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Monthly Prayer Agenda

September 2019 Global Prayer Agenda

Created: Sunday, 22 December 2019 22:45
Hits: 13310

 Welcome to the September 2019 Global Prayer Agenda featuring major concerns affecting the nations of our world, and the growth of Christ's church universally for the advancement of world evangelism and the establishment of God's Kingdom.  This agenda was specially prepared for use during the Monthly Global Prayer Teleconference sessions by a few members of the team of leaders facilitating these monthly global prayer calls.  The agenda is structured into three main categories for the convenience of our users.  As you join us in prayer about these various issues, during this month, we trust that you will find the experience spiritually rewarding.  We also extend a special invitation to join us for our next Monthly Global Prayer Teleconference.   

Category One

Prayer for the United States, Canada,  South America, the Caribbean, and Europe

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-5a

 “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.”

Prayer for the United States

Some Important Facts on the State of the church and spiritual needs of the nation

  • Based on the current rates of retention and evangelism, it's estimated that 42 million young people could leave the church by 2050. That is over one million young people walking away from the church each year. If, however, we can revert to Gen X rates of retention and evangelism, that number can be reduced to only 20 million.
  • It is also estimated that 176,000 churches could close by 2050 in the US if the trend continues.
  • Every year, about 4,000 churches are planted in the US and every year about 3,700 churches close.  Based on population growth rate we need to triple church planting in the next five years.  By 2050 it is estimated that the US will need to plant 416, 000 new churches. (Source: www.thegreatopportunit,org)
  • At any given time, 75% of pastors in America want to quit. (Church Resource Ministries – 1998)
  • More than 2000 pastors are leaving the ministry each month. (Marble Retreat Center 2001)  (Source: www.Standaloneministry.org)
  • Francis Chan warns Satan is 'getting the victory' amid lack of unity in US churches
  • Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US; 47,173 Americans committed suicide in 2017, but there were an estimated 1,4000,000 suicide attempts in the year. In 2015 suicide and self-inflicted injuries cost the Federal Government $69 billion. But the sad news is that the suicide rate is trending upwards, an indication of the high level of hopelessness permeating every sector of American culture.
  • More than 61 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision made the procedure legal. For the same period, the number of abortions committed worldwide is estimated at 16 million. Fewer U.S. women are having abortions than at any time since Roe v. Wade, according to new government figures. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, a total of 638,169 abortions were reported, a decrease of 2 percent from 652,639 abortions in 2014.  New York Governor signed into law a recent bill expanding abortions rights, legalizing later terms abortions.`

These facts underscore the dire need for spiritual revival in the church in America

Pray

  1. For all pastors across America facing all types of moral failure that continue to undermine the credible witness of the church as salt and light of this nation, to turn to the Lord in prayer and repentance to help to facilitate revival in the church for the spiritual healing and transformation of the nation so urgently needed at this time.  
  2. A spiritual revival in the church across America is what is needed today to bring about the healing and social transformation of the nation through the additions of millions of new converts.  As we pray today for revival in the Church across America, let us pray especially to the Father to pour out upon the Christian community across America at this time a spirit of prayer marked by a deep hunger and reverence for Him, repentance towards Him, love for one another and unity to heal the growing divisions within its midst.
  3. Jesus says, “I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”  Pray against the culture of death pervading America, reflected in the high suicide and abortion rates being reported in the nation annually.

Prayer for the United States Government

1 Timothy 2: 1 – 6

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, four who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, six who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time” (NIV).

PRAY

  1. For President Donald Trump and his family; all members of his Cabinet and White House staff, for their safety, protection, and wisdom to govern the country justly and in the fear of God.
  2. For the love, peace, and unity of God to permeate all areas of our deeply divided US Government to facilitate healing and reconciliation in all sectors of American life.
  3. For a divine solution to the migrant crisis at the US southern border.

 

Prayer for Children and Youth across America

Cal Thomas: 'Lost' generation abandoning traditional American values

By Cal Thomas | Tribune Media Services

….The poll of 1,000 adults earlier this month found that “younger generations rate patriotism, religion and having children as less important to them than did young people two decades ago.”….How can this be? What has happened between the World War II generation, which gave so much so their children and grandchildren might enjoy the blessings of liberty, and the current generation, which seems cool to what once seemed to matter most?...…Prosperity is one explanation. People who make more money than previous generations and possess a lot of stuff seem less inclined to participate in community (how many of us know our neighbors, who are here today and move tomorrow?). Stuff and the personal satisfaction of achievement lead to a decline in one’s need for God — too much money, too little purpose.

Politicians become a god-substitute and politics their religion. Creeping secularism has affected theological truth to the point where people can believe whatever they want — or nothing at all — and escape correction. Heresy, even apostasy, has infiltrated many churches. Then there is culture. Younger people are exposed to what we collectively call “media” more than any previous generation. Most of what constitutes culture proceeds from a singular worldview that denigrates, or does not promote, patriotism, belief in God and values previous generations not only took for granted, but instilled in their children.

