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When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. (2 Kings 6:15-18 NIV)
Most of us have actually never seen angels, but the Bible tells us they are around us and are watching over us. They are ready to act when we call upon the Lord with all our hearts in challenging or dangerous situations.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to hear many stories of those who have had angelic encounters. One such opportunity was just a few weeks ago when I was sitting in a restaurant waiting for my car to have its oil changed. An older couple, Mark and Joy, sat down nearby to have their breakfast. After exchanging greetings, we began to talk about the things of the Lord as they saw I was studying my Bible. Joy then told me one of the most amazing stories of the Lord’s deliverance that I have ever heard.
In 1980, as a 23 year-old mother, she was invited to visit what she thought was a friend of her family in Oklahoma. This man who was an ex-convict had at one time worked for her father. She brought her young children, the older of which was about 18 months, with her.
While staying with this man and one of his comrades, she was drugged by them. That night, she and her children were taken by them to a coven of 7-8 witches, all clothed in black robes, that had prepared a circle and altar to sacrifice her children to Satan, counting on her to be a consenting witness. Although she was weakened from the drugs she was given, she suddenly realized what was about to happen. With all her heart and in utter desperation, she cried out to God with the words, “Oh God!”
At that moment, a bright and shining being about 20 feet tall came down in the midst of the darkness. She could not see his face, but he was a powerful, glowing giant, emitting white light like a massive halogen lamp. When the Satanists saw him, they ran for their lives in sheer terror.
Joy told me that this story was kept buried in her heart for many years until she was listening to a particularly dull sermon in church one day. The pastor read the above story of Elisha praying for his servant’s eyes to be opened to the fact that there were supernatural agents all about them in spite of the dangerous situation of being surrounded by an enemy army. Suddenly, something moved through her “like a tornado”, freeing her from this awful memory from her young motherhood so that she could come to grips with what had happened and to rejoice in how God had used this experience for good in her life. Now, she counts on His angels to protect her and her family as in the recent case of a stolen truck that was returned to her and her husband within three days as they trusted the Lord.
Another story of angelic deliverance comes from George, a close friend and prayer colleague of mine who worked as a missionary in South Asia for many years and was often in grave danger at the hands of Islamic extremists who wanted to harm or kill him numerous times. They admitted to him: “We have tried to kill you again and again, your new converts and burn your center, but we can’t get to any of you, because there are huge angels or guards around you and your people and center, with huge swords in their hands and at night huge torches (lights).” Each time they used the word “huge.” George went on to say: “This came after a time when I was losing leader after leader, three of whom I had raised up to take my place. I had a word given to me two unrelated times. “You are alive today because people are praying for you, but you will lose your workers if you do not get a blanket of prayer over them.” I went back and said to our workers (evangelists and teachers) we are going to change our ministry. We will pray first and seek God’s will, then we will act…The next time I was in America, I thanked churches for their support, and I shared some hair raising stories, and said if you’re not going to pray for us please drop our support, prayer is what keep us alive and accomplishes God’s purposes. We never had any of our workers die after that.”
Others I have met in the course of my travels have told me similar accounts. Prayer enables us to access the Lord’s mighty deliverances, often mediated by angels either visible or invisible to our eyes. Personally, along with team members, I have been in many very dangerous situations in the midst of civil wars and other unstable conditions while facilitating prayer initiatives with national Christian leaders. Our teams have had to go through snipers, genocidal killers, suicide bombers, and the like numerous times. As we pray and trust the Lord along with many supporting intercessors, we know that He has unseen agents standing guard around us all the time. I could tell story after story of how He has done this.
Stories of this kind bring glory to the Lord and should be shared to encourage His people, especially the younger generation, so we all will be willing to take risks for the Lord and His cause in the various, unique missions to which He has called us.
John Robb, IPC Chairman
If you have a story of this kind you would like to share, please write it up an send it to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In 2007, we launched a campaign called, Pray With Youth™. We believed God would bless this simple call-to-action to connect teens and adults in prayer to help young people discover their identity in Christ. And we were right...600,000 have participated. That's huge!
