Christians in Parliament
05 Aug 2016
Throughout history God has had His people in positions of authority; David, Daniel and Esther were just three people whom God was able to direct so that His purposes were fulfilled. This is still true today in the United Kingdom. There are Christians in our parliament. Click the ‘more’ button for their profiles. Theresa May is the daughter of a vicar and has regularly worshipped at St Andrew's Church in Sonning for many years. She has said that her Christian faith is an important part of her life. We can trust and pray that God is still in control of our nations and as in the times of David, Daniel and Esther He is and will be working his purposes out through His people as we negotiate and move in the direction he would take us with regards to the EU. We may not know who today's Esthers, Davids and Daniels are in Europe but we can be sure that they are there.
Jesus appears to refugees
05 Aug 2016
When the wind and the waves threatened to swamp a boat filled with refugees fleeing the Middle East, Jesus made a dramatic appearance to them and calmed the waters, saving their lives. A group of refugees fleeing the fighting in the Middle East were jammed into several pontoon boats, trying to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece. The seas were extremely rough and dangerous and some of the boats in this small armada capsized. The report is reminiscent of a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mt.4:37). The refugees were afraid, just as Jesus’ fellow travellers had been . ‘The people in one boat cried out to God. Suddenly, a ‘shining heavenly figure’ appeared in the boat. The entire boat knew it was Jesus. Then something miraculous happened. Jesus calmed the storm! From that point the sea became calm and peaceful, and they finally landed safely on shore.’ This amazing account is from Erick Schenkel, executive director of the Jesus Film Project.
Revival in the Palestinian Church?
05 Aug 2016
Intercessors have been praying for strength, wisdom, peace and revelation of Jesus in Palestine. God has answered! Palestinian believers are, for the first time, reading the Gospel! Until last year, only a few Bibles were available in Greek Orthodox churches. None were in homes. Most Palestinian Christians belong to these churches, where tradition is about sacraments and symbols. But now 20,000 Bibles are in the hands of Palestinian believers because of co-operation between the Palestinian Bible Society and the leadership of the Orthodox Church. Within 12 months of last year’s special edition printing of the Orthodox New Testament, all 20,000 Scriptures have been given out, mostly in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. ‘This is a stream of Living Water flowing through the Orthodox Church. Revival is more likely to happen because the Word of God is available in a whole new way,’ said a Bible Society representative.
Rio, Brazil: Olympic Games 5-21 August 2016
03 Aug 2016
As we remember London 2012, we give thanks for our Father’s mercy and grace to us as we prayed for peace on our streets, for protection from violence; for churches and agencies to work together; for many people to discover the good news about Jesus; for God to unmask any drug taking by competitors and for an end to human trafficking and prostitution. We saw many answers to prayer then – and since – especially in the recent exposure of possible drug taking by the Russian delegation.
Now the invitation comes to us to stand with and pray for Rio and Brazil. Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a huge undertaking for any city and country. Here in Rio, there are huge issues with human trafficking, prostitution and drug trafficking as well as the heightened risk of terrorist activity. As with More than Gold in 2012 many of the leading Christian mission and outreach agencies are all working together for sports ministry, prayer, drama, music, dance, arts, bible distribution and social justice areas under the banner of Jesus4allmovement. They have had a 100 day prayer initiative which started in May to soak the nation and Rio in prayer.
As we think of the Jesus Christ the Redeemer statute standing 38m tall looking over this city; let’s pray for:
- The praise of Jesus to be lifted high over this city and area.
- The protection of God to cover all that takes place - and for great wisdom for the security forces.
- The Holy Spirit’s power to direct and guide all the Christian outreach and mission and that many people will discover Jesus as Lord.
- The peace of God to cover hearts, homes, streets and all Olympic and Paralympic venues.
- The unmasking of any drug taking within the Olympic community.
- The purposes of God to be fulfilled in and through it all – and may Jesus’ name be honoured.
For more info and how to pray, visit the Jesus 4 all movement website and the YWAM Rio 2016 website
BRITISH ISLES & IRELAND
How to pray for government & the Church
You may not have prayed for these areas before, but now would be a great time to start! It is important to pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:2). We have put together some prayer points on how to pray for our elected governments and also for the Church at this time, as well as other points here.
We now find ourselves in a period of tremendous political, economic and social change in our UK nations. This is a new time; a time of mercy and a time of shaking. We believe this is a historically significant watershed moment for our UK nations and for Europe. The EU Referendum campaign and result has exposed deep fractures in our society in all of our UK nations.
Now is the time when God is calling His people to humbly come before Him, seek His face, turn from our wicked ways and to pray. Now is the time to persevere and not to give up. Now is the time for us together, as God's people across our UK nations, to pray in unity for God to fulfill His purposes for our nations.
