You have no doubt heard about the tragic earthquake in Nepal that so far has killed over 5000 people. The toll is likely to go higher. A friend of ours who leads a house of prayer in Kathmandu wrote a couple days ago.
"Please pray for Nepal. Please remember us in your prayer. Praise The Lord still we are safe from His grace but many people died including believers....We just built tent home and we will stay there tonight, please continue pray for us that God be us and protect everyone through His power. May The Lord bless you, Govinda and family".
Please be in prayer now for the following:
1 That the after shocks will calm down and for protection over those huddling in make-shift encampments outside their homes and in public squares.
2 For effective and well-coordinated national and international rescue and relief efforts for those who may still be trapped under collapsed buildings as well as for the quick supply of food, medicine and tents and that epidemics will be averted. More than 10,000 also need medical treatment.
3 Pray also for God's peace, comfort and love to surround this beautiful nation and this precious people, the great majority of whom still need to find Christ. May this tragedy and the loss of so many be used redemptively by the Lord to break the hold of Hindu and Buddhist idolatry and to bring huge numbers in every unreached people group to deliverance and faith in Him.
Thanks for your prayers.
John Robb
The apostle Paul writes to his young protégé, Timothy, "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them"(2 Tim 2:3-4).
There is a particular lifestyle associated with being a soldier. It is essential to remember that as a soldier, you are no longer a civilian. You are called apart and live separately. Getting entangled in the mundane affairs of the civilian world is not allowed for a soldier on duty; you serve a higher cause. Off- duty soldiers who get caught up in naughty behaviour unbecoming of a man in uniform face more severe consequences than would some random person on the street. Living within the chain of command means that you are accountable to your commanding officers for your actions and attitudes, that you are accountable for those under your command, and that you are accountable to your comrades in arms. When the accountability built into the chain of command fails, the effectiveness of the armed forces declines. The discipline and accountability required of a soldier is there to save his life and the lives of those serving with him.
Moreover, the overarching reality of life as a soldier is not that you get to shoot big guns, travel the world, ride in helicopters and battleships and wear cool gear like night vision goggles. The overarching reality is that you no longer belong to yourself. You belong to a larger and greater cause. Your life is not your own. You don't get to just opt out when things get messy, your unit comes under fire and lives are at stake. Doing so is desertion, a crime punishable by death through much of military history.
As a Canadian, I was taught in high school of the history of Canada's participation in World War. Many regard Canada's participation on the Western Front as a defining coming of age as a nation. The campaign in which Canadian troops especially distinguished themselves was that of Vimy Ridge. That episode in Canadian history is superbly retold by the eminent Canadian storyteller and historian, Pierre Berton, in a book of the same name.
These young men in the Canadian Corps, from places like the Yukon and Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island, went to war in a far-off land, against enemies from foreign country (predominantly Germany), effectively on behalf of yet another country (Great Britain). They sailed to the other side of the world and lived in horrendous conditions. Trench warfare was noted not only for its grotesquely high casualty rates, but for the miseries endured by the living. Life in the trenches was a living hell, full of disease and rats, endless mud, inadequate food and drinking water, and either claustrophobia in airless tunnels or exposure from lack of shelter, not to mention the soul-crushing wait to pile into the meat grinder and die from machine gun fire, artillery explosions, snipers, grenades, bayonets, or most horribly, from poisonous gases now banned by the United Nations. These men from not just Canada, but from Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the far reaches of the British Empire lived and fought and killed and died for a cause that didn't even really belong to them. The majority of them were volunteers.
And yet we, as part of a cause that is infinitely more glorious and eternal, can't even rouse ourselves to a lifestyle of prayer. It's a sobering thought.
In the mission organization I serve with, small prayer groups are dotted around the world, interceding for workers serving on mission field. These prayer groups were called "prayer batteries". This is not because of the modern concept of a battery providing energy and power, although that, too, is a good metaphor for how intercession supports those serving in mission. This agency was founded in 1913. It grew out of an era when a battery was understood to be an organized group of artillery pieces. This is a superb analogy. Just as the artillery fire provided cover for advancing infantry, suppressing the enemy and softening the defences for the first wave of ground troops, so too our intercession not only covers the missionaries with spiritual protection, but opens up the ground for the greatest possible impact upon engagement.
