
On Sunday 13th we are asked to intercede for the Persecuted Church. Globally 100 million Christians are persecuted. Open Doors USA are saying, ‘They know the Lord is with them – but is there anyone else?’ On Sunday the church is invited to unite and pray that they would be strong and courageous. In October, 14 year old Ugandan, Susan, was tortured by her father for becoming a Christian. Unable to walk and hospitalised for 4 weeks she has a long recovery road ahead, but doctors are optimistic. Pray Susan would know that she has a loving Christian family who cares and is praying for her. For resources to aid informed intercessions for the persecuted click the more link.
Pray: for God’s protection and comfort wherever the enemy attempts to captivate body, mind, or spirit. (1Cor.12:26)
More: http://www.onewiththem.com/
In the traditional calendar, “All Saints Day” and “All Souls Day” stand out in the month of November, set apart to remember the saints of the church and the souls of those who departed this world. It is fitting, then, that the modern church has set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted church, through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).
There are many countries in the world today where Christians are martyred for their faith. Believers in Afghanistan are facing death threats; Christians in Uzbekistan, Nigeria and many other countries all around the world face violence, imprisonment and even death. There are other places in the world such as North Korea where acts of persecution take place, but we don’t see or hear of it. Brother Andrew of Open Doors once said, “Our heroes are not with us simply because they are in prison.”
IDOP is a time set apart for us to remember thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who suffer persecution, simply because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
We invite you to explore this website (www.idop.org) and hope you will join Christians worldwide in praying for persecuted Christians in November. Please note that while Sunday, November 13 (Sunday, November 6 in the UK and Ireland) is the designated date for IDOP, you are free to choose another date if you wish. See their resources that can be downloaded from this website to help your prayer group or congregation pray in an informed manner: www.idop.org
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Join a Worldwide Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Christians
More than 25 pastors are killed in Colombia every year, simply because they lead churches. Right now, there are over 2,000 Christians in prison in Eritrea, just because they are Christians. In Iran, Pastor Nadarkhani is facing execution for apostasy (abandoning Islam).
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
On 6 November 2011, there will be an International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). It is a special opportunity for the global Church to unite in prayer, raising up situations just like the ones above.
http://www.csw.org.uk/pray
The Global Day of Worship (GDW) is a call for a unified, global worship movement to see the name of Jesus Christ lifted up throughout the earth. It will be a day that will unify many denominations within the body of Christ while embracing and celebrating the differences in our expressions of love for Jesus Christ. Through a unified celebration and adoration of the name of Jesus, the world will see that we are His disciples.
Join us on November 11, 2011 – from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in each time zone – for a wave of worship and adoration that will span the globe and unite all believers as one body. Utilizing 24 time zones, we will agree with and join the 24 elders, spoken of in Revelation 4, who are already worshiping Jesus around the throne. It is when the worship of heaven meets the worship of earth that spiritual climates of nations will shift as we serve faithfully here and now in preparation for His return.
The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has launched its first outreach campaign to get people back into church, with its lapsed membership thought to number as many as five million. It started at the weekend in York with Crossing the Threshold, a national tour of talks and workshops to help clergy and parishioners re-evangelise friends and family. Around a million people regularly attend mass on Sundays, but church leaders say there are many more who are baptised but do not go. Kieran Conry, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said ‘There are probably people out there who would like to come back but don't know how to go about it. There is a fear of standing out, of doing the wrong thing.’ Churches could be intimidating places, said Conry, and it was important for those taking part to offer a personal invitation to lapsed Catholics to return. The tour will also take in Birmingham, Crawley and Cardiff.
Pray: for all those who have drifted away from church of any denomination that they may once again find fellowship there. (Mal.3:6)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/13/catholic-church-reevangelise-campaign
Ryanair has come under fire over plans to develop apps that will allow passengers to watch adult film content during flights. The budget airline wants to launch apps that passengers can log into via their iPads or smartphones and then pay to watch movies that include sex scenes. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said: ‘Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?’ The airline is also considering apps for in-flight gambling. Morality in Media (MIM) has reacted with anger to the plans. It is asking pro-family organisations based in Europe to contact Ryanair in opposition to the plans. The US-based group’s President has advised travellers to avoid using Ryanair. ‘We will stop this outrage before it gets started,’ said Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of MIM. ‘Ryanair, which hopes to expand its market to US destinations as well, is creating an unsafe environment for every individual who travels on their planes.’
Pray: for Ryanair to recognise the unsuitability of such content within an aircraft carrying a ‘general audience’. (Ps.119:115)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/anger.over.ryanairs.plans.for.sex.scene.apps/28879.htm
Marriage is an honourable institution and Church of England clergy should do all they can to protect it from redefinition, the chairman of Reform has warned. The Westminster Government is planning to launch a consultation in March on how, not if, to redefine marriage. But Revd Rod Thomas has urged clergy to do all they can ‘in the coming months to prepare our people well to respond to this consultation and make our voices heard.’ He warned that redefining marriage to allow same-sex marriage would fundamentally undermine the institution. Writing in the Church of England newspaper he said: ‘Iit would undermine the stability of society. If marriage is no longer one of the ‘givens’, then it simply becomes a matter of prevailing opinion. ‘If the present Government can alter its definition, then how do we know it might not change again in the future? It becomes something that is malleable rather than being rock solid.’
