Last weekend here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 140 ministry leaders and a few public officials were electrified to hear the testimony of Pastor Poncho Murguia. We also took him to Santa Fe, the oldest capital in the USA to speak on the plaza for the Fall Gathering of Churches where he also spoke. Poncho after leading a large and successful mega church for years was instructed by the Lord to “leave everything” and to go a city park in his native Juarez, Mexico in order to fast and pray for three weeks over the city. During that process, he learned from the first time to really love and understand his city and then to “adopt” the city. Eventually 4000 other believers in Jesus joined him in a movement of transformational prayer and action that has changed Juarez from “the murder capital of the world” with violence 25 times as much as any on other city on earth to one of the safest of Mexico’s cities.
At the height of the violence that swept the city which had become the site of a prolonged turf battle between drug cartels, 20-30 people were being assassinated by “sicarios”, hit men paid an average of $50 to kill anyone. They killed a young man just as he was being married to his fiancée in a church and freely machine-gunned peace-loving people who were having dinner in restaurants. There were also an average of 10-15 kidnappings per day and if loved ones did not pay the ransom that was demanded, their family member would have his ears or fingers amputated first and if there was still no payment, he or she would be killed and buried under the floor of the “safehouse” that served as their prison.
Twenty percent or 300,000 people left the city; 30% of the businesses closed. The cartels made lists of police officers and systematically assassinated them one by one to terrorize and exact concessions. The smell of blood filled the streets. Such overwhelming violence that the police and even the army could not control finally drove the pastors of the city’s churches together in prayer. They humbled themselves before the Lord, taking responsibility for the situation since they had been occupying themselves with their own congregations and “building their own kingdoms” without a real love and concern for the whole city. As they underwent this process together, God demonstrated His presence and the crime rate fell by 93% within 18 months. Even the United Nations cannot understand how this happened! Other wonderful transformations happened and as they “adopted” the “sicarios”, many of these vicious hit men came to Christ and were discipled to serve Him back in their own towns across Mexico. Gloria a Dios!
Poncho challenged us concerning our own state of New Mexico, which has a spike in violent crime and other social problems that the government and police are not being effective in fixing. How much do we ministry leaders really love the world? The church he said is just the instrument of God’s love for the world (John 3:16), not an end in itself. He told us that we spend too much time studying the Bible when God wants us to “be the Bible” to our needy city.
I think that all of us were impacted deeply by Poncho’s testimony and want to apply what we learned here in New Mexico. We as a group came up with several good follow-on steps that we plan to implement, reaching out to other ministry leaders and churches as we go to see such a transformational movement happen here. It will start with prayer, getting on God’s wavelength together, and then obeying Him to adopt not only the public officials and police but also other people groups and institutions of our society. The example of Juarez and the efforts of Poncho and the other believers there demonstrate vividly and dramatically that the Lord can transform even the most hopeless of situations, whether in cities or nations.
The attached video about the transformation of Juarez should encourage us all to begin a similar process where we live. The TransformOurWorld.org website has other videos and resources that can practically help us. Above all, get together with a few other brothers and sisters in Christ to begin adopting your hometown in ongoing prayer and those appropriate, loving actions God leads you to undertake together. You will be amazed at what happens!
Video link to Juarez transformation video:
https://transformourworld.org/2016/07/29/the-miracle-of-ciudad-juarez/
John Robb
IPC Chairman
An invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury
29 Sep 2016
Thy Kingdom come 25 May – 4 June 2017
In 2016 the Archbishops of Canterbury and York invited parishes across England to join a great wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost.The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands joined the wave of prayer in churches of many traditions and denominations around England and around the world. What began as invitation in England started to look like the beginnings of a global wave of prayer for people to know Jesus Christ.
For 2017 the vision is even bigger. The Presidents of Churches Together in England are joining with the Archbishop of Canterbury and York to make the call to churches of all denominations in England, and Archbishop Justin Welby is sending out the call to every part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the World Methodist Council to Methodist Churches worldwide.
The three aims are:
To join in prayer with the whole family of God the Father
To pray for the empowering of God the Holy Spirit
That we may be effective witnesses to God the Son, Jesus Christ.
As we look to 2017 there is a remarkable and beautiful desire across denominations and countries to share in this great work of prayer. The Presidents of Churches Together in England are committed. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has committed to playing a full part. The Free Churches Group is actively encouraging all its member churches to get involved. Many of the Pentecostal churches and new churches will be participating, and several of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches in the UK have signalled their support. Provinces across the Anglican Communion have been invited to join the wave of prayer, and the World Methodist Council is encouraging all Methodists to warmly receive and actively participate in it. We also hope there will be ‘Beacon events’ in many capital cities in Europe.
