Rio, Brazil: Olympic Games 5-21 August 2016
03 Aug 2016As 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.
What showing God's love can do: 200,000 Tibetans, including 62 Buddhist monks, decide to follow Jesus
Something wonderful in the Christian sense is happening in Tibet, a region in China considered as the highest in the world and the home of Mount Everest, earth's highest mountain rising more than 29,009 feet above sea level.
Tibetans are mostly Buddhist, but there are also some Muslims and Christians, according to sources.
Last year, one Tibetan Buddhist priest embraced Jesus Christ and became a Christian pastor after seeing the love of Christ shown by a group of Christian workers who helped out and provided relief goods to the people of the region when a major earthquake struck the area, according to Joe Handley, president of Asian Access, a Christian organisation seeking to spread God's Word in South Asia.
Now, the seed of Christian love has grown. In an update, Handley reports that 62 other Buddhist monks have decided to follow the footsteps of the former Buddhist lama and are now following Christ as well.
And that's not all. "Just within the last year alone, [church leaders] are estimating that more than 200,000 people have come to Christ as a result of the labours of the Christian community there," Handley says.
What is causing this avalanche of Christian conversions?
Handley says this is all due to the work of Christian workers who provided hope and healing to the people of Tibet in the aftermath of last year's devastating quake. "They haven't seen Buddhists, Hindus, or other religious groups helping in the midst of the rubble. Rather, week after week, it is the followers of Jesus who have proved the test of time, sacrificed their own lives to serve and been the hands and feet of Jesus," he says.
Asian Access is playing a key role in this spiritual movement by training church leaders with the aim of establishing long-term spiritual growth in the region.
"Asian Access just has the privilege of coming alongside key pastors like the ones that have invested in this Tibetan priest's life," Handley says. "We invest deeply, building their capacity so they can reach their communities."
"God does amazing things when you invest in people and see them grow deeper in Him, grow stronger as leaders, learn how to reproduce other leaders, and then it spreads through church planting efforts in ways that are simply remarkable," he adds.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/what.showing.gods.love.can.do.200000.tibetans.including.62.buddhist.monks.decide.to.follow.jesus/88890.htm
Let’s pray for this wonderful turning of Tibetans to Jesus to grow and spread to wherever Tibetans are found in China, India and in diaspora. Pray that they will realize that Tibetan Buddhism is an awful deception and bondage to the evil one and that they will be liberated by coming to know Jesus. Pray too for foreigners that have gotten ensnared by the Dalai Lama and his false teachings. Many are unaware that he gets his guidance from a demon-possessed oracle (Nechung Oracle). Pray for the overthrow of this system of demonic darkness and that even Tibetan monks like the Dalai Lama himself will repent of their involvement and be delivered by the power of God from this terrible and destructive idolatry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has just crossed a very dangerous line. He has just signed a law making it illegal for Russian followers of Jesus Christ to share or preach the Gospel anywhere outside the walls of their church, or even email their family and friends to invite them to church. What's more, he has done so under the guise of preventing "terrorism."
As I have been warning for a decade (see here, here, here and in my 2006 book, Epicenter), Putin -- who is fashioning himself as a rising Czar -- is an increasingly dangerous despot. He continues to centralize government power and control to himself. He is trampling over human rights, the media, and NGOs. He is rebuilding the Russian military. He has invaded neighboring Georgia and Ukraine. He is arming and building alliances with Radical Islamic countries, particularly Iran.
Now, Putin is positioning himself as an enemy of Christ and His Church. If he doesn't not reverse course, he risks bringing disaster upon himself and the people of Russia.
As Christianity Today reports, last week "Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a package of anti-terrorism laws that usher in tighter restrictions on missionary activity and evangelism. Despite prayers and protests from religious leaders and human rights advocates, the Kremlin announced Putin’s approval yesterday. The amendments, including laws against sharing faith in homes, online, or anywhere but recognized church buildings, go into effect July 20."
Please read and share this important article from Christianity Today with others. Please be praying for God to change Putin's heart. Please be praying for the pastors and Christian leaders and lay people in Russia. And please pray for the Russian people. This is a very dangerous road they are now heading down.
EXCERPTS FROM THE CT ARTICLE:
......Though opponents to the new measures hope to eventually appeal in court or elect legislators to amend them, they have begun to prepare their communities for life under the new rules, reported Forum 18 News Service, a Christian outlet reporting on the region.
Protestants and religious minorities small enough to gather in homes fear they will be most affected. Last month, “the local police officer came to a home where a group of Pentecostals meet each Sunday," Konstantin Bendas, deputy bishop of the Pentecostal Union, told Forum 18. "With a contented expression he told them: ‘Now they're adopting the law I'll drive you all out of here.’ I reckon we should now fear such zealous enforcement.”
“There are potentially very wide-sweeping ramifications to this law,” Joel Griffith of the Slavic Gospel Association said in a Mission Network News report. “It just depends on, again, how it is going to be enforced, and that is a very huge question mark.”
------
Earlier CT reporting (June 29): Christians in Russia won’t be allowed to email their friends an invitation to church or to evangelize in their own homes if Russia’s newest set of surveillance and anti-terrorism laws are enacted.
The proposed laws, considered the country’s most restrictive measures in post-Soviet history, place broad limitations on missionary work, including preaching, teaching, and engaging in any activity designed to recruit people into a religious group.
