Greetings to all IPC brothers and sisters around the world from Birmingham, England.
As many of you know we have been on a long journey to see the fulfillment of a vision to see a World Prayer Centre built and established here in the heart of the UK. By God's grace we have learnt and continue to learn the Isaac principle of what it means for God to establish a heaven to earth promise. Since 1992 we have been on the journey and amid the joys and at times frustrations rejoiced at the goodness of God as we have journeyed.
As we have journeyed God has opened many doors for us as a team both in this nation and the nations. We continue to call Christians from across the denominations to stand in unity together to pray for the nation and the nations. We would especially ask for your prayers as on June 15 we are organising "Trumpet Call 2013" at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. We are inviting up to 2500 Christians to come and stand together in humility and unity to ask God for His mercy on our land and its peoples. We would be deeply honoured if you would join with us in prayer on that day. (We will happily read any messages of support).
With regard to the Centre being built, we still have the land that was donated to us (subject to planning) and in the next few months we are awaiting the release of the land from the present restrictions. Once that has happened we shall then seek to apply for planning permission and then see how God is going to bring what He has promised to fulfillment.
Thank you for your fellowship, friendship and prayers. We count it a privilege to be part of God's family with you.
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The political coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak won a narrow victory in Sunday’s national election in Malaysia, but it now faces widespread accusations of electoral fraud. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he will lead a “fierce” protest against Razak's party, a move that could turn Malaysia on its head and derail the economic progress achieved over the last half century.
From Lignet.com
Please continue to pray for Malaysia as it moves towards a more just and corruption-free society.
Several of you have responded to our recent prayer alert encouraging watchfulness in prayer regarding possible imminent terror attacks with some skepticism about the Israeli intelligence expert that was quoted in it. A couple of you also pointed out that the email a friend in the prayer movement sent and I forwarded on to you was a few years old. I did some further checking and apparently there is some controversy about this "expert" and serious question now as to whether he is a legitimate and credible source. Thank you for your alertness and response to this issue.
However, after receiving the alert, one of you sent a May 9 article from Stratfor, a well-respected intelligence journal, that basically said the same thing as our alert, describing the growing threat of "grassroots jihadists, individuals who have been inspired by the al Qaeda core or franchise groups". The author of the article, Scott Stewart, writes that "grassroots operatives are a very big problem for government counterterrorism efforts... that is why militant ideologues promote the leaderless resistance model." He continues, "That doesn't mean that such operatives cannot be stopped, but in order to stop them, citizens must think differently about counterterrorism."
Here are some further excerpts from this article, warning us of the dangers of further terror strikes and the inadequacy of intelligence services to defend the public. In the end, only the Lord can protect us from all the threats out there. For that reason, we as intercessors (true "grassroots defenders") play a vital role and need to be vigilant in prayer for our cities and nations:
"We see no sign that this trend toward leaderless resistance will reverse in the near future, and our forecast is that the grassroots threat will continue to grow, not only from the jihadist realm but also from far-right and far-left actors...
The resources of the primary counterterrorism agencies are also quite finite. For example, the FBI has fewer than 14,000 special agents to fulfill its many responsibilities, and while counterterrorism has become its top mission in the post-9/11 era, only a portion of its agents (estimated to be between 2,500 and 3,000) are assigned to counterterrorism investigations at any time...
Due to the limited number of dedicated counterterrorism practitioners, these indicators (and sometimes blatant mistakes) are far more likely to be witnessed by someone other than an FBI or MI5 agent. This fact highlights the importance of what we call grassroots defenders -- that is, a decentralized network of people practicing situational awareness who notice and report possible indications of terrorist behavior such as acquiring weapons, building bombs and conducting preoperational surveillance...
It is unrealistic to expect the government to uncover and thwart every plot. There are too many potential actors and too many vulnerable targets. Individuals need to assume some responsibility for their own security and the security of their communities. This does not mean living in fear and paranoia but rather living with a relaxed level of situational awareness, being cognizant of potential dangers and alert to indicators of them. People who accept this responsibility and who practice this awareness are the true grassroots defenders."
Please pray that any terrorist plots underway would be found out and foiled by the intelligence services and law enforcement here in the USA and also elsewhere in the world.
Here is the testimony of seven Sabah pastors. Praise God for His awesome power!
The islands had been particularly steeped in black magic and spirit worship for may years. Despite the efforts of missionaries sent there were no breakthroughs as the natives felt Christianity to be weak (love, submit, turn other cheek). There were churches already planted there, but they struggled, were poor financially, and pastors could barely make ends meet.
And then on Sept 16 2012, the beginning of the year of Jubilee, a change began. Villagers started to respond to the call of the Word of God, and many repented of their ways starting to profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour... In the churches, numbers were added daily. The farmers reported that their crop harvest in 2012 yielded 10 times more (50-70 gunny sacks per acre) than in previous years and in living memory (usually 5-7 sacks).
