World Prayer News - January / February 2015
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January - February 2015
27. Nepal
People in rural Nepal often live in remote
communities with little access to clean water,
health services and education. In some areas
the land only yields enough crops to feed
families for a few months each year. In such
places very few people have heard the good
news of Jesus Christ. International Nepal
Fellowship is bringing the gospel to these
people and helping the locals plan and work
together to change their own lives. They may
decide to dig a well, learn about different crops
and farming techniques, or ensure that all
families know more about safe child birth. Give
thanks that thousands of lives are being
transformed and pray for the fledgling church as
it begins to grow. (INF)
28. India
Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi was elected as
India’s Prime Minister earlier last year. Please
pray for him, for the country, and for Christians
both in India and in surrounding nations, that
peace and justice will reign. Pray for wisdom as
a relevant and dynamic regional mission focus
is developed, and discernment to meet the
ongoing challenges for the future of BMS work
in India. Pray that our partners will be
strengthened to persevere and work with
creativity, particularly in the context of a change
of government. (BMS World Mission)
29. Pakistan
On 14 June last year the Pakistan army started
an operation against the Taliban in North
Waziristan, a mountainous region in the tribal
areas. As a result of the conflict, almost a
million people have been forced to flee their
homes. Miranshah is a small town in North
Waziristan situated about 65km from Bannu,
the district headquarters. The residents of
Miranshah and its surrounding areas were
asked to evacuate immediately when the
conflict began. Hundreds of people fled, leaving
their homes and belongings behind. Tearfund is
supporting its partner ABES to organise a daily
medical camp providing healthcare, hygiene
education and nutritional supplements for the
displaced community. The doctors and nurses
in ABES’ team have helped 975 people so far.
The conflict between the army and the Taliban
may continue for another six months, so the
displaced people will not be able to go back to
their homes – if they still have homes to go to.
Pray for ABES as they plan to continue
providing assistance over the coming months.
(Tearfund)
30. Uzbekistan
Exciting things are happening spiritually in
Uzbekistan and many are coming to faith
across the country. There are an estimated
number of 8,000 Uzbek believers. Official
churches are predominantly Russian speaking
while Uzbek fellowships are generally
underground house churches and no Uzbek
church has yet got official registration. Severe
persecution from the government keeps
fellowships small but general despair in society
is bringing many to put their hope in Jesus.
Please pray for continued growth in the church
and for the protection of those who meet to
worship. (Operation Mobilisation)
31. Afghanistan
Thank God for those who are responding to the
call and offering themselves for service in this
nation. Pray that there will be a steady flow of
people to sustain the work and fill the various
vacancies. Pray for stability in the nation and for
the government, as the draw down of foreign
troops and the security handover to Afghan
National Security Forces continues. Pray
without ceasing for the Spirit of God to impact
and minister to the lives of the Afghan people.
(BMS World Mission)
Vol 60 No 1 Editor: Paul Tuckwell Hon. Editor: Martin Lee
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1. Because prayer is through Jesus Christ and keeps me grateful
False teachers in the early church had tried to teach that the way to God was through rituals or experiences. That it's down to me; it's down to what I perform or what I experience. Whereas prayer inevitably reminds me that the only way to the Father is through the Son.
I can’t truly pray without constantly reminding myself of Christ's gloriously sufficient work upon Calvary.
2. Because prayer is about dependence and keeps me humble
False teachers were proclaiming their own schemes. Do what I do, say what I say and then you’ll be fulfilled, they taught. In other words, Christians were being encouraged to look away from Jesus to their own plans and activities. Whereas true prayer is a declaration to ourselves and to God that we just can't do it by ourselves. All our hopes, longings and dreams for lasting and substantial blessing can only ever be achieved as God does his work.
3. Because prayer is about relationship and keeps me connected
In his letter to the Colossians Paul emphasises the relationship that believers have with Almighty God. There are constant references to His Fatherhood.
And of course, when Jesus himself was teaching his disciples to pray, he began with this radical note of relationship – “When you pray say ‘Father’.”
Our natural instinct is to think of God as totally other. He's so holy; so majestic; so transcendent. But the work of Jesus invites me to know him in relationship, as my father, as my friend.
Jim Packer, in his book ‘Knowing God’, wrote this – “If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means he does not understand Christianity very well at all.”
In other words, when you've grasped the incredible, gracious position that you find yourself in as a redeemed and adopted child of God, then prayer is radically changed. It's not a duty, it's not an obligation, it's not a religious exercise, it’s not dependent upon how I'm feeling or how I'm doing - it's that natural overflow of relationship. That’s why I pray.”
