The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have died as the Syrian government tries to crush the 9-month-old uprising there. Now, a pan-Arab body is calling for the immediate withdrawal of Arab League Monitors in Syria because the government has continued to kill opponents in spite of the monitors’ presence. The monitors are supposed to be ensuring that Syria complies with the Arab League’s plan to end Syria’s bloody suppression of dissent—a plan that the Syrian government agreed to already. Advocates said more than 150 people have been killed since the observers began their mission on last week.
Please pray that the Syrian government will heed the calls of the Arab League and the others in the international community “to remove its security forces and heavy weapons from cities, start talks with the opposition, allow human rights wrokers and journalists into the counrty, and release all political prisoners.” Pray for Christ’s peace and transformation of this important nation in a tumultuous region.
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will meet again for the first time in more than a year in an effort to revive stalled peace talks. They will meet in Jordan along with the Jordanian officials and representatives from the U.S., Russia, the E.U. and the U.N. There is no expectation on any side of significant progress because of the issue of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank as well as in East Jerusalem and Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze. King Abdullah of Jordan has intervened in the process over the last few months because of his interest in a moderate Palestinian state being established in the West Bank and the Gaza and does not want to encourage any thoughts of a Palestinian state being established in Jordan instead. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his administration fear that any Palestinian state in the West Bank would ultimately be taken over by Islamists.
Such talks are crucial to the wellbeing not only of the Middle East but of the whole world. Please pray for all those involved in these peace talks and that they will be guided and helped by the Lord into a process of real reconciliation and healing of this longstanding feud between the two peoples.
January 2012
Earlier this year, American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011, and that the end of the world would take place five months later on October 21, 2011. Obviously this didn’t happen, and he was wrong to try and predict it. However, 2011 was full of an intensifying number of catastrophic natural disasters such as the Japan tsunami and nuclear meltdown, the massive Thailand floods and the famine in East Africa. It was also a year of unsettling socio-political and economic changes like the “Arab Spring” of popular uprisings in the Middle East or the worldwide economic recession. Such developments do compel us to wonder if they might represent some of those “signs” of the end of the age and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2012 is also being hailed as a time of profound change. Though professional Mayan scholars and astronomers dispute this, some adhere to the Mayan calendar and December 21, 2012, as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in which the sun’s alignment with the center of the Milky Way will bring about the end of our world. One thing we can be sure of is that we are living in a time in which God is shaking the nations as foretold by Haggai the prophet. The good news is that the Lord ties this shaking to the coming of the “Desired of All Nations” (Hag. 2:6-7) and the filling of His house with greater glory. Another minor prophet with a major message says that indeed the whole earth will be filled with the glory of His presence (Hab. 2:14).
Jesus told us that when the nations give way to anguish and perplexity, with men fainting with terror over what is coming on the world as even the heavenly bodies are being shaken, we who believe in Him are to lift up our heads in expectation because our redemption is drawing near. He repeatedly warned that our posture should be prayerful watchfulness to be ready to respond to Him and also presumably, as urged elsewhere, to be His instruments in bringing transformation. For example, through Isaiah, the Lord said that the prayers of the watchmen/intercessors are critical to His transformation of the world (Is. 62:6-7).
The Apostle Peter echoes a similar theme when he writes: “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” Even husbands are urged to be considerate and respectful of their wives so “your prayers will not be hindered” (I Peter 4:7, 3:7). Prayer is so important that nothing must be allowed to distract us from it even in the midst of the tumult and terror of a world that seems to be coming undone. Indeed, that is the reason we need to watch in prayer and partner with the Lord for the fulfillment of His purposes in it all.
Fortunately, the World Prayer Assembly is happening several months before the doomsday scenario of December 21, and you are invited to be there! Please see the attached invitation. Most importantly, the WPA will be a once-in-a-generation convergence of praying leaders, networks and movements from both church and marketplace along with a rising force of on-fire youth and children in prayer. It will be a time of deep encounter with the Lord and strategic planning for the future. Those of us in the IPC as well as our colleagues from the Indonesian and Korean prayer movements who are co-hosting the WPA believe that the Lord is bringing us all together in Jakarta to connect and expand a global, interactive movement of watching in prayer that He will use to reveal His glory to the nations.
Please use this issue of Connections to watch and pray for our world, and also we would appreciate your interceding for the arrangements and for the people from around the world that should be part of the World Prayer Assembly. If you haven’t seen it, check out the new video about the WPA and how it will reflect the pivotal time in which we live and respond to Christ’s global agenda.
Let not your heart be troubled and have an extraordinary 2012!
John Robb
IPC Chairman
Put Morality First
Writing a New Year message in Yorkshire Post, The Archbishop of York said that morality must come first. He said, ‘I am not one for unattainable New Year’s Resolutions. They can only be temporary fixes, based on blind optimism rather than on what is sustainable.... after a few days the promises are broken. Personal good intentions and national well-being should go together. A strong society needs decent ideals, too. We need strong morals and a shared purpose which is grounded in more than what is on the bottom line of a balance sheet in Whitehall. If we want to build a strong country, we need to ensure the foundations are solid. Candidates for election should ‘put morality ahead of politics, science, and economics’ and that ‘the only genuine core of all our actions – if they are to be moral – is responsibility......Our country was built on Christian faith and morals, and we should not only be grateful for this, but also celebrate this fact.’