The Christians found themselves suddenly being favoured by the non-believing neighbours. Many a non-believing household invited Christians over to pray over them... even the bomohs and witch doctors as they witnessed and experienced the grace of God surpassing their black magic and witchcraft.
The church continues to grow daily in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Church funds that were barely sufficient before have doubled, then tripled, then quintupled in the 3 months following September 16 and continue to grow.
The pastors and church are so busy going village to village evangelising from morn till evening now so they do not even have time to answer the mobile phone.
The shofar is being sounded across the land everywhere and even outside mosques, the imams start to choke and cannot complete the azan and strongholds of evil one by one begin to fall. It is reported that the grave stones weep as demons are cast out.
There is forgiveness and unification of communities and with these- prosperity rises out of poverty, hope in place of despair, love and compassion dispels, fear, isolation and discrimination.
The pastors are all simple humble young men who speak only Bahasa Malaysia... but when they pray and sound the shofar... I can feel my spirit tremble and quicken.
At their prayer mountain, they testified that while praying the Holy Spirit came light a mighty wind and surrounded them and touched them and over head the cloud yielded drops of rain..... rain that only surrounded them in a circle.. beyond which all was dry. The one by one that saw a vision of a huge ominous black cloud over the land... a cloud that then shattered and was dispelled... replaced by bright radiant light.
As one of the Pastors prayed, another sounded his shofar (I have never heard someone blow the shofar in 5 different pitches in one breath before) ... and the praying pastor prophesied, "I am coming to this land now and My glory shall be declared across the nation."
Friends in the Lord, the revival, the change we looked for, began the day wet set our hearts and voices to the Lord on Malaysia day! He has been ever faithful and ever loving in His mercy and grace to reach out for those who have still to find it. So let us continue to pray and petition with thanksgiving in our hearts for the Lord’s revival to fan out and spread out throughout our whole nation, so every tribe, every tongue/dialect, people group, will receive His Mercy and together we can heal the land and restore His justice.
Remember we are the salt and light..... we need to shake ourselves and pour ourselves out to flavour the nation and cleanse it.... and to let the light shine out in the darkness so that those who live without sight can now see the glory of the Lord approaching.
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The prayer movement in Egypt undergirded the church with all its denomination. It formed that chain that united all for one aim the restoration of the kingship of Christ over the nation. As a nation mentioned in the Bible more than 600 times, only to come second to the Holy Land, we have a promise in Isaiah 19:19 that is very clear to us that God revealed afresh and became a rhema to many leaders from different denominations.
On that Day, there will be a place of worship to God in the center of Egypt and a monument to God at its border. It will show how the God-of-the-Angel-Armies has helped the Egyptians. When they cry out in prayer to God because of oppressors, He'll send them help, a Savior who will keep them safe and take care of them. God will openly show himself to the Egyptians and they'll get to know him on that Day. They'll worship him seriously with sacrifices and burnt offerings. They'll make vows and keep them. God will wound Egypt, first hit and then heal. Egypt will come back to God, and God will listen to their prayers and heal them, heal them from head to toe. (Isaiah 19:19-22 MSG).
The whole plan of our restoration is clearly stated here, says the Holy Spirit to many leaders, so we started to go across the nation, sharing from the southernmost city in "Aswan" till the furthest point in the north, "Alexandria", and encouraging church leaders from different denominations to unite, as Egypt is bigger than any denomination can fish. We need everybody to come to the place of prayer, and as we all start to pull the net, we will fish our nation for the Lord, together.
We used several modules, to reach our goal, mega conferences, 5 to 10 thousand Christians would gather in a tent for 3 nights of fasting and praying twice a year, or prayer schools involving 50 young men and women for 4-7 days in condensed teaching, practical application about intercessory prayer, prophetic prayers, warfare prayer, etc.
We gathered around the Global Day of Prayer in every church from different denominations yearly for almost 10 years. That as well built a momentum in many churches.
In conclusion, few united leaders with a clear vision for restoring the kingship of Christ over their nation will definitely see a change coming, in response to united persistent fervent prayers. January 25th, 2011, suddenly a tsunami hit the nation for 18 days, the revolution, till the previous president resigned. It was the beginning of fulfillment of Isaiah 19:1. As we continue to put our hands together, bowing our knees before the Lord, we will see our nation restored according to the promise, that we will acknowledge the Lord, and the Lord will be known to the Egyptians. This is one step on the road to His second coming. As this is the season of birthing nations, so let us humble ourselves and seek His faith for our nations.
Religious Liberty Partnership Releases Statement on Syria, Calls for International Day of Prayer
(April 2013) The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance and other religious liberty organisations united under the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) have released a statement on the crisis in Syria asking the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria to pay particular attention to "vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities", and calling for a designated day of prayer for the country.
