Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Most Effective Strategy for Finishing the Task
Mission experts from all over the world now readily acknowledge that the most effective strategy for finishing the task of world evangelism is the power of God released through prayer. God Himself chose that way to accomplish His plans and purposes upon the earth. Unleashing God's power for the completion of the Great Commission is one of His primary purposes for the gift of prayer" David Butts
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal
This month, the Nepali Christian Church Community has organized 40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal, beginning May 4th and concluding with the Global Day of Prayer on June 12th. This time is enormously important for the Church in Nepal because the Gospel first arrived here in the 1950’s as a direct result of decades of prayer from around the world. Now the country is experiencing the fruits of those prayers with tremendous growth in the national church.
Over sixty years later, God has opened the door even wider, with recent religious freedom that has never before been experienced here. Following 10 years of political turmoil that resulted in over 15,000 deaths, Nepal is praying for peace and political transformation. Currently a new constitution, which is already a year overdue, is being written. As the May 28th extended deadline for the constitution approaches, there are renewed fears of more violence and unrest if it is not completed by the promised date. Despite this situation, God is able to bring this nation into a new time of blessing, peace and prosperity - if the church joins together in prayer.
So please join us in praying for Nepal.
Over sixty years later, God has opened the door even wider, with recent religious freedom that has never before been experienced here. Following 10 years of political turmoil that resulted in over 15,000 deaths, Nepal is praying for peace and political transformation. Currently a new constitution, which is already a year overdue, is being written. As the May 28th extended deadline for the constitution approaches, there are renewed fears of more violence and unrest if it is not completed by the promised date. Despite this situation, God is able to bring this nation into a new time of blessing, peace and prosperity - if the church joins together in prayer.
So please join us in praying for Nepal.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Praying from the heart
I took this prayer, and response from God, out of a book i’m reading now entitled “At the Masters Feet” by Sadhu Sundar Singh. Sundar had 2 visions, in the first he saw a beggar and not having anything to give him, he advised the beggar to go to the next town, only to realize that it was the Lord who wanted to bless him. In the 2de vision Sundar saw a good looking “devote” believer, but in his eyes he saw an evil “craft and cunning”. The man offered him kingdoms if Sundar only renounce his love for God. Sundar chased him away and then proceeded to pray this prayer.
I love it because it’s so true! God has created our hearts with a longing that only He can satisfy. Sometimes if i feel restless and i feel “out of sync” with life, that’s the times i realize now that i’m longing for my Friend, my God. For fellowship with Him. And then was is so cool is God’s response to Sundar... He shows up and proceeds to fill Sundars heart with the presence that He longed for, that actually came from God. It’s like God creates opportunities, so that we can respond, so that He can meet with us. That is love. :-) Enjoy.
“And I, in tears, thus poured out my soul to God in prayer, “My Lord God, my all in all, life of my life, and spirit of my spirit, look in mercy upon me and so fill me with Thy Holy Spirit that my heart shall have no room for love of aught but Thee. I seek from Thee no other gift but Thyself, who art the Giver of life and all its blessings. From Thee I ask not for the world or its treasures, nor yet for heaven even make request, but Thee alone do I desire and long for, and where Thou art there is Heaven. The hunger and the thirst of this heart of mine can be satisfied only with Thee who hast given it birth. O Creator mine! Thou hast created my heart for Thyself alone, and not for another, therefore this my heart can find no rest or ease save in Thee, in Thee who hast both created it and set in it this very longing for rest. Take away then from my heart all that is opposed to Thee, and enter and abide and rule for ever. Amen.”
When I rose up from this prayer I beheld a glowing Being, arrayed in light and beauty, standing before me. Though He spoke not a word, and because my eyes were suffused with tears I saw Him not too clearly, there poured from Him lightning-like rays of life-giving love with such power that they entered in and bathed my very soul. At once I knew that my dear Saviour stood before me. I rose at once from the rock where I was seated and fell at His feet. He held in His hand the key of my heart. Opening the inner chamber of my heart with His key of love, He filled it with His presence, and wherever I looked, inside or out, I saw but Him.”
Monday, May 9, 2011
Becoming Silent
by Soren Kierkegaard
As a person becomes more earnest in prayer, he has less and less to say, and in the end he is quite silent. He become silent. Indeed he becomes a hearer. He thoughts that to pray was to speak. He learned that prayer is not only to keep silence, but to listen.
And so it is. Prayer is not to hear oneself speak, but to arrive at silence, and continue being silent; to wait till one hears God speak.
