When Jesus came into the temple, he drove out the money changers and declared, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’” It is clear that Jesus’ declared intention that “His house” (today the assembled church and our physical bodies as His living temples) should be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7, Mark 11:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). 

The Old Testament Temple was to be a dwelling place of God’s presence. It was to be a focal point of worship, prayer, sacrifice, and joy.  It was to be a place where His people would humble themselves, pray, and seek His face – turning from their wicked ways for healing, blessing and restoration (2 Chronicles 7:14).

But what does this reality look like for our lives and churches today?  What does Jesus desire of us if we are to be agenuine house of prayer indeed, not just in word?

5 Biblical Indicators of a True House of Prayer.

First, prayer was to take priority over all self-centered activities of commercialized religion. Jesus’ anger over the money changers in the temple was rooted in the self-serving system created to use funds from the sales of sacrificial animals for their own gain.  He called it a “den of robbers.” The house of prayer is to be a place of humility, and sacrifice. It was not to be a place for the financial, or selfish advancement of its leaders.

Second, prayer is both the churches identity as well as it’s ministry work! Prayer isn’t just one of the ministries of the church. The whole church is to be engaged in prayer. The church is called to be ‘devoted’ to prayer (Acts 2:42, Rom 12:12, Col. 4:2, Eph 6:18).

            “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be devotedin prayer.”

The word devoted literally means to be ‘diligently occupied with, to constantly persist in, or to be dedicated/appointed for a task.’Paul calls the church at Ephesus to make prayer first in the church, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Tim. 2:1).When we make prayer a priority, we come to God dependent on him, knowing that we can do nothing apart from him (John 15:5). God releases his power in response to the prayers of his people. When we pray according to his will and for his renown, God always responds and increases his activity! As Hudson Taylor wrote, “When we work, we work, but when we pray, God works.”

Third, prayer is to be modeled first in the leadership culture of the church. The story in Acts 6:1-7 is a powerful model for a biblical leadership culture.  The leaders gave themselves to continual “prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).  Supernatural blessing and expansion followed (see v. 7).  A genuine house of prayer is guided by leaders who spend extraordinary amounts of time together in prayer because they have a conviction that God is the true source of all power, unity, direction, and blessing.

Fourth, Jesus described the house of prayer in John 2:16 as his Father’sHouse of prayer. The Father has always been longing for a family (sons and daughters) and a home (to dwell with them).  In teaching his disciples how and what to pray, Jesus called them to pray, “Our Father.” Jesus re-orientated prayer as ‘sons and daughters’ before a good Father! The Spirit would place an “Abba” cry in the hearts of his people, leading them to pray with the same intimate language that Jesus prayed to his Father. As Paul described in Romans 8:14-17,

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

The word ‘house’that Jesus used is oikos, meaning household, family, or dwelling. This makes sense since the primary identity of the church in the New Testament is as ‘family.’ Family terminology is Paul’s primary and most used metaphor describing the identity of the church (sibling terminology 118x’s, Father terminology 40x’s, and inheritance terminology 14x’s).

And the distinguishing value of the family of God is ‘love’ for one another.  As Paul writes,

“In brotherly love, showing family affection to one another. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).

One of the best ways that we can love one another is to pray for them. Our prayers must be love-motivated. As Dr. Alvin VanderGriend writes,

“Love-motivated prayer is a love-motivated plea to a love-giving God, on behalf of love-needy persons who live in a love-starved world.”

Fifth, Jesus describes the house of prayer to be “for all nations.”  Prayer was the fuel for Spirit-inspired mission fulfillment. In a true house of prayer, prayer is not the end – but the means to the end.  Prayer exists to empower us to accomplish the Great Commission of Christ in the power of Christ and for the glory of Christ.

George Otis shares a story about a church in Cali, Columbia that at one point was adding 1000 people to their church every month for forty months! He asked the leaders what their strategy was in reaching so many for Christ. His answer was simple, “our church prays 24/7!”

Prayer precedes conversion. Prayer precedes mission.There is no other way to do His work and reach this lost world with the truth of the good news than connecting with God’s heart in fervent, continual prayer!

May God call us to become increasingly, “Prayer-Devoted” in our personal lives, families, churches, and ministries! As my good friend Brian Alarid, founder of America Prays/World Prays says, “Every church in every nation - a House of Prayer!” 

Dr Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
International Prayer Connect

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 28 April – 18 May 2019

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14

We ask for Christian leaders and churches of all denominations from all over the world to pray for Australia, as wethe People of Australia, Pray and Fast for 21 days up to the Federal Election, Saturday 18 May 2019.