As we consider the spiritual crisis across the world, has there ever been a greater need to pray? And while we implore people to pray for our youth, we know that praying WITH them is better.
The 2019 Pray With Youth campaign will be observed on Sunday, September 22.
You will not see a massive marketing campaign for Pray With Youth. No popular spokesperson. No line-up of Christian bands. No huge media blitz. While that may work well, for others, that strategy has never been done in the last 12 years. This campaign has grown exponentially through grassroots efforts and word of mouth. And you can help keep the momentum going to help us reach 100,000 churches and 1,000,000 teens.
SO, HERE'S WHAT I AM ASKING FROM YOU TODAY:
Completing these steps will only take you 15 minutes. But your support to stand with us in this cause and spread the word to others will accomplish more than you can imagine!
Timothy Eldred
P.O. Box 601, Edmore, MI 48829
There is nothing more important your church can do for teens now. Nothing. Pray with youth. Change your church’s future.
Global Outreach Day, is a global missions network that calls the church worldwide to focus on praying and sharing the gospel with the unchurched in the Month of May each year! This next year, May 2020, the vision is to mobilize a hundred million people in united prayer for the global harvest!
Watch the video here:
4 minute full version: https://vimeo.com/342384375
60 second short version: https://vimeo.com/344032191
We are calling this initiative Go2020! Already Christians in 250,000 churches and 140 nations are part of this global outreach strategy to pray and witness towards the fulfillment of God’s Great Commission. This is not just for the adults, we want to invite the Children and the Youth to be full partners in this initiative! We want to call every One to be a praying, witnessing disciple for Christ!
At the Lausanne International Congress on World Evangelization in 1974, Billy Graham made the mission clear, “The whole church must be mobilized to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world. This is our calling!” GO2020 could be the catalyst for the fulfillment of this in our lifetime as believers from every nation unify in the clarion call of "Every Believer a Witness". Imagine ONE Church sharing ONE Message during ONE Month, May 2020.
And we know this will only happen through United Prayer! God releases his power through the prayers of his people! As Dick Eastman says, “The degree to which prayer is mobilized is the degree to which the world will be evangelized!”
Would you be 1 of 100 million in united prayer? Could you commit to Pray Now and share your faith with 5 others in your circle of influence who don’t know Christ through the month of May?
We have listed 5 opportunities to begin praying now through the Month of May 2020. The Lord may lead you to commit to just one of these or all five. Pray and ask the Lord how he wants you to be involved!
#1 PRAY FOR FIVE
Our first strategy is to call each one of us to people in our circle of influence (neighbors, co-workers, friends, family members). We want to Pray daily for these people and for opportunities to reach them for Christ’s love.
#2 PRAYER TRIPLETS
Pray with two other believers weekly. Connect through Skype, Zoom, telephone, Facebook, or personally meet. Pray together for God’s Spirit to produce a global and local spiritual awakening and for the salvation of those on each person’s list who don’t know Christ.
#3 24/7 Prayer Mobilization
It is Jesus’ vision that every church in every nation be a house of prayer. It’s our aim to see united 24/7 prayer in cities, regions and nations leading to GO 2020. Help mobilize your city, region or nation to adopt a monthly day of prayer.
Join with World Prays, a prayer network that asks that every church adopt a 12- or 24-hour time one day each month to pray. Members can pray for 30 or 60 minutes from anywhere--home, school, dormitory, workplace, church or with the people in their small group. Through doing so, churches develop a culture and regular rhythm of prayer while providing a prayer “covering” over geographic areas.