Hence it is that the word of Gospel, “Seek ye first God’s kingdom,” not only says “No” to every question as to whether it is this we must do, but says, “You shall begin by praying.” Not as though prayer always begins in silence, but because when prayer really has become prayer, then is has become silence, and that is to seek first God’s kingdom.
------------------
From meditations from Kierkegaard, translated and edited by T.H. Croxall (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1955).
Praying Today For The Crisis in Syria
Would you pray for Syria today and in the coming days? Would you consider fasting for a day or longer during this crucial time? The whole world seemed to stop and focus on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Japan. Syria is in the worse crisis it has seen since 1982. Because of other headlines and news many people are not able to follow what is happening there.
Specifically if you could pray:
1. That God would show His mercy in the person of Jesus to Syrian Muslims through dreams and visions, through laborers, and through literature and media.
2. That the bloodshed would stop and people would learn about the Prince of Peace.
3. That God would answer decades of prayers asking that Syria would open up so that people could go and live and work there and raise families while sharing the good news.
4. For protection of people who have left their countries to live in Syria to share the message of Christ and for their encouragement as most foreigners have left or are in the process of leaving. Pray for them as they ask God daily if they should stay or go and that they will trust God with their families in a nation on the brink.
Specifically if you could pray:
1. That God would show His mercy in the person of Jesus to Syrian Muslims through dreams and visions, through laborers, and through literature and media.
2. That the bloodshed would stop and people would learn about the Prince of Peace.
3. That God would answer decades of prayers asking that Syria would open up so that people could go and live and work there and raise families while sharing the good news.
4. For protection of people who have left their countries to live in Syria to share the message of Christ and for their encouragement as most foreigners have left or are in the process of leaving. Pray for them as they ask God daily if they should stay or go and that they will trust God with their families in a nation on the brink.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal
From May 4- June 12 the Church in Nepal is inviting the Global Church to prayer with them for their country!
Visit www.prayerfornepal.org to download a special prayer guide and join in with what God is doing there!
Visit www.prayerfornepal.org to download a special prayer guide and join in with what God is doing there!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Kingdom Advance in the Middle East
For Real?!
By Rachel Fields
I’m not one who passes on those sensationalized, urban-legend-type stories about what God is allegedly doing in a given area. Please understand, though, that I totally expect some sort of massive spiritual awakening to occur in the Middle East during my lifetime and that there are already foretastes of that here and there.
But that’s not the point.
The point is: I don’t like passing things on that (a) aren’t true, (b) paint some sort of phony picture of how deliciously miraculous every moment of every day is, or (c) take away from the reality that sometimes we just have to buckle down and sweat hard to see one measly grape sprout from the vine of our ministry.
But today I want to pass on to you a story I think is pretty cool. I assure you it’s not exaggerated one bit, because I heard it firsthand from two very dear, level-headed friends of mine who are one hundred percent involved in it. To add to the credibility of the story, you should know that it takes place a stone’s throw from my apartment. For real! (If my arms weren't so weak, I could probably throw a rock from my balcony and break these people's window.) Here's the story.
Sixty-five years ago, “Hakeem” was born into a Muslim family. His two older siblings had died, so—reasoning from superstitions—Hakeem’s parents took their infant son to a church and had him baptized—something unheard of and potentially dangerous for Muslim parents to do.
Throughout his life, Hakeem was drawn to Jesus, although he never really knew much about him. As a child, when he was scared he would occasionally run to a church and hide in the back to feel safe—again, something extremely odd for a Muslim to do. As far as I know, he had no involvement with true followers of Jesus for most of his life.
Around the age of 55, through Christian broadcasts, Hakeem came to embrace the truth about Jesus. He had no real believers with whom to interact on a personal level—only the broadcasts and the Spirit of God. Under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, he grew in his faith, and soon his whole family began to follow Jesus with him. A few years ago they all actively started to share their beliefs with other Muslims.
Just a few months ago, Hakeem began to realize he needed help with all that was happening, so he wrote to the Christian station to see if they could send someone to assist him. Station personnel contacted my friend “Ray,” who went to meet Hakeem.
As Ray sat with the now-65-year-old man, Hakeem began to pull out papers that contained the names of numerous people and showed how these people were networked together. It was like a family tree, with branches sprouting off here and there.
It was a chart of the fifty-five Muslim followers of Jesus for whom Hakeem was responsible…because he, one of his family members, or one of the newer believers had led them to Jesus! With absolutely no help—no in-person input from a single Christian, Hakeem had been “pastoring” all these people, who were spread out among multiple reproducing house groups throughout the city!