Military language and metaphors are no longer en vogue in missiological vocabulary. We recognize that our mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ to all people and to serve others humbly. Adversarial, militaristic language can communicate the wrong idea that we are the good guys and everyone else the bad guys. It can encourage, or at least imply, imperialistic attitudes. Yet we also recognize that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers that set themselves up against the authority of Christ. Such wicked powers long for the subjugation, degradation, and destruction of all people and societies. In the hyper-technological, modern world many of us live in, to think of a disembodied, Satanic foe seems the subject of a horror film or campfire story. Yet Christ himself as well as many of the writers of the Bible made no bones about the reality of our spiritual enemy. Go spend extended time in a context that is not prosperous, cozy, and insulated from the "real" world by chrome, digital displays, Vicodin, air conditioning, drive-throughs, and hand sanitizer, and you will quickly discover that very modern and educated people know very well the realities of spiritual evil and oppression.
C.S. Lewis sagely wrote that "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel and excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."[i] Yet I do not intend to write a treatise on spiritual warfare. There exist already many excellent resources on that subject, and should you become engaged in a lifestyle of intercession, then I suggest you avail yourself of them.
The truth is that we are in a war, although most of us don't live like it. There will be casualties in a cosmic struggle on such an epic scale. The devil is filled with great wrath, because he knows his time is short. (Rev 12:12) People who engage in shining light into the darkness and setting the captives free from oppression and bondage are going to face opposition. The world, the flesh and the devil do not willingly give ground when the gospel advances. There will be many kinds of suffering. Some of us will die for our faith. And that is to be expected. The devil was overcome by the blood of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus' suffering and death on the cross) and by the fact that the saints "loved not their lives even unto death." (Rev 12:11) There are always casualties in war, and this is the defining war of human existence! When we look at the big picture, whether we live or die is such a tiny issue compared to the grand campaign of bringing Jesus' life and freedom - now and for eternity - to those who suffer in chains.
You know what you never hear in church? "Want to live an adventure? Want to take risks? Want to live dangerously? Come to the prayer meeting!" This is not because such claims are untrue, but because most of us have lost the sense what is at stake in our intercession. We do not see prayer as a dangerous act. Yet true intercession puts us in the crosshairs. Remember that the word itself means interposing ourselves. A life of intercession means that we make ourselves a conduit between humanity and God - on behalf of loved ones, on behalf of the Church, on behalf of our communities, city and nations, on behalf of the whole human race. It also means that we place ourselves between those whom we love and care for and our spiritual enemy, who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. Standing in the gap in this way certainly can be dangerous. Yet the sense that our prayer lives should be dangerous and risky is missing for so many of us, especially among the younger generation.
There is one other dangerous element in global intercession - the likelihood that God changes you through the process of prayer. Richard Foster states, "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us."[ii] God may seize your heart for those suffering or lost, leading you to changes in your lifestyle and faith. The Lord may even call you - gasp - to full time service, possibly even in missions! As Eugene Peterson rightly observes, "Be slow to pray. Praying puts us at risk of getting involved with God's conditions...Praying most often doesn't get us what we want but what God wants, something quite at variance with what we conceive to be our best interests. And when we realize what is going on, it is often too late to go back."[iii]
[i] C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (London: Fount, 1986), p.9.
[ii] Ibid, p. 30
[iii] Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987), 30-31
You have no doubt heard about the tragic earthquake in Nepal that so far has killed over 3400 people. The toll is likely to go higher. A friend of ours who leads a house of prayer in Kathmandu wrote a couple days ago:
“Please pray for Nepal. Please remember us in your prayer. Praise The Lord still we are safe from His grace but many people died including believers….We just built tent home and we will stay there tonight, please continue pray for us that God be us and protect everyone through His power. May The Lord bless you, Govinda and family”
Please be in prayer now for the following:
1 That the after shocks will calm down and for protection over those huddling in make-shift encampments outside their homes and in public squares.