Go to www.worldprays.org for more INFO or to sign up,
#4 Prayer for People Groups
Adopt an unreached people group for prayer and mission outreach. There are 4700 people groups on earth that have less than one believer per thousand people. They will remain unreached and cut off from Christ’s Gospel unless churches and prayer groups pave the way by adopting them for regular intercessory prayer. Focused prayer for the unreached is a strategy of the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers and prepare the hearts of these people who otherwise wouldn’t hear the gospel. Provided are resources to help you or your church find a people group to adopt or to guide how to pray for the least reached. You can sign up to adopt and unreached people group at this website! http://joshuaproject.net Also, see:https://inheritthenations.net/
#5 GO 2020 Prayer Gatherings - May 1, 2020
And finally, we want to call families, churches, cities and nations to gather on May 1st of 2020 in united prayer gatherings! Would you be willing to mobilize your church or your city to join in prayer with believers worldwide on May 1st in your region, asking God for a massive Christ awakening in the nations of the earth?
In the words of the Moravians call to action for both prayer and mission... “May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward for his suffering.” -Rev. 5:12
Dr. Jason Hubbard
For several years, our team Highway19 has been involved in holding Prayer Summits for the fruition of the Highway in Isaiah 19:23-25.
During these Prayer Summits, we have witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit transform nations, and were blessed along with the many people who participated in these events.
This year, the Highway 19 Prayer Summit will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia August 16-19, 2019 included.
Please join us in prayers for the powerful and moving of the Holy Spirit for anointing the speakers, the participants, and for the churches in Tbilisi, Georgia to be a blessing to the nation, and the countries around it in the region.
This also serves as an invitation to all prayer partners who are willing to join us.
Feel free to contact the reference below.
Bro. Evan - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More info and Registration Form:https://forms.gle/eDw2JxLFTz9bqoZ1A
As One Canada – 7-10 August 2019
Highway 19 Prayer Summit: Tbilisi, Georgia – 16-19 August 2019
https://forms.gle/eDw2JxLFTz9bqoZ1A
Pray With Youth – 22 September 2019
United Prayer Rising – South Africa – 4-6 October 2019
South East Asia Prayer Council Conference – 8-11 October 2019
https://www.seaprayer2019singapore.org/
Go 2020 Prayer Gatherings - 1stMay 2020
One God - One Day - One Africa – 31st May 2020
HONG KONG (AP) — Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas Saturday at protesters who defied authorities’ warnings not to march in a neighborhood where six days earlier a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a train station.
Protesters wearing black streamed through Yuen Long, even though police refused to grant permission for the march, citing risks of confrontations between demonstrators and local residents.
For the protesters, it was a show of defiance against the white-clad assailants who beat dozens of people last Sunday night, including some demonstrators heading home after the latest mass protest in the summer-long pro-democracy movement. Police said some of the attackers at the train station were connected to triad gangs and others were villagers who live in the area.
The streets of Yuen Long became a sea of umbrellas as the march began Saturday afternoon. A symbol going back to the Occupy Central protests that shook Hong Kong in 2014, umbrellas have become tools to help protesters conceal their identities from police cameras as well as shields against tear gas and pepper spray. Some also wore masks to obscure their faces.
“Hong Kong police know the law and break the law,” protesters chanted as they made their way through the streets.
Less than three hours after the start of the march, police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds that had ignored authorities’ appeals to leave the area. Police said in a statement that they were clearing out the protesters, who were “holding iron poles, self-made shields and even removing fences from roads.”
Some protesters also endangered police officers’ lives by surrounding and vandalizing an occupied police vehicle, the statement added.
As the demonstration rolled into the evening, officers in riot gear faced off with protesters using wooden sheets as shields. Live footage from broadcaster RTHK showed protesters on one street forcing back riot police by throwing umbrellas and waving rods at them. On another street, officers repeatedly raised warnings and fired tear gas at masked demonstrators who were standing their ground.
Hong Kong’s public transit network had announced that its trains would not be making their usual stops in Yuen Long on Saturday, but protesters later reported being able to disembark at stations in the neighborhood. Several area businesses and public facilities were closed in anticipation of the march. Service at a nursing center was temporarily suspended, and sports venues shut down early.
A few hours before the march started, a man was arrested in Yuen Long for injuring someone with a knife, police said.
Massive demonstrations began in Hong Kong early last month against an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to face trial in mainland China, where critics say their rights would be compromised. The bill was eventually suspended, but protesters’ demands have grown to include direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature and an investigation into alleged police brutality in the Chinese territory.