Unrestricted abortion has cheapened how many young people view the value of human life. For growing numbers of the young, marriage has become passé as children witness the pain of their parents’ divorce and decide that living together without a formal, legal or spiritual commitment is better than risking the cost and pain of ending a marriage. For some, children are viewed as a financial burden and an intrusion on adult lifestyles……The values that shaped and sustained America through economic downturns and wars had to be taught and instilled in the next generation. Today’s younger people, as reflected in the poll, seem intent on making their own rules (if they can be called rules) and creating their own gods…

PRAY

  1. Lord Jesus, you have always been God of the generations. According to Deuteronomy 6, You said we were to talk with our children continually throughout the day and impress upon them the importance and blessings of keeping the commandments you gave to Israel. Forgive us for not imparting your righteous, unwavering and fruit-filled standards to our children and grandchildren.
  1. We ask You to redeem the time and to draw the younger generations to Yourself. Put eternity in their hearts and minds and the desire to know and to serve you. Reveal your character to them for, according to Daniel 11, those who know their God shall do exploit

Prayer For Canada

Pastor Arrested for Preaching Against Homosexuality

Charisma Magazine,  David Hoffman

“Pastor David Lynn of Christ Forgiveness Ministries was arrested on June 4, 2019, for preaching the gospel publicly in Toronto, Canada. The neighborhood he was preaching in was Church-Wellesley Village. This neighborhood is known to be a place where many of the LGBTQ community in Toronto reside. His ministry is currently on an outdoor preaching tour throughout the 22 districts of Toronto. June 4, happened to be the day they scheduled for that district.”

“It is not uncommon for someone to think "open-air preaching" and "LGBTQ neighborhood" and immediately jump to thoughts of preachers condemning homosexuals to hell. However, Pastor Lynn's preaching was some of the most loving and gracious preaching I have ever seen and heard, which is why it is outrageous that he was arrested.”

“Here in North America, we are in a serious battle for rights that we have taken for granted. There are groups, organizations and individuals that want to make certain types of free speech illegal. Pastor Lynn's arrest is nothing short of a violation of his right to free speech. He was not inciting anyone to violence, and neither was he being defamatory. He was preaching the gospel. He was preaching that Jesus Christ loves each person and died specifically for them. In spite of this, he received harsh protest which ended in his arrest. This should greatly concern any Christian.”

“Pastor David Lynn was arrested for a message of love, healing and hope. As Christians, we need to take this as a wake-up call. Our rights and liberties are on the brink of being removed in the coming years. Now is the time to have a voice. We cannot afford to remain silent”.

“The growing trend in North America is that if anyone shares publicly on a topic that is deemed controversial, or that a particular group deems hateful, they must be silenced. What will happen the day that the simple gospel is considered hate speech? That is where things are headed if we as Christians do not take a stand today. We have already seen certain people and topics being censored by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. We cannot be idle. We must stand for liberty. The future of our right to free speech begins today. If we wait to deal with it, it will likely have already been taken away.”

 (Source: https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/76681-pastor-arrested-for-preaching-against-homosexuality?fbclid=IwAR2xoM7Uyt2OWMrvPUQiNqxr234CTjAcoM0OceVj3C_I_6tgpaUF4Zcw40g)

Pray for

  1. Prayer for the Christian community across Canada to take a bold stand and to resist all attempts by the Canadian government to outlaw the Scriptures as the basis of moral values for Christian families, Christian families, schools and colleges across Canada.
  2. Freedom of Pastor Lynn and his vindication in the courts, other pastors, congregations and Christian organizations in Canada that are facing increasing hostility as a result of their opposition to homosexuality, gay marriage, and the LGBTQ gender ideology.
  3. For revival in the church across Canada resulting in large-scale salvation of the loss and social transformation of the nation.

 

Prayer for South America and the Caribbean

PRAYER ALERT: Mexican pastor killed after Sunday Service

On August 18 Pastor Alfrery Lictor Cruz Canseco died after being shot at point-blank range outside his Fraternidad Cristiana church in Oaxaca state, according to  Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Then on August 23 a Catholic priest, Jose Martin Guzman Vega was stabbed to death in the border town of Matamoros. At last report, the police have yet to arrest suspects in either case. CSW warns that “a climate of impunity” has allowed such violence. Growing criminal groups have targeted Christian leaders because they see them as threats. Ten religious leaders were killed in Mexico in 2018 alone, according to CSW.

Furthermore, Open Doors reports that other Christian leaders and their churches have become victims of extortion and attacks throughout Mexico. Recently, on August 3, in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, the Presbyterian minister Aaron Mendez Ruiz was kidnapped from the migrant shelter he ran there, and has not been heard from since

The US Commission on Religious Freedom blames many such attacks on cartels like Los Zetas and Knights Templar. They target religious leaders “because they speak out against the gangs and/or because they refuse to include gang spiritual mythology in their sermons,” says the USCIRF report.