This prayer call was inspired by Ps Margaret Court’s love for Australia, her passion “for the church to arise and be a strong voice for righteousness, truth and justice”and her love for the word of God which says that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”Proverbs 14:34.

“Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you are the LORD God, and that you have turned their heart back to you again.”1 Kings 18:37

1. Pray that God would rule over this election that righteous leaders would be elected to govern Australia in truth and justice because, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice.”Proverbs 29:2
2. Pray God’s blessing upon Australia’s parliamentarians and leaders, including their families and all the candidates of all the parties standing for this federal election.1 Timothy 2:1-3
3. Pray for a multiplication of prayer and unity across the Body of Christ in Australia that people will wakeup to the dangers facing our nation and respond in prayer. Ephesians 5:14
4. Pray for a Spiritual Awakening for Australia, Revival and Transformation for Australia and the proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16

Warwick Marsh

Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTowvtNdkzc
Facebook Video: https://www.facebook.com/nationaldayofprayerandfasting/videos/386871382169790
For More Info &Daily Devotions: http://www.canberradeclaration.org.au/prayer/election-2019

God is moving the Body of Christ to prayer. The prayer and mission movements are connecting as we see in May 2019 three major prayer thrusts aimed at the unreached.

“Year of the Frontier” May 2019 through June 2020 focuses prayer on the largest people groups with the least access to the gospel—May 2019 highlights the largest 31 groups, all over 1 million population. Joshua Project, Global Prayer Digest, the Ethné Movement, the 24:14 Coalition and many others offer a myriad of resources to facilitate effective, fervent, specific prayer.

More on this year-long effort next month, but check out the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Mission Frontiers Magazine to read more and connect with resources:

http://www.missionfrontiers.org/pdfs/MF40-6_Nov-Dec_eBook.pdf . Also, don’t miss the new podcast by Alliance for the Unreached: https://alliancefortheunreached.org/podcast/

For more than twenty-five years now, the annual 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World calls the church to make a deliberate but respectful effort to learn about, pray for and reach out to our world’s Muslim neighbors.This international movement began in 1993 and coincides annually with the important Islamic month of religious observation — Ramadan, a time of the year when Muslims are much more deeply aware of spiritual matters. This year we pray May 6 to June 4.

It was launched by a group of Christians who felt inspired to challenge the way they understood Muslim people. What if they saw Muslims in the same way God does? While media sound bites about Islamic extremism can too easily incite anger, fear and even hatred towards Muslims, these believers seek to resist this temptation to generalize, and instead, resolve to respond and pray with the mind and heart of Christ. The editorial work for this prayer movement was initially coordinated in Australia, then in France, then in Germany and then in the UK. The North American edition has been published continuously since 1993 by WorldChristian.com.

“It is not our intention with this prayer focus during Ramadan to disparage Islam or Muslim sentiments in any way. We recognize that humans and the Muslim world are far too complex to simply condense or explain with a mere booklet. However, at the same time, it is our sincere desire that Muslims the world over would have the opportunity to freely understand and consider the Good News — Jesus Christ.”

Thousands of ministries and churches from many denominations participate regularly. Many participants have commented on how much they have learned about Islam, and how their negative attitudes about Muslims have been changed as they read about, prayed for and even reached out to Muslims. Here are suggestions to consider:

• Order additional booklets (bulk-discounts start at 10 copies) to hand out, or to sell: https://www.worldchristian.com/product/30-days-muslim-prayer-guide-2019.
• Download, print and display the poster on bulletin boards at work and in churches: https://www.30daysprayer.com/resources/downloads/.
• Feel free to use their images and text to promote “30 Days” in your communication channels: https://www.30daysprayer.com/resources/downloads/.
• Let your Facebook friends know.
• Organize a meeting a couple weeks before Ramadan starts to talk about it.

Furthermore, Love Muslims is launching! Chris Ruge is ecstatic to share that Prayercast is launching Love Muslims – the most comprehensive and compelling Muslim-focused prayer resource the world has ever seen!

Over 130 new 4-5 minute videos will lead the Body of Christ in focused, strategic, passionate prayer for the Muslim world. Each video is led by a former Muslim who now follows Jesus!

“We’re rallying the Church around the world to join us in prayer each day during Ramadan, and we’ll be releasing a brand new video each day. Would you prayerfully consider SHARING this and INVITING your network to join in prayer through Ramadan.”

 Specifically, would you do the following?

• INVITE your mailing list, networks, and partners to join in prayer - including all the MENA prayer groups!
• SHARE about the movement through your social media and other communication channels.
• SIGN UP yourself and pray with us!

