(A presentation given at the North American Prayer Summit, August 21-24, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada)
The nature of Mexico’s problems, such as narco-trafficking, worship of dead, etc. go back to its idolatrous and occult roots. At Tepeyac, near Mexico City, sacrifices were made for centuries to Tonantzin, the Aztec serpent goddess who some think continues to be worshipped as the Virgin of Guadalupe since that is where the apparition appeared in 1531. Dec 12 celebrates the birth of this goddess and it is now the patroness of the nation.
Some also think that it was the mass human sacrifice and idolatry in the 15th century and 16th centuries that brought about the invasion of the Spanish conqueror, Hernan Cortez, and through that, God’s judgement on the murderous Aztec civilization. Half the population of that area was rapidly eliminated through disease and over time 97% died off. The current problems they have in Mexico today could be the result of these events. Pray for liberation of the Mexican people from the idolatrous Virgin of Guadalupe cult that has captured "the majority of the population and government officials. It has been said that the flip side" of this cult is the worship of Santa Muerte (Saint Death) that millions of additional Mexicans and increasing numbers in the USA pay obeisance to.
Now there is rampant corruption, drug addiction, youth suicide, vandalism, as well as child abuse, and even infanticide to keep children from such a life of suffering. Nevertheless, there are some hopeful developments such as the governor of Chihuahua who has decided to fight corruption. Pray for those Christian leaders who are working with him. May this become an open door to change the atmosphere and culture of the state.
During October in Michoacan, the “soul of Mexico” where the constitution was written, Pastor Martha Valdoviezo is going to the center of city with other pastors to pray for three days day and nights- a time of repentance for the sin and pain of Morelia. Pray for His strong anointing on her and the other ministry leaders- that God will unite and give them clarity for the transformation of their city and state.
Mexico City is surrounded by three states (8.5 million population but with the surrounding area included there are 24 million living in that area). The mayor opened up to Scientology recently and gave them a permit to locate a central office for Latin America there. They want to build 10 centers now. Pray that this decision will be reversed and that the false teachings of Scientology will be rejected by the government and the people.
In 1976, the Santa Muerte cult began in Mexico City. It is still growing and going after influential people. Pray with His authority and faith for the overthow of these and other false cults and that the Mexican people will serve the one and only Lord.
Mexico’s future economic prospects look hopeful due to the number of youth and children in the population and a good growth curve. Conversely, the USA and Canada may face a future economic downturn since population growth curve is not as good. Pray for the health and growth of the Mexican economy and that the big hindrance of corruption will be dealt with effectively.
The Church needs to have the opportunity to influence Mexico’s children for the Kingdom of God. Pray for real freedom from government control for Christian schools to give children and youth the knowledge of the Lord.
Mexico’s national election will be held next year. Pray that a man or woman of God will be able to run and win the election. Lopez Obrador, the socialist, currently has lots of support. Pray that he will not get in because his socialist policies would destroy the nation.
A new movement of prayer has arisen in the country that is connecting the Body of Christ in new ways and has lots of youth involved. Pray for such efforts to prosper in the land and for the real unity of the prayer movement and the leaders of its various streams.
Pray for the current NAFTA renegotiations- that the USA will undergird Mexico and that each nation will benefit.
Presented by one of the NAPS participants who comes from Mexico City
Approximately 90 leaders of prayer ministries and networks from Mexico, the USA and Canada met in beautiful Newfoundland and enjoyed deep times of prayer and sharing in the Lord as well as a lot of fun together! It was a time of rebuilding and strengthening our relationships and the connections between our national prayer movements as well as praying for some of the current issues that affect our continent.
From the very beginning, as we let “God be God and the Body be the Body”, we sensed that because of Newfoundland’s history there is a portal or gate (both vertical and horizontal) through which the Holy Spirit wants to flow into the rest of North America. We prayed a number of times about this, including on Signal Hill overlooking the city: “Welcome Holy Spirit, come! Welcome into North America. Launch a new Great Awakening!”
We also reaffirmed our unity in the Spirit that even transcends our national cultures and boundaries as members of His “eternal family”. One participant saw our national delegations as acrobats, standing on each other’s shoulders, pulling one another up, so that each nation finds its deeper destiny as part of a whole, integrated North America.