For example, the Knights Templar cartel has promoted the cult of its “gangster saint”, the now-deceased Nazario Moreno Gonzalez. Also known as “El Mas Loco” or the “Maddest One”, Gonzalez dressed his gangsters up as crusading knights during initiation ceremonies. They forced initiates to cut up victims and, at times, to eat their flesh. Popular narco ballads have spread the myth of Saint Lazario and his Knights Templar. We must pray that God will protect His people and win the hearts of Mexicans away from drug lords.

Related sources:

Mexican pastor shot and killed after Sunday church service

Mexican priest stabbed to death inside border town parish; 27 priests killed in last 7 years

The Narco Who Died Twice

Pray

Pray for God to grant us these requests

  1. That God comfort and provide for those Mexicans who are grieving the deaths of their pastors and other religious leaders. That their churches become safe refuges once again. That the congregations have the grace to overcome evil with good.
  2. That God expose the objects of gangster worship and popular gangster songs as tools of Satan who comes only to steal, kill and destroy.
  3. That God shows His power is far greater than any gang power, that His reward is far greater, and that Jesus is Lord far above any druglord. 

Revival across Europe

  1. MILLENNIAL MELANCHOLY: Nine in ten young Brits believe their life lacks purpose, according to a shocking new study

Sun Reporter |1-Aug-2019 [adapted]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9637619/young-brits-life-lacks-purpose/

A UK wide survey reveals the extent to which the younger generation feel disillusioned, with the MAJORITY (89 percent) of 16-29 year olds, claiming their life lacks purpose or meaning.

This is compared to an average of 80 percent across all ages, but just half (55 percent) of the over 60s, signaling true contentment may simply come with age.

In fact, as many as 30 percents of today’s youngsters believe they are stuck in a rut, with 84 percent claiming they are failing to “live their best life”.

Overall, 36 percent of Brits (of all ages) would give their lives a complete re-do if they had the chance.

And according to the study of 1,500 Brits, conducted by Yakult UK, the biggest barrier to finding purpose and achieving greater happiness is a lack of finances (45 percent).

ANXIETY

Worryingly, as many as a third of the Brits polled (34 percent) claimed anxiety is stopping them from achieving the things they would like to achieve.

Illness and poor health (22 percent) were also major stumbling blocks for many Brits, in terms of achieving their dreams, according to the poll.

It comes as no surprise then that two-thirds of us admit to feeling jealous of colleagues and friends who seems to have their entire world in order.

Daisy Whitfield-Davis, Yakult UK PR Manager, said: "This research proves how many Brits are searching for their true objectives in life.

When it comes to the bigger questions, such as the meaning of life, over half of Brits (51 percent) believe we were put on the earth to be as happy as we can be, while 37 percent say we should make people around us happy.

PRAY

  1. That God will have mercy on this generation of young people in Britain and enable them to see that the true meaning to life is to be found in Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
  2. That God will cause the message of separation from the values, standards, and trend of this world unto God and His Kingdom to be proclaimed with dynamic power and urgency.
  3. That the Lord will raise up exemplary young Christians who will demonstrate to their peers the reality, power, and blessedness of living lives that are truly separated unto God.
  1. “Active practice” of evangelicals helps “visibility of religion” in France, says government
    AUTHOR Evangelical Focus |PARIS | 06 AUGUST 2019 [adapted]
    http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/4653/Active_practice_of_evangelicals_helps_visibility_of_religion_in_France

A report of the ‘Observatory of Laicité’ says the right to express one’s beliefs in public is protected by “internal and international laws”. Evangelicals are the faith group with the highest percentage of practicing believers

The government of France has issued a report on the role of religion in the public space which highlights the growing role of certain faith groups. The 12-page document “Synthesis of the Study on the Religious Expression and Visibility in France’s Public Space Today” was sent by the ‘Observatory of Laicité’ to the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, in July 2019. The report admits that the secularist predictions about the progressive disappearance of religion were not accurate. “After 2010, many analysts described the Western as anchored in the secular age. To the contrary, current events seem to provide examples of an eventual return of religiosity”, the official document says in its introduction.

Nonetheless, the authors prefer to call this growing visibility as a “resort to religion” in a time of “uncertainties” in the areas of politics, economy or ecology. The document also emphasizes the findings of some of the latest surveys on religion, which confirm that the number of agnostics, atheists and people who identify with no religion continues to grow.

THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS ONE’S FAITH IN PUBLIC

The ‘Observatory of Laicité’ positions itself against a forced privatization of personal beliefs and the efforts to make faith “invisible”. In fact, it firmly defends the citizen's freedom of religion “in private and in public”, a human right “protected in internal and international law”. The perceived increase of faith conversations in the French public arena is not directly linked to a multiplication of believers, but has to do with a stronger commitment of religious people and the “increased visibility“ of some faith groups, the authors of the report say. Islam is especially visible in the French society, according to the Observatory, but also the evangelical faith: despite being a community with less believers, it has a growing impact in society due to their “active practice and proselytism”.

CATHOLICS, MUSLIMS, PROTESTANTS - AND EVANGELICALS

The “French religious landscape” is briefly explained in the governmental report through some statistics.

Almost 20 million people identify with Roman Catholicism but only 3% of the general population attends a church service once a week, the report says. The percentage of pupils in Catholic schools is significantly higher: 17%.

There are between 3 and 5 million people who identify with Islam, and around 1.8 million (2.6% of the French population) are practicing Muslims.

Protestantism (which includes evangelical Christians) is the third faith group in France, and the second in number of worship places: 4,000 – more than half of these belong to evangelical communities. The report highlights the “acceleration in the last ten years” of this faith group, growing from 2.5% of the population to 3.1%.

More than 2 million French identify as Protestants and 40% of these “consider the intensity of their practice important”. 925,000 of Protestant practice their faith every day (1.4% of the population). Among evangelicals alone, an estimated 70% pray and live their faith practically every day, the highest percentage among all faith groups in France.

Judaism and Buddhism are the fourth and fifth religion in the country, with around half a million followers each. In both cases, the number of practicing believers is very low – less than 15% of its members.

PRAY

  1. Praise God for the weakening of secular ideology and the growth of evangelical Christianity there in France;
  2. Pray that God will cause France to come to grips with the mandate it received under its king in 498 AD, to defend the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that France will yet rise to fulfil the mandate.
  3. That Bible-believing Christians will grow deeper and deeper in their commitment to the Lord and to one another and that the Lord will enable them to bear powerful witness to their faith in Him.

 

Category 2

 Israel, the Middle East, and Africa

Scripture: Ps. 46:1-10 NIV

 

Iran and Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister on Thursday accused Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah of racing to build a missile-production program in Lebanon, vowing to destroy the ambitious project and issuing a stern warning to his enemies to "be careful." The threats ratcheted up an already tense standoff that has pushed the bitter adversaries closer toward open, armed conflict in recent weeks.

“Today we uncovered part of Iran and Hezbollah’s precision missile project. We know a few other things,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference. “We are determined to eliminate this dangerous project. The aim of the publication today is to convey a message that we will not sit by and allow our enemies to arm themselves with deadly weapons directed at us,” he said. (Associated Press, August 29, 2019)

https://news.yahoo.com/israel-iran-hezbollah-intensifying-missile-134354200.html

Eight Christians from the city of Bushehr were arrested on July 1 in raids conducted by Ministry of Intelligence agents. The eight arrested include Sam Khosravi and his wife, Maryam Falahi; Sam’s mother, Khatoon Fatolahzadeh; Sam’s brother, Sasan, and his wife, Marjan Falahi; Pooriya Peyma and his wife, Fatemeh Talebi; and Habib Heydari. All eight were converts from Islam. They were not together when they were arrested, however. They were arrested in coordinated raids that took place at 9 a.m. Children in the homes during the raids saw their family members treated harshly by agents.

Sam’s mother, Khatoon, 61, was later released because of her age, but the others are being held in solitary confinement. According to a VOM ministry partner, at least 34 Iranian Christians have been arrested this year. Pray that these brothers and sisters will remain firm in their faith despite their imprisonment. (Voice of the Martyrs, Aug. 01, 2019)

https://www.icommittopray.com/request/1906/sam-khosravi-and-his-family-and-friends/

Pray

  1. Pray for the exposure of any plans to attack Israel that Iran, Hezbollah, or Hamas may have.
  2. Pray for the protection, peace, and prosperity of Israel
  3. Pray for Iran to release the 34 or more Christians, they have arrested this year.
  4. Pray that the arrested Christians would stand firm in their faith despite their imprisonment.
  5. Thank God for the growth of the Church in Iran. Pray for the Church to continue to grow.

Eritrea

Eritrea, one of the world’s worst violators of Human Rights, has again clamped down on Christians in their country. Since 23 June, more than 150 Christians have been rounded up and thrown into prisons that are inhumane and unsanitary. As documented by World Watch Monitor, the first arrest took place on 23 June in the city of Keren. Eritrean security officials arrested 70 members of the Faith Mission Church of Christ, of which, 35 were women and 10 were children. These Christians were then taken to the Ashufera Prison, which is a prison made of underground tunnels.

These Christians and thousands like them, are being held without charges; their only crime typically is gathering to worship without government approval. This is due to the paranoia and insanity of the president of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, who has been running the country since they gained independence in 1991. Anytime people are found to be gathering without government consent, they are arrested as conspirators and traitors because the government believes that the West is trying to destroy their culture. This is especially true for Christians, who they see as western spies.