Pray: for a reclaiming of Christian morality by a society that finds itself victim of amoral greed and violence. (Ps.25:9)
More: http://www.archbishopofyork.org/articles.php/2307/archbishops-new-year-message
Staggering abortion rate among UK's teenagers
Data released by a European research group has revealed how European countries compare with respect to teen abortion rates and the findings have placed the UK under fire. The UK had the second highest teen abortion rates at a rate of 22.1 per cent, and it has also been reported that a quarter of all abortions in the UK are from teenagers, according to Mail Online. Interestingly, Greece, which shares similar abortion laws to the UK, had the lowest teen abortion rates with a rate of only 4.1 per cent. Trevor Stammers, a lecturer in medical ethics and former chairman of the Christian Medical Fellowship, slammed the UK for its high teen abortion rates. He said that the privatisation of abortion surgery has become a large moneymaking industry, and suggested that some teens are often encouraged to opt for the controversial elective surgery to generate revenue.
Pray: for God’s guidance as we seek solutions to the alarmingly high rate of teenage abortions. (Je.42:3)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/staggering.abortion.rate.among.uks.teenagers/29111.htm
Fall in number of Christians in Britain
The number of people describing themselves as Christians has dropped 10% in England and Wales over the last five years. In 2005, 77% of the population said they were Christian, but according to the Citizenship Survey published this week, that figure fell to 70% in 2010. The government-commissioned survey looked at the views of more than 10,300 adults. In the same period, the number of people saying they have no religion rose by 6%, from 15% in 2005 to 21% in 2010. Christians were also far less likely to practise their religion than those of other faiths. Those most likely to practise their religion were Muslims. Despite the fall in people affiliating themselves with Christianity, those who do are more committed, with an increase in the number of Christians saying they go to church regularly, from 31 per cent in 2005 to 33 per cent in 2010.
Pray: for the Holy Spirit to move among the people revealing the light that brings life. (1Jn.1:1-7)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fall.in.number.of.christians.in.britain/29082.htm
Archbishop warns of broken bonds and abused trust
Preaching the Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral Dr.Rowan Williams said the need to learn lessons had been made important by the riots and banking crisis. The most pressing question facing Britain is ‘who and where we are as a society, because bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost.’ In contrast to the fragmenting society, the Archbishop went on to say, ‘the language of the Book of Common Prayer offers society the means of binding together our obligations to God and to one another, in a dense interweaving of love and duty joyfully performed’. Adding, ‘We’re much the poorer for forgetting it and pushing it to the margins as much as we often do in the Church.’
Pray: that in 2012 the church would be more visible, prodigals would return and Christian teaching would be acted upon by those inside and outside the church. (2Cor.3:12)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.warns.of.broken.bonds.and.abused.trust/29085.htm
UK cases to go before European Court of Human rights
Christian Concern intend to bring two legal cases before the European Court of Human Rights in the new year, those of Gary McFarlane, a relationship counsellor from Bristol dismissed for gross misconduct by Relate for refusing to confirm he would provide directive sex therapy to homosexual couples due to his religious beliefs. Also Shirley Chaplin, an NHS nurse faced with disciplinary action after being told she was no longer permitted to wear her cross while at work on health and safety grounds. The NHS Trust indicated they would permit exemptions in their uniform policy for religious and cultural symbols that were ‘mandatory’ within the religion. An employment tribunal found that she had not been discriminated against on the basis of her religious beliefs.
Pray: for Christians in the British Isles to be free to continue and exercise their role in the workplace proclaiming and demonstrating Christian truths. (2Cor.12:12)
Excessive drinking is a significant problem
A YouGov survey has revealed that 61 per cent of UK adults believe that excessive drinking is a problem (from minor to major) in their neighbourhood. The survey, carried out on behalf of The Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, asked people to judge the effects of alcohol on the area within walking distance from their home, or where they use local facilities. They believe that enforcing a minimum per-unit price could be part of the solution to this problem, a move that has already been taken by the Scottish Government and that has been backed by health watchdog, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Although the UK Government shows no sign of enforcing a minimum per-unit price nationally, the initiative is being considered by a number of local councils, including Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
Pray: that the authorities will be able to get a grip on this problem. (Eph.5:18)
Unwanted gifts help the homeless
Ended up with something you didn't want this Christmas? One charity is asking Brits to donate that unflattering jumper or umpteenth bubble bath set and help the homeless. Any unwanted Christmas gifts donated to Anchor will be sold on and 100% of the profits put towards its work with the homeless. The gifts will be sold through eBay and the proceeds used to sponsor a room for a homeless person. Additionally, people can sell their unwanted gifts individually and donate the amount to Anchor. Anchor House is helping thousands of homeless from its base in Canning Town, in the east London borough of Newham, the third most deprived ward in England and Wales. The centre provides accommodation for up to 180 single homeless people each year. A wide range of accredited vocational training courses are on offer to residents and the local community in construction, electrical, plumbing and distance learning.
Pray: for the success of this initiative and that many would be helped. (Ac.2:45)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/unwanted.gifts.help.the.homeless/29068.htm