One prayer leader shared his dream of leaders in celebration, full of victory and joy. There was nothing but victory as if they had just won the Super Bowl. All were receiving gold rings. The global prayer movement is now in prime time, establishing its new authority as God’s sons and daughters to exercise governmental authority. “I am looking to position my people from Heaven’s perspective.” We should not react to things around us, but since He is the Captain of this team, we need to huddle around Him and then execute His plans. Sure victory will result. This is the season to release victory throughout the world.
We prayed for all three nations and for the continent as a whole, especially that the current NAFTA renegotiations to benefit all three nations. It needs to be stronger because of China! We were inspired by the presentation on how God has transformed Juarez, Mexico through a movement of united prayer and action led by Pastor Poncho Murguia.
An expert on Islam warned us to pray about the threats posed by the Islamic jihad to subvert and conquer North America, Europe and other currently non-Muslim areas of our world. (You can read his more detailed assessment of what their strategy is in another article in this Connections edition.)
Jerry Tuma, a “prophetic economist from Texas” spoke to us about how humanism has gotten a stronghold in our cultures and thinking about population growth, which is what God has always wanted. “Be fruitful and multiply” has never been rescinded. Paul Erlich’s Population Bomb, is full of assumptions and outright lies. Satan has used such thinking to steal human lives. More than 57 million US children have been aborted partly because of this erroneous scarcity mentality. Now an entitlement crisis is coming. Humanists have influenced our nations, but God is not lacking and there is no lack of resources. "The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof." There are still enormous resources, and prosperity is associated with growing populations. Jerry told us we need to return to biblical economics. We need a transnational entity connecting the three nations. True collaboration is needed so let’s continue to be in prayer for the NAFTA renegotiation.
Some of the Common Issues Identified and Prayed About
We need to continue praying about these things in all three nations:
Identity – gender and ID in Christ
Unity in the church
Identity for the church – stewardship of the culture
Pornography
Homosexuality and redefinition of families
Churches’ apathy and lack of involvement
Lack of fear of the Lord
Lack of love to children
Adultery
Trafficking
Drug use
Family redefinition and sexual perversion
Public corruption
Homelessness
Lovelessness/lack of forgiveness
Lack of prayer in church leadership
Bloodguilt for indigenous people
Breakdown of family
Sexualization of society
Church is asleep
Church too much like the culture
Antisemitism
Focusing too much time on giant issues – not enough on Jesus
Broken covenants
Euthanasia
Growing legal persecution of churches/ministries
Homosexuality
Healing
Younger generations out of church
Lawlessness
Evangelism lacking
Lack of conflict management
Lack of fear of the Lord
Attack on Truth
Family issues
Abortion and Sanctity of life
Justice being twisted – inequities
Radical feminism
Freedom of speech eroding- political correctness affecting society e.g. Canadian law re. speaking out against Muslims, LGBT, etc.
Proliferation of drugs
Drugs/addictions rather than Christ
Church shirking duties – need to speak Truth to overcome deception
Have unity in church (John 17) – appeal to heaven to bring it
Tolerance in the church instead of Truth
Love of Father God – express Truth in love – to heal hearts
Death and violence
Greed
Idolatry
Witchcraft and occult connections and influence in government
Untimely death and culture of death
Lack of principled values
Distraction of social media – rebellion
Hidden agendas in schools – homosexuality, drugs, racism
Churches focused on inward vision rather than mission
Orphan spirit
False spirits in media and perversion of truth
Student debt
New media – standard of truth lacking
No discipleship in churches
Continental immigration vision
Freedom of speech
Religious liberty
Islamic deception
Economy
Wicked political leaders
Unity of the prayer movement
Prayer Needs for the USA:
Jason Hubbard- “One Church, One Day” initiative is building canopies of united sustainable prayer over communities. America Prays- every state will be covered in 24/7 40,000 local churches taking one day per month. Being launched during the Awaken the Dawn prayer effort on the DC Mall on October 7.