The second set of arrests took place just this past Sunday, 18 August, when the security officials arrested another 80 Christians in Godayef. These Christians were taken to the local police station and have been held since then. (International Christian Concern, August 23, 2019)

https://www.persecution.org/2019/08/23/eritrea-arrests-another-150-christians-june-august/

Pray

  1. Pray for the release of hundreds of Christians being held without charges by the Eritrean government.
  2. Pray for the ending of persecution of the Christians in Eritrea.
  3. Pray for the protection, strengthening, and growth of the Church in Eritrea.

Uganda

In a statement released Thursday evening, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, Uganda's minister of state in charge of primary health care, said, "The confirmed case is a 9-year-old female of Congolese origin who traveled with her mother on Wednesday." The child and her mother entered Uganda through the Mpondwe main border post to seek medical care. 

This was the second time a confirmed Ebola case had crossed into Uganda. In June, a 5-year-old boy died in Uganda after crossing into the country with his family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where more than 1,800 people have died of the disease since August 2018. (Halima Athumani, VOA News, August 29, 2019)

https://www.voanews.com/africa/ugandas-ministry-health-confirms-ebola-case-dr-congo

KAMPALA - A report by the International Refugee Rights Initiative reveals a mix of frustration, unemployment, post-traumatic stress and alcohol abuse escalating quarrels among refugee communities in northern Uganda. Uganda is home to 1.3 million refugees — 833,000 of them from South Sudan, among whom the research was carried out.

Amol Dorcus has lived as refugee in Uganda since early 2014 after running away from armed conflict in South Sudan.  With Uganda’s free land policy for refugees on arrival, Amol got her 7.6 meters by 9.1 meters share of land in the Nyumanzi settlement, Adjumani district. She says the land is not sufficient, however, especially for those who want to grow crops for food.


Like most refugees, in order to survive, she had to enter an agreement with a member of the host community. The deal allows her to grow crops on their land on the condition that she pays some money at year-end. Dorcus says conflict arose when a member of the host community declined to respect the agreement. “But when these crops do well, so, the owner of that land, actually, or an unknown person will just come, they will take them. So, without you knowing, and you’re staying in the settlement.” Dorcus said.
 
Land wrangling between South Sudan refugees and host communities are just one of many conflicts going on in refugee settlements in Uganda. Among other challenges are recruitment of refugees as combatants, unemployment, post-traumatic stress and alcohol abuse. (Halima Athumani, VOA News, August 29, 2019)

https://www.voanews.com/africa/report-conflict-rising-among-south-sudanese-refugees-uganda

Pray:

  1. Thank God for the Ugandan government who has welcomed over 1.3 million refugees. Also, thank God for Uganda’s free land policy for refugees.
  2. Pray for resolutions to refugee challenges and conflicts in Uganda.
  3. Pray that the Ebola disease would not spread into Uganda.
  4. Pray that refugees would be reached with the gospel of Christ.
  5. Pray for the strengthening and growth of the Church in Uganda.

Cameroon

Bible translator Angus Abraham Fung was among seven people said to have been killed during an attack carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen sometime during the early hours of Sunday morning in the town of Wum, according to Efi Tembon, who leads a ministry called Oasis Network for Community Transformation.

“They went into houses and pulled out the people,” Tembon explained to The Christian Post. “They attacked in the night and nobody was expecting. They just went into the home, pulled them out and slaughtered them.”

Tembon said that he was not informed as to how many people were injured in the attack, but only that Fung’s wife, Eveline Fung, had her arm cut off and is receiving a blood transfusion at a local hospital. As for the Bible translator, Tembon was told that Fung was cut to death with a machete. “I don’t know what prompted the attack. They just came in and killed people at the home,” Tembon added, stating that most of the victims were older men. (Samuel Smith, CP Reporter, August 28, 2019)

https://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-translator-butchered-to-death-in-cameroon-wifes-arm-chopped-off.html

Pray

  1. Pray for healing and comfort for Eveline Fung, the wife of slain Bible translator Angus Abraham Fung. Fulani herdsmen cut arm off in recent attacks.
  2. Pray that those responsible for the death of Angus Fung and six other people would be brought to justice.
  3. Pray that peace would be established between the Fulani herdsmen and Christians in Cameroon.

Burkina Faso

Earlier this month, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger, Bishop Laurent Dabiré, told Aid to the Church in Need that Christians are in danger of “elimination” from the country due to the ongoing attacks against their community by Islamic extremists. His warning comes as Islamic extremist violence across the Sahel region of West Africa has been rising since 2016

Dabiré detailed a June 27 attack that occurred in the northern Diocese of Ouahigouya, which, according to the papal charity, was the fifth attack against Christians in northeast Burkina Faso since the beginning of 2019. The June 27 attack happened in the village of Bani during a time when the village’s residents were gathered together. “The Islamists arrived and forced everybody to lie face down on the ground,” the bishop said. “Then they searched them. Four people were wearing crucifixes. So, they killed them because they were Christians.”

