Prayers for Nations
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2009 May Prayer Assignments
“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry......”Psalm 10:17
We are entering the fullness of spring which speaks of new life, hope and the indomitable human spirit that always seeks to rise above difficulties. In many of the nations we will be praying for this month there are multiple challenges, basic needs, human rights issues and most important the need to see the hope of the gospel.
I pray that you will feel a renewed call to lift up the nations and people groups who have yet to hear that Jesus came, died, rose and is the way to a life of perpetual spring. Let us pray to the God who hears.
1. Eq. Guinea: Since 1980 there has been increasing religious freedom and a number of newer Pentecostal, charismatic and evangelical denominations have started and grown. (AoG, Baptists, Deeper Life, etc.).
Pray for purity of life and fervency in evangelism in the churches despite the prevailing poverty, corruption and despair.
Pray also for full liberty for the gospel.
The Bible Society finally gained registration in 1999 and distributes Scriptures. A New Testament in Bubi has just been completed.
Pray for adequate distribution networks and free importation of Scriptures.
The Fang New Testament is being translated by Pioneer Bible Translators.
Pray for its completion.
2. Eritrea: Peace and national recovery has been delayed by conflicts with Ethiopia and Yemen. The Ethiopian war caused the death of 70,000+ Eritreans and Ethiopians in fierce trench warfare. The two presidents are both Tigrinya and were once friends.
Pray for humility, willingness to compromise on the part of the leaders, and a just peace to end hostilities that neither country can afford.
Freedom of religion is a major issue. Fear of Islamist extremism and Christian evangelicalism has virtually ended international NGO projects and aid and has also restricted the entry of expatriate Christian workers.
Pray for these restrictions to be lifted and for harmony between the ethnic and religious communities to be maintained.
3. Estonia: The introduction of capitalism has brought wealth – accompanied by a moral slide. In Estonia's growing economy, luxury co-exists with severe poverty.
Western-style materialism is found everywhere, and crime and divorce has skyrocketed since 1991.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to create a hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness.
Estonia's attempts to preserve national identity have alienated the large Russian minority. The Russians are not popular because of 50 years of oppression and because of the $4 billion clean-up bill left by their military forces.
Pray that Estonia's government may act with wisdom and discretion in establishing an identity for all of its people.
The Church is now free. Nominalism is widespread in an aging Lutheran state church. Younger churches (Pentecostals, Charismatics, Baptists) are growing more rapidly than others.
Pray that it may not become 'soft' now that persecution has ended.
Estonia is in need of evangelism in much the same manner as the rest of Europe. Most people notionally recognize Christianity's principles, but have little desire to commit themselves to Christ.
Pray that God might strip away their secular materialism and empower the Church to reveal the living Christ to them.
4-5.Ethiopia: Ethiopia's political leaders confront crises on many fronts: a) Hostilities with Eritrea have crippled efforts to revive and modernize the country. b) Ethnic fragmentation remains a real possibility. The central government is predominantly Tigrayan in composition and other larger ethnic groups – Amhara, Oromo, Somali and Afar – are restive. Repression, famines, wars and deep poverty have traumatized many.
Pray for wisdom, humility, courage and a seeking after God among those in leadership.
Pray for peace and the right climate to bring about change for the better.
6. Faeroe Island: Wisdom in government is needed as the Islands decide on a more independent future.
Pray that God would give the leaders wisdom to oversee increasing autonomy from Denmark, as well as the courage to make strong decisions in managing the shrinking fishing industry and potentially booming oil industry – both of these industries have great environmental and social repercussions.
The Faeroes need revival. From the largely nominal state Lutheran Church to the charismatic house churches, local Christian leaders all agree that these islands need a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. The Lutheran Church especially has declined. Only a small minority of church members regularly attend. Yet there are strong evangelical movements within its membership, such as the pietist Home Mission with 35 prayer houses and 3,000 members and a growing overseas missions commitment.