2 For effective and well-coordinated national and international rescue and relief efforts for those who may still be trapped under collapsed buildings as well as for the quick supply of food, medicine and tents and that epidemics will be averted.
3 Pray also for God’s peace, comfort and love to surround this beautiful nation and this precious people, the great majority of whom still need to find Christ. May this tragedy and the loss of so many be used redemptively by the Lord to break the hold of Hindu and Buddhist idolatry and to bring huge numbers to deliverance and faith in Him.
Thanks for your prayers and may the Lord bless you,
John D Robb
Request for Prayer: Armenian Genocide Reconciliation – 21 and 24 April 2015
Rosemarie Streseman of Intercessors for Germany asks special prayer for the following:
“Tomorrow on April 21 there will be a major service of repentance with approximately 3000 participants with hundreds of pastors from all over Armenia (Baptists, Free Churches, Protestant circles etc.). This meeting has an immense importance for the brothers in Armenia and Armenians around the world.
A small team of Germans is there with Rosemarie Stresemann and Prince Philip who's grand-father, Kaiser Wilhelm, was in power in Germany at the time of the major genocide against Armenians during the Ottoman - Empire. This brother, Prince Philip, wants to ask all the participants for forgiveness for the partial guilt of Germany, not helping the Armenians during the genocide 100 years back. He will do that again on April 24th at an Orthodox - church during their service. The 1st service will be live tomorrow at 6.00 pm Armenian time on the following net - address: http://7x70.tv/ http://wolarm.org/
Prayer requests:
- Wisdom to fine - tune the service so that Jesus can do all he wants.
- For protection and a spirit of repentance for all who come from Germany
- For a major healing and encouragement for the Armenian nation
- So that everything that will be loosened on earth will be also loosed in heaven and that the will of God will become reality in our nations & governments.”
Dear Friends,
Greetings. I owe you a report from the Prayer Initiative for North Korea. I came home from Asia with some sickness for several days and so am now just getting back to you. It was a magnificent initiative, one of the best organized and most powerful ones I have been part of. We certainly felt your prayers of support. The Korean organizers did such a great job, and it is always so invigorating to pray Korean style with everyone crying out to the Lord at the same time, a great ocean wave of fervent intercession! There were about 300 participants, with both North and South Koreans and about 10% who were from other nations. The first day focused on repentance, the next on intercession, and the final day on restoration and blessing.
We also made an excursion to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), a few kilometers of land between the North and South that are technically still at war with only a cease-fire in place. There, in a little church building built on land where many thousands died during the North Korean invasion in 1950, we had our final service of worship, prayer and declaration of His blessings over these two divided nations.
Many had the same sense, inspired on Isaiah 40 and other Scripture passages, that there will be a new super highway connecting the North and South in a reunified nation after the DMZ barbwire fences are torn down, and that a move towards reunification was already in process. The Korean organizers are working on a fuller report along with a brief video which I will send to you when it is completed. Please continue to pray for the intercessors to be encouraged and to persevere and for the governments of both nations and the surrounding countries to be willing to work together to bring about a new, united Korea.
Nepal, a land of humid and fertile plains in the south, green forested hills in the middle and the majestic snowcapped Himalayas along the north. The people are ethnically diverse with more than 100 people groups and castes, many of whom have migrated to Nepal in earlier generations from the surrounding regions. Of the 27 million people of Nepal, the majority continue to follow the Hindu or Buddhist (or both) traditions which have been intertwined in the social fabric of the culture. It's a country where it looks like time has almost stood still in the remote villages where the vast majority reside, while the capital has become a polluted and bustling metropolis comprised of those seeking a brighter future from the rampant poverty. There is even a large Nepali diaspora who travel overseas in search of labour to improve their family's fortunes.
Since the end of the 10 year civil war in 2006, the governments have repeatedly failed to write the constitution. The main contentious issue is how to divide the country into federal states in a way that satisfies the demands of all the ethnic groups.
Prior to 1952, there were no churches or Christians in Nepal and the borders were closed. However, since then, the church has witnessed remarkable growth through the power of God. There is now at least a church in every district and many new believers sharing the gospel in the face of growing adversity in all levels of society.