A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems.” The arrangement promises the city certain democratic freedoms that are not afforded mainland citizens, but some residents say these liberties have been steadily eroded in recent years after the arrests of booksellers and democracy activists.
A distrust of China’s Communist Party-led central government in Beijing has undergirded the protests this summer. After last Sunday’s march, a group of protesters vandalized Hong Kong’s Liaison Office, which represents the mainland government. They spray-painted the building’s surveillance cameras and threw eggs and black ink at the Chinese national emblem, an act that Beijing has vehemently condemned.
In response to the police’s objection to Saturday’s march in Yuen Long, protesters have cheekily labeled the procession a “shopping trip,” as well as a memorial service for former Chinese Premier Li Peng, who died on Monday. Li was a hard-liner best known for announcing martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that ended in bloodshed.
Some Yuen Long residents participated in the march, while others stood outside with signs warning protesters not to enter. For their part, demonstrators pasted calls for democracy on sticky notes around the area.
“After the violence (last Sunday), as a resident of Yuen Long, I think I have the responsibility to come out,” said a 24-year-old man surnamed Man. “After all these protests in past months, the government still hasn’t responded to us.”
With reporting by Associated Press
This article that shares some of the voices of the youth in HK.
As you pray, you may listen to the hearts of those protesting/fighting.
(1.) afraid of post-2048 one country one system HK (with restrictions on personal freedoms and justice)
(2.) no hope for a house / home of their own.
Matthew (from Hong Kong)
Pray: For the democratic rights of the people of Hong Kong to be preserved and respected.
Pray: For a de-escalation of the situation and that anymarches will be peaceful.
Confirmation that the attack involved a Filipino would mark a major escalation in terror tactics in the Southeast Asian nation, where authorities had long said suicide bombings went against local culture, analysts said.”
This is yet another illustration of the cost of authorities’ refusal to consider Islam as a motivating factor behind such phenomena as suicide bombing. They should have known that whatever “local culture” said about the matter, a zealous Muslim such as Norman Lasuca would consider cultural norms to be overrun by Qur’anic dictates:
“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties, for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed.” (Qur’an 9:111)
“Filipino’s Family Identifies Body Tagged by Military as Suicide Bomber,” by Jeoffrey Maitem and Jojo Rinoza, Benar News, July 2, 2019:
The Philippine military on Tuesday named an alleged Filipino militant as one of two suicide bombers whodetonated explosives while trying to enter a military camp on southern Jolo island last week, killing themselves and six people.
Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana identified the bomber as Norman Lasuca, 23, whose father was a Muslim convert and whose mother is a member of the island’s Tausug ethnic group.
“He is Filipino. This is hard for his family because they last saw him in 2014, according to the father,” Sobejana told BenarNews.
Confirmation that the attack involved a Filipino would mark a major escalation in terror tactics in the Southeast Asian nation, where authorities had long said suicide bombings went against local culture, analysts said.
Sobejana, the Western Mindanao Command chief, said family members had identified Lasuca by his head, which was severed in the blast. He said DNA tests would be conducted to confirm Lasuca’s identity.
Military officials said one of the two bombers managed to sprint past the gate of the 1st Battalion Combat Team in Jolo’s Indanan town and shouted “Allahu Akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is Great,” before setting off his vest packed with explosives. The other militant, who has not been identified, set off his bomb at the gate, killing three soldiers and three civilians.
The blasts injured 22 people, including 12 soldiers, authorities said.
Military intelligence reports indicate that Lasuca joined an Abu Sayyaf faction controlled by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, a religious elder identified by the U.S. Defense Department as the new head of Islamic State in the Philippines….
With reporting by Robert Spencer for Jihad Watch
Let us PRAY that these attacks do not escalate regardless of the ethnicity of the perpetrators.
Let us PRAY for the military to thwart any more acts of violence in the region and to bring the leaders of these extremist organisations to justice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation that suspends the country's participation in the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between Moscow and Washington.