Dabiré said that after murdering the Christians who were wearing crucifixes, the extremists told other villagers that they would also be killed if they did not convert to Islam. According to Aid to the Church in Need, at least 20 Christians have been killed in the five attacks carried out this year targeting Christian communities. Other attacks have occurred in the Dioceses of Dori and Kaya. (Samuel Smith, CP Reporter, August 24, 2019)

https://www.christianpost.com/news/4-christians-killed-jihadis-in-burkina-faso-for-wearing-crucifixes.html

Pray

  1. Pray that the government of Burkina Faso will strong action against Islamic extremist groups in Burkina Faso.
  2. Pray for the eradication of all Islamic extremist groups in Burkina Faso.
  3. Pray that those responsible for the murders of more than 20 Christians this year would be brought to justice.
  4. Pray or the protection, strengthening, and growth of the Church in Burkina Faso.

Category 3

19”   9:40 – 9:59

Prayer for Movement Day Global Cities, the Persecuted Church and Other Critical Concerns of Asia

Scripture   -   Psalms 44: 1 - 8

PRAY 

Movement Day Expressions

  1. Please pray for the Movement Day Expressions team , Jurie Kriel, Jim Liske and Naomi Edwards as they work to on the framework and building blocks for Movement Day Global Cities
  2. Please pray for Rev. Jurie Kriel as he transitions into the role of Director of Movement Day Expressions  Pray hat God gifts him fresh vision, insight and creativity as he works to accelerate expressions of Movement Day
  3. Please pray for the PAN African gathering taking place later this month in Uganda.
  4. Pray for our Global Hub Leaders, as they cultivate relationships within their respective regions to advance unity within the body of Christ
  5. Pray that God would strengthen the Movement Day expressions team as we plan for Movement Day Global Cities 2020.
  6. Pray for the Movement Day expressions team as we have strategic conversations to build out the framework for Movement Day Global Cities 2020.

The Global Persecution of Christians

Over 200 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution with intimidation, prison, and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ across the world.  This month, we focus on the South East Asian nation of Vietnam, ranked by Open Doors as the 20th most dangerous country for Christians.  

Vietnam: 6-year-old Christian girl beaten into a coma for faith in Jesus

A 6-year-old Christian girl and her parents were brutally beaten and dragged out of their village in Northern Vietnam because of their conversion to Christianity, Open Doors UK reports. 

The family of three was forced out of their home and dragged over rocks to the entrance of the village after sustaining beatings that left the young girl in a coma for a month. 

Open Doors, an organization that serves persecuted Christians worldwide, said earlier this week that the 6-year-old girl has regained consciousness but doesn't recall what happened to her and isn't able to recognize her parents. The family had stopped participating in their village's practice of worshiping their ancestors and received Christ, which angered the villagers and local authorities. Not long after, they were “mocked, tied with ropes and severely beaten while being dragged over rocky ground toward the entrance of the village, forcing them to leave,” Open Doors reports.   Members of their church later transported them to a hospital where they were treated for three days.  Although they were allowed to return to the village after their pastor spoke with local authorities, the villagers continued to threaten and curse them on account of their newfound faith.

Open Doors' World Watch List ranks the southeast Asian country as the 20th most dangerous nation for Christians. The Communist government monitors Christians' activities and exerts a high level of pressure on them.

"Both non-traditional Protestants and converts from indigenous religions are persecuted intensively. Estimates indicate that approximately 80 percent of the country’s Christians belong to the country’s ethnic minorities, like the Hmong, and face social exclusion, discrimination and attacks. Ethnic minority Christian children are discriminated against in schools; their medical needs also are often neglected. Some are not even allowed to attend school," the Open Doors profile of Vietnam explains.  "Non-Christian relatives of Christians are also strong persecutors, cutting family ties and denying any family inheritance. In some cases, relatives force a Christian spouse to divorce and then withhold custody of their children. Believers’ homes are sometimes destroyed, forcing them to leave their village."

Last year, Vietnam sentenced and jailed a number of Catholic activists, bloggers and Protestant pastors. Teacher and school administrators reportedly encourage Christians to give up their faith, telling them their employment opportunities will be damaged. In August, Pastor Le Dinh Luong, who is also an environment and democracy activist, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on trumped up charges of attempting to “overthrow the government."

Although his trial was supposed to be open to the public, only his wife and younger brother were permitted to be in the courtroom. Foreign diplomats who tried to attend were barred, according to Human Rights Watch. Human rights advocates have been calling for his immediate release.