For real? For real! But that’s not all.
Since Ray has been helping Hakeem for the last few months (I emphasize the word "helping," because Ray emphasizes that Hakeem does not need Ray teaching him or showing him what to do, since the Holy Spirit has done a stellar job of that), the number of believers has grown from 55 to 124!
For real! I’m not exaggerating. Ray and his wife told me the update to this amazing story two weeks ago. I’m sure there are even more believers by now.
Ray, his wife, and I just laughed and laughed as we talked about how it just flies in the face of our whole paradigm for how God is supposed to work. Oh, how important and knowledgeable we think we are, but really…hmmm…
Please ask the Holy Spirit to breathe even more life into Hakeem's ministry. More, Lord, more!
Taken from Lausanne World Pulse
By Rachel Fields
I’m not one who passes on those sensationalized, urban-legend-type stories about what God is allegedly doing in a given area. Please understand, though, that I totally expect some sort of massive spiritual awakening to occur in the Middle East during my lifetime and that there are already foretastes of that here and there.
But that’s not the point.
The point is: I don’t like passing things on that (a) aren’t true, (b) paint some sort of phony picture of how deliciously miraculous every moment of every day is, or (c) take away from the reality that sometimes we just have to buckle down and sweat hard to see one measly grape sprout from the vine of our ministry.
But today I want to pass on to you a story I think is pretty cool. I assure you it’s not exaggerated one bit, because I heard it firsthand from two very dear, level-headed friends of mine who are one hundred percent involved in it. To add to the credibility of the story, you should know that it takes place a stone’s throw from my apartment. For real! (If my arms weren't so weak, I could probably throw a rock from my balcony and break these people's window.) Here's the story.
Sixty-five years ago, “Hakeem” was born into a Muslim family. His two older siblings had died, so—reasoning from superstitions—Hakeem’s parents took their infant son to a church and had him baptized—something unheard of and potentially dangerous for Muslim parents to do.
Throughout his life, Hakeem was drawn to Jesus, although he never really knew much about him. As a child, when he was scared he would occasionally run to a church and hide in the back to feel safe—again, something extremely odd for a Muslim to do. As far as I know, he had no involvement with true followers of Jesus for most of his life.
Around the age of 55, through Christian broadcasts, Hakeem came to embrace the truth about Jesus. He had no real believers with whom to interact on a personal level—only the broadcasts and the Spirit of God. Under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, he grew in his faith, and soon his whole family began to follow Jesus with him. A few years ago they all actively started to share their beliefs with other Muslims.
Just a few months ago, Hakeem began to realize he needed help with all that was happening, so he wrote to the Christian station to see if they could send someone to assist him. Station personnel contacted my friend “Ray,” who went to meet Hakeem.
As Ray sat with the now-65-year-old man, Hakeem began to pull out papers that contained the names of numerous people and showed how these people were networked together. It was like a family tree, with branches sprouting off here and there.
It was a chart of the fifty-five Muslim followers of Jesus for whom Hakeem was responsible…because he, one of his family members, or one of the newer believers had led them to Jesus! With absolutely no help—no in-person input from a single Christian, Hakeem had been “pastoring” all these people, who were spread out among multiple reproducing house groups throughout the city!
For real? For real! But that’s not all.
Since Ray has been helping Hakeem for the last few months (I emphasize the word "helping," because Ray emphasizes that Hakeem does not need Ray teaching him or showing him what to do, since the Holy Spirit has done a stellar job of that), the number of believers has grown from 55 to 124!
For real! I’m not exaggerating. Ray and his wife told me the update to this amazing story two weeks ago. I’m sure there are even more believers by now.
Ray, his wife, and I just laughed and laughed as we talked about how it just flies in the face of our whole paradigm for how God is supposed to work. Oh, how important and knowledgeable we think we are, but really…hmmm…
Please ask the Holy Spirit to breathe even more life into Hakeem's ministry. More, Lord, more!
Taken from Lausanne World Pulse
Sunday, May 1, 2011
North Koreans Will Declare God's Glory to the Nations
Day 7:
I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations…to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:19
Open Doors supports North Korean Christians in secret with Bibles, books, education and relief aid. Often we receive thank you letters from North Korean underground church leaders. In each letter they thank the global Church for the support provided through Open Doors and for their love, and they ask for our prayers. In the words of one church leader, "I am very proud to see our believers' faithful lives becoming more and more stabilized. Their lives are in danger every day and still they follow the Lord. This could have not been possible if it wasn't for your endless effort and love towards our believers. Please continue to pray for us.".
