About 650 Christian leaders from across the USA will gather for this "post" Lausanne gathering being arranged by the Mission America Coalition (MAC).
Paul Cedar, Chairman of MAC has said, "One of the major ministries of the Mission America Coalition/U.S. Lausanne Committee (MAC/USLC) is to convene Christian leaders to focus upon how we can be more effective in ministering together to invite as many people as possible to become disciples of Jesus Christ…We will spend a lot of time around tables praying, interacting, and strategizing together both in our general plenary sessions and in 30 affinity consultations."
Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with great unity and clarity for this strategic gathering. May there be valuable new ministry initiatives to reach the increasingly diverse society of Americans as well as real breakthroughs in spiritual revival and social transformation.
STRATFOR warns: “ Libya's opposition is a poorly defined group of mutually hostile factions that have not formed a meaningful military force thus far, and are even less likely to form a functioning government. The U.S., France, and Britain have intervened, and major foreign energy outlets - plus Western ideology - are at stake. Will the turmoil sweeping across North Africa end in regime change? Or will a power vacuum transform Libya into the Somalia of the Mediterranean?”
www.stratfor.com/campaign/libya-war
Let’s pray that the current oppressive regime of Muommar Gaddafi will be replaced with a government that serves its people with honesty and fairness and that radical extremist groups will not be able to get the upperhand in any intervening power vacuum.
The violence at our nation’s southern border has escalated to unprecedented levels. In response, a prophetic directive given by Cindy Jacobs of Generals International, beginning April 15 and leading up to a National Day of Prayer on Cinco de Mayo (May 5), the United States Hispanic Prayer Network is spearheading the implementation of a highly strategic 21-day prayer and fasting initiative to contend for righteous trade, peace and security at our nation’s southern border. Repentance and reconciliation is needed on both sides of the border. Prayer leaders from the United States and Mexico will convene in Dallas, TX, in Mexico City, Mexico, and at the border to cry out with one voice for a breakthrough of God’s power that takes down the drug cartels and secures our nation’s southern border. We invite you to consecrate April 15 - May 5 for 21 historic days of prayer, intercession and fasting for God’s power to be released in both the United States, Mexico and the Border. For more detailed information about the significance of Cinco de Mayo, the Cinco de Mayo Initiative, to sign up for a prayer watch and to access the 21-day Prayer Guide, visit our website.
On 25th February an explosive device was thrown at the home of a doctor who works at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Anglican Church. The bomb was thrown towards the parking area of his home and damaged a relative's car. Nobody was injured but the family has been badly shaken by the incident and subsequent threats made against him and his family.
The Christian community in the Gaza Strip is deeply impacted by this attack. In addition to the pressures that they share will all the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, they feel very vulnerable as a small Christian community in an area controlled by Hamas and other strongly Islamic groups. There is growing pressure against them, for example to stop any activity in which boys and girls participate together. There are an estimated 3,000 Christians amongst the 1.6 million population of the Gaza Strip (i.e. 0.2%). Many Christians have moved to the West Bank or further afield, and many of those that remain wish to leave.
The Director of the Palestinian Bible Society issued a call to prayer today (i.e. 4th March) in which he stated: "As I look into Gaza, my heart is broken over this place. I feel that there are serious attempts by the enemy to darken this place by taking out the light and salt of it. I invite you today to stand with the persecuted body of Christ in Gaza by praying for them and keeping them lifted in front of the throne."
Palestinian Christians request our prayers that:
a. The doctor and his family will know the peace, presence and protection of Jesus at this time. Likewise for all Christians in the Gaza Strip
b. Church leaders in the Gaza Strip will be sustained in their ministry by Father, Son and Holy Spirit
c. Officials will act to provide effective protection; and will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him
A dozen died and about 140 were injured in an outbreak of violence between Christians and Muslims in the Mokottam area of Cairo on March 8. A ministry leader in the city reports:
“Egypt is going through very tough times, with a crumbling system of law and order and an army which—though the only authority “in charge” at present—seems to be quite weak and at time indecisive. Although the Revolution brought some good and necessary changes, it also caused quite a collapse in the fabric of society, including the economic system. Millions of people are out of work, partly because foreign companies, investors and tourists have not returned. Naturally, this all has a negative impact on people who are trying—in vain—to feed their families and is causing great social unrest.”