Andy Paterson
Mission Director
Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
Why do we pray? 22. Philippines
Last December the people of the Philippines
braced themselves to face yet another powerful
typhoon like typhoon Haiyan that caused so
much death and destruction in November 2013.
This time the authorities acted ahead of the
storm and evacuated over a million people to
places of refuge. The good preparations, and
the early weakening of the typhoon, meant few
lives were lost. Much still needs to be done to
repair infrastructure from the year before and
rebuild people’s lives and livelihoods in the
coastal areas. Pray for aid agencies that are
building new dwellings on raised ground,
replacing the boats of fishermen whose craft
were lost, and helping people to find new
sources of income like seaweed cultivation.
(OMF International)
23. Japan
Population: 125 million
70% Buddhist
1.5% Christian
600,000 evangelicals
The majority of Japanese follow Buddhism and
Shintoism. Many see Shintoism not as their
religion but the “culture”. With the Japanese
bent on conformity, it is important that
Christians know their Bibles and are not
deceived by what’s around them. Pray that
Japanese Christians will be rooted in Scripture
and strong in faith. (WEC International)
24. China
The 50,000 or so Northern Pumi people live in
China’s Sichuan province and are strongly
Tibetan Buddhist in outlook. Ancestor worship is
practised with few Christian believers. Food, for
example, is not eaten until it has been placed
on a tripod - an invitation to the ancestors to eat
first. Spirits are also believed to dwell in the
wooden centre post of their homes. In 1960,
five different tribes were assimilated into this
one group and as a result there are five
different Pumi dialects. An increasing number of
Chinese words are being introduced to their
vocabulary. They are one of hundreds of
minority groups in China that desperately need
Christ. Please pray for a Bible for the Pumi
people. Pray, please, for the Good News to
spread to these minorities. (AsiaLink)
25. Burma (Myanmar)
Pray for people affected by leprosy from
Eastern Shan State in Myanmar, many of whom
were driven from their homes simply because
they had leprosy. Give thanks for the amazing
work being done to rehabilitate them into new
villages and for wonderful supporters who
enable The Leprosy Mission to provide medical
care, health training and education about
leprosy. Schools are also being built in
partnership with other agencies to increase
educational achievement in children. Pray that
the Disability Resource Centres and drop-in
centres elsewhere in Myanmar will be able to
continue to provide physical rehabilitation
through physiotherapy to overcome disabilities,
as well as counselling and emotional support. In
over 100 rural communities, 1,500 families
affected by leprosy have been helped, including
about 150 leprosy patients who have
undergone reconstructive surgery. (The
Leprosy Mission)
26. Thailand
Pray for the work of BMS partner Compasio in
Mae Sot, that as the organisation grows they
will know God’s wisdom as they seek to work
strategically with Burmese refugees. Pray for
pastors in Thailand, that they may know God’s
leading and guidance as they teach and care
for God’s people. Pray that BMS may be able to
send more workers to be involved in church
planting. (BMS World Mission)
1. Iran
Iran is full of young people. Nearly 54% of the
79 million population is under thirty; about 23%
is under fifteen. Sick of religious hypocrisy and
corruption, these millions switch off when their
bearded leaders talk about their revolution.
Their minds are not on the past but on the
future. They have two major frustrations. First,
they want more social and intellectual freedom.
They are tired of being told what they should
wear, watch or read. Secondly, they want
meaningful jobs, as nearly one million enter the
labour market every year. For the church, this is
an opportunity. Millions of young Iranians have
time to browse the internet and watch satellite
TV where they can hear about Jesus. This
curiosity has led many to look for a New
Testament. House churches are often full of
young people, and many church leaders and
planters are under 25. (Elam Ministries)
2. Egypt
Egypt has around 90 million inhabitants, but the
vast majority are crammed into less than 6 per
cent of the country’s area. Vast swathes of land
are uninhabitable desert, with a small fertile
strip along the Nile. This results in major
crowding in the cities. The people of Egypt have
been through so much over the years.
Revolution has followed revolution, first in 2011
and then again in 2013. As a result, tourism –
once a major economic prop in Egypt – has
plummeted. Tearfund’s partner organisation has
been working in a village in Minya for several
years, providing the residents with vocational
training, loans to start their own small
businesses, water supplies and toilets in their
homes, a health clinic and medication, and
spiritual and emotional support. Pray that the
village and its people will soon experience a
new period of stability and security in every
area of their lives. (Tearfund)
3. Lebanon
SAT-7 want to praise God for their new studio
opened in Lebanon – over 400 people joined
together in November to dedicate the facility for
the glory of God. Continue to pray for the
protection of this facility and all who work there
and that the programmes that are broadcast will
draw people into a living relationship with
Jesus. (SAT-7)
4. Turkey
The Bus Station and Soup Day ministries
happening in the city of Ankara provide great
opportunities to serve in fruitful ways, especially
for those on the training programme for national
believers run by WH, that they will grow as they
learn from the disciplines of service. We need
wisdom to find the needs of the people here
and how we can meet them. Nobody asked us
to feed the poor in the bus station, we were
looking for a need to meet. It’s the job of a
minister to find the needs that need meeting.
