God doesn’t just love the world; he loves every person and every place! The Lord is really interested in the town you live in, the place he has put you. He is concerned about the specific problems; He grieves over the local sins and injustices; He wants to draw out the godly destiny and spiritual potential of each conurbation that exists today.

When we pray, it is important for us to be earthed and grounded in prayer for the place we live. Prayer groups may all have specific burdens but, as a rule, it is good to press in for spiritual breakthrough where we live as well as across the world.

So how do you pray for your local place?
You may have just moved to the place you are in, or you may have lived there all your life. Yet surprisingly many Christian are not confident in knowing how to pray for their city or locality. We can ask God for three gifts: we can ask for His heart; we can ask for His perspective, and we can ask for the gift of faith.

When my wife and I moved to the city of Stoke on Trent, we were strangers there. Yet it was remarkable how quickly the Lord gave us His heart and love for the place, how quickly He started giving us insight into the needs of the place, how soon we began to have faith for revival there!

Here are five things we have learned at the Beacon house of prayer about how to pray for our city. You might want to try some of these:

• Prayer walking. You can pray for the streets of your place as a kind of spiritual mapping exercise, to see what God is showing you - areas of darkness, or places where He is strongly at work. You can also walk in prayer to bless your community. A team from the Beacon HOP prayer walked every street in our city a few years ago, connecting with local churches and declaring God’s glory and goodness. When you prayer walk, you definitely connect more strongly with the land. Whether claiming ground (Joshua 1:3) or carrying the gospel of peace (Matt 10:11-13), prayer walking is a great way of getting out of the church into the community!
• Praying the headlines. Many cities still have a local newspaper or local news websites. We cut out headlines every week of good and bad news stories from our newspaper. We use them to pray over the gates of local life - politics, health, business, law & order, education, arts & media, and community. It is amazing the number of answers to prayer we have seen as we watch the headlines. Psalm 24 says, ’Lift up your heads, you gates, that the king of glory may come in’. You have the spiritual authority to turn back the battle in the gate (Is 28:6), in the spiritual atmosphere where you live.
• Re-digging the wells. As you consider the life of your town or city, it is helpful to look at the spiritual heritage of your area. Where and when did the church start? What revival history is there? When we moved to our city, God impacted my wife in the first month, about the call to re-dig the wells of revival - long before we had a vision for a house of prayer here. In Genesis 26:18, Isaac re-opened the wells from his father’s day. How often God moves more than once in power in a place. You can contend for your revival wells to be opened again to bless your churches and community.
• Praying for your street. One of the easiest focuses for prayer is the street or estate you are living in. Most neighbourhoods in our nation have at least one Christian living in them. I wonder who on your street knows that you are praying for them and the felt needs of people who live nearby? As lights on a hill, Jesus says we can shine for him so people can see him (Matthew 5:14). Often that starts with prayer. The group Neighbourhood Prayer Network is encouraging every street in our towns to be a prayed for street.
• Standing together for a breakthrough. Sometimes church or ministries have specific pushes in mission or outreach. It is good to get behind those things in prayer together. Like in Nehemiah’s day, we can come to the aid of someone else working on the walls of our city (Nehemiah 4:19-20). A few times in recent years, a team from the Beacon HOP has gone for a day or evening, to stand in prophetic prayer with a church or Christian ministry. We have prayed for a breakthrough, for acceleration, and for a new anointing in ministry. That has been so appreciated by those receiving it. We are in this together; a breakthrough for one part of the church is a blessing to the whole body of Christ.

In the prayer journey of our city since 2001, our corporate church gatherings have held on to two ‘If’s: 2 Chronicles 7v14 - ‘If my people…will humble themselves and pray…I will forgive their sin and heal their land’; and John 11v40 - ‘If you believe, you will see the glory of God’. The twinning of these, the continued humbling and praying, and the continued faith and believing, help us to have God’s heart, see with His insight, and pray with more faith. May your community be blessed because you are praying for it.

Rev Dr. William Porter is the team leader at Beacon house of prayer, Stoke on Trent.

In John 17, in which Jesus prayed for the last timewith His disciples before the crucifixion, He had every right to focus on his impending suffering which would be terrible beyond belief. However, true to His nature, He rose above his own human fears to think about the welfare of his disciples and his followers offuture generations. What was it He prayed for? Unity- that we might be one as He and the Father are one. Wow!

Of course, such unity is a supernatural thing, only possible by the presence and enabling of the Holy Spirit. We humans tend to divide at the drop of a hat,dwelling on what our differences are. We compare ourselves and can split off from one another because of pride and feelings of superiority, thinking our doctrinal adherence or ministry practice surpasses that of other organizations and churches. Personality splits also exacerbate this phenomenon of division that has resulted in tens of thousands of separate denominations around the world.