(Source: https://www.christianpost.com/news/religious-freedom-getting-worse-around-the-world-christians-remain-most-persecuted-group-pew.html?fbclid=IwAR1josCC2bqqV0snG_UCOXiTwqMeCblyIH-AX5AHK3Y81k-sVzzQhwBndlo, July 19, 2019).

PRAY

  1. For the over 200 million Christians worldwide suffering persecution with intimidation, prison, and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ across the world to experience the blessings of the Kingdom promised by Christ to those who suffer persecution for righteousness;   
  2. For the 6-year-old Christian girl and her parents who were brutally beaten and dragged out of their village in Northern Vietnam because of their conversion to Christianity.  
  3. For the Christian community across Vietnam  facing intense persecution, economic hardship and other significant difficulties threatening their survival.  Pray for God’s strength, covering and protection for all these believers. 

Pakistan

40 Christians on pilgrimage attacked by suspected Hindu radicals in India

CP  WORLD | August 25, 2019

Six suspects affiliated with a radical Hindu mob have been arrested on charges of attempted murder following an attack on Catholics walking a 280-mile pilgrimage. 

The group of 40 Catholics were walking to a sanctuary in the Tamil Nadu state of India  — from Karnataka to the Marian shrine in Velankanni — on a pilgrimage that has been a tradition for decades, when they were attacked earlier this month.

The assailants, who are in custody, are accused of blocking a road the Catholics were walking along and then attacking them both verbally and physically. Along with facing charges of attempted murder, they also face charges of "rioting, hurting religious sentiments and acting to destroy religious peace," the Union of Catholic Asia News reports

”In 2018, religious freedom conditions in India continued a downward trend,” USCIRF’s annual report reads. “[India’s] history of religious freedom has come under attack in recent years with the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives — including, at times, the government’s allowance and encouragement of mob violence against religious minorities — that have facilitated an egregious and ongoing campaign of violence, intimidation, and harassment against non-Hindu and lower-caste Hindu minorities.” 

Two weeks ago, International Christian Concern reported that suspected Hindu radicals disrupted a prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh and beat the congregation’s priest.  In June, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that seven Christian families in Jharkhand state fled from their homes after facing threats and harassment from a mob of Hindu radicals. (Source: https://www.christianpost.com/world/40-christians-on-pilgrimage-attacked-by-suspected-hindu-radicals-in-india.html).

PRAY

  1. For the successful prosecution of the six suspects affiliated with the radical Hindu mob arrested on charges of attempted murder of 40 Christians on a pilgrimage in India.  
  2. For the improvement in religious freedom conditions in India to facilitate the growth of church;
  1. For the continued growth of the church in India despite persecution.

North Korea

North Korean defector says cousin's entire family executed for sharing Gospel

The Christian Post         Samuel Smith, CP Reporter, July 17, 2019

WASHINGTON — A North Korean defector detailed what it’s like to live as a Christian in North Korea, telling President Donald Trump and the State Department's religious freedom ministerial about the execution of his cousin's family for sharing the Gospel. Illyong Ju was among nearly 30 survivors of religious persecution who met with the president at the White House last Wednesday. Hours beforehand he shared his story and those of other North Korean defectors with media gathered at the Harry S. Truman building.

Ju was born in North Korea in 1996 and was the youngest of three children. He said that throughout his childhood, his parents listened to foreign radio broadcasts for over 10 years, an illegal act in the authoritarian country led by the controlling Kim regime. According to the State Department, listening to the radio inspired the family to seek a new-found faith. Later, Ju’s parents decided it would be best to defect from North Korea so they could be free to live out their beliefs. 

Ju’s father fled to South Korea in the mid-2000s. About a year later in 2008, Ju and his mother and sister fled together. They joined their father in South Korea in 2009 after a long journey. The family settled in Seoul and in 2012, Ju’s oldest sister joined them and completed their family’s reunification.  “After we came to Seoul we had kind of a hard time in South Korea,” Ju said. “After recovering, we decided that we hope to spread the love from God to people in South Korea.”

Ju told reporters about what other defectors have told him after escaping from North Korea and serving time in the regime’s notorious political prison camps or general prisons.  “If you refer to the remarks of the escapees, the conditions are very severe,” he said. “For example, the females, they are not provided any medication when they are giving birth. They forcefully have to lose their babies. In terms of food or provision, they are only given a very small portion of corn.”

“For example, if there is a scar or hurting in skin, there is no medication. They have to use the insects out of the dead bodies and dry them and put them on as a medication,” he detailed.

Ju told reporters that his aunt’s entire family was thrown into a political prison camp just because her aunt’s father-in-law was a Christian. “It was my cousin’s family, they were all executed for sharing the Gospel,” Ju added. He said that three leaders of the church who were responsible for missions in North Korea were also sent to political prison camps. 

North Korea has for the last 18 years ranked as the worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List. Thousands upon thousands of North Koreans are imprisoned in these camps either for being Christian, speaking out against the regime, or trying to defect from the country. 