Mission Network News reports:
“The transitional period is key to the freedoms minorities will experience. The Muslim Brotherhood is taking a pro-democracy stance. What that means in practice could be very different from "freedom." Moeller explains, "Unfortunately, as is often the case in revolutions, the ones that emerge as the most organized and the strongest on these things are the ideological committed In this case, these are the extremists groups that are calling for a more radicalized Sharia law based Egypt in the future."
"Our prayer is that it doesn't take a violent turn, as these indicators [predict]. However, we recognize that the church will be under pressure in the next few months--and maybe more pressure than ever before," Moeller says.
Right now, it's hard to anticipate what the future holds for believers. Pray for those facing economic and social challenges because of their Christian faith. Pray that the new government will uphold the constitutional freedom of religion. Pray that the ministry of churches in Egypt will continue and that the Gospel will be preached throughout this nation.”
North Korea is considered the worst human rights violating country (by death rate) and the worse persecutor of Christians in the world today. Many millions have been brutally murdered in a genocide that has continued unrestrained for over half a century. Please join the Worldwide Church in repentance and united intercession for the healing, liberation and salvation of all North Koreans.
An estimated over 4,000,000 north Koreans have died of starvation since 1995. Enough food aid has been sent to North Korea to feed the entire population, but the government has diverted it to the ruling party, military, and sold the food aid on the black markets, leaving the average north Korean unaware of food aid from the west.
Up to 1,000,000, including women and children, are believed to have died in brutal concentration camps since 1972. Three generations of entire families can be imprisoned because a relative is suspected of being unfaithful to the regime. Violations of human rights in North Korea include: Gas chambers, chemical and medical experimentation on political prisoners, forced abortions and infanticide, systematic torture, starvation, rape, slavery (brutal forced labor), arbitrary imprisonment, public executions.
Please join believers worldwide in mourning and repentance for the genocide of north Koreans, cruelty and all atrocities which have been committed against the north Korean people.
Please pray for the repentance of Kim Jong Il (dictator), Kim Jong Un (believed to be Kim Jong Il's successor), and all members of the north Korean regime; for the repentance of all officials, guards and military who have committed atrocities and been cruel, for God to raise up godly leaders and godly government over northern Korea at this time, and for the healing, liberation and salvation of all north Koreans right now. Pray for a mighty, unprecedented revival in North Korea and the healing of this land!
"And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly." Luke 18:7-8
The Ninth Party Congress is to be held in three or four month’s time. The Party Congress is a five yearly meeting in which the all-powerful Politburo and Central Committee are chosen and the five-yearly national plan approved. In reality these decisions are made behind the scenes in advance of the Party Congress. There could be a struggle for power between groups representing the interests of northern and southern Laos, and those favoring greater allegiance with either Vietnam or China. Competition between these regional interest groups is likely to become more intense in the coming months as whichever group gains control of the Politburo and Communist Party Central Committee will benefit most from corruption and patronage networks.
• Pray for wisdom for the new Prime Minister, Thongsing Thammavong, and all those who serve in the Communist Party and Lao Government.
• Ask God to overrule in the decisions as to who is in the new Politburo and Communist Party Central Committee, and in any decisions that are made in the upcoming Ninth Party Congress.
• Pray for action to be taken at the highest levels to curb corruption.
• Pray for government and party officials who have had previous contact with Christians and heard the Gospel to seek the Lord themselves and be favorable towards Lao believers.
• Pray for a group of Jesus’ disciples, in every village of Laos, worshipping in their heart language.
Pakistan Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the cabinet’s only Christian minister, was gunned down by four assailants in broad daylight in the capital Islamabad. Shabaz had received death threats for urging reform of the blasphemy law. This law carries a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam. The Governor of Punjab, Salman Taser, was also killed by his own police guard who felt he was being blasphemous in opposing this unjust law.