I was recently blessed by Gaylord Enns’ book, Love Revolution, that he gave the participants at the Transform USA Prayer Summit. Enns maintains that Jesus’ primary command gets lost in oureffort to have the right beliefs about Him. That command is, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) That kind of love enables us to have real unity. Also, humility, realizing our many flaws and that we need each other, also enables such unity.

We, as the Apostle Paul so brilliantly teaches, are part of the organism called the Body of Christ, and each of us has particular gifts that are meant to benefit one another. Unless we exercise those gifts with the love and humility that comes out of the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, we are all impoverished, incomplete, and lacking. Only in that way of loving service to one another can we become One Body rather than remaining a deformed or handicapped body.

Such loving unity is fostered through prayer together. The early church quickly developed a culture of prayer at the command of Jesus that they should wait in Jerusalem. Acts 1:14 describes how they “all joined constantly together in prayer”. Great breakthroughs came out of this culture of prayer as can be clearly traced throughout the book of Acts. The history of revivals and mission advances bear similar witness to the power of united prayer. Too often, we succumb to the mistaken idea that our activism is what will transform the world. Mission is a supernatural thing. It requires God’s mighty moving to change hearts and societies that in the grip of the prince of this world through enslaving spiritual forces of darkness and deceptive ideologies that bind and hinder humankind.

Over the last couple of decades, colleagues and I have found ourselves facilitating special prayer initiatives in the midst of awful, hopeless conflicts, especially in Africa of which there were 19 such conflicts raging in the mid-1990s and early years of this century. Over and over again, we witnessed the Lord graciously bring about peace breakthroughs and the ending of these wars as His people confessed corporate sin, got reconciled with one another, and then prayed unitedly. Remarkably, it was often the next day or in a few days that we felt the atmosphere shift and a peace process was begun by the politicians and diplomats. In addition, spiritual revival or advances for the Gospel often also attended such amazing changes.

The re-establishment or beginning of new unity among His people was invariably the crucial thing that the Spirit of the Lord was seeking to bring about. After repentance for corporate sins and splits between church leaders were confessed with reconciliation and unity being reestablished, the participants could ask virtually anything and the Lord would grant it, even impossible things humanly like the ending of these hopeless ethnic conflicts that had gone on for many years, in some cases decades.

During a national prayer initiative for Germany and Berlin in 1997, significant division among leading pastors arose even though many were rejoicing that about 500 intercessors from 78 cities had come together, a real triumph for His church in the nation. I was wondering what to do and finally while on stage asked the participants to say this simple sentence to each other which exemplifies the Spirit of Christ:“I want you to succeed more than myself.”This helped among other things to defuse the divisive, competitive atmosphere. Humility and love that is more concerned for the success of others comes out of the realization that the most important thing isnot our individual accomplishments but rather ourunited functioning as members of His Body. It is that unity in prayer and the loving service that flows out of such praying that will bring His transformation to our world.

Let’s therefore pray accordingly for ourselves and for the international prayer movement:

1. That we and other ministry leaders will maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and that Satan, the diabolos or one who divides, would be bound.
2. That we and others in Christ’s Church will love one another as He has loved us. May we all experience a baptism or rebaptism of love in the Body of Christ.
3. That increasingly pastors and other ministry leaders will pray together across denominational boundaries for their cities and communities in every nation.
4. That this unity of the Spirit in prayer will result in the greatest and most pervasive global spiritual revival ever along with the fulfillment of the Great Commission-- to reach the remaining 5500 unreached people groups still without movements to Christ and very little access to the Gospel.

John Robb, IPC Chairman

“This was a headline on the front page of the June 13th issue of The Jerusalem Post – along with a picture of four young men, brothers, one in uniform following his swearing-in ceremony in Jerusalem into the Israeli army. The article later appeared in an on-line version under a different title, “Following in Jesus’ footsteps to serve in the IDF.”   There are several aspects of this article which we find remarkable. First, it makes mention of “Messianic Jews”, not only in its subtitle, but throughout the article.  We can remember when we would rarely if ever have found that expression used in this or any other Israeli paper, English or Hebrew.  Perhaps it was for fear of alienating religious readers.  Rabbinical Orthodoxy teaches that a man or woman of Hebrew ancestry is nevertheless, no longer a Jew if he or she believes in Jesus.   But now, here is an article in this paper which even goes to lengths to describe who they are:

“Zauber is a Messianic Jew, Christians who believe that Jesus, or Yeshua, is the Messiah and is the only path to redemption.  There are an estimated 20,000 Messianic Jewish believers in Israel, but due to their beliefs [they] have been subjected to discrimination, such as being ineligible to make Aliya because it is not accepted that a Jew can believe in Jesus, even though they consider themselves to be Jewish.”