Pray with us; we want to see God’s kingdom
come in Ankara, His will be done, and working
towards a day when there are no more hungry
people in the city. Ultimately that can only
happen when Jesus comes again, in the
meantime we demonstrate the kingdom by
feeding the poor. (World Horizons)
5. Iraq
When was the last time you got up in church
and sang 'We have not learned fear from ISIS
or any terrorists, we will trust in Jesus’. These
powerful and important words to declare are
from a new song heard recently at a church
service in Iraq. Please pray for protection of our
brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing so
much persecution. (3P Ministries)
17. Argentina
Pray for those addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Praise God for a ministry of hope in a small
house in Tartagal called ‘Clamor en el Barrio’,
where pastor Martinez, himself an ex drug
addict, is helping six young men break the habit
of drug addiction and discover new life in Jesus
Christ. Members of the church of the Good
Shepherd help this work with regular gifts of
food and other necessities. Pray for this and
other similar ministries across the country.
(CMS)
18. Bolivia
Pastor Franklin Cuenca is serving in his home
city of Tarija, working with the youth and helping
in leadership training. He says that Tarija is
often called ‘the city of smiles’ due to the
warmth of the people, however, as anywhere
else, spreading the gospel is challenging. ‘Pray
we will be loyal ministers of the Lord Jesus so
that people will get to know our generous and
forgiving God’. (CMS)
19. Colombia
For the past four months, Tearfund’s partner
Red Viva has been helping the indigenous
Wayuu community deal with a crippling drought
in northern Colombia. After four months, some
things have not changed: there is still an
extreme drought in this area. But what has
changed dramatically is the smile on the faces
of the children. The first time we visited, we saw
sad children with very low levels of nutrition.
Now, though, they are smiling and eager to play
again. Some 640 children and more than 400
adults will continue receiving nutritional support
through January. Please pray for rain in this
area so that next year will be an easier one for
the Wayuu people. (Tearfund)
20. Brazil
Pray for organisations working with children and
young people who have been forced into
prostitution or who have suffered abuse from
within the home. According to the Brazilian
government, out of the 59.5 million children and
teenagers in Brazil, almost half of them (45.9%)
live in extremely poor conditions where they find
themselves vulnerable to great risk. Boys tend
to join the drug gangs where their lives are
endangered either due to the drugs or rival
gangs. The girls tend to find themselves in even
more vulnerable situations as many are forced
into selling their bodies for money. UNICEF
estimates that there are around 500,000
children involved in the sex industry in Brazil
with another inestimable number suffering
'hidden' systematic abuse within the home. In
some cases the child's own family has been
found encouraging them to sell their body or
has actively 'touted' the child for sex. (CMS)
21. Peru
The La Unión Quechua people in Peru live in
some of the most rugged terrain on earth.
Reaching a depth of 10,967 feet below the top
of the plateau, Cotahuasi Canyon is believed to
be the deepest canyon above sea level, more
than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Over
40 villages are scattered throughout this canyon
where subsistence farming is possible. Reach
Beyond helped our ministry partner establish a
Christian radio station in 2008 that covers most
of the canyon and last month 220 solar-
powered SonSet radios tuned to this station
were sent to the Cotahuasi people to help
spread the Good News. Pray for open hearts
and changed lives. (Reach Beyond - formerly
HCJB Global)
11. Tanzania
For a number of years now AIM has been
running a livestock project which loans goats to
evangelists from the Africa Inland Church
Tanzania (AICT) working in the Lake Eyasi
area. The project aims to help them in a
sustainable way, encourage them to breed a
herd and then return the original goats to the
project within a four year period. The idea is that
through the goat herds the evangelists will be
able to supplement their incomes. Give praise to
God that recent highlights have included the first
goat twins being successfully reared and seeing
one evangelist having to enlist the help of a
second herder as his flock grows. It has also
been encouraging to see people who have
tended to live ‘hand to mouth’ start to take a
more long term view of things as they have seen
the value and number of their goats increase
over time. (Africa Inland Mission)
12. Malawi
A pastor from the Zambesi Evangelical Church
(ZEC) had a most encouraging day recently
when he baptised 35 people at a rural church in
Malawi. However, he was surprised to find out
that not a single one had a Bible. He wrote that
this “means the church has a long way to go to
address this problem”. The pastor asked, “how
will these young men and women get rooted in
the Word of God if they do not read the Bible”.
