Let the “New Wave” of His Glory Fill the Earth!
We acknowledge that God is at work in powerful ways all over the world. As a result we anticipate the following:
1. The World Prayer Assembly 2012 will be a “new wave” to strategically connect and empower the global prayer and mission movements. 5000-6000 Christian leaders from up to 220 nations will join with the Lord and each other through united prayer, leading to Spirit-inspired action to transform our world.
2. The World Prayer Assembly is being arranged and co-hosted by leaders of the Indonesian and Korean prayer movements, two of the most powerful prayer forces in the world, with the support of international prayer networks such as the International Prayer Council and the Global Day of Prayer.
3. The ultimate goal of the World Prayer Assembly is two-fold: to see the knowledge of the glory of the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14) and to experience the fulfilment of Jesus’ prayer that His followers become one so the world will know He is its Creator and Saviour (John 17:21).
4. The WPA 2012 will learn from and build upon what the Body of Christ has experienced through the worldwide explosion of prayer efforts since the last International Prayer Assembly in Korea in 1984, by linking together prayer, mission and marketplace ministries from all church traditions, denominations and social spheres. In the spirit of Acts 13, together we will seek to hear from the Lord of the Church regarding His plans to engage and direct the global prayer movement. The goal is to see every nation, city and rural area throughout the world become filled with ongoing intercession and Spirit-inspired action until His Kingdom’s values are fully manifested.
5. Prayer networks and ministries worldwide will meet with those who are prayerfully working for transformation in all spheres of society such as government, education, business/marketplace, arts and media. Ministry leaders will learn from one another and plan new strategies. They will coordinate their efforts to advance world evangelization and the reaching of the unreached. They will work to ignite spiritual revival of the Church, as well as to champion social justice and humanitarian efforts - so that His glory will fill the earth.
6. The WPA 2012 will also encourage and serve to launch the next generation to become cutting-edge leaders for Christ’s global prayer and mission movement, as children and youth take their positions as equal partners in leading this event.
7. In fulfilment of Jesus prayer in John 17, the WPA will unite a large proportion of Christ’s Body to cry out to God for breakthrough in the urgent issues of our time. On the evening of May 17, during the WPA, 100,000 believers of all denominations, including 20,000 trained child intercessors and 20,000 youth, will gather together in the national stadium of Jakarta for a massive prayer meeting. This prayer event will be linked live to 200 cities of Indonesia where there will be similar gatherings estimated at 2 million or more. Combining with the Global Day of Prayer broadcast through satellite TV, tens of millions will take part from around the world, uniting their prayers to shape the history of our world!
Let the “new wave” of His glory fill the earth!
New aid package for Horn of Africa
President Barack Obama announced in Christmas week a new aid package worth $113 million for the famine and drought ravaged Horn of Africa. The funding announcement comes as a ‘FWD’ campaign by the US Aid organization on the internet, with videos in which television stars and athletes are asking viewers to forward the humanitarian message using social media to as many people as possible. President Obama said, ‘As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years. The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need.' ‘Famine, war and drought in the Horn of Africa is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,’ said USAID.
Praise: God for the campaign, and may it gain momentum as it continues through 2012. (Ps.22:26)
New aid package for Horn of Africa
President Barack Obama announced in Christmas week a new aid package worth $113 million for the famine and drought ravaged Horn of Africa. The funding announcement comes as a ‘FWD’ campaign by the US Aid organization on the internet, with videos in which television stars and athletes are asking viewers to forward the humanitarian message using social media to as many people as possible. President Obama said, ‘As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years. The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need.' ‘Famine, war and drought in the Horn of Africa is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,’ said USAID.
Praise: God for the campaign, and may it gain momentum as it continues through 2012. (Ps.22:26)
Bible becomes 2011 bestseller in Norway
The UK's 2011 bestseller lists might have been dominated by cookery, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and romance, courtesy of David Nicholls, but Norwegian readers were plumping for another sort of book last year: the Bible. The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years topped the country's book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. ‘We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it's just incredible,’ said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.
Praise: God for this incredible thirst for His Word. (Is.52:7)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/03/bible-2011-bestseller-norway
Bible becomes 2011 bestseller in Norway
The UK's 2011 bestseller lists might have been dominated by cookery, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and romance, courtesy of David Nicholls, but Norwegian readers were plumping for another sort of book last year: the Bible. The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years topped the country's book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. ‘We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it's just incredible,’ said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.