Pray for the Spirit to make the Faeroes truly Christian and not just in name only.
Falkland Island: There are only three significant Protestant denominations among the Islanders (Anglican, Tabernacle United Free Church and Baptist) with a few actively witnessing Christians.
Pray for believers in their witness to fellow-islanders and to the oilmen and fishermen of many nationalities who work in the seas around the islands.
The British forces based on these bleak, windswept Islands face a lonely, thankless task.
Pray for believers in the forces as they witness to their comrades and for the work of Mission to Military Garrisons to bear fruit.
Fiji: The legacy of British colonial greed has had a long-term impact on Fiji. These effects: a) The resentment of the indigenous Fijians against the importation of Indian indentured labour from 1870 onwards. The results were manifest in the high crime rate among Fijians and the 1987 coup and following discrimination against the Indians. b) The discrediting of Christianity in the eyes of the Indians and the present ingrained attitudes of fear, mistrust, minority complex and insecurity. c) The close link between Fijian nationalism and politicized Christianity The coup split the dominant Methodist Church.
Pray for a spirit of repentance, healing of past wounds, a fair society, and a new freedom for the true gospel.
7. Finland: The Free Churches, both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal, are relatively small but spiritually vigorous and growing. Charismatic renewal has had a marked impact.
Pray for greater unity and cooperation in evangelism and missions among these various bodies, and between the Free Churches and Lutherans.
Less reached peoples. Many refugees and asylum-seekers have come to Finland from Central and Eastern Europe and an increasing number from Asia and Africa. Many are Muslims, and few have ever heard the gospel before. Some fellowships are providing international meetings for these people, and there are some ethnic fellowships, such as the small Chinese church in Helsinki.
Pray that these immigrants might have the chance to encounter Jesus in a real and attractive way.
Young people's ministries have great potential. A high proportion of Finnish young people attend confirmation camps. This is an opportunity for them to come to a living faith in Christ. Many students in Finland do not reside on campuses, so organizing the groups is much more difficult.
Pray that the leaders might display a godly example of the walk of faith.
Pray also for the campus ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Student Mission.
8.-10. France: There are major spiritual strongholds that hinder acceptance of the gospel. Pray for breakthrough in the following areas:
a) The brutal persecutions of the Huguenots (French Protestants) in the 16th and 17th Centuries is a dark stain on the soul of France. Many were slaughtered and 200,000 fled to other lands – to their enrichment and France's impoverishment. Yet Calvin, the great reformer and theologian, produced the only authentically French theological expression of Christianity. The loss of its biblical Christian population was a contributing factor leading to the explosion of the French Revolution b.) The French Revolution in 1789-1801 was one of the defining moments of world history. While some good came from this upheaval, it also spawned much violence, desires for world domination, the deification of humanism and ultimately the ideologies that distorted world history for 200 years and only ended with the collapse of European Communism in 1989. The effects of that cataclysm still deeply affect French attitudes to themselves, other nations and to Christianity itself. c) The insensitivity of the Anglophone nations, especially England and the USA. Evangelical Christianity is seen as an Anglo-Saxon imposition on France together with the cultural, linguistic and economic 'imperialisms' perceived to be eroding the French way of life. d) The surprisingly widespread involvement with occult practices. The 50,000 full-time practitioners of these black arts outnumber the 35,000 known Christian workers. Every level of society is involved, with its inevitable spiritual impact.
Protestants were accepted at the Reformation, and at one stage some estimate that 48% of the French population had embraced the new teaching. Persecution in the 17th and 18th Centuries and humanism and nominalism in the 19th and 20th Centuries have reduced this to 1.6% in 2000. Protestantism is a respected moral force less tainted by the 'guilt' of the Catholic Church, but is spiritually too compromised by liberal theology, universalism and tolerance to exploit that advantage. Protestants are more numerous in Alsace and the south but nominalism and decline are too common. Yet there are staunch evangelical believers in most Reformed and Lutheran congregations. Pray for a restoration to the faith and commitment of their martyr forebears.