Please pray for organisations that seek to help
provide Malawians with a Bible. (Zambesi
Mission)
13. Liberia
The Dental Clinic at ELWA Hospital in Liberia
has begun treatment again despite the Ebola
crisis. The need for dental intervention and
treatments was extreme as all dental clinics
have been closed since late July and the team
could no longer stand the suffering caused by
untreated infections. The team all received full
training in donning and working in full protective
suits, including total decontamination of the
clinic at the end of each day. Pray God’s
protection for them, as dentistry cannot be done
without contact with bodily fluids. (Reach
Beyond—formerly HCJB Global)
14. Cameroon
The culturally complex nation of Cameroon has
seen a remarkable growth of evangelicals over
the past 30 years, after a long history of
nominal Christianity. There is much to hope for.
But resources are scarce. A Cameroonian Bible
scholar explains, “Our primary trade language is
French. That is what most people can read. But
although we have a French Bible, there are very
few study materials for those who wish to go
deeper in their faith”. Please pray for skilled
French speaking evangelicals to take on the
task of composing study helps for pastors,
professors, teachers, and all who desire to
know Him more through His Word.
(Youth With A Mission)
15. Ghana
Recently there was the dedication of the
Dagaare New Testament, spoken by 1 million
people. Pray that it will be wisely and widely
distributed, and that many people will discover
Truth and Life through what they read.
(WEC International)
16. Mozambique
There are still parts of the world where it’s a real
event to have a gospel in your own ‘heart
language’. Across the world thousands of blind
people receive Braille and giant print material
produced by Torch Trust. Pray that as people in
Mozambique receive God’s word via accessible
means such as Braille and solar powered audio
bibles, that these materials will be as food and
strength as they are read and shared with
others. (Torch Trust)
6. Ukraine
Separatists seized an evangelical church in
eastern Ukraine in November amid reports of
increasingly frequent attacks on Christians in
the region. Armed separatists broke into a
newly constructed church in Donetsk, driving
out the Christians inside and forbidding them
from holding any further services there. They
threatened to kill anyone who disobeyed this
order. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions of
Ukraine are under the control of pro-Russian
separatists. The Council of Evangelical
Protestant Churches of Ukraine issued a
statement reporting intense persecution of
Christians citing 'abductions, beatings, torture,
threats of execution, pogroms at the places of
prayer meetings'. Please pray for protection.
(Release International)
7. Italy
Immigration came later to Italy than to other
western European countries. Ask for God’s
mercy for the constant flow of illegal immigrants
trying to reach Italy by boat from Africa, fleeing
persecution but often finding only danger and
hostility. The Baptist Union is benefitting from
the number of ethnic minority churches that
have joined in recent years due to a rise in
immigration. Pray for the Baptist Union of Italy,
which only has around 30 ordained ministers to
serve its 120 churches throughout the country.
Pray that God would raise up new lay and
ordained leaders. (BMS World Mission)
8. Moldova
It is estimated that 30,000 women from Moldova
have gone missing without trace – many will
have ended up in the sex trade. About £1300 or
less buys a young girl for the rest of her
unhappy life. Worldshare partner with Beginning
of Life, a local organisation that provides
essential anti-trafficking education in schools
across the country and last year reached over
21,000 young people. They also provide refuge,
counselling, medical care, vocational training
and careful reintegration into a life apart from
the sex trade. Pray for their work and an end to
the evil of human trafficking. (Worldshare)
9. Bosnia
In 1997 the first missionaries came to Banja
Luka and since that time they dreamt about
having a ‘church building’. 10 years later, in
2008, the church was officially registered,
“Christian Fellowship”, which was a huge step
because evangelical believers are considered a
cult. At the beginning of this year God
performed a miracle and they were able to
purchase a church building which required a lot
of rebuilding work. Around 100 people gathered
for the official opening at the end of the year.
‘Now, it is time to pray for those people who
came to the Church for the first time that God
somehow touched their hearts. We hope and
pray they heard the Gospel and that the seeds
fell on fertile ground.’ (Transform Europe Now)
10. United Kingdom
At university Christian students may have a
close Christian support network, but for many
(especially those who have become Christians
at university) it can be very hard to maintain
their walk with the Lord when they head home.
They may not have any local Christian friends,
often no church connections and possibly face
hostility from their families who don’t
understand why they’ve become ‘religious’.
Some are even accused of having joined a cult.
Pray that their relationship with Christ will
deepen as they remain faithful to Him in spite of
the difficulties. Pray that they will find a
Christian community and church to connect with
in their home context, and that changes in their
behaviour, attitudes and values would impress
and challenge their families and friends. (Agapé
UK)
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