We want to make this as easy for you as possible. We have a series of media tools to make sharing Love Muslims easy and clear for both you and your community. Click to see a special preview of one of the videos: https://vimeo.com/291193744/3f1af42f77  Our heart cry is to gather as many people to pray with Love Muslims as we can leading up to Ramadan. Would you help spread the word? Forward this to everyone you know who should be joining in prayer. Share about the movement on social media using #LoveMuslims and directing your friends and followers to www.LoveMuslims.org

Whichever tools you use, join the millions of Christians around the world, and churches and ministries from many denominationsbeginning May 2019, including from May 6 to June 4, 2019 during the season of Ramadan, to understand and to persistently pray for our unreached neighbors and nations.

Liz Adleta

Global Prayer Strategist serving
Fellowship of Prayer Strategists, the Ethne Movement, & the 24:14 Coalition

The 24:14 Community is challenging our prayer partners to join in 21 days of prayer and fasting as God leads for the acceleration of movement engagement in every unreached people and place by 2025. Click on the link below for a two-page reusable 21-day prayer guide to focus your prayers and provide specific prayer points for Church Planting Movements. 

Pray

• Pray for the upcoming Ibero-America regional meeting, that out of it a regional team will be formed that spearheads movement engagement of all remaining unreached peoples and places in the region.
• Pray for movement leaders globally to share movement data with 24:14 so that we have a complete picture of the remaining gaps to share.
• Pray for volunteer translators for every major language to translate the 24:14 website, vision book, and other materials
• Pray for every country of the world to be covered by Geographic Stewardship Team members who ensure movement engagement

More: https://inheritthenations.net/2414-coalition-prayer-involvement/21-days-of-prayer/

This past March a group of 15 people gathered to pray together for seven days on the outskirts of London, England.  Nothing remarkable about such small beginnings, and still too early to know if it will ever become more than that. But this disparate group assembled as a faith-filled response to a conviction and dream given by God, and most of us have stories of such small beginnings growing into something much more.

From South Korea, Brunei, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Canada, the USA, and England we gathered. Missionaries, worship leaders, researchers, educators, medical professionals, students, taxi drivers. Anglicans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, post-evangelicals, charismatics. Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. So much diversity in such a small group! But this was a core part of the vision – a vision best described by first sharing a few points about the spiritual challenges and opportunities of our times. Initially, they might seem unrelated, but their profound connections should become clear soon enough.

Christianity is a Global South religion. The Global South has eclipsed the Global North in both church growth and in sending missionaries. The worldwide reality is that our faith is increasingly an African, Asian, and Latin American majority faith. This is not news. In fact, Christianity has been a majority Global South population since around 1980. Think of it this way: the global median age is around 30 years old. This means that most people alive in the world today were born since the tipping point when Christianity ceased to be a Western majority religion.

The Global South Church is a praying church. Churches – and Christians – in Africa, Asia, and Latin America tend to be more engaged in and comfortable with prayer. This is in part due to the acceptance of the reality of the spiritual world and the supernatural, in contrast to the highly materialist and secular nature of Western societies. It is no accident that the most dynamic prayer movements of our day are happening in places where it is normal to expect God to actually answer prayer, and where the reality of spiritual evil is acknowledged and addressed.

The missionary task remaining faces increasing and intensifying opposition. There are many sensible sociological and cultural aspects that inform and explain this dynamic, but as Christians, we must acknowledge the spiritual warfare that is inevitable when the Gospel presses into the heartlands of other religious systems. The more progress we make in global mission, the greater the spiritual opposition is going to be. “The devil has come down to you in great wrath, for he knows his time is short!” (Rev 12:12, ESV). The persecution of Christians around the world is intensifying, with the horrific Easter attacks in Sri Lanka as just one recent example.

Prayer is being once again being understood as an effective tool for mission.It may be impossible to get missionary visas to many countries. It may be equally impossible for most believers to be able to travel to the most spiritually needy places on earth, even for short-term trips. Prayer, however, needs no passport or visa! We can throw vast amounts of money and human resources at an unreached part of the world, and apply all our cultural anthropology and linguisticsand missiology and see no fruit. But in recent years, the increase of targeted and sustained intercession is seeing an increase in breakthrough. It is no coincidence that global prayer initiatives such as 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (www.30daysprayer.com) have coincided with the greatest response to Jesus among Muslims in history.