It is in these uncertain times of real need that the Christian community of Nepal are uniting as we look to our steadfast Father in Heaven, believing that "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV). God transforms people and nations and we are uniting in prayer to see Nepal become a nation of righteousness, justice, peace and prosperity. Just as our Lord Jesus prayed for 40 days, so we, the Christian community of Nepal, request and invite you to join us for 40 days in praying for this nation and those in authority (1 Tim 2: 1-4). We long for God's sovereign work in healing the nation and we invite individuals, groups, churches and denominations from around the world to join with us in the 40 Days of Global Prayer for Nepal. We kindly seek your cooperation to share this information as widely as possible.
Thank you!
Ghanshyam Dahal CHIEF COORDINATOR
Bhab B. Ghale Facilitator
40 DAYS OF GLOBAL PRAYER FOR NEPAL 15 APRIL - 24 MAY 2015
PRAYER GUIDE
WEEK 1 (15th APRIL - 19th APRIL)
1 PRAYING LORD'S PRAYER OVER NEPAL (MATTHEW 6:9-13)
- Pray for God's name to be held in high regard, for His Kingdom come and His will be done in Nepal.
- Pray for the provision of the needs of the people in this land of physical and spiritual poverty.
- Pray for forgiveness and reconciliation at all levels of society - especially among church leaders so that they unite, embrace and forgive each other in Christian love.
- Pray for strength during temptation and for deliverance from evil.
- Pray for many Christians in Nepal and beyond to unite in 40 Days of Prayer for Nepal and to lift the nation up in prayer before the throne of God.
2 PRAYER AGAINST THE POWER OF DARKNESS (2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5)
- Pray against the strongholds, for evil plans and purposes to be frustrated and destroyed and the power of darkness brought down.
- Pray against the wall of any evil acts, unrighteousness, idolatry to come down.
- Pray against the spirit of malice, disunity, deceit, injustice, corruption, crimes, etc. so that they will not prevail in Nepal.
- WEEK 2 (20th APRIL - 26th APRIL)
3. PRAISE GOD
- Nepal is no longer a Hindu Kingdom, and has been declared a secular and federal democratic republic and that the sharing of the gospel and conversion are currently not restricted.
- Christmas, as declared as a Public Holiday, makes easier for Christians to celebrate and share the reason for Christ's birth to the community.
- Every year churches go out in the streets as demonstration of unity in celebrating Easter Sunday with singing and dancing with play cards and banners of Easter messages.
- For continuing growth in the Church throughout Nepal (Government censuses claim only
- 300,000 Christians in Nepal but the local church estimates and believes this to actually be over 1 million).
- For the fact that people are responding in faith when they hear the gospel and/or experience the power of God through miracles of healing and deliverance.
- For relative stability and peace in light of the 10 year civil war which ended in 2006 and killed approx. 13,000 people and maimed and displaced many more.
- For the growth of the church while the making of the constitution has been stalling. Pray that the constitution will be completed soon and will enable the church to continue to grow in number and depth.
- For the Nepali churches which are catching the vision to pray for their country and for the growth of a unified prayer movement.
- Although persecutions are still the reality, until now there has been liberty to worship and share the Gospel in Nepal.
WEEK 3 (27th APRIL - 3rd MAY)
4. PRAYER FOR THE NATION (1 TIMOTHY 2:1-4, 2 CHRONICLES 7:14)
- For the political consensus on major and core issues affecting the successful completion of the peace process, and the writing and implementation of the new constitution.
- For the establishment of sustainable peace and stability, as well as good and just government with righteous leaders and a bureaucracy full of integrity.
- For the country's President, Vice President, Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, Constituent Assembly members, judiciary, defense department, civil society - that they can work together in unity for the benefit of the nation and the people of Nepal rather than themselves.
- For an end to political instability, violence, crime, impunity, injustice and corruption.
WEEK 4 (4rd MAY - 10th MAY)
5. PRAYER FOR THE SOCIAL ISSUES AND THE CHURCH'S RESPONSE (ISAIAH 58:5-9, MATTHEW 25:31-40)
- May the church continue to be bold enough to advocate and assign resources to address the issues of major social problems, including corruption, lack of education, caste discrimination, unemployment, violence against women, etc.