'Thy Kingdom Come 2017 Invite' for SOCIAL MEDIA with ENGLISH SUBTITLES from Frogspawn Creative Limited on Vimeo.
More information on the Thy Kingdom Come website
IS hostage Kayla Mueller's faith was so bold, so raw, so refreshing that 20/20 investigated her Christianity for an episode on the modern-day Stephen. A fellow-hostage (from Doctors without Borders) said, ‘She was always considerate of others, even though she herself was in a very difficult situation. She was always concerned for other prisoners. She never stopped caring for others.’ Kayla was kidnapped by IS in 2013. They told her parents she was alive in 2014, but then airstrikes hit. Her death was announced in 2015. Despite rape, torture and further unthinkable abuse, Mueller's fellow hostages say she refused to deny Christ and even witnessed to Islamic State executioner, Jihadi John. The 20/20 episode premièred last week and is available at
‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ (Genesis 50:20) In the two months since Rev Jacques Hamel was brutally slain at the altar of his parish by an IS sympathiser, church attendance has increased in the town, said Archbishop Dominique Lebrun. He said that on a psychological level there is fear, but on a deep level in the soul, there is strength. ‘I do not think Jesus said it is stupid to be afraid, or there is no reason to be afraid. No, Jesus said, have the courage to be afraid.’ Pope Francis called the priest ‘blessed’, the step preceding sainthood.
NHS cuts planned
23 Sep 2016
The BBC has seen draft plans which propose ward closures, cuts in bed numbers and changes to A&E and GP care in 44 areas. The plans, which are due to be signed off next month, are being drawn up by local health and social care leaders. Many remain unpublished even though up to 20% of beds may be closed. The role of community hospitals is being questioned, and the number of mental health inpatient sites could be reduced. There have been no consultations on the plans so far. NHS England needs to find £22bn in efficiency savings by 2020-21 while improving patient care at the same time. Pray for the think tanks which need to make ‘fundamental changes’. Pray for openness to public and political scrutiny, which so far has been lacking. In the past there has been reluctance from political leaders to address the way things are organised in the NHS.
Prayer and action for peace and justice
23 Sep 2016
On Monday Hinde Street Methodist Church in London opened a life-sized copy of a border control point of the separation barrier between Israel and Palestine. Visitors walked through a checkpoint accompanied by photography, sound, testimony and eyewitness accounts. It is one of many events taking place in churches around the country as part of World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel organised by the World Council of Churches. It is described as a week of advocacy and action supporting ‘an end to occupation’. While peace between Israelis and Palestinians is something Christians are actively praying for, resources provided in support of the week are biased against Israel and fail to present Israel’s position on why the security barrier is needed. Also this week, on Wednesday, the UN held the International Day of Peace. Its purpose is to recognise those working to end conflict and promote peace and positive change.
Scottish Brexit and trade
23 Sep 2016
Michael Russell, the Scottish minister negotiating with the UK Government ahead of Brexit, has said he hopes to win the argument on staying in the single market. In a joint statement with Mr Davis, the UK Brexit minister, he said, ‘While we clearly come from very different standpoints, we both recognise that a good working relationship is vital.’ Meanwhile The Economist reported, ‘The grittiest part of the Brexit negotiations will be over trade. Brexiteers correctly argue there’s no need for a trade deal to trade, but without a comprehensive free-trade deal with the EU, British exporters could face tariffs and non-tariff barriers, where it currently faces neither.’ We can pray for our nations to be aligned and connected for trade according to God’s design, purpose and blessing, and for ministers and civil servants to carry God’s vision and plans. We can pray life and blessing over all key trading links, old and new, and for doors which God desires to open to be supernaturally opened. See also:
Christian comeback is coming
23 Sep 2016
US theologian Brian McLaren is not alone when he says, ‘Things are only now getting bad enough that Christian faith finally has a chance of getting significantly better.’ In the US and the UK most forms of Western Christian faith are shrinking, with church movement but not church growth. However, McLaren suggests that if the Church could rediscover its call to unconditional love and service rather than focusing on a set of unquestionable beliefs, its future could be not decline but a new era of powerful renaissance. While organised religion is in decline, he sees a potential for ‘organising religion’ to take its place. He describes this as ‘missional migration’, which flows from a reaction against a Church which has been oppressive and genocidal, rooted in a conception of God as being violent and judgmental. Such heritage turns many away from the Church, offering nothing for those who identify as ‘spiritual but not religious’.