A globalized Christianitycan maximizethe beauty of unity in diversity. God places redemptive gifts into every culture, and we have much to learn from one another. What God has instilled in Nigerians, Indonesians, Brazilians, Samoans, and Finns are aspects that my own culture cannot present to Him. No one denomination, culture, or tradition can ever display on its own the glory of God the same way that we can when we demonstrate that we are one in Christ.But the threat of division among God’s people remains, and nothing delights the enemy more. We may not be murdering each other as happened centuries past in “Christian” Europe, but bitter acrimony between different denominations, doctrines, and networks seems everpresent.

Ancient wisdom is revitalizing the Church in these shallow times.The contemplative intimacy of the Christian mystics, the missional spirituality of the Celtic peregrini, the holistic outworking of faith in Benedictine communities, the singing of the Psalms in many Reformed traditions, are providing deep wells of living water for the increasing number of believers disillusioned with the shallowness of what they experience in contemporary worship.

The relationship between generations is under threat. The intensity of resentment, bitterness, and misunderstanding between boomers, Gen X, and millennials is a playground of the enemy and grieves the heart of God.  It is God who promises to send one who will “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers” (Mal 4:6, ESV). Those of us in global prayer ministry have seen the brokenness that comes from the rift between generations, and the beauty and power of reconciliation and unity.If there is anywhere such breakthrough can occur, would it not be the body of Christ?

Traditional missionary recruiting methods are in rapid decline in the West, and have never been widely successful in the Global South. Telling a younger generation that they must go and proselytize the world brings diminishing returns, no matter how many shiny pamphlets are distributed or how many water bottles are given out at mission conferences. What is working,it seems, is drawing them together to passionately worship and pray. When this worship turns into intercession, especially intercession for the nations, then we see the Holy Spirit calling forth people to serve Him in the fields of the world.

We are seeing a restoration of the power of community. Rationalism, enlightenment philosophy, modernity, and the global dominance of the West all put the individual atop the pedestal of human identity. Thankfully, the pendulum has swung the other way toward a healthier balance between community and individual. Intercession for the nations is not a solo performance! The mushrooming of houses of prayer around the world in the last 20 years bears this out. Intercession is best done in community. As the African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.”

God is bringing a convergence of the streams. Prayer movements are connecting (hence the existence of International Prayer Connect!). Mission organisations and evangelistic ministries are collaborating. Research initiatives are working together and sharing information. All of these are happening at unprecedented levels.  And now, these streams are overlapping, intermingling, and deliberately helping each other in the greater vision of the Great Commission – seeing vibrant communities of people from every tongue, tribe, and nation worshipping and following Jesus!

Serving with Operation World, it is part of our remit to study, report on, and mobilize intercession for all of the above. But for a few years now, God has been stirring us to pray and think about taking it to another level. And so the question on our hearts has been as follows:

What would it look like if a community was formed to be set apart specifically to intercede for the fulfillment of the Great Commission? A community where the prayer, mission, and research movements converged. A community that was deliberately diverse – intentionally multicultural, intergenerational, trans-denominational and trans-organisational. A community that drew from the richest traditions of 20 centuries of church history and the countless ways in which God is at work today. A community of people that gather from the nations, in order to pray for the nations. A community that could learn from one another as they walked out a lifestyle of intercession together – Africans, Asians, Latin Americans, Europeans, Middles Easterners, and all the rest, bringing the redemptive gifts God has placed in each of our cultures, coming from many different denominations and church traditions and all the richness therein. A community whose greatest desire is to see the Lamb upon the throne being worshipped by every tribe and tongue and nation!

What would such a community look like? What would it be like to be part of such a vision?

For seven days in March, 15 of us got to explore these questions. And it was glorious. On a leafy campus of All Nations (www.allnations.ac.uk), a college which exists to train missionaries, in partnership with Operation World (www.operationworld.org), a research ministry which exists to mobilize prayer, on the outskirts of one of the world’s most multicultural cities with its own great spiritual legacy and its own great spiritual needs, we got a glimpse of what God could do with such as vision.

The vision is so compelling, and our experience so positive, that we are not just repeating this gathering, but building it out to fill four weeks rather than just seven days. It will run from 9 June to 6 July this year. Despite this being a big step of faith, and on short notice, we are full of expectation to see what God will do! He is in the business of exceeding our expectations. He is in the business of answering prayer. He is in the business of fulfilling His purposes. And He is in the business of bringing glory to Himself!