The situation looks more grim as the extremist forces working in Pakistan are making it harder to oppose this law or propose any reform of this discriminatory law. This law is a sword of death hanging over every Christian as any one out of animosity can accuse you of blasphemy. Before you can be taken to court to prove your innocence, they will kill you with help of extremist mobs. During trial or in prison, you can also be killed by the police assigned for your protection.
We as a prayer ministry need your prayer support as we have been mobilizing focused, strategic prayers on a nationwide scale to see this law changed. If the prayer tracts sent to churches to pray for this issue fall into the wrong hands, we can face trouble also.
Some goals and outcomes to be realized through the WPA:
1. 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 the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer that His followers become one so the world will know He is its Creator and Savior (John 17:21).
2. The WPA will be a “new wave” to strategically connect and empower the global prayer and mission movements as 5000-6000 Christian leaders from up to 220 nations connect with the Lord and each other through the power of united prayer.
3. It will assess what the Body of Christ has experienced through the worldwide explosion of prayer efforts since the last International Prayer Assembly (1984) and enable cross-fertilization of a much larger cross-section of prayer ministries from all traditions and segments of the Church.
4. In the spirit of Acts 13, we will seek to hear from the Lord of the Church what He will reveal concerning the role of the global prayer movement in His purposes so that every nation, city and rural area throughout the world becomes filled with ongoing intercession and Spirit-inspired action until His Kingdom’s values are manifested there.
5. The WPA will encourage and 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 with adults in helping to lead it.
6. 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, etc.
7. Ministry leaders will learn from one another and plan new strategies to impact the realms of world evangelization and the reaching of the unreached, spiritual revival of the Church, as well as social justice and humanitarian efforts for the glory of God.
Criteria for Participating in the World Prayer Assembly
You can also help by sharing the vision of the WPA with others and by pointing them to our website www.worldprayerassembly.com. Here are some criteria for those who should come to the World Prayer Assembly:
• Ministry/ mission leaders – both from church and marketplace realms
• Network leaders
• Leaders who are serving in all walks of life such as the “seven mountains” or spheres of society (Arts/Media, Business/Marketplace, Church, Development of the Poor, Education, Family, Government)
• Youth, student and child leaders
• In other words, anyone with a heart for prayer who is making an impact in his/her community or sphere of influence
Another way you can help is by providing financial support. 100% of what you give to the Transformation Prayer Foundation will go directly to the World Prayer Assembly. You can donate with a bank draft or credit card directly by pushing this button.
Thanks so much for your help!
More than two weeks have passed since the tremendous earthquake, devastating tsunami and radiation leakage. The death toll has topped 10,000, there are over 17,000 missing all feared dead. Dear friends, we must continue to pray, give, and prepare for more involvement. Locally things continue to return to normal with many shortages having ended. Rolling power outages continue in Tokyo (and here today). But up north transportation is in a shambles, supplies limited, and people are without food and water.
PRAY for the restoration of electrical power throughout the region and especially in the hard-hit areas.
PRAY for the continual difficult and dangerous effort of restoring the vital functions at the nuclear power plants. Local and regional radiation leakage is still an issue.
PRAY that especially the young would be protected from any harmful exposure.
(March 25th, 2011 by John) More details on the church and spiritual situation at www.gospelrest.com.
The areas affected by the earthquake and tsunamis of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki are some of the most spiritually needy places in Japan. With over 4.9 million people yet only about 9,000 active Christians (about 0.15%). Fukushima has the lowest average worship attendance with only 19 per church. There are one city and 44 towns with no church. There are 86 missionaries assigned to these prefectures.
One town in Ibaraki has over 46,000 people with no church and several others have over 24,000 people with no churches. Average attendance for all the churches in Japan is the lowest in Fukushima prefecture. Ibaraki prefecture has the least number of people claiming to have any religious beliefs. (Sources: CIS News 12/2012, JEMA Directory 2010)
Pray also for the Japanese people to open their hearts to the Lord and that many will come to Christ through this enormous tragedy.