11. French Guiana: The most responsive peoples are the Haitians, Antilleans, Hmong and Brazilians, and it is among these peoples that the AoG, Baptists, (SBC, CMA) and Brethren are growing.
Pray for men and women to be called into the ministry and for the young churches to mature in understanding and vision.
Pray for The least reached peoples:
a) The Amerindian tribes – never has any permanent work been established among the inland tribes, but Christians of these tribes in Suriname and Brazil have made evangelistic forays. Pray for the Arawak ,Wayana ,Palikur ,Oyapi and Emerillon.
b) The nominally Catholic Caribs .
c) The inland settlements of largely animistic Maron set up by escaped slaves.
d) The Chinese. There has been a small outreach by Suriname Chinese Christians.
e) The French and European communities linked with the space program – few are active Christians.
Fr. Polynesia: Tahiti is a paradise gone tragically wrong. Once a Christian nation that sent missionaries all over the Pacific, Tahiti is now being debased by promiscuity (over 60% illegitimate births), prostitution, alcoholism, drug abuse and the breakdown of family life. Young people are frustrated and seeking answers in their confusion, but where are the fervent messengers of the gospel? No longer do Tahitian missionaries leave for other lands as they once did.Those with a vital personal faith are now rare. As a result, there is a reversion to the bondage of pagan occultism and a multiplication of syncretistic and foreign sects, especially two forms of Mormonism. Those who migrate from rural areas to Papeete are usually lost to the Church.
Pray for a spiritual revolution to take place among the many nominal Catholic and Protestant Christians.
12. Gabon: Gabon is a spiritual battlefield. The conversion of the President and many government leaders to Islam, the pervasive influence of indigenous secret societies which all government leaders had to join, endemic alcoholism and widespread ignorance of the gospel are all indicators of this. While the vast majority claim to be Christian, Gabonese still fall back on their traditional religions in times of need.
Pray that these influences may be broken down.
The Catholic Church retains its old political influence, and the majority of the population were baptized Catholic, but a large number still follow the old animist ways. The Catholic Church's growth peaked decades ago, but with steady losses to Islam, other churches and sects in recent years.
Pray that the many nominal Christians may see and embrace the pure gospel.
There is a dearth of indigenous church leaders in Gabon. Gabonese Christians need teaching and pastoring to mature, but the first step is to train national pastors and leaders for this. Opportunities for trainers are many. There are two small Bible schools with 40 students, along with hundreds of TEE students.
Pray that God might raise up those equipped for the task.
13. The Gambia: Islam is dominant, yet the land remains open for the gospel. Little effort has ever been directed at reaching the Muslim majority and converts from Islam have been few – but their numbers are increasing. The Mandinka, made famous by Alex Haley's book 'Roots', are a key people.
Pray for continued freedom to witness and for openness of heart for Muslims to receive the truth.
Islam is gradually gaining ground with the last few pockets of uncommitted animist peoples now becoming Muslim. Saudi Arabia has given much financial aid to the country with Islamic 'strings' attached. There is little Christian witness in the up-river towns and villages, though this is increasing.
Pray for significant numbers of Muslim families from all ethnic groups to be drawn to Christ, and thus reverse this trend.
Missionary work in the Gambia was pioneered by the Anglicans and Methodists. Much of their work was confined to the Aku (Creole-speaking descendants of freed slaves in Banjul). Catholics and Methodists have impacted the Jola and both have Manjako congregations. Many newer Nigerian, Ghanaian and Liberian ministries have begun, but most are working more amongst the nominally Christian groups and expatriates than the indigenous Muslim peoples.
Pray that all churches may see results among the Muslim majority.
14. Georgia: Georgia's independence, gained with such hope has been soured by a series of inter-ethnic wars aided and abetted by Russian efforts to undermine and control the country. The lot of most Georgians is harsh due to massive unemployment and profound economic setbacks.