The law, which was backed by parliament last month, was published on the government portal for legal information on July 3.
In February, the United States suspended its participation in the 1987 INF Treaty, with Washington and its allies accusing Russia of deploying a missile system that violates the pact.
Russia, which denies the allegation, later followed suit. Moscow accuses the United States of breaking the accord itself, a claim rejected by Washington.
The INF Treaty was the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles.
It banned the United States and Russia from developing, producing, and deploying ground-launched cruise or ballistic missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
Pray: That parties to this agreement will return to the negotiating table.
Pray: For a new treaty to be brokered and an end to the production of these and other nuclear missiles.
The U.S. charge d’affaires in Kyiv has condemned Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine after reports of deadly attacks on medical personnel and called on Moscow and the “forces it backs” to end the fighting “immediately.”
“Attacks by Russia-led forces on medical personnel show a complete lack of respect for human life, international standards, and the Minsk agreements," William B. Taylor said on July 2 in a statement on the embassy's Facebook page.
“We call on Russia and the forces it backs to end the fighting immediately, protect civilians and humanitarian personnel, and withdraw armed forces and weapons,” he wrote.
Taylor is the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was brought back to serve as charge d’affaires in Kyiv last year.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry on July 1 said one of its soldiers was killed after Russia-backed separatists opened fire at a medical vehicle in the eastern region of Donetsk.
The ministry said two other servicemen -- a soldier and a military physician -- were injured in the anti-tank-missile attack on July 1. Officials said that the medical specialist died later from wounds at the hospital.
The Defense Ministry said on July 2 that separatist fighters violated a cease-fire 25 times in a 24-hour period, using 120- and 82-millimeter mortars that are banned under the Minsk peace agreements.
The ministry said Ukrainian armed forces had killed three separatists and wounded five others.
Separatists in Donetsk said one of their fighters had been killed and another one wounded by Ukrainian armed forces.
Since April 2014, some 13,000 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.
A new cease-fire agreement was reached on March 8, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then.
On July 1, Ukraine's embassy to Britain posted on Twitter the photos of the nine Ukrainian soldiers it said were killed by "Russia-led forces in occupied Donbas" in June, referring to the areas under separatist control.
With reporting by Interfax for Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Pray: For a lasting cease-fire agreement.
Pray: For a long term negotiated resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Pray: That Russia would withdraw its support and involvement with the separatist forces.
Do you notice anything different about the photo on the right? It was taken earlier this year and shows a group of Christians from the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China. The photo shows faithful believers meeting in a public park after their services were shut down and their leaders taken away. Starting last December, more than 100 members of this fellowship have been arrested, with many being tortured in prison.
If you look closely, you will see that many have packed bags next to them as they worship the Lord. They brought their clothes and personal items to the open-air meeting in case they were arrested and taken to prison. Across China right now thousands of churches are going through similar intense hardship.
In this newsletter we would like to give a brief summary of what is presently happening in the Chinese Church. The situation is fluid and changing daily, but our contacts in China have shared the following update, followed by a special message from 2 Corinthians chapter 4, which seems particularly relevant and will hopefully greatly encourage you in your own walk with God.
First, an update on some of the recent developments in China:
* Thousands of churches continue to be closed down, and many pastors and evangelists have been arrested. This is true both of city churches and rural fellowships. The persecution is nationwide and is the result of the implementation of new anti-religion laws introduced in 2017 and 2018.
* Many large city churches have tried to protect their brothers and sisters in the countryside by providing resources, finances and teaching so their faith will be strengthened and better able to withstand the storm. Although the most severe persecution first affected the cities, it has now spread even to small towns and villages. The majority of Chinese Christians remain poor farmers and factory workers.
* Many house church leaders have gone missing. Large numbers have been arrested, while others have gone into hiding. Invasive technology, however, means it is now very difficult to remain anonymous in China. Some leaders have decided they should simply continue to serve God openly, and they are ready to face whatever consequences their actions may bring.