Jonathan Friz- “10 Days of Prayer” initiative. God wants to raise up movements of John 17 unity in our cities. City-wide churches, not separate kingdoms. 10 Days is a strategy to see it happen in our areas. Fasting, mourning and repentance. Jonathan had a vision of it going many places around the world and this year 34 cities in USA and Africa will take part. Please pray for the success of these and other new movements prayer led by younger leaders.
Jon Graf from the U.S. National Prayer Committee urged us to pray for the National Day of Prayer and its new leadership to become a movement, not just one day per year and that a national rhythm of prayer for the next Great Awakening will take shape.
2 Also that it will become a multi-generational, multi-denominational and multi-ethnic movement of prayer. Many of largest prayer ministries will merge into it or significantly partner.
3Pray for Unity and Wisdom as massive changes in the leadership of prayer movement happen. Every revival happened at times of political and social desperation.
Prayer needs for Canada:
1Progressivism creeping in regarding criticism of Muslims and LGBT.
2 Need prayer for French-English division.
3 First Nations see English colonization as a tragedy and do not celebrate Canada Day. Native kids were forced into residential schools. Still a deep rift needing healing.
4 Gateways in Vancouver and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Send a mighty move of God through these cities!
5 Quebec- wants to be loved and accepted as they are. Great revival as result!
6 Unity of the church and prayer movement. At the150th anniversary of Canada, July 1st- “WE ARE ONE!”
Mexico’s Prayer Needs (please see the separate article in this Connections attached below)
Australia
Jamie Pryor, a prayer leader from Australia, told us about the unity of the prayer movement in Australia. Their leaders are praying every week together and building familial relationships. They don’t try to become one organization but follow the same values in unity. They believe such an approach will help ready us for persecution. He asked that we pray for Australia that the plebiscite on homosexual marriage will be defeated.
Some suggested next steps for the North American Prayer Summit:
1 Lack of intergenerational transference- how to accomplish this? Sobriety re. lack of discipleship of the next generation. Children and youth- we have not included the kids thus far. Can we bring them into the NAPS? Bring one youth each next time? National prayer summit aimed at youth?
2 We need a strategy to take action. Make NAPS more diverse ethnically, generationally. Sacrifice time and resources to bring youth and other ethnic groups.
3 Building unity- how do we come together in unity as prayer movements and prayer leaders? We have different gifts and need to draw them together. We are family and need to stay in communication to pray what is from His heart. Use teleconferencing or Zoom. Respond to issues and intercede. Focus on the positive and what He is doing. An email prayer alert would help.
4 God wants to raise up a movement of prayer across the three nations. Come together once a year. Pray for each other’s nations. How about triplet prayer on the phone with a Canadian and Mexican once per week or month? We need each other.
5 It is time to rise up. Work and pray for a transnational identity. Incorporate worship and prayer together. Develop an app with categories for use so we can call each other and pray.
6 Promote a Kingdom mentality and get beyond our own groups. Use the Moravian model for intercessory unity. Prayer in cities and involve the pastors. As the Church operates in unity through love, the city can be transformed. Loving our cities.
7 Love the Muslims and speak truth in love to them. Pray for the children of Islamic world.
We sang out the prayer song “You Said”: Ask and you will receive…I’ll heal your land…your glory will fill the earth..the harvest is here,the Kingdom is near… ask and I will give the nations to you.. distant shores and the islands will see your light as it rises on us.” (Psalm 2:8) Pray that we in North America will play our part in praying for and reaching the still unreached peoples of the earth, that transcendent call of God known as the Great Commission.
This excellent video on NAPS by Eric Teitelman covers the NAPS prayer tour we took to pray for our continent from its easternmost point https://youtu.be/dHOY5FYgid0
Our vision as Jesus followers is way too small! Let’s be honest. We mainly focus on ourselves and our families, with all our problems and needs. We may at times pray for our own church, and if we are keeping up with the news and big-hearted enough, we may also remember to pray for our community and nation from time to time. However, the Lord’s vision and heart are for the whole world. Indeed, in and with the Messiah, He wants to give us the peoples of the earth as He promises in Psalm 2:8: “Ask of me and I will make the peoples your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth your possession.” What an expansive calling and possibility through prayer and mission flowing out of prayer!