Pray for peace, an ending of Russian interference, economic stabilization and ethnic harmony so that the nation might gain the opportunity to recover.
The Georgian Orthodox Church has a history stretching back to AD 150. Communist repression, infiltration and subversion brought both martyrdom and compromise. By 1970 only 80 congregations were still functioning. Stalin, the USSR's most cruel ruler, was a Georgian. Since Communism's collapse and Georgian independence, many have returned to the Church of their ancestors with even the President being baptized.
Pray that this return to their spiritual roots might be accompanied by spiritual life – for most it is more an expression of nationalism.
The small Protestant Church struggled for survival under Communism. Since independence there has been sustained hostility and opposition from factions in the Orthodox Church. Evangelical ministries have been repressed, their work maligned as sectarian. They have had problems in acquiring buildings and the necessary permits for holding meetings. There have been incidents of meetings broken up, sometimes violently, and materials confiscated.
Pray for religious freedom and an acceptance of the validity of diversity of beliefs which this implies.
15.-17. Germany: Germany's wealth, power and strategic location in the EU and Europe could be of inestimable value for the Kingdom of God. For this, a strong, courageous leadership based on Christian values is needed. Sadly, scandals have eroded the credibility of politicians and of the whole political process.
Pray for leaders to be raised up who are willing to tackle unresolved issues – the economy, the remaining disparities between East and West since reunification, and Germany's place in an expanding EU.
The Free Churches have a high proportion of Evangelicals but only represent 1.5% of the nation's population. Some denominations are stagnating or declining, but others are growing. Between 1988 and 1993 there were 800 new Free churches planted, and between 1992 and 1995 a further 228. During the 1990s many western Free churches planted congregations in the east.
Pray for an increase in vision, innovative outreach and effective church planting that reaches every area and population segment of the nation.
Theological education has proved a major cause of decline in the Protestant Church with high levels of scholarship but spiritually destructive teachings. The 13 universities that award theological degrees necessary for acceptance into the EKD ministry have been monopolized by liberal, neo-orthodox and other non-biblical theologians for decades and Evangelicals have been marginalized.
In the mid-1990s there were 12,000 Protestants and 10,000 Catholics in these faculties, but these numbers are in rapid decline.
Pray for more professors who openly proclaim the Truth to be welcomed to teach in these institutions.
Pray for evangelical students in these spiritual morgues.
Pray for those who seek to help them stand true to Scripture through pre-university courses and hostels that run parallel courses in the university cities.
18.-19. Ghana: The rocky first decades after independence were not good soil for developing stable, fair, democratic institutions. Since 1995 there have been both tribal wars and inter-religious violence.
Pray for those in government that they may subject themselves to God rather than human ideologies or demonic influences and seek the best for the diverse peoples and religious groups of Ghana.
Missionary personnel to serve as Bible teachers, translators, media experts and pioneer evangelists are still needed in this day of opportunity. A key area for prayer is that there might be healthy, helpful partnerships between indigenous church leaders and missionaries.
Pray for missions serving the Lord in this land.
For years, Christianity has had a large following in the more developed south. Over 64% of Ghanaians call themselves Christian, but only 40% have any link with a church and only 12% are regular church attendees. African traditional worldviews and practices have gone hand-in-hand with the claim of being Christian. The deadness and formality of many older churches have stimulated rapid growth of the African Independent Churches, which offer excitement, involvement and miracles, but not always salvation by faith. The number of these denominations may be in the thousands! Pray that the true gospel may shine into the hearts of those who call themselves Christian but who are not born from above.
Pray that a decisive break may be made from all fetishism and occult bondages, and true liberty in Jesus be found.
20. Gibraltar: The majority of the population is Catholic. There is a minority of other mainline denominations (Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist). The evangelical witness is small with only 4 English and Spanish-speaking congregations (Brethren, Filadelphia Pentecostal [Roma], charismatic). The scarcity of churches in nearby North Africa and southern Spain make Gibraltar's Christians strategically placed for the gospel.