We commend 1 Timothy 2:1-3 as a basis for our praying as we stand guard over our elected leaders that they may give Godly leadership and so provide stability across our nations and in our communities to allow the gospel to be shared and for many people to discover faith in Jesus Christ.
HOW TO PRAY
For our elected governmental leaders:
In Scotland: Pray for Nicola Sturgeon and for wisdom and patience for the Scottish (SNP) Government, as they seek to deal with the results of the vote; especially that they will work positively with the UK Government and seek not only what is best for the people of Scotland, but also what is best for all peoples in the UK in these uncharted, challenging times.
In Northern Ireland: Pray for Arlene Foster and NI politicians for wisdom, for courage, for grace and positive leadership at this time. There is a genuine fear of the peace process being affected; a fear of the progress that has been made in moving forward toward a 'Shared Future' being undermined, a fear of the unknown. There is concern over how this will affect our relationship with the Republic of Ireland. Will there once again be border and custom checks? Pray for God's people to be in position and for His peace to replace fear.
In Wales: Pray for Carwyn Jones; for unity within the Welsh Assembly and for wisdom especially in handling the financial implications of leaving the EU that could affect the elderly and the poor.
In Westminster:
Prime Minister - Theresa May - for calm leadership, for wise advisors and for her faith to guide her day by day.
Chancellor - Philip Hammond Chancellor - that he will have wisdom, authority and boldness to expose evil financial practices, tax abuse and manipulation and corruption.
Home Secretary - Amber Rudd - for divine authority to keep our nation safe and administer true justice.
Labour shadow cabinet - that as they are shaken we will have an effective, wise and righteous opposition.
For the Church:
Pray that the Church will 'rise up' (Isaiah 60:1) and take a positive lead in promoting reconciliation, both within communities where needed and between the nations of the UK that in these uncertain times, especially at this moment of economic uncertainty, many will open up to the hope and certainty of the Gospel.
For Europe:
As we stand shoulder to shoulder with France in the aftermath of the attack in Nice, we continue to pray protection for France, for God's blessing and for her church to be strengthened and equipped to be carriers of hope and peace.
We ask for God's continued mercy and protection on our nations and wisdom for our security forces
World Prayer Centre This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Raising up a Canopy of Prayer over Europe
We have heard about this new website, the Canopy of Prayer - http://canopyofprayer.eu to raise a canopy of prayer over Europe at this crucial time.
The request is that those who sign up would commit themselves to praying for Europe for a designated 15 minutes per week. They will receive an email fortnightly with information for prayer. The introduction is in German but the form is in English.
An Invitation to the National Prayer Assembly, October 27–28, 2016, Washington, D.C.
Dear Prayer and Ministry Leader,
You are invited to an assembly of national prayer, denominational, and kingdom network leaders from across the nation. America is at a historic crossroads with growing threats within and without. It is a tumultuous election year and an absolutely pivotal time in our history. A dysfunctional and divided government has become increasingly ineffectual in dealing with our growing national problems, including a $19 trillion debt hanging over our heads. In addition, our society is becoming progressively more apathetic and cold to the things of God. Surely, we need a new Great Awakening to turn America around.
A critical component in this pursuit of awakening is the coming together of both America’s prayer and denominational movements to seek His face. We need to join forces, praying with one heart and mind for a fresh, massive outpouring of His Spirit that will bring revival and transformation to the United States of America.
It is time to gather ministry leaders for two days of concentrated intercession, listening, and sharing what God is saying to us. As in the National Prayer Assembly of October 2014, we will have brief reports from experts on the critical issues facing the nation. Our approach will be to pray at least twice as much as we talk. Earlier assembly participants felt this was the right balance, so we will endeavor once again to let the Spirit of the Lord reveal, inspire, and pray out His heart concerns through us for our nation.
Listed below are some of the issues for our prayer focus at the NPA.
Please note that the NPA is by invitation only, so please only forward this invitation to others who serve as leaders or coordinators of prayer ministries, national or denominational ministries, or kingdom networks.
We look forward to your being with us for this crucial time of encountering the Lord together on behalf of our beloved country.
Every blessing in Christ,
Dave Butts (National Prayer Committee)
Rickie Bradshaw (Pray Houston)
Pierre Bynum (Family Research Council)
Paul Cedar (Mission America Coalition)
Lisa Crump (National Day of Prayer)
Kay Horner (Awakening America Alliance)
Dave Kubal (Intercessors for America)
Daniel Lim and Doug Conder (International House of Prayer)
John Robb (International Prayer Connect)
Prayer Assembly Participant Details:
Schedule:
- 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 27, 2016
- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, October 28, 2016
Registration fee: $120 per person. You must register each person individually. The fee will include beverage service throughout, lunch on Friday, and our meeting space overlooking Washington, D.C. We are encouraging both prayer and fasting as part of the Assembly if you are able to do that for the first day of this gathering. In addition, a 40-day call to prayer with fasting up to the election will be in progress having begun on September 30.