This focus on the peoples reaffirmed centuries later in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:20 was also on Jesus’ lips on the cross. While torturously gasping for air, he recited Psalm 22. That psalm starts with the anguished cry “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and concludes with the assurance that “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.” (Psalm 22:1 and 27). This must have been in the Lord’s mind as He looked beyond His immediate suffering. In spite of His awful agony, He peered into the future, by faith seeing the peoples of the earth turning to Him one day.
PraThe Moravians grasped that same vision after the Spirit fell upon them at Herrnhut, Germany, in 1727. This impelled them to begin a 100-year plus 24/7 prayer chain to pray for the distant peoples, that they might have the opportunity to come into the relationship with Christ they themselves had discovered. The Moravian example should inspire us with what God can do with even a few who are committed to persevering, united prayer. Though only a couple hundred believers first began this 24/7 prayer chain, ultimately thousands over those years took part. And from that small village these intercessors sent out missionaries that impacted an estimated 5000 locations on earth. These were the first Protestant missionaries. It was also the Moravians and their example of prayer wedded to mission that deeply stirred the two Wesley brothers, John and Charles. So England underwent a great revival that also spread to the USA and around the world through a multiplication of prayer and mission efforts in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In May of this year, international prayer and mission leaders came together at Herrnhut, where 6000 of these faithful Moravian intercessors and missionaries are buried. During our time together, we were stirred by the fact that over 1500 of the remaining unreached ethno-linguistic people groups still have no known missionaries or exposure to the Gospel. This is probably because no one is praying for them specifically, which is the first step to reaching them. Praying to the Lord of the harvest is a supernatural partnership with the One who can raise up those who are specially called and gifted to go and share the Good News with them. Without such prayer, there is no effective or sustainable mission outreach.
It is unthinkable that on our watch these people groups would not have the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ and to become part of His eternal family. Would you, therefore, please pray for the following?
- That churches and prayer groups in your nation and around the world will each adopt at least one UPG until they are reached with the Good News of the Gospel. The definition of “reachedness” is that there is an indigenous community of believers established who are capable of evangelizing the rest of their people group.
- Pray also for these important upcoming prayer and mission events to be used of the Lord to catalyze this adoption of the unreached for prayer and mission engagement:
- The Zero Gathering, Oct. 13-14, in the Dallas area, including the birthing of the Vision 2025 initiative to pray until every UPG has the Bible in their own language. 1600 participants are expected to gather with many others participating through live-streaming. Our focus will be on the 1671 Bibleless peoples that even by 2025 there might be zero peoples lacking access to Scripture.
- For the Finishing the Task initiative and gathering of 700-800 mission people, Dec. 5-7, in Mission Viejo, CA. It will be the first time a prayer track will be included.
- For the UPRISING youth national assemblies for prayer and mission happening around the world during the coming year, that the youth will be challenged to adopt and pray for UPGs, and then once again at the culminating global youth event in Indonesia in October 2018.
Please keep these upcoming efforts in your prayers that they will be powerfully used of the Lord to get every UP adopted and covered with ongoing intercession. To find out more about how you and your prayer group or church can adopt an unreached people group and for resources on praying for them, please visit Joshua Project www.joshuaproject.net. Prayer cards and profiles are available to download and use.
Thank you for your prayers. The Lord will surely use them in a supernatural way to bring about the reaching of those still waiting to hear of His love and truth.
John Robb
Chairman, International Prayer
Friends, here is an update from Bernd Oettinghaus, the coordinator of the prayer effort in Hamburg and Berthold Becker of Kainos Ministries on what has been happening there during the recent G20:
Thanks for all who responded to our spontaneous prayer initiative joining in with the many initiatives mobilizing prayer around the globe.
The G20 finished peacefully and in a positive spirit which is an answer to prayer. Also on Saturday around 75,000 people were able to demonstrate peacefully and present their issues.
Saturday night there were riots again but much less than expected. This was certainly an answer to prayer. The force of the riots was extreme, much damage and around 470 police injured. However, the Lord hindered more evil.