Pray for revival and for God to inspire them with a new zeal for witnessing.
Greece: Greece was the first European country to be evangelized (Acts 16:10), but Christianity is now more cultural than spiritual, with only 2% of the population in church on an average Sunday. Evangelical church members number only around 15,000. The Macedonian call is just as valid today. The Orthodox Church was a focal rallying point in the dark years of Turkish and German occupations. Orthodoxy became part of the Greek identity and made Greeks often xenophobic. All other expressions of Christianity are seen as a threat to the state and the culture. Greeks have a high regard for Orthodox institutions but are little involved in church activities. There is a godly, committed minority with a personal faith, but the great majority is in ignorance of the message of the gospel and are most unreceptive to any non-Orthodox witness.
Pray for the breaking down of prejudice, blindness and fear and for biblical renewal in Orthodoxy.
21. Greenland: Greenland has been Christianized, but not converted. Nearly every settlement has its Lutheran church building – but many are empty of biblical theology, people, or life. The Evangelical population is very low.
Pray for renewal and new life for Dane and Greenlander alike.
The culture of the Greenlanders, so finely tuned to their inhospitable environment, has been devastated by modernity. The dire results have been widespread immorality, alcoholism, apathy, mental illness and suicide. With self-government, Greenland's culture has revived.
Pray that the retranslated Bible may be read, then remold the people and bring to birth a truly Greenlandic Church.
Only in the 1950s was an evangelical witness established. Through the ministry of Scandinavian Pentecostal (6 workers); Free Church missionaries (2), and also Faeroese Brethren (5), and more recently, NTM (11), churches have been planted, including 7 Pentecostal congregations. Travel conditions are harsh and the communities along the coasts isolated. There are still 60 settlements without an evangelical gospel witness.
Pray that these may have a chance to hear the gospel in the near future.
Grenada: Much of the population is nominally Catholic because of the earlier French legacy, but Evangelicals have steadily grown in numbers and influence since independence. The major problems to be faced:a) Lack of unity and suspicion between denominations which result in little cooperation in outreach and missions. Pray for a closer fellowship and common vision to increase.b) Widespread nominalism even in evangelical congregations. The illegitimacy rate is 82% and there is little known of a stable two-parent family – in part a tragic legacy of the slave culture of earlier centuries.
Pray that Grenadian churches might begin to assume more responsibility and initiative in evangelism and church planting.
Missionary vision is lacking.
Pray for the YWAM team which is seeking to train and send out West Indian missionaries to unreached peoples elsewhere in the world.
21. Guadeloupe: The grim legacy of the cruelty of slavery has left its mark in the lack of meaningful marriage relationships and widespread occultism in the Afro-Caribbean majority. Yet it is among these that there is the greatest spiritual interest.
Pray that the gospel may transform and uplift these peoples.
Catholicism is a cultural veneer for most. The rapid growth of both evangelical groups and sects highlight the spiritual emptiness.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and bring many to true repentance.
Guam: The Chamorro have had a long history of oppression and, more recently, cultural disorientation with the influx of U.S. culture. The majority are Catholic, though other denominations are growing significantly.
Pray for the emergence of a true Chamorro Christian culture and witness.
Most Protestant congregations are multi-cultural. Immigrant communities have responded well to the gospel. There are four thriving Korean Presbyterian congregations, one Chinese, and also churches in each of the Micronesian immigrant ethnic groups. The Micronesians with their protected and nominal Christian background have found adaptation difficult, and need prayer for spiritual renewal and social assimilation.
Pray for a harvest among indigenous and immigrant peoples.
22. Guatemala: Recognition of the wrongs committed against the indigenous population over 500 years, and reconciliation after a generation of war with atrocities on both sides has to be faced and carried through to closure of the past. The part played by the USA in arming the oppressors and turning a blind eye to human rights abuses has only been partially acknowledged. There must be recognition of the multi-cultural character of the country. Christians have an essential role in this.