To Register: https://intre.org/?297
Venue: Sheraton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA
- Reagan National Airport (DCA) is nearest airport.
- Shuttle service is provided to hotel.
- Special conference rate is $179/night per room (for twin sharing if desired)
To reserve your hotel accommodations please click here:
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1603180291&key=101F35BB
For other questions about logistics, please contact Lisa Crump with the National Day of Prayer Task Force via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Preliminary Prayer Emphases for the NPA:
- Repentance for-
Corporate sins of America
Sins within the Church and Society
- Reconciliation and healing of-
Leadership division
Racial division
Restorative justice
- Restoration of-
Spiritual revival and morality within the church
Truth in media
Morality in arts and entertainment
Integrity and blessing in marketplace
Protection for marriage and the family–an institution under assault
Truth and protection in educational institutions
Sanctity of human life and protection of the unborn
- Reaching and evangelizing the lost
Prayer-care-share lifestyles among Jesus followers
Provision and mobilization of missionaries
- Government and the national election
Religious freedom
Court decisions
Legislative actions
- Prayer movement
Unity
Strength
Mobilization
Engagement
- Next generation
Children
Youth
Emerging Leaders
- False religion and the occult invasion
- National security issues
Military forces
Law enforcement
Homeland security
Radical Islam and ISIS threats
The Power of Prayer was written by Richard and Stephanie Coates from Weston-super-Mare, UK in the Summer of 2016. Rich felt prompted to write it after accepting an invitation to attend United Prayer Rising in Seoul, South Korea in July, 2016.
Richard said, 'There are a plethora of massive issues affecting Korea. This event will be a significant gathering where we will be praying in several ways - repenting, listening to God, proclaiming blessing, worshipping, interceding and seeking solutions to real life issues affecting millions of people. We will also be seeing God at work in thousands of young peoples' lives.'
'My hope is that the song will inspire and encourage the younger generations in particular to enrich their experience of the real purpose and power of prayer. I have a heart for young people and their spiritual development. My prayer is that this song can help young people to find their unique calling and that each one of us returns from UPRISING with a renewed vision and a sense of God's direction.'
The 'Pag-asa' Band (Pag-asa means 'Hope' in Tagalog) was convened to record and lead the song. The members span 3 generations and have much talent and experience. Here are their brief bios:
Tim (15), plays drums, guitar, bass, keyboards and sings. As well as playing in his own band called 'The Baskervilles' he plays in church and town worship bands. He sees the worship band as the place where he can best express his faith and spirituality.
Ruth (16), sings and plays guitar and keyboards. Ruth has a passion for worship and worship leading and leads and also occasionally preaches in her local church. She had specialised training in dance and performing arts in London.
Steph is married to Richard and is a gifted singer and performer. She coaches the youth band in her local church and sings and leads worship. Stephanie has also acted and performed many different roles in theatre productions in London, The UK and Europe and has worked for both television and radio.
Rich plays guitar and bass. He co-coaches his church youth worship band with Steph and sings and plays with the worship group. Rich works in retail management, but spends every spare minute playing and composing. He has written a number of worship songs, one of which is The Power of Prayer.
Rob is a worship leader and musician. He plays guitar and bass. He has produced a number of worship music CD's in his own right. He is CEO of a worship and intercession ministry called Wings Prayer House. He also runs a North of England based Prayer Network called the Northern Power House.
Andy is an experienced keyboard player, accompanist, and leader / co-ordinator of church worship music. He plays for various local and national events in the UK. He serves on the leadership team of International Prayer Connect and is Director for Crosswinds Prayer Trust whose vision is to mobilise and equip prayer globally.
The Power of Prayer: Recording produced by Rob Parker. | Engineer: Tony Hobden / Supersonix. | Vocals: Stephanie Coates, Ruth Parker, Richard Coates, Rob Parker, Andy Page. | Drums: Tim Page. | Guitar / Bass: Rob Parker, Richard Coates. | Keyboards: Andy Page.
You are welcome to use the attached recording and music to share this wonderful and catchy song with those in your church or prayer group with credit given to the composers and musicians:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1u3h29qbzrtw2sh/AABdE6cc2NZxE3WNND_66Rvva?dl=0
Thanks to the 'Pag-asa' Band for so generously sharing this beautiful piece with the international prayer movement and during the UPRISING international youth prayer assembly.