- For the proper rehabilitation of the victims of the conflict and also natural disasters. Pray that people would find God in their times of need and calamity.
- For Nepali young people to avoid drug-addiction and be engaged in productive activities, and for the Government of Nepal to create increasing employment opportunities for them.
- Against the trafficking of women and children.
- For God's value of life to be upheld in the laws and practices concerning abortion.
- For the children at risk of exploitation and holistic development of all the children in Nepal.
- For the church's response to social dilemmas and create a healthy society.
WEEK 5 (11th MAY - 17th MAY)
6. PRAYER FOR THE NEPALI CHURCH (ACTS 2:42-47, ACTS 6:1-4)
- May the Nepali Church be united in the vision and active involvement in PRAYING, SHARING THE GOSPEL, DISCIPLING AND ENGAGING IN SOCIAL WORKS and transform the nation.
- For continual unity in the Church in prayer and action.
- May the Church continue to be faithful in living out both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Lord Jesus Christ.
- May the Church be involved in and show interest in social work so that it can continue to be salt and light in the society.
- For continued liberty to profess and practice individual faith.
- Against the negative influence of false teachings.
- For effectiveness of organizations working in partnership with the church in Nepal.
WEEK 6 (18th MAY - 24th MAY)
7. FOR GOD'S KINGDOM AND REVIVAL IN NEPAL (ACTS 1:8, JOEL 2:28)
- For a renewed zeal and passion for prayer, and that the Kingdom of God will be established across Nepal.
- To see at least one church and one trained leader in each village throughout Nepal.
- For church growth among the Nepali diaspora around the world.
- For God to be lifted high and blessing to flow from the highest place in the world to the rest of the world.
As we are all following what's happening in the middle east and north africa, the last 4 years. The lord spoke to our hearts that it's the time to pray for europe, being the first station to host the millions of immigrants coming from the arab world.
It started with a prayer conference that gathered many arabic churches in the u.k. in 2013, declaring at the end that ''uk 4 jc'', followed by another one in germany for the arabic churches there as well in 2014, the lord lead us to declare "dl 4 jc"..
In october 2014, we called 35 prayer leaders from 15 countries in europe to prepare for the upcoming conference in frankfurt may 2015, but this time not only for the arabs living in europe, but for all christians who could join to seek his face in this critical season.
The lord showed us that there are 2 golden years for the continent to listen to the wake up call from the lord, or significant security threats and economic cracks will start to happen.
Earlier this year, on the 7th of january 2015, the first wake-up call to the continent was ringing in paris, but that tragedy attracted the ears of all.
Beloved, i urge you in jesus name to sound the trumpet calling for prayer for europe, before its too late.
You are all invited to join this one, pr. Sameh maurice from kdec (egypt), alongside the prayer network of egypt, and the arabic prayer network in europe, will be there.
Its a 'kairos moment' for europe's divine visitation.
Please, spread the word to your networks, and come join us.
For more info please visit, www.riseup-now.com
For those who have finished well, Bobby Clinton has done comparative study and identified 6 characteristics:
Characteristic 1. They maintain a personal vibrant relationship with God right up to the end.
Characteristic 2. They maintain a learning posture and can learn from various kinds of sources-life especially.
Characteristic 3. They evidence Christlikeness in character as seen by the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
Characteristic 4. Truth is lived out in their lives so that convictions and promises of God are seen to be real.
Characteristic 5. They leave behind one or more ultimate contributions (saint, stylistic practitioners, mentors, public rhetoricians, pioneers, crusaders, artists, founder, stabilizers, researchers, writers, promoters).
Characteristic 6. They walk with a growing awareness of a sense of destiny and see some or all of it fulfilled. The classic example in the Old Testament of a good finish is Daniel who manifests all six characteristics .The classic example in the New Testament other than Christ is Paul. There are gradations of finishing well. Some finish well but not quite having all six or lesser intensity on one or the other major characteristics.
(Summary of Bobby Clinton's writing shared by Luis Bush, Servant Catalyst for the Transform World Movement .
The fuller article is available from the Clinton Resources at http://www.bobbyclinton.com )