Pray especially for evangelical leaders from both Mayan and Spanish-speaking communities as they work toward the healing of the nation.
The Catholic Church has declined in influence and numbers. Defection to Evangelicals and to a revived Mayan religion has been massive. Espousal of liberation theology by some priests and the efforts to discipline the large charismatic renewal movement have further hastened the decline with many charismatics starting new churches or joining evangelical denominations.
Pray for new life to permeate the Church, and that charismatics may be rooted in Scripture rather than subjective experience.
23. Guinea: The Christian population is still a small minority, and concentrated in Conakry and the southeast forests. It is almost entirely Kissi, Kpelle and Toma in composition. The Evangelical Protestant Church (EPEG) – affiliated with the CMA, the AoG, and Shekinah churches have all more than doubled in the last decade. But outward growth has not been accompanied by revival.
Pray that the Holy Spirit might transform individuals, families and tribes, making them models for a truly African Christian lifestyle.
Young peoples' ministry is vital in Guinea, since 50% of the population is 16 or younger. CCC, IFES, and YWAM all have ministry in the country. Christian student groups operate all three universities, several colleges, and are expanding into several high schools. Calvary Ministries runs a youth centre in Conakry and WEC plans to open one there.
Pray for the Spirit to draw these younger Guineans to Christ.
24. Guinea-Bissau: Leadership in the evangelical churches is mature, with a real vision for evangelism and missions. There are still, however, many churches in the interior without any pastor. If they do have a pastor, he is often responsible for as many as 10 other congregations as well.
Pray for others to be called to the ministry.
Pray also for the Bible Institute, run by the Evangelical Church to train indigenous pastors. Ask the Lord for more national teachers, and that the costs of the Institute and support for the students would be increasingly met by national believers.
There is one Christian bookshop in the capital owned by a national believer. In an oral and largely illiterate society, books are not seen as a priority especially when they are expensive.
Pray for the owner of the bookshop to have wisdom in choosing the right materials to stock.
Pray also that national authors would write books appropriate and beneficial to Guinea-Bissau Christians.
The publishing of the whole Bible in Portuguese Creole in 1999 was an important point in the history of the Church in Guinea-Bissau. There are also New Testaments in Papel, Bijago, Fulbe and Mandingo, but they are not widely used.
Pray for wisdom and vision in knowing how best to make use of these translations in oral societies.
Pray for the continued translation work of the Balanta and Manjako NT.
25. Guyana: Most of the Afro-Guyanans are Christian, but nominalism in many denominations is widespread, stable two-parent families rare (a legacy of the time of slavery) and syncretistic and deviant beliefs common (Obeah spiritism and witchcraft, Rastafarianism and foreign sects).
Pray for life-changing renewal and revival to touch every denomination.
There is a vital, vibrant, growing evangelical witness and Evangelicals are found in all levels of society. Pentecostal, charismatic and evangelical denominations and fellowships have multiplied – notably the indigenous Full Gospel Fellowship, as well as the AoG and Baptists. Many of these have multi-racial congregations – the only bridge in a divided society.
Pray for all believers to demonstrate the power of the gospel in their unity, ethical rectitude and divine boldness.
Guyana's integrity as a state is threatened by the vociferous demands from Venezuela and Suriname on 70% of its land area and by inter-racial tensions internally. A new constitution is being prepared that is aimed at protecting human rights and promoting communal harmony.
Pray that with this both the present and future governments may roll back decades of societal polarization and bring about a society that is fair to all its citizens and gives hope for the future.
26. Haiti: Haiti needs to be freed from the bondages of its past. The Spanish genocide against the indigenous Arawakans, the cruel slavery instituted and maintained by the Spanish and then the French are a tragic background. The tyrannies, cruelties and use of voodoo as a means of control by the black elite have fostered a spirit of evil which permeates every level of society. More recent interventions – especially by the USA – have not improved the lot of the people.