Pray: for the clergy as they prepare to lead the Church in its response to this challenge. (Pr.2:8)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/c-of-e-clergy-must-do-all-they-can-to-protect-marriage/
Black and white churches in the UK tend not to mix, but last week saw an unprecedented event under the banner of HOPE. More than 70 Christian leaders from black and white denominations and organisations gathered at Jesus House in North London to plan ways to work together to bring HOPE to communities across the UK. As a result, next year’s celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee look set to see six million people across the UK eating Sunday lunch together: Christians partying with their neighbours at the heart of their communities – just one of a range of mission activities under the HOPE banner, which will lead to a year of united church mission throughout the UK in 2014. HOPE’s Executive Director Roy Crowne said. ‘The goal is lasting spiritual change in the lives of individuals, as communities are transformed by churches working together in mission with practical action as well as words.’
Pray: for all those working with HOPE and for the success of their mission. (Jos.1:7)
The prayer strategy that has been evolving over recent years is now beginning to come into focus as different ministries, organisations and networks run with how the Lord has been leading them.
Click http://www.prayerforum.org/towards-2012/ for the link to an "Outline for 2012" - some of the main things already in place are listed.
Jane Holloway - Prayer Forum
World Prayer Centre, Cornerstone House, 5 Ethel Street, Birmingham, B2 4BG
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” Isaiah 26:8
Ten years ago, it was the horrendously tragic 9/11 terrorist attack that helped catalyze the formation of the International Prayer Council in the weeks that followed. Thirty-five international prayer leaders answered Ben Jenning’s call to meet in New York City at the beginning of December 2001. We struggled to pray at Ground Zero, expressing our deep grief but also extending forgiveness to the extremist monsters and their backers who, because of their bondage to an ideology so full of deception and death, had just wantonly murdered 3000 Americans.
As we prayed and deliberated about the way forward in the global prayer movement, it seemed obvious that it was a time for a “network of prayer networks.” It would connect prayer leaders and intercessors across the world to pray concertedly for the effective resolution of global and regional issues such as terrorism, humanitarian disasters, and especially for the fulfillment of the Great Commission and implementation of the Great Commandment.
The key word is “connect”. The IPC has been used by the Lord to join brothers and sisters in Christ together across the globe to pray with an informed and united focus in many different situations and venues since 2001. Here is a partial list of what has been accomplished thus far so we can rejoice, thank God, and look ahead:
1) International Prayer Leaders Consultation, Cape Town, South Africa, November, 2002 – almost 300 prayer networks gathered to launch the IPC and regional prayer networks cross the world.
2) Regional prayer summits through these networks have brought together prayer and ministry leaders in virtually every region of the world. Some regions have met several times and continue to pray and work together for God’s transformation.
3) National prayer initiatives, many of them with IPC-related facilitation teams, have been arranged and led in at least 30 nations. In many cases, the Lord has brought about major transformations by ending wars, removing evil leaders and enabling the formation of national unity governments. He has also ignited spiritual revival among participating pastors, denominational and even political leaders as His people have repented, become reconciled and prayed.
4) International Prayer Consultations have been held in conjunction with other major events such as the Lausanne Forum in Thailand, 2004, Malaysia, 2006, and the Global Day of Prayer conference, 2010.
5) Global Day of Prayer – since September 2004, the IPC has gone to bat for the GDOP, helping to mobilize participation around the world through its links with other prayer networks and ministries. Up to 300 million have taken part in these annual days of united prayer for our communities and world.
6) Two global Children in Prayer Consultations, bringing together children’s workers from more than 60 nations, were held in Malaysia (2006), and India (2008). These times of cross-fertilization, along with video and written resources and a new website, helped inspire and broaden the rapidly growing Children in Prayer movement now in possibly 100 nations.
7) International Prayer Initiatives for the United Nations connected over 400 prayer leaders from 70 plus countries to pray with ambassadors inside the chambers of the U.N. (2007 and 2009).
8) Rich relationships of love and trust have been developed through such connections, enabling a wonderful Kingdom synergy that has released human, financial and other resources to flow where
they are needed.
9) Now, the IPC (by this time also known as International Prayer Connect) is taking on its biggest challenge yet – the World Prayer Assembly. For the last ten years, we have thought and prayed about this possibility. In connection with the Indonesian and Korean prayer movements who will be co-hosting and with the support of many other prayer networks worldwide, the WPA will take place next year (May 14-18) in Jakarta, Indonesia. See www.wpa2012.org.
Many colleagues in the IPC and thousands upon thousands of other brothers and sisters in Christ have prayed and worked together to make all these things happen. Thank you for the crucial, vital roles you have played, sometimes involving considerable personal sacrifice. As that old saying goes, “It is not what you know but who you know that really matters!”
However, in the final analysis, it is the Spirit of God who has stirred our hearts to join Him in united intercession for our world and the outworking of His loving purposes for it. As Isaiah goes on to say in that same passage, “All that we have accomplished you have done for us.” Let us, therefore, reflect, rejoice and give thanks to the Lord who has done “immeasurably more” than all we have asked or imagined!
John Robb
IPC Chairman