Praise: God for this incredible thirst for His Word. (Is.52:7)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/03/bible-2011-bestseller-norway
Divorce easier than getting driving licence
Obtaining a divorce is now easier than getting a driving licence, a senior judge said yesterday. Sir Paul Coleridge said a cultural revolution has made it possible to end a marriage quickly with a basic form-filling exercise. He added that the stigma attached to divorce in the past has also disappeared. The judge – who presided over the bitterly-fought divorce of Sir Paul and Heather McCartney – blamed 50 years of relationship free-for-all for the spread of divorce on demand. He said the result was that 3.8million children were now left at the mercy of the courts because of the break-up of their parents. The judge, who sits in the High Court Family Division as Mr Justice Coleridge, has called repeatedly for legal reforms to clear up
the mess left by the decline of marriage. He has blamed youth crime, child abuse, drug addiction, binge drinking, truanting and bad behaviour in schools for the 'meltdown' of the family.
Pray: that the experience and wisdom of Mr Justice Coleridge will be heard and lead to reforms. (Jer.26:13a)
Europe's new treaty: A multi-speed Union
All EU countries – except Britain – have agreed on a new treaty for tighter fiscal discipline and deeper economic integration to save the euro currency. As attention turns to the legal details and ratification process, questions are raised, ‘what will happen to countries that fail to ratify?', with some fearing exclusion from 'the club'. Circumventing the British veto EU leaders led by France and Germany are pressing ahead with a new treaty of their own - an intergovernmental agreement outside the EU legal framework. The treaty text will be drafted by March 2012 and opened to ratification by countries outside the 17-member eurozone. Some commentators are saying, 'it's time for a two-speed even a three-speed Europe for anything constructive to get done.' Also Denmark took over EU rotating presidency last Sunday and will chair all decisions for the next 6 months.
Pray: for God in His mercy to influence all decision making processes in the first quarter of 2012 and for David Cameron to grow in wisdom and strength in the European arena. (Ps.2:10-12)
Europe's new treaty: A multi-speed Union
All EU countries – except Britain – have agreed on a new treaty for tighter fiscal discipline and deeper economic integration to save the euro currency. As attention turns to the legal details and ratification process, questions are raised, ‘what will happen to countries that fail to ratify?', with some fearing exclusion from 'the club'. Circumventing the British veto EU leaders led by France and Germany are pressing ahead with a new treaty of their own - an intergovernmental agreement outside the EU legal framework. The treaty text will be drafted by March 2012 and opened to ratification by countries outside the 17-member eurozone. Some commentators are saying, 'it's time for a two-speed even a three-speed Europe for anything constructive to get done.' Also Denmark took over EU rotating presidency last Sunday and will chair all decisions for the next 6 months.
Pray: for God in His mercy to influence all decision making processes in the first quarter of 2012 and for David Cameron to grow in wisdom and strength in the European arena. (Ps.2:10-12)
George Verwer call for full-time mission workers
George Verwer’s heartfelt appeal to young Christians from the four corners of Europe was ‘go’. The founder of Operation Mobilisation was addressing thousands of European Christians on the final night of the Mission-Net Congress in Erfurt, Germany. ‘If people like you don’t go, who will?’ he said, dressed in his trademark ‘world map’ jacket. In an impassioned plea with the participants, Verwer said he was praying to God every day for workers to go out to the world’s ‘forgotten places’. ‘The word of God is clear,’ he said. ‘Don’t be hearers of the word, be doers.’ Verwer spoke openly about his own personal struggles with lust and sexual sin, as he reassured the audience that God loved them and wanted to use them in spite of any moral failings or mistakes. ‘We need Christians in every area of society but if we are serious about global missions, we need to include mission work as a legitimate career for this generation,’ he said.
Pray: for all those who listened to the message that they would not only be hearers of the word but doers. (Ro.10:14-15)
George Verwer call for full-time mission workers
George Verwer’s heartfelt appeal to young Christians from the four corners of Europe was ‘go’. The founder of Operation Mobilisation was addressing thousands of European Christians on the final night of the Mission-Net Congress in Erfurt, Germany. ‘If people like you don’t go, who will?’ he said, dressed in his trademark ‘world map’ jacket. In an impassioned plea with the participants, Verwer said he was praying to God every day for workers to go out to the world’s ‘forgotten places’. ‘The word of God is clear,’ he said. ‘Don’t be hearers of the word, be doers.’ Verwer spoke openly about his own personal struggles with lust and sexual sin, as he reassured the audience that God loved them and wanted to use them in spite of any moral failings or mistakes. ‘We need Christians in every area of society but if we are serious about global missions, we need to include mission work as a legitimate career for this generation,’ he said.
Pray: for all those who listened to the message that they would not only be hearers of the word but doers. (Ro.10:14-15)