290 likes | 501 Views
International Day of Prayer. November, 16 2003. Please Pray for Us. WHAT IN THE WORLD. ...IS GOD DOING?. OUR WORLD TODAY:. OVER 6 BILLION PEOPLE (with billions still unreached) WAR AND CHAOS POVERTY AND PAIN SPIRITUAL DECEPTION. JESUS’ RESPONSE: (Matt. 9: 35-38).
E N D
International Day of Prayer November, 16 2003 Please Pray for Us
WHAT IN THE WORLD... ...IS GOD DOING?
OUR WORLD TODAY: • OVER6 BILLION PEOPLE (with billions still unreached) • WAR AND CHAOS • POVERTY AND PAIN • SPIRITUAL DECEPTION
JESUS’ RESPONSE: (Matt. 9: 35-38) • HEART - COMPASSION • “They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” • ACTION - PRAYER • “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.”
II THESSALONIANS 3:1-3 Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the world to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we’ll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. But the master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil.- The Message
PRAYER: 1. THE GOSPEL WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY 2. PROTECTION FOR THOSE SHARING THE GOSPEL PRINCIPLE: • GOD IS FAITHFUL - Strengthen & Protect
PRAYER: 1. THE GOSPEL WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY
RAPID CHURCH GROWTH • AFRICA -- • 1200 NEW CHURCHES MONTHLY • INDIA -- • NEW CHURCH EVERY 7 MINUTES • LATIN AMERICA -- • 20,000 BELIEVERS ADDED DAILY
EXAMPLES OF GROWTH WITH MUCH OPPOSITION 1. NEPAL 1970 - 15,000 1990 - 70,000 2000 - 400,000
OPPOSITION • Anti-conversion laws till ‘90 • 7 years prison experiences • Contemporary discrimination by Hindu & Maoist militants
POWER WITNESSING • Miracles • Prayer • Healings • Deliverance
EXAMPLES OF GROWTH WITH MUCH OPPOSITION 3. CHINA 1970 - 5 million 1990 - 50 million 2000 - 80 million
OPPOSITION • Beatings, fines, harassment of house churches & leaders • House Church pastors in prisons & labour camps (I00’S) • Limitation of Bibles, training & evangelism resources
POWER WITNESSING • House Church growth • Young leadership • Missionary vision • Power evangelism
HOUSE CHURCH GROWTH • Now 20,000 new believers daily • 1 million house churches today
YOUNG LEADERSHIP • 14-year-old teen planted 400 HC • 70% of leadership is female
IRAN AREA: 1,648,000 square kilometres POPULATION: 64,000,000 (1995) PEOPLES: Persian peoples (e.g. Iranian, Kurds, Dari, Pathans etc) 75.6%, Turkic peoples (e.g. Azeri, Turkmen) 18.8%, Arab 2.2%, others 3.4% RELIGION: 99% Islam (87% Shia, 12% Sunni), 0.4% Christian, 0.6% others (Bahai, Zoroastrians, Jews etc)
IRAN • Islam • Shia Islam is the state religion. After the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in 1979, Iran was transformed into an Islamic republic. Sharia law was introduced in the same year. Since that moment Iran has been ruled by radical Muslims, who have increasingly put extra pressure upon the Christian church. Though the political leader of Iran wants more open (economic) relations with the West, the clergymen continue to dominate the scene. • Christianity • The number of Christians in Iran is difficult to establish, because many churches have to operate in secret. Experts say that the number of Christians in Iran is around 200,000. The largest churches are: the Armenian Apostolic Church (158,000 believers), the Chaldean Catholic Church (15,000 believers) and the Assyrian Church of the East (14,800 believers).
Ethiopia Full Country name:Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Capital City:Addis Ababa Land area: 1,127,127 sq km (almost twice the size of Texas) Population: 67,7 million (2002 est.) Religions: Ethiopian Orthodox 40%-50% Muslim 30%-40%Evangelical and Pentecostal Protestantism 10%-15%Other 3%-8% Number of Christians: 7.4 million (and growing)
Ethiopia Ethnic groups:Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shakella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, Other 1% Major languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guarigigna, Somali, Arabic, Other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) Persecution:Sporadic; mostly discrimination and becoming an outcast from family and society Restrictions & Freedoms:The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice; however, on occasion local authorities infringed on this right.
THEY REQUEST FROM US: • PRAYER • BIBLES • OTHER SPIRITUAL MATERIALS • TRAINING
OTHER PRAYER REQUESTS: • FOR AN END TO THE RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE. • FOR THE HUNDREDS OF YOUTH RECEIVING THE LORD. • CONTINUED GROWTH OF NEW BELIEVERS IN MUSLIM REGIONS.
PRAYER: 1. THE GOSPEL WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY 2. PROTECTION FOR THOSE SHARING THE GOSPEL PRINCIPLE:
PERSECUTION & SUFFERING • Public Execution --- Saudi Arabia • Martyrdom of Leaders --- Iran • Slave Trade (in Christians) --- Sudan • Torture, Fines & Imprisonment --- China • Burning of Church Buildings --- Indonesia • Expulsion from Homes --- Chiapas, Mexico • Abduction & marriage of daughters --- Pakistan
OTHER PRAYER REQUESTS: • Foreign Christian Workers in Various Regions of Persecution • Indigenous Christians witnessing during this time of chaos • Christians in other Muslim nations sharing their faith with those around them living in fear and panic
PRAYER: 1. THE GOSPEL WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY 2. PROTECTION FOR THOSE SHARING THE GOSPEL PRINCIPLE: • GOD IS FAITHFUL - Strengthen & Protect
CONCLUSION: WHEN WE PRAY… GOD WORKS!
WHAT IN THE WORLD... ...IS GOD DOING?
International Day of Prayer November 16, 2003 Please Pray for Us