There is something else in this paragraph which would most likely not have appeared in a newspaper a few years ago--it mentions Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua.  This is the name given to Joseph and Miriam (Mary) by the angel in Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31.  It is a shortened form of the Hebrew for “Joshua,” which was used often in the post-Exilic book of Nehemiah, and means YHWH is Salvation.  But all Israeli school children are taught that the name of the one who claimed to be Messiah was Yeshu—an acronym devised by the Rabbis meaning (although many of the teachers themselves are unaware of it), “May His Name be Blotted Out.” 

Lastly, in former years, we don’t remember this particular paper ever running a story related to Jewish believers in Yeshua which didn’t give “equal time” at the end to an “anti-Missionary” rabbi who gave his thoughts on the subject. But that didn’t happen this time.

Neither did it happen in an April 24th article about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new deputy social media adviser Hananya Naftali, which bore the title, “From praising Jesus to tweeting Bibi [Netanyahu’s nickname], PM’s New recruit has colorful past.”  The opening sentence describes how Naftali, “a popular Israel advocate online, served in the Armored Corps, fought Hamas in Operation Protective Edge, and calls himself a Jew who loves Jesus.” 

These appearances tell us something—the presence of Messianic Jews in Israel is growing—and Jews in Israel and abroad are becoming aware of who Yeshua is, that there are a growing number of His followers in Israel! The Post, via its Internet Edition, is read by English-speaking Jews around the world.  Most native Israelis of course read the Hebrew papers—but those too, are rising above the taboo of writing about the presence of Messianics in Israel. 

It is important to realize that until recently, the vast majority of Jewish Israelis were not even aware that a sector of Jewish believers in Messiah existed in the Land—that there were any Jews who believed in Jesus, much less in Israel.  Nor are they anymore made up chiefly of those who have brought their faith with them when they immigrated. Now there are congregational communities of Believers throughout the land made up primarily of young adults who were born in Israel, and raised from childhood to believe in their Messiah.  They cannot be threatened, like the new immigrants, with having their citizenship revoked!  The military, university, civil workforce and government are beginning to notice believers who are excelling in their work, and who are not afraid to share their strength and vision.  We have personally known young believing men and women in the military who have been recognized by their commanders for their excellence – and been asked to share publically with their platoon about their beliefs.

And not only adults!  A few weeks ago, an 11-year-old believing neighbor of ours was asked by his teacher where he would be going to summer camp.  He told her it would be to a “Messianic” camp.  She asked, “What is that?”  He replied, “One for young people who believed in Yeshua.”  The teacher then asked would he do a presentation to the class on “Yeshua.”  Which He did!

“How beautifully the feet of those bringing Good News adorn the mountains!” (Isaiah 52:7).  That “beauty” is beginning to be noticed, throughout the nation of Israel.  Still very small—but it is growing—and the holy anointing it carries is beginning to make room for itself throughout different sectors of the society!

PLEASE PRAY:

• For the Messianic Body of Messiah in Israel, that the truth they carry will be recognized; that Jews throughout the nation will become aware of their existence—and be drawn to the Lord they serve.
• That the lie that a person loses their “Jewishness” by believing in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, would be exposed. 
• That legislation would be passed which affirms the Jewish identity of those who believe in Jesus.  At present, proof of Jewish identity is based upon race.  According to Jewish law, one’s true Jewish identity is passed through a Jewish mother.  Except—when a Jew believes in Yeshua (or becomes a Muslim)—in which case, it becomes based upon his religion, which he is said to have abandoned.  If it is known that a Jew is Messianic, he or she will not be allowed to immigrate to Israel.  Pray that this injustice will be overturned—by the God of Justice, who sent His Son “to save His people from their sin.”
• That Messianic Jews in Israel will be filled with the Holy Spirit, “Now Lord, look on the threats [of the enemies of your Holy Word], and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they [the Messianic Body in Israel, young and old] may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Yeshua!”
• “Followers of Jesus who serve in the IDF: The Jerusalem Post, June 13, 2018.

Martin and Norma Sarvis

Let’s pray for many other Jewish people in Israel to discern who Messiah really is. Pray that the blinders on eyes and hardness of heart will be removed and that they will become passionate followers of Yeshua. May they also recover their original missionary calling through Abraham and now through Messiah to be “ a blessing to the peoples of the earth”!