The government leaders promised unbureaucratic help and compensation for all damage done over this weekend. On Sunday thousands of people of all ages spontaneously followed a grass roots initiative to clean up the streets. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hamburg+clean+up+after+g20+youtube&view=detail&mid=169FB132E4C493CFFC7F169FB132E4C493CFFC7F&FORM=VIRE
It was great to be in a net of international intercession. The results of the Summit are less bad as expected. The heads of the 20 nations keep talking instead of walking alone or against each other. But we have to continue in prayer for the world leadership.
In my nation we are cleansing the political arena and weeping out a hidden sympathy for the extrem left wing and asking questions about the strategy of the police, why they let the anarchy situation on Friday night grow for 3-4 hours.
One other result is: The radical left-wing movement and their open-ness for violence is no longer accepted, which helps to stand against it, but on the other side as the danger in it to move in the underground scene.
We will have a prayer conference from 1st to 3rd September 2017 in Berlin where we want to target the leftwing spirit from the 68revolution including the philosophical movement of Adorno and Horxheimer „Frankfurter Schule“, the terroristic movement of the „Red Army Fraction“ from the 90th. The beginning of this movement is over now for 50 years, and we want to deal with all this socialist movements, kommunist and maoisem/leninism in our nation and in Europe. We also invite Chinese prayer leaders to help in this issue. www.waechterruf.de
We take those days of the G20 as a God given insight in the chaotic powers behind this still alive movement in Europe/the world. We do not want a new wave of radical violent movements in Germany and Europe. Not on the right wing and also not on the left wing.
We do not want a police, which is not under the political control of democratic forces, even no unique individuals or groups among the police fighting their own battles.
We want to learn as the Body of Christ in my nation, to stand together in Prayer alongside the political leaders and the police forces. On 24th September 2017 we will have a national vote.
Blessings and thanks to all prayer warriors
Bernd Oettinghaus / Berthold Becker
www.waechterruf.de / www.kainos.de
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, 2017 is a very special year on God´s calendar, especially for Israel:
- 120 years from the First Zionist World Congress
- 100 years from the Balfour Declaration
- 70 years from the UN Resolution 181
- 50 years from the Six-Day war and unification of Jerusalem
Many messianic leaders in Israel have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that this is the year to worship and welcome Messiah, the King of Glory to Jerusalem at a special gathering on 9-13 October in Jerusalem together with brothers and sisters in Christ from all continents and nations.
It is the first time that the Messianic Body of Christ extends an invitation like this to the church from the nations. We believe this is of prophetic significance and therefore encourage all brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ and their friends to join us in Jerusalem this October.
For more details please see the invitation letter of Messianic leaders that follows, and please visit the www.wtkog.com website.
Looking forward to seeing you in Jerusalem October 9-13, and please also distribute this invitation within your churches and networks.
In Christ
Ioan Peia (Romania)
Berthold Becker (Germany)
October 9-13, 2017 - Ramat Rachel Resort, Jerusalem, Israel
The holy Convocation in Jerusalem to welcome the King of Glory!
Dear Family of God from the Nations!
Shalom from Jerusalem, the City of the Great King!
Two thousand years ago our Lord and Messiah, Yeshua, commanded his disciples to take the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20). Six hundred years before this, the prophet Isaiah saw that the glory of God would reach even to the islands from the rising of the sun (east), and also to the “ends of the earth” (Isaiah 24:15, 41:5, 42:10).
In our generation, these prophecies of the Great Commission are being fulfilled. The Gospel has reached to the distant islands of the Pacific, exactly on the other side of globe from Jerusalem. And now, peoples from every tribe, tongue and nation, are desiring to bring the Good News and the Glory back to Jerusalem - all in preparation for His glorious return!
We are a group of Israeli, Messianic leaders who have come together to “Welcome the King of Glory.” King David was the first to welcome the King of Glory when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. He did this both as an individual worshiper, but also on behalf of his people, Israel.
For many reasons, we believe that this year of 2017 is prophetically significant. Together with a remnant of believers from many tribes, tongues and nations, we desire to welcome the King of Glory into Jerusalem once more. We believe we are on the cusp of a new season of His glory residing in His Body worldwide - according to Isaiah 60. We also believe that this will mark a new season of God’s presence among His people in Israel, and the beginning of a season of the fulfilment of many End Times’ events. (We are not necessarily declaring this season as the time of His Second Coming!)
