. Bible apps, for your phone, are easily available, and usually for free. I like learning languages, and I can read a Bible story on my phone, in English, and also in any language I want to learn.

Those Bible apps are great tools for learning languages; and yes, I am cheap. I like that word “free.”

For people who don’t have resources, the faith of Jesus is highly portable, and affordable, and religious infrastructure is not important. Jesus told one rich man “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)

That is a highly portable lifestyle. I was raised in a religious and church-going family, with lots of props and infrastructure in our large church. I still go to a large church, and I like it, but I am leaning the lesson of portability. Now, in church services, when the pastor refers to a Bible passage, many of us take out our phones. And sometimes I read the words in another language.

Judge if you want, but there is a lesson for us all.

Jesus gave some final instructions to his followers, before he went away.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If we understand, we might have some insight into why Christians are moving in huge numbers today. I know there are millions of people who secretly follow Jesus, and pray to Him. If they speak up, they could be persecuted, and possibly killed; but they still believe. We are living in a silent revolution, and it is worldwide.

That is one lesson from the statistics.