Pray that: a) The powerful spirits that underlie voodooism might be bound in the name of Jesus and that this demonic system no longer be seen as Haiti's 'cultural heritage'. b) This nation might find true liberty and social change through the power of the gospel.
Haiti needs godly leaders that put first the good of the nation and the addressing of its massive problems. Two centuries of misrule, tyranny and recent flawed democratic attempts have brought hopelessness and despair. The population, crime, poverty, and chaos grow unchecked. Many have looked for hope in drugs or sailing a leaky boat to surrounding lands.
Pray that men and women may be raised up who will reverse these trends and bring justice, as well as economic and spiritual betterment to Haiti.
Holy See: The Pope is the head of the largest religious body on earth. He exercises an enormous influence within and beyond the Roman Catholic Church.
Pray that elections to this position may be of the right man for the time and bring about the radical changes required.
The Roman Catholic Church is going through a time of turmoil and change. There are many doctrines and emphases that divide this increasingly diverse body – the place of the Bible, ecumenism, the celibacy of the priesthood, the position of women.
Pray that the increasing use of the Bible may mould lives, doctrines and structures and affect the 1.1 billion Catholics in the world.
Spiritual renewal. Catholic charismatic renewal has had an impact far beyond the 100 million or so who are, or have been, involved. A large proportion of the Catholic missionary force is charismatic. The Evangelical Catholic movement has been gaining in influence and numbers with its more biblical interpretation of faith.
Pray that millions of nominal Catholics may come to a warm, living faith in the Lord Jesus.
Pray that they may be a bridge to like-minded Christians in other denominations and not lose their spiritual dynamism by being absorbed and neutralized by the system.
27. Honduras: The government is seeking to establish genuine democratic rule, but is hampered by a culture of crime, institutional violence with the military and vigilante death squads closely linked, and also by a corrupt judicial system that protects the privileged and is open to 'influence'.
Pray that God-fearing, moral leaders may be raised up for the country.
The less reached:
a) The street children. Poverty has led to many living on the streets without a home. In 1998 there were reckoned to be 8,000 in the capital, but this number has grown since 'Mitch'. These unfortunate children face being abused, exploited for sex (30% are HIV+) and most suffer from severe malnutrition.
Pray for: i) The several agencies seeking to meet their physical and spiritual needs, ii) Honduran churches to own this challenge, and iii) The basic causes of poverty, injustice and moral breakdown to be addressed and mitigated.
b) The minority Arab and Chinese communities, among whom there is little specific outreach.
28.-29 Hungary: Hungarians are groping for life solutions amidst uncertainty and rapid changes in society. There has been an increase in stress and many fall prey to alcoholism, suicide, burgeoning cults and the occult. Opportunities to minister exist in church and public schools, hospitals, prison, and in almost every element of society.
Pray that the Church might truly be a relevant witness to Hungarian society, displaying both compassion for the lost and confidence in the Saviour.
Suspicion, mistrust and division, legacies of Marxism, still affect attitudes and, more sadly, the Church. This has been particularly noticeable in tensions between the emerging and the traditional churches in Hungary. Pray for a deep work of the Holy Spirit bringing repentance, reconciliation and renewal within and between all denominations.
Pray for acceptance, trust and unity to truly characterize the Church.
The need for evangelists is great. The Church in general needs to mature in its ability to evangelize and overcome feelings of inferiority that restrain boldness in witness. There are many towns and cities where the number of nominal Christians is high and there are people with only a cursory contact with the good news. There is still resistance to the gospel in much of Hungary.
Pray for Spirit-led, creative forms of witness.
There is, however, not a single town in the country without an evangelical congregation. Pray that God might raise up many workers, as well as enthusiastic support for them from the national believers.
30. Iceland: The majority of Icelanders are only nominally Christian. As modern society drifts away from faith, the rates of suicide, substance abuse, and crime have all increased. Most Icelanders have had some involvement with New Age ideologies, the occult, and other such practices. Some of the more isolated areas are spiritual wastelands, with almost no active Christianity at all.