We want to invite you, your family, your tribes and nations, to come up to Jerusalem for this special gathering during Sukkot 2017.
More info and to register: www.wtkog.com
This abbreviated article is taken from Crosswalk and written by Debbie Przybylski of Intercessors Arise International,
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.” (Amos 9:13).
Community transformation is when a culture is impacted by the presence of God. His supernatural power flows into the city and affects every level of society. Our cities are filled with spiritually homeless people who don’t know who they are or where they are going. There is an emptiness without God and we must invite Him into our cities.
Our communities are looking for identity and God’s presence is our identity. We must believe that revival and transformation will affect everything. We need a sense of purpose and the authority of God in our city. Only Jesus can change a city and a nation. Jesus told His disciples, “Without me you can do nothing.” One day God will rule the whole world because He is God of all (Ezekiel 48:35, Isaiah 62:4).
There is evidence that God is bringing transformation to communities around the world. George Otis, Jr. (producer of the Transformation Video series) has witnessed evidence of God’s willingness to transform spiritually barren communities in areas where believers have determined to exchange passive dissatisfaction for active, prevailing prayer. But history tells us that people do not change until they are aware of an imminent crisis or an immediate opportunity. We as humans must be persuaded that our present circumstance is desperate and that time is running out quickly. We must realize that our condition is not only broken or painful, but very dangerous.
If we are only disappointed, most of us won’t change. We think our condition is only temporary or that time is on our side. Our society will change and we will take action in prayer only when we get desperate. Then we will be willing to do the impossible.
Then we will fervently pray for our cities. We need to ask ourselves: “Are we desperate enough for revival and city transformation?”
How to Pray for Transformation in Your City
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you” (Isaiah 60:1-2).
Transformation is the reflection of God’s character coming forth in every way possible. This is what we want in our cities. Let us not draw back at such a critical hour. We are now at the desperate stage in our cities. Let us move forward in prevailing, passionate prayer by the grace of God and seek Him for transformation and revival! This is an opportunity that we must grasp now.
The following are principles that can bring life to your city. They are adapted from The Quickening DVD:
*Pray and invite God into your city.
God wants to be invited into our communities. He wants His presence to become so strong that men see themselves as lost and start coming to Him. If God is to increase our spiritual appetite, we must ask Him. First we must be emptied of our own satisfaction and feel the awareness of our emptiness. We are “undone” like Isaiah which will cause a cry from our heart (Isaiah 6:5-8). As God’s watchmen, we must call on the Lord and invite Him into our cities.
“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7).
*Pray for holiness and humility.
God is drawn to holiness and humility. If we want to be change agents in the city, we must be changed agents. The humble and the poor in spirit He brings to himself. The biggest thing that impedes unity is our own pride. What is ready to die? We have to make the basic decision,“I will not be offended by others.” God uses humility and broken people. A sincere heart cuts into the frozenness of the world.
“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares the Lord. ‘These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).
*Pray for corporate revival.
It begins with individual obedience and solitary decisions. The most important thing is that we begin. It’s not what we do but why we do it. Man is impressed by activity but God is impressed with obedience. We will encounter resistance and get discouraged, but God is focused on us. We must make that commitment ourself and search out a core group who have that commitment. It starts with a few who won’t give up, press on and keep praying and crying out to God month after month with fasting, prayer and humility. This will have a domino effect.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
*Pray for unity.
Biblical unity is a majority with God. It’s not based on numbers. Unity is a byproduct of relationships. When kingdom connection occurs, we then live under kingdom rule.
Where two or three hungry hearts join together in the cause of revival, God is there.
The presence of God unites people in a supernatural unity. Leaders must be committed to a community.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity… For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133:1, 3b).
*Pray for fervent prayer among the churches in your city.
Breakthrough, fervent prayer releases destiny. It’s desperation and humility, a foundation of fervent, persevering prayer when we become desperate for God. People of travailing prayer have a determination with a desperation that says,“We will not let go of you until we hear from you.” Allow Him to break and mold you. Pray for your city’s destiny. We forget that God is the God of destiny, and we are people of destiny. Prayer has to be more of a priority, and we must hear the trumpet call.
“They all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14).
God is looking for leaders who will stand in the gap for their nation who don’t care who gets the credit. They are not stakeholders but shareholders. They give God the glory. Revival leaders are often unlikely choices. The measure of leadership is not influence with the public but influence with God
TC Kim
Facilitator - Transform USA
http://www.transformusa.org
https://www.facebook.com/kimtwusa
There are many stories these days of government trampling parental rights, but what happens when parents are the ones doing the trampling?
Recently on BreakPoint we talked about the tough case of recently deceased Charlie Gard—the terminally ill baby whom British courts decided should die in the hospital rather than travel to America with his parents to seek experimental treatment for his rare condition. In that commentary, I said that the government had overstepped its authority, taking away the right of Charlie’s parents to make decisions for their son.
But another story shows that there’s another side to this coin. The parent of a Canadian newborn not only wants to make a crucial life decision for him or her, but also force the government to recognize that decision. Now I say “him or her” because it has been hidden whether little Searyl Doty of British Columbia is a boy or a girl. Only the child’s mother, who identifies as a “non-binary trans person” and is taking male hormones, knows the truth.
Searyl made international news when this baby received what his or her mother is calling the first ever “genderless” document issued by any government. The Gender Free I.D. Coalition, an activist group Searyl’s mother participates in, seeks to “remove all gender/sex designations from identity documents,” and in this case, they appear to have gotten their wish. The card issued by British Columbia lists Searyl’s sex as “U,” presumably for “unknown” or “unclassified.”
Searyl’s mother (who, again, would prefer I call her a “parent,”) said in a statement that “It is up to Searyl to decide how they identify, when they are old enough to develop their own gender identity.”
Doty believes so deeply in liberating children from biological sex that she’s a complainant in a case currently before the province’s Human Rights Tribunal, arguing for genderless government I.D. She’s also applied for judicial review of her child’s birth certificate, which British Columbia still says must list either male or female.
Doty’s lawyer says requiring such a designation violates the baby’s rights “as a Canadian citizen to life, liberty and security of the person.” And by the way—folks, I promise I’m not making this up—this lawyer refuses to use capital letters in her name because it’s oppressive.
Now why am I telling you all of this? Because in contrast to the Charlie Gard case in which the government overstepped its sphere of sovereignty, this is a case of a parent overstepping her sphere of sovereignty as well as crossing the line into abuse.
And no, I don’t think “abuse” is too strong a word for a mother who refuses to acknowledge the biological reality of her child’s sex, and to raise him or her in denial of such reality. The potential for harm here is great, and not only should government officials refuse to accommodate it, they should stop such practices, even if necessary, removing the child from that home.
Of course, I don’t expect for a moment the Canadian authorities will actually do this. But they should. And Christians shouldn’t be afraid to say so.
And just as there are limits to the state’s authority over the family, there are limits of the family’s authority over the state. A parent doesn’t have the right to force the government to violate its responsibility to recognize reality either.
God designed the family before all other institutions to produce, nurture, and protect children. The state isn’t competent to do this, and neither is the market, the academy, or even the church. But when the family fails to fulfill its God-ordained role—when parents try to deny a fundamental and biological truth about who their children are, they’ve failed.
It’s awful to watch governments steamroll one family to end Charlie Gard’s life, while failing to intervene in Searyl Doty’s life. Because children are helpless against our social experimentations, Christians can’t simply retreat from the public square or concede the clash of worldviews. The bad ideas of adults in any sphere of authority often have small victims.
NEXT STEPS
Bad ideas and faulty ideologies have consequences, and they also have victims. Children shouldn’t be those victims. As John has urged, let’s not retreat but rather be pro-active in the public square, encouraging families to nurture and protect children, promoting reality and the truth of God’s design.
CONTRIBUTED BY BREAKPOINT DAILY
More and further discussion at http://breakpoint.org
My word …will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isa 55:11
TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
This is one of the areas that the devil tries the hardest to stop. People come to believe through God’s Word. It is very hard to sustain a church (new believers) unless they have the Word in their own language. Those doing this work are asking for prayer for each of the groups they are working in.
Translation is being done for 15 different groups, some are large groups, others are smaller. In two of the groups each time a project like this was started the devil blocked it.
PRAY
- Pray that the work might not be blocked by the evil one by sickness, death, family problems, or in any other way.
- Pray for heath for all those involved
- Pray for those teaching them how to do this work, that they may be able to stay in country and not lose their papers
- Pray for those learning to learn quickly and well
- Persistence - this is a long process
- Completion of each project
JESUS FILM PROJECT
The translation of the film for Muslims. Changes are being made on physical things in the film that are offensive to them (like Jesus going into the temple with shoes on, hand actions, etc). Some of these changes could cost up to a million dollars, but the suggestions have been well received. Then language is needed that is acceptable and not offensive. Pray for this huge project Pray for wisdom from God to see and make the right suggestions.
STABLE GOVERNMENT
The Prime Minister is being accused of money laundering and corruption (he has been thrown out twice before for this). Opposition parties are against him. A high percentage of the lawyers are against him. It has been on the floor of Parliament again and again, and is supposed to come up for the final time on the 17th. PRAY God’s will: If he is thrown out who would take his place? It would probably be much harder for Christians and foreign workers.
Thanks for PRAYING for PAKISTAN!!
Global Prayer and Missions Leaders from around the world are linking together in unprecedented ways. There is a great need in this season to see how we can collaborate together in more effective ways. We would like to share this opportunity with you. As a part of this conference there will be a Prayer Track
You will be fully engaged and embedded in this influential and impactful network conference (Ephesians 3:20). We will look at how to be more effective and intentional together (Luke 10:2).
Global prayer and missions leaders will be sharing on the value of collaborating together (John 17:20-23). You will hear from top mission leaders as they share current stats, trends and prayer needs of finishing the task (Matthew 24:14).
As we spend the week together we will become familiar with what is still needed to see a shift from NO Scripture, NO Missionary, NO Church, NO Known Believers, to adoption and an intentional strategy toward getting the Gospel where it has not been previously (Revelation 5:9 & 7:9).
Who Should Attend?
If you identify with one or more of the following categories, this conference is for you!
Sending Organization/Church
You want to send (or help send) gospel workers to plant multiplying churches among Unengaged, Unreached People Groups (UUPGs).
Resource Provider
You indirectly engage UUPGs by gathering resources (i.e., finances, training, or media tools).
Mission Mobilizer
You promote the engagement of UUPGs by increasing awareness, vision-casting, and connecting potential gospel workers and resources with engagement opportunities.
Prayer/Prayer Leader or Mobilizer
You promote the engagement of UUPGs through prayer in building a platform of prayer, awareness building, vision casting and connecting prayer as a foundational aspect and resource with opportunities among UUPGs.
Registration Information:
Early Registration: $175/person (ends November 14th)
Registration: $200/person
Note: Registration cut-off is December 2, 2017
Register and find out more information about travel, lodging, transportation, etc. by visiting: www.finishingthetask.com
The NEW annual Hindu World Prayer Focus calls Christians and churches worldwide to take 15 days October 8-22 to learn about and pray for our world’s over one billion Hindu friends. That period also encompasses the significant Hindu Festival of Light (Diwali). The informative prayer guide booklets will help Christians to know how to pray for the people(s) growing up within this major and very diverse world religion.
Diwali (or Deepawali) is known as the Festival of Lights, and is one of the most important annual celebrations for Hindus, lasting about 4-5 days. While (similar to Christmas celebrations in the Christian world) it has historical and religious roots, Hindus celebrate it by lighting and displaying rows of small oil lamps, participating in family gatherings, consuming special sweets and watching fireworks.
It is not our intention with this prayer focus to disparage India or the Hindu religion in any way. We recognize that both are far too complex and too full of great traditions to simply or easily condense, explain or take lightly within a mere booklet.
At the same time, as Christians, we long that all the world’s people(s) will have an opportunity to freely see, hear and understand the grace of God incarnated in Jesus Christ. To this end, we inform ourselves, pray for and want to support opportunities to make that grace known also within the world’s Indian and Hindu communities.
Won’t you join us? For more information and a short introductory video www.pray15days.org Already in a growing number of languages/nations, if you don’t see yours, why not offer to translate and/or distribute in yours? Email+ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.