To share their faith, citizens must secure a government permit through a registered religious organization, and they cannot evangelize anywhere besides churches and other religious sites. The restrictions even apply to activity in private residences and online.
This week, Russia’s Protestant minority—estimated around 1 percent of the population—prayed, fasted, and sent petitions to President Vladimir Putin, who will have to approve the measures before they become official.
“Most evangelicals—leaders from all seven denominations—have expressed concerns,” Sergey Rakhuba, president of Mission Eurasia and a former Moscow church-planter, told CT. “They’re calling on the global Christian community to pray that Putin can intervene and God can miraculously work in this process.”
Following a wave of Russian nationalist propaganda, the laws passed almost unanimously in the Duma, the upper house, on Friday and in the Federation Council, the lower house, today.
“If this legislation is approved, the religious situation in the country will grow considerably more complicated and many believers will find themselves in exile and subjected to reprisals because of our faith,” wrote Oleg Goncharov, spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventists’ Euro-Asia division, in an open letter.
Proposed by United Russia party lawmaker Irina Yarovaya, the law appears to target religious groups outside the Russian Orthodox church. Because it defines missionary activities as religious practices to spread a faith beyond its members, “if that is interpreted as the Moscow Patriarchate is likely to, it will mean the Orthodox Church can go after ethnic Russians but that no other church will be allowed to,” according to Frank Goble, an expert on religious and ethnic issues in the region.
Russian nationalist identity remains tied up with the Russian Orthodox church.
“The Russian Orthodox church is part of a bulwark of Russian nationalism stirred up by Vladimir Putin,” David Aikman, history professor and foreign affairs expert, told CT. “Everything that undermines that action is a real threat, whether that’s evangelical Protestant missionaries or anything else.”
Sergei Ryakhovsky, head of the Protestant Churches of Russia, and several other evangelical leaders called the law a violation of religious freedom and personal conscience in a letter to Putin posted on the Russian site Portal-Credo. The letter reads, in part:
The obligation on every believer to have a special permit to spread his or her beliefs, as well as hand out religious literature and material outside of places of worship and used structures is not only absurd and offensive, but also creates the basis for mass persecution of believers for violating these provisions.
Soviet history shows us how many people of different faiths have been persecuted for spreading the Word of God. This law brings us back to a shameful past."
Stalin-era religious restrictions—including outlawing religious activity outside of Sunday services in registered churches and banning parents from teaching faith to their kids—remained on the books until the collapse of the Soviet Union, though the government enforced them only selectively.
Some have questioned whether the government could or would monitor religious activity in private Christian homes.
“I don’t think you can overestimate the Russian government’s willingess to exert control,” Aikman told CT. If history is any indication, the proposed regulations reveal a pattern of “creeping totalitarianism” in the country, he said....
If passed, the anti-evangelism law carries fines up to US $780 for an individual and $15,500 for an organization. Foreign visitors who violate the law face deportation.
Russia has already moved to contain foreign missionaries. The “foreign agent” law, adopted in 2012, requires groups from abroad to file detailed paperwork and be subject to government audits and raids. Since then, the NGO sector has shrunk by a third, according to government statistics....
From joelcrosenberg | July 13, 2016 at 10:29 am | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-5eZ
Please pray for religious freedom to be preserved throughout Russia and for the strengthening of the followers of Jesus wherever they are in this vast nation. Pray for true revival to hit the Russian Orthodox Church and its hierarchy as well as for Vladimir Putin and members of his government. Russia has had such massive revivals in the past and we pray for another visitation of His Spirit there.
This movement of praying children has been facilitated by a network of children's prayer coordinators across the country since 2003. This network now exists in 72 (seventy-two) regions / cities throughout Indonesia. The functions and duties of the facilitator is to teach children to pray at his local church and to invite Sunday school teachers each week from churches in the area and city. They gather together in a church or in other facility that is sufficient to accommodate the children from all the local churches in that region to pray together with specific prayer requests according to the situation of their city and the nation as a whole.
Every year, when the children are out of school, churches or local children's prayer network administrators hold prayer training for children. Prayer requests from the leadership of the national network of children's prayer and the reading of the Word of God are prepared and shared with the kids by the church Sunday school teacher.
In addition, every year, in the month of June, all network administrators mobilize children to pray for children at risk . They pray about the condition of children in the world as well as those in Indonesia with material supplied by an international organization called VIVA Network. Through such training and prayer for specific requests, the children's prayer movement continues to grow around the nation.
To ensure that the children's prayer movement is still being strengthened and continues, at both the annual prayer activities and the routine monthly ones, we assign a mentor for each of these activities. One of his or her tasks is to ensure the delivery of the monthly prayer requests and invocations of prayer for children at risk. This practice has also encouraged the movement of children to pray.
There are many testimonies of how children's prayers have been answered powerfully by the Lord. Miracles of any sicknesses healed and other wonderful transformations, such as the closing down of dark places of criminal activity, have happened. Also, children who engage in prayer have a character that is much more obedient along with a fondness for reading the Word of God and praising the Lord. They also have a concern for the protection of the environment.
We continue to expand the network with those who have a love and concern for the spiritual nurture of children. Our goal is that by 2017 there will be 200 children's prayer networks with teams of facilitators, so that more churches will get involved in the funding and there will be a greatly increased number of number of children who pray.
Please pray with us that we will keep praying and working until all areas / regions / cities in Indonesia have children that pray. Thanks be to God!