Ask the Lord to arrest this spiritual slide and awaken Icelanders to their spiritual needs.
The Lutheran and smaller, but similar, Free Churches are often compromised by liberal theology and practice; many are opposed to the preaching of the true gospel. A few pastors and congregations remain faithful, and in some cases congregations are growing. Pray that they might prosper in the Lord.
Only a fraction of members actually attend church.
Pray for a surge of new vigor and fervor in the congregations, the leadership and the Theological Faculty where all pastors are trained.
31. India: India has more (and larger) people groups with no Christians, churches or workers than any other part of the world. Pray that the Church world-wide might rise to complete this task.
The Church in India is, at the same time, both vital and growing, and nominal and in decline.
a) Much of organized Christianity is based on people movements over the past 400 years and in many denominations Western forms, liberal theology, universalism and a growing nominalism has dried up the rivers of the Spirit to the millions of non-Christians around them. Many congregations have no first-generation Christians from a non-Christian background. Disputes over personalities, power and property have led to many divisions, court cases, a widespread disillusionment and a steady loss of young people to secularism and nominal Hinduism.
Pray that present pressures and the work of the Holy Spirit might bring new life to traditional streams of Christianity.
b) The need for change in the Church has never been greater. Pray for:
i) Unity. The All India Christian Council was formed in 1998 to protect and serve Christians from all denominations. Over 2,000 denominations and associations are participating in the AICC. There is greater unity than ever known before, because of the more hostile national environment. The past has been characterized by a spirit of divisiveness.
Pray for this unity to mature and develop and to be made visible to the watching world. There also needs to be a greater cooperation and accountability between local churches and sending agencies.
ii) Indigeneity in music, worship and culture – for too long churches have appeared foreign.
iii) Greater reliance on cell/house churches of an Indian model than on Western-style buildings.
iv) More effective discipling of the many being touched or stirred by multiple evangelistic programmes.
Pray for a greater integrity of life, earnestness and commitment to the Lord among those evangelizing.
v) More effective outreach through personal evangelism rather than mass rallies.
vi) More relevance to impact the mainstream of national life. The Church is seen to be linked to the marginalized, deprived sections of society. Business, politics, arts, culture, the middle and upper classes have been neglected.
c) Biblical Christianity is thriving:
i) Evangelical pastors in mainline denominations are increasing.
ii) A multiplicity of dynamic, newer Pentecostal and charismatic fellowships have sprung up and spread to many areas.
iii) The number of evangelical denominations has increased and congregations multiplied. There are several key networks linking many denominations – the Pentecostal Fellowship of India (linking all major Pentecostal denominations), the Baptist Evangelical Alliance and the Evangelical Fellowship of India (linking over 100 denominations and agencies). These have been used of God in maturing, stabilizing and mobilizing believers through prayer, conventions, pastors' retreats, coordinating training, literature production, mission and outreach.
iv) The Charismatic movement in the Catholic Church began in 1972 and has spread to nearly every Catholic church. It has had a profound impact, brought many to new life, and stimulated outreach.
d) The growth of the Church during the 1990s was significant but hard to measure. Many networks for intercession for the evangelization of the country, involving millions of Christians, have flourished, such as the Arpana Prayer Network (in 100 cities linking thousands of Christian women) and Quiet Corner Ministries. Millions have become responsive through widely heard radio programmes, massive distributions of Christian literature, extensive use of Christian videos, films and cassettes. Many have come into the Kingdom through multiple efforts to start new congregations.
Pray that no attack of the enemy from outside or inside the Church may stunt this growth.
I believe that every time we pray the Lord hears for it is His desire that all nations hear the news of His extravagant love for us. Thank you for praying. Until next month.
Blessings,
Lane
Lane M. Holland, M.Div.
Prayer Coordinator
Word Ministries
www.prayers.org
Sources:
Mission Info Bank. Used by permission.
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