If you are interested in being a part of this “School of Prayer for the Nations”, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visitwww.allnations.ac.uk/courses/short-courses/school-prayer-nations

Jason Mandryk – IPC Leadership Team
Operation World

Australia: 21 Days of Prayer for Elections 28 Apr - 18 May 2019

www.canberradeclaration.org.au/prayer/election-2019

USA National Day of Repentance 31th April 2019

http://www.dayofrepentance1.org

Australia Calls World to Pray & Fast for USA 30 April – 2 May 2019

www.nationaldayofprayer.org.au

Americas National Day of Prayer - 2 May 2019

www.nationaldayofprayer.org

30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World - 6 May - 4 June 2019

www.30daysprayer.com/

School of Prayer for the Nations - 9 Jun - 6 July 2019

www.allnations.ac.uk/courses/short-courses/school-prayer-nations

United Prayer Rising Europe – 8-11 July 2019

www.uprisingeurope.org

One God - One Day - One Africa – 31st May 2020

www.1gda.org

South East Asia Prayer Council Conference – 8-11 October 2019

https://www.seaprayer2019singapore.org/

Go 2020 May 2020

https://www.go2020.world

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he is 'appalled' at the ongoing persecution of Christians.

One of the countries clamping down is China. Churches continue to be closed, and Christians have been arrested because of their faith.

That is because the country is officially an atheist state, with freedom of religion guaranteed in the constitution. Sky's Tom Cheshire explains.

Watch the SKYNEWS video on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZE4y4PSjCw

Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China.

Christian Responsibility for Europe

Uniting in prayer, hope, reflection and action

Shaping Europe’s future – the European Parliament

The European Parliament can seem remote from daily life but it helps to shape the values and direction of our continent. Through its power to block and amend legislation and to lobby hard for other changes, the European Parliament has huge influence. Between 23rd and 26th May, EU citizens will get the chance to vote and thus collectively choose who will represent them at European level until 2024.

What will the European Union look like in 5 years’ time? What values will European society prioritise? Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will have a big say over the answers. What challenges will this continent face? MEPs will help choose Europe’s response.

Europe needs prayer

Of course it is always important to pray for politicians (1 Timothy 2: 1-4) and election seasons are especially significant. But, if we step back and look at our continent as a whole, it is clear that Europe is in trouble. So the importance of intercession is huge. Across Europe, fear, division and even anger are common, truth is often getting lost or ignored in the noise. Every nation and the EU institutions themselves are falling short of God’s standards as Evangelicals have historically believed them to be. We have been given good gifts of family, freedom, nation, human rights, security, sex, often relative economic prosperity, etc. but we have turned them into idols as we prioritise them over the Lord or distort them from what he designed them to be. Secularism, meanwhile, makes politics itself an idol and tries to silence other faith-inspired voices. There is also a growing culture of “them versus us” in which many believe that those they disagree with are completely wrong whereas they are completely right. This makes it difficult for people to see good in those who oppose them or to examine their own faults. As a result, wisdom is lost, pride and stubbornness abound.

Hope and responsibility

Individual Christians can feel powerless as they look at these socio-political and economic challenges. We can wonder if there is any point in praying about elections. But, hope returns when we focus our attention on the King of Kings, the one who is in ultimate charge and isworking out His eternal Kingdom purposes no matter what. As we remember that we are called to pray that “His will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, we are motivated to persevere in our intercession. But it also means that we have homework to do – to work to understand what is happening on earth and equally try to understand the will of the Lord. We do this in humility, remembering that we will not fully comprehend until Jesus returns.

Strength in unity

There is particular power and wisdom in praying and reflecting together with other Christians. The diversity of local Church (and indeed Church at national or European levels) means we can choose to understand the lives, problems, gifts and opinions of those who are very different to us. Our identity in Christ gives us a firm foundation for mutual respect, collaboration and the possibility of softening our opinions. We know that, when we pray in humility, repentance and unity for our nations, we can be confident that the Lord listens and will heal (2 Chronicles 7: 14). And when we consider socio-political matters with those who are different to us, it becomes much easier to find a truly biblical perspective on what is important.

A biblical worldview sustains democracy

There is much we can agree on from the Bible. We know that every single human being is made in the image of God and, therefore, has infinite value. So Christians are united in wanting to see European society valuing all, no matter their sex, age, ethnicity, faith or worldview, “economic usefulness”, health or if they are yet to be born etc. As image bearers, every human has the capacity for immense and creative good, so we seek a Europe where there is opportunity for that flourishing contribution from each one. But, since the Fall, each human is capable of unspeakable sinfulness. And so public policy and, indeed, the political system itself must take this into account.

It is this biblical worldview which has provided the foundation for sustainable democracy and free societies.

• Since human beings can do good, they should be able to contribute to the political decision making system and to society.
• Since human beings can do evil, democratic systems should spread power as widely as possible, not allