Recently, our leadership team met and identified the following key prayer concerns that we hope you will share in intercession:
1. The migrant crisis in which tens of thousands continue to walk from the Middle East through Turkey or come via rickety boats across the Mediterranean needs our special prayers. It could be a huge opportunity for the Church to bring Christ to these people, but there is also the possibility of great danger through the infiltration of Islamic terrorists. Pray for the EU, the church leaders and for the migrants themselves in this biggest population movement since World War II.
2. Coming out of a August global prayer strategists meeting in London one strategy was recommended for wider implementation- pray 5 mins. daily at 11:55 am to noon for our world.
3. UPrising: World Youth Prayer Assembly www.unitedprayerrising.com Please pray for Jerome Ocampo, the convener, the International Dream Team of youth ministry leaders and the Executive Team as they work together on arrangements for next July’s gathering in South Korea. Pray for the venue to be finalized and for a breakthrough in the provision of financial resources so that the WYPA can go ahead as planned. A new video and other materials are in the works to add to the website above and help in mobilizing for the UPrising around the world. A global fast starts September 28 for an Acts 2 outpouring of the Spirit and the overthrow of any spiritual opposition to this effort on behalf of the younger generation, which we believe is so much on God’s heart.
4. Latin America- there is a heavy attack on prayer leaders with increased illness and death along with prevalent corruption and a desire to remove current political leaders. Pray for Yanira Gonzalez and her colleagues in the region for His blood covering and protection at this difficult time.
5. 24/7 Prayer Movement- Hannah McVeigh and her colleagues are busy developing and supplying new resources to students. Pray for the distribution of these resources and the large 24/7 gathering they plan Oct. 22-25 in Vienna.
6. Africa Prayer and Mission gathering in Ethiopia, Oct. 26-31- Austen Ukachi asked for prayer for this event with focus on reaching the unreached, persecuted church and the Muslim challenge.
7. Global Proclamation Congress, June 15-22, Bangkok, with up to 5000 pastoral trainers. Tom Victor is working on a strategy to develop a culture of prayer among them and the 100,000 pastors they will impact. He is looking for good resources to give them. Pray for Tom, the GPC, and his efforts. http://gprocongress.org
8. National and international security prayer initiative, October 18-20, Colorado Springs, USA- “Seeking God’s Face for the Deliverance and Destiny of America”. The IPC’s John Robb and others are seeking to bring prayer network leaders and strategic intercessors together from across the USA. Pray for prayer leaders who should come to respond and be there and for a good convergence in the unity of the Spirit. Pray too for an effective strategy for national and international spiritual preparedness in this time of great vulnerability to attack by hostile agents, whether terrorists or enemy nations.
9. Persian Gulf prayer initiative in February. Christian leaders from the guest worker community are seeking to organize a region-impacting prayer gathering. Pray for this vital initiative to come together and attract many from all nationalities around the region.
10. Prayer Hub and the IPC Website- Andy Page is working on a Prayer Hub that will connect various prayer websites. He is also upgrading the IPC website to include it and make it more “lean and mean” with resources that are even more relevant and helpful. Pray for him and his important efforts to resource the international prayer movement in this vital way.
Watch and pray during desperate times
Ian Cole the founder of World Prayer Centre shares some thoughts on the current signs that we are seeing around the world.
Millions on the move, wars and rumours of wars, desperate people fleeing from desperate people, killings in the name of religion, aborted baby parts being sold, environmental disasters, political leaders struggling to find answers, nations in uproar, car manufacturers cheating millions, financial instability increasing, good called evil and evil called good. At one time we could have been accused of exaggerating, not any longer.
So, how near are we to Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21? The answer is we do not know, but Jesus did tell us to watch, watch for the signs, and watch that you are not deceived. Watch and pray. We are encouraging each other here as a team and we want to encourage you to watch from a position of confidence and shalom (peace) in God our Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist wrote as he watched, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear" in fact he encourages us to "be still and know that God is God". (paraphrase Psalm 46 NIV)
So we watch, but we also warn. Watchmen are useless if they see the danger and stay quiet. The Christian message is that God loves every girl and boy including those in the womb and He loves every man and woman on the planet. Yes even those who plan, organise and carry out such evil things, even they are not outside God's mercy. However we have to warn that for those who deliberately live a Godless life, those who reject God's plan of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, there are not only serious consequences in this life but also in the life to come. The truth is, as with an individual, so with a nation.
So as you watch, are you concerned about all you see and hear, are you fearful for your future, your children's future? In the midst of your storm take a moment or two, be still and speak to God. Tell Him your fears, tell Him your failings, tell Him your worries, He's big enough to cope with them. When the disciples were in the middle of the storm, fearing they would drown, it was Jesus who was in the boat with them that stilled the waves and stilled their hearts. Reach out to Him, He will do the same for you.
Are you new to prayer? Then check out this great resource that helps you to strat praying...
Iran: Christian arrests and interrogations increasing
Robert Duncan of Middle East Concern reports: ‘This summer, arrests and interrogations have been unusually frequent. The exact numbers are difficult to give, but we know of twenty arrests in Kermanshah, Tehran, Shiraz and Karaj over July and August. The number could be much higher. Generally, house churches have been targeted; it is believed that a government agent was able to infiltrate several house churches and gather information about members and church leaders, which led to the arrests. It illustrates just how careful house churches need to be in accepting newcomers and that security is a big issue. When security forces raid a house church they do it quickly, without attracting attention. This summer, however, there were several examples of arrests being unnecessarily violent and witnessed by neighbours. Treatment during interrogation depends very much on the interrogator, but this summer there have been consistent reports of people being beaten.’
North Korea: State media condemns ‘Bible balloons’
North Korea’s state media has released a proclamation condemning Voice of the Martyrs (VoM) for their balloon launches into North Korea this year. These brightly-coloured, helium-filled balloons either deliver Bibles in the North Korean language in electronic form or have scriptures printed on them. The balloons are released from outside North Korea’s borders. Prayers are whispered, then they are released across North Korean airspace, letting Christian brothers know that they are being supported and prayed for. Despite ongoing tensions between the two countries, VoM Korea say their work is not antagonistic, and they have never endangered citizens of either country. ‘As a Christian ministry we distribute Bibles because the Bible teaches us that all people are valuable and deserve to eat and live in peace; not because of their loyalty to a particular government, but because God created each one of us in His image’.
Kenya: Schools shut amid financial challenges
Kenya’s teachers vowed to continue their strike, which began on 31 August. The government is appealing a court ruling granting teachers a salary increase. President Kenyatta ruled out giving in to teachers’ demands, saying that to do so would ‘seriously distort’ public finances. Meanwhile Kenyan children across the nation are missing out on their education. The Kenya National Teachers’ Union said its members won’t go back to work until the government complies with last month’s Industrial Court order to raise their pay. Kenya’s main opposition party held a rally in Nairobi on Wednesday to back the teachers’ demands. Kenyatta said that agreeing to wage demands would necessitate pay reviews across the public service, inflating the government wage bills and causing it to borrow money or suspend development programmes. ‘This will raise the cost of living, slow down our economy and increase unemployment and poverty. None of these options is tenable’, Kenyatta said.
Israel: Christian schools shut amid financial challenges
Heads of churches in Jerusalem are calling for authorities to respond to ‘modest and just demands’ by Christian schools for financial support. In a statement they said, ‘We are distressed that our schools in Israel have been on strike for more than two weeks. It hurts to see 33,000 students from all faiths and denominations out of their classrooms, while hundreds of teachers and employees are watching their schools empty. This situation is a grave inconvenience to the parents as their children remain at home, while education is a basic human right that no child should be denied. The struggle started almost two years ago, after serious budget cuts imposed on our schools caused a financial deficit. Negotiations between the Office of Christian Schools in Israel and the Ministry of Education failed; all solutions presented by the Ministry were unrealistic and would place further financial burdens on parents.’
Canada: Parents across Ontario stand against inappropriate sex education
A groundswell of concerned parents is making their voices heard regarding a controversial sex education curriculum. Parents' rights and pro-family groups say that the Liberal government's controversial curriculum violates children's innocence by introducing them to age-inappropriate explicit information and by pushing a dangerous sexual agenda. Pro-family analysis of the curriculum reveals that it introduces children to homosexuality in Grade 3, masturbation in Grade 6, and oral and anal sex in Grade 7; it also teaches there are six genders, rather than two biological sexes. A parent spokesperson said, ‘A time of darkness calls for no compromise whatsoever, especially when the innocence of our children is at stake.’ Parents across Ontario are pulling their youngsters out of school in the next two weeks as they protest against the Liberal government's curriculum.
Australia: Prime Minister’s stance on marriage led to his ousting
Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott was cut down by one of his Liberal Party cabinet ministers, Malcolm Turnbull, last Monday. A major issue was same-sex marriage. Abbott had held back a relentless campaign to change the definition of marriage in recent years. However Australia’s same-sex marriage political movement went into overdrive, cheered on by the media. After much debating to try to resolve the issue Abbot managed to block the introduction into the Australian Parliament of yet another bill to change the definition of marriage. This infuriated the opposition in the party and led to Turnbull telling parliament last week that he would honour the people’s vote on same-sex marriage after the 2016 election. ‘Poll-driven panic’ produced the Prime Minister’s departure. In his gracious concession speech, Abbott said, ‘My love for this country is as strong as ever, and may God bless this great Commonwealth.’
UN Post Millennium Development Goals 2015
Many have not heard of the United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They were a blueprint agreed by all the world’s countries and leading development institutions. The aim was to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by halving extreme poverty rates, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by 2015. There is now a post-MDG agenda - the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were proposed with the intention of finishing the job in the areas of Poverty, Hunger, Health and Well-Being, Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Affordable Clean Energy, Work and Economic Growth, Industry Innovation, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Life below water, Life on Land, and Peace and Justice. See also http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
Teenage suicide
It’s hard to say how many young people attempt to take their lives each year. The way the data is reported and collected also means that exact figures for teen suicides are not readily available. We do know that more than 1,600 people below the age of 35 kill themselves each year, according to suicide prevention charity Papyrus. For many, suicide is still a taboo subject but Papyrus says we need to create opportunities for teenagers to talk more openly about it. Suicide remains a major gender and social inequality and is a devastating event for families and communities. The Samaritans have produced a strategy, ‘Working together to reduce suicide 2015-21’, which outlines their commitment to work to reduce suicide rates by reaching more people who may be at risk of taking their own lives. This can be achieved only by understanding which groups of individuals are particularly at risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. See also: http://www.samaritans.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/branches/branch-96/files/Suicide_statistics_report_2015.pdf