North Korean Christians note that even in these dark times, the Kingdom of God is expanding in North Korea. One wrote, "Thank you so much for your dedication and devoted hearts towards our believers. If I look back, I realize how gracious God is for His grace and protection. We couldn't have come this far without the help of our foreign brothers and sisters. Every book that we received has been used effectively. They strengthen the believers and help us in accomplishing God's work. Your books are like fellow travelers on a very lonely road."
In time all will bow down before the one God, the Father of Jesus Christ." This is the source and secret of world peace. "For this is what the LORD says, 'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.'" (Isaiah 66:12-13) God will continue what he already has begun in North Korea and in His time will use Christians from North Korea to declare His glory
among nations!
READ ISAIAH 66:19-20
God is growing and purifying His church among the nations. He is using Open Doors to pray for, encourage and train His church in North Korea. And we in the "free world" are inspired by the faith and courage of His people in North Korea who stand in faithfulness in the midst of severe persecution. God indeed is preparing His church to "declare [His] glory among the nations."
PRAY
Father, thank You that You have called us into Your church along with Christians across the globe. One church, one faith, one God and Father of us all. We praise You for the way You are using Open Doors to encourage and train Your people, our brothers and sisters, in North Korea. Thank you for the encouragement we receive from them as they stand strong and faithful in the midst of their present persecution. Use their example in our lives here in the west as we face our own moments of darkness in this broken and sinful world. Move in our hearts and minds to call us to join with Open Doors in faithfully praying for North Korea, that You would soften the hearts of the leaders to embrace Your gospel; that those who are blinded by the deception of the archenemy, Satan, would hear Your Word and turn to You; and that Your church there would be filled with the light of Your presence and grace each day to face the darkness around them. And move in our hearts, along with Open Doors, to generously supply Bibles and other materials for the strengthening of Your people that they might know you both in Spirit and in truth.
Information from Open Doors
I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations…to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. Isaiah 66:19
Open Doors supports North Korean Christians in secret with Bibles, books, education and relief aid. Often we receive thank you letters from North Korean underground church leaders. In each letter they thank the global Church for the support provided through Open Doors and for their love, and they ask for our prayers. In the words of one church leader, "I am very proud to see our believers' faithful lives becoming more and more stabilized. Their lives are in danger every day and still they follow the Lord. This could have not been possible if it wasn't for your endless effort and love towards our believers. Please continue to pray for us.".
North Korean Christians note that even in these dark times, the Kingdom of God is expanding in North Korea. One wrote, "Thank you so much for your dedication and devoted hearts towards our believers. If I look back, I realize how gracious God is for His grace and protection. We couldn't have come this far without the help of our foreign brothers and sisters. Every book that we received has been used effectively. They strengthen the believers and help us in accomplishing God's work. Your books are like fellow travelers on a very lonely road."
In time all will bow down before the one God, the Father of Jesus Christ." This is the source and secret of world peace. "For this is what the LORD says, 'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.'" (Isaiah 66:12-13) God will continue what he already has begun in North Korea and in His time will use Christians from North Korea to declare His glory
among nations!
READ ISAIAH 66:19-20
God is growing and purifying His church among the nations. He is using Open Doors to pray for, encourage and train His church in North Korea. And we in the "free world" are inspired by the faith and courage of His people in North Korea who stand in faithfulness in the midst of severe persecution. God indeed is preparing His church to "declare [His] glory among the nations."
PRAY
Father, thank You that You have called us into Your church along with Christians across the globe. One church, one faith, one God and Father of us all. We praise You for the way You are using Open Doors to encourage and train Your people, our brothers and sisters, in North Korea. Thank you for the encouragement we receive from them as they stand strong and faithful in the midst of their present persecution. Use their example in our lives here in the west as we face our own moments of darkness in this broken and sinful world. Move in our hearts and minds to call us to join with Open Doors in faithfully praying for North Korea, that You would soften the hearts of the leaders to embrace Your gospel; that those who are blinded by the deception of the archenemy, Satan, would hear Your Word and turn to You; and that Your church there would be filled with the light of Your presence and grace each day to face the darkness around them. And move in our hearts, along with Open Doors, to generously supply Bibles and other materials for the strengthening of Your people that they might know you both in Spirit and in truth.
Information from Open Doors
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