Called the 'Istanbul Statement on the Church in Syria', it expresses concern about the exodus of Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities from Syria and calls on the international community to" provide sufficient protection for all ethnic and religious communities as well as their historical, religious, and cultural sites."
"There is an urgent need to speak out about the situation facing Christians and other religious minorities in Syria." said Godfrey Yogarajah the Executive Director of the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, and member of the RLP Leadership Team. "We urge all Christians around the world to respond to this call to prayer and action in order to bring peace and stability to this troubled nation," he added.
According to the statement, drafted during the annual gathering of member organisations held in Istanbul in late March, the Religious Liberty Partnership commits "to raise awareness and work toward a peaceful solution of the current crisis, including reconciliation among the various ethnic and religious communities; and to utilize practices that prioritize the well-being of all Syrians when providing assistance and advocating on behalf of the vulnerable." The full Istanbul Statement is available here (http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1109200547735-21/RLP+Istanbul+Statement+on+Syria.pdf)
The Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) is a collaborative effort of Christian organizations from over 20 countries focused on religious liberty. The RLP seeks to more intentionally work together in addressing advocacy, assistance, and in raising the awareness of religious liberty issues globally. Besides RLP Chairman, Mervyn Thomas, the RLP Leadership Team is made of: Godfrey Yogarajah of the World Evangelical Alliance; Ron Boyd-Macmillan, Open Doors International, Netherlands; Anne Brandner, Global Peace Initiative, Canada; Andy Dipper, Viva, UK; Daniel Hoffman of Middle East Concern; and Linus Pfister, HMK Switzerland. A listing of RLP members is on the Istanbul Statement.
For further information about the Religious Liberty Partnership or the Istanbul Statement, please visit: www.RLPartnership.org
Syrian church leaders have called for a day of prayer for their country and its people on Saturday 11th May. Primarily, they are calling for prayer for peace to be restored to their country, enabling all Syrians to live in harmony within their own country.
As violent conflict continues, there are no precise figures for the number of those killed (most estimates state 70,000 or more), injured, internally displaced within Syria or who have fled to neighbouring countries and beyond. It is generally reckoned that over one million have left and at least another million have been internally displaced, all from amongst a population of approximately 23 million. Atrocities have been committed by many parties.
During 2012 there was a subtle shift in how Syrian church leaders typically interpreted events. Claims of the deliberate targeting of Christians for religious reasons increased as the year progressed. Initially, most were careful to stress that there was little religious targeting. However, church leaders are increasingly fearful of the growing extremist elements within the opposition movement (e.g. Jabhat an-Nusra), and fearful that a Sunni take-over of power in Syria would lead to greater restrictions on Christians. Some fear that the Iraq scenario (involving increased levels of sectarian attack and corresponding flight of Christians) could be replicated in Syria. Church leaders have called on Christians not to leave, acknowledging that significant emigration had already occurred.
Fears within Christian communities have increased following the kidnapping of two priests (Michel Kayyal of the Armenian Catholic church and Mahar Mahfouz of the Greek Orthodox church) on 9th February and the subsequent kidnapping of two bishops (Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and Boulos Yaziji of the Greek Orthodox Church) on 22nd April.
Syrian Christians request that we join with them in prayer, asking that:
a. Violent conflict will end, and reconciliation processes will begin.
b. Those bereaved and traumatised will know the healing touch of Jesus.
c. Those displaced will know the provision and protection of the Father; and those supporting them will know the wisdom and enabling of the Spirit.
d. Those from all communities who have been kidnapped, including the two bishops and two priests kidnapped, will be released unharmed soon.
e. Unity amongst Christian communities will be strengthened and that Christians will know the Lord's equipping as they respond to the overwhelming needs around them.
f. All those choosing to use violent methods will know the Spirit's conviction of sin and respond to the Father's offer of forgiveness and new life in the Son.
"We recently had a camp for about 25 young people. During one of the prayer meetings, the Lord Jesus’ presence by His Holy Spirit was keenly felt! Praise the Lord, we prayed in our Lord Jesus’ powerful Name for several people, and they were strongly delivered from the evil spirits of witchcraft and sorcery! Young people began to come forward to ask for prayer for commitment and consecration to follow and serve the Lord Jesus! It was a very moving and beautiful time in God’s presence.
Please pray:
1. For the young people to continue to grow and be disciples of our Lord Jesus for His glory.
2. For our nation - wide emphasis in the Churches, to reach out to the young people of Algeria and help make them Jesus’ disciples and servants in the coming months and years, amen!"
Excellent prayer material for Algeria:
www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/north-african/algeria
During May a group of several hundred Algerian church leaders and workers will be meeting for training and encouragement. Please lift them up as they meet. Ask God for covering and protection. Ask God to fill them with vision and love for their nation. Pray for provision of all their needs. Ask God to guard unity and to give them unity of purpose. May God bring all His plans and purposes from this gathering.