* Even many government-registered Three-Self churches are undergoing a fiery trial. Video cameras with facial-recognition technology have been placed behind pulpits, facing the congregation, and on the walls above church entrances. Scripture posters have been forcibly removed from the walls of many churches and replaced with portraits of President Xi or the national flag.
* All children's ministry has been banned. This has always been a particularly sensitive topic for the Communist authorities in China. Children are being encouraged to tell on their classmates if they are involved in any religious activity.
* All over the country various local initiatives have been launched in an attempt to stop the growth of Christianity. For example, in the city of Guangzhou the authorities announced they will pay 10,000 Yuan (about US$1,500) to citizens who disclose the names of any missionaries (foreign or Chinese) who work in their city.
* In Henan, which is the province with the largest number of Christians in China, the authorities have issued a paper entitled, "Christianity's Enormous Harm on China's Security." Such reports show how insecure the government is as they seek to consolidate their hold on power. In reality, Christians in China are the most peaceable, hard-working and obedient members of society.
* There is a massive shortage of Bibles right now. The churches are facing a famine of God's Word as printing slows down, and in many places appears to have come to a halt. Bibles are becoming increasingly rare, and many websites and apps that enabled believers to access the Scriptures have been blocked by the government. Asia Harvest is one of a few organizations still able to provide Bibles to China's house church Christians.
Please pray for this urgent need. Without the nourishment of God's Word, the Body of Christ in China will wither.
A Message from the Church in China (from 2 Corinthians 4)
"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Cor. 4:1-2).
The first thing that we Christians in China would like the global Body of Christ to know is that we have not lost heart. Although we are experiencing a severe trial and some people have given up the faith, we are thankful for the hardship, because God is pruning His Church. It is vital that all believers know that it's not Satan or any government that prunes God's Church. The Master Gardener is our loving and wise Heavenly Father!
The reason the Lord prunes is to make the vine even more fruitful, for He said: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1-2). Therefore, we do not lose heart, for we know our lives are completely in the hands of our all-powerful Lord and Savior. At the moment, He is getting rid of some unfruitful branches among His people in China, so that His Church will be refined and more holy as we march forward in spiritual warfare.
We look forward to the time when we will be more fruitful for the kingdom of God. In the meantime, we will not stop proclaiming the Gospel, and we are willing to lay down our lives if necessary, so that all of China will hear about Jesus Christ.
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:3-5).
While our lives are firmly in God's hands, we also recognize that the source of attacks on the Church is the devil. Mankind has been locked in a fierce battle with Satan ever since God declared: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). The word "enmity" means much more than a separation. This was the commencement of a full-on war to death, as the devil seeks to destroy mankind, especially those people who reflect the character and goodness of God.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:7-9).
We praise the Lord that He sets limits on what man can do to us. Although millions of believers throughout China are now without a church building to go to and countless home meetings have also been closed down, our faith is strong. The truth of God's Word and the indwelling sweet presence of the Holy Spirit can never be taken from us. We are not afraid, for the Lord Jesus told us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).
Hallelujah! Already we are seeing the benefits of this time of purging in China. In many places, instead of being decimated, churches are experiencing growth! The hardship has caused Christians to become more serious about our faith, and the gospel ie being boldly proclaimed, resulting in even more people pressing into the kingdom of God.
"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Finally, brothers and sisters around the world, we want to thank God for you, for we are all members of the same family. Thank you for praying for the Church in China! Although your struggles may be different from ours right now, we know that the Lord is passionate for His people, and He will never abandon us. God's purpose in suffering is always to humble us, so that we will rely not on our own futile strength, but on the power of His might. We want to conclude by reminding all Christians of this exhortation:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:6-9).
By Asia Harvest
More at: https://asiaharvest.org/china-update-a-message-from-the-church-in-china/
Praise God: That the church in China has not lost heart!
Pray: Angelic and Heavenly protection over the church leaders and missionaries in China.
Pray: For Asia Harvest and others who are printing and distributing Bibles.
Pray: For those in prison and facing persecution for their faith.
Pray: That despite this persecution, the church will continue to grow.