Despite thousands being imprisoned and tortured for their faith, Ju said Christian activities are still happening inside prison camps. “According to my co-worker who is now living in [South] Korea, when she was in prison, she couldn’t sing or voice up her Christianity,” he said. “But she was able to make a couple of people inside a prison believe in [Christ] and with silence. With eye-to-eye contact, they were able to convey [the Gospel]. She said that her experience there in prison, even though her situation was difficult, she felt like she was in Heaven.” 

In the meeting with Trump, Ju told the president that regardless of the situation, North Koreans are still worshiping.  “Even though the persecution of Kim Jong Un, the North Korean citizens, they want the Gospel and they want to worship now,” Ju assured Trump. “They are worshiping in underground churches right now.” (Source: https://www.christianpost.com/news/north-korean-defector-cousins-entire-family-executed-sharing-gospel.html?fbclid=IwAR1fP5BERg8TBPwONxcmc3qSh-YkUDbOJWqM6yuOsAJ44UqdBNCFdNUnDCk)

PRAY

  1. For the Lord to respond to the desperate cries of the persecuted Church in North Korea, including the approximately 50,000 fellow believers serving long, harsh prison terms in concentration camps.
  2. For the safety and protection of believers in North Korea who continue to risk their lives to share the Gospel with others.
  3. For the continued growth of the church in North Korea and the spread of the Christian influence  despite increased persecution

China

Chinese megachurch pastor imprisoned for faith in Jesus hit with more charges 7 months after arrest

Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter         July 25, 2019

The pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church in China is facing new charges from the communist government seven months after he was arrested alongside 100 members of his congregation.  In addition to “inciting subversion” and attempting to turn people against the Chinese government, Wang has now been charged with “illegal business activity,” Radio Free Asiareports. 

A local Christian told the outlet that the so-called illegal business charge is likely due to the fact that authorities have little evidence to support the subversion charge, which can result in up to 10 years’ imprisonment. "They want to charge Pastor Wang Yi with inciting subversion, but even they know that this isn't a very persuasive accusation," the person said. "So they are hoping for a breakthrough using economic [crimes]."

The pastor of the 5,000-member church, his wife, Jiang Rong, and about 100 other Early Rain members were arrested on Dec. 9, 2018. While Jiang Rong was released after six months, her husband and four other members of the church remain in secret detention.  Some church members who were detained and later released described how police tortured them in an attempt to turn them against Wang. Some claimed police tied them to a chair and deprived them of food for 24 hours.

Additionally, authorities ransacked and sealed Early Rain Covenant Church’s properties, including offices, a kindergarten, a seminary, and a Bible college, and searched the homes of many of its members. Police also forced church members to sign a pledge not to attend the church again, and around half of the church's original membership remain under close surveillance by police.

"There's nothing we can do," a Christian surnamed Li told Radio Free Asia. "Any more than about five or six people gathered together will attract attention ... and if they find you, you will be detained."

"Around 50 to 60 percent of Early Rain members are currently under surveillance right now," she said. "Their phones and [social media accounts on] WeChat are being monitored."

Ahead of his arrest, Wang released a letter speaking of “disgust” at the Communist Party.

“I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely,” the pastor wrote.

“The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.”

China’s Communist Party requires that Protestants worship only in churches recognized and regulated by the officially sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement. In recent years, authorities have carried out a crackdown on all religious institutions, including bulldozing churches and removing rooftop crosses.  China ranks as the 27th worst nation in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s World Watch List. Open Doors has expressed concern that the religious affairs in China now “lies with the Communist Party.”

“Since the Communist Party took over, the implementation of the regulations on religion, the treatment of religious groups, especially Christians, became much harsher across the country,” Open Doors USA's fact sheet reads.  “Crackdowns against Christians happen countrywide and in both state-approved and non-registered churches. The youth are increasingly being removed from church life; worship is monitored via CCTV and spies; and teachers and medical workers are told they are not allowed to have any religious affiliation.”

This month, Chinese persecution watchdog group Bitter Winter reported that since the Regulations on Religious Affairs legislation was implemented last year, schools around China have taught children that Christianity is an “evil cult.”

Pray

  1. For the release from detention of the Pastor and members of Early Rain Covenant Church and other churches that have been shuttered recently as a result of the Chinese Government countrywide crackdowns against Christians. Pray also for those pastors and fellow believers that have been incarcerated and those who have been displaced or are facing threats from the authorities for continuing to meet for worship.
  2. Pray against all the various efforts of the Chinese Government to restrict the growth of house churches across China, including demolition of church buildings, removal of crosses and banning free access to Bibles. 
  3. For the continued growth of the church across China despite harsh persecution to facilitate the expansion of Christianity across Asia.
  4. For children across China who are being taught that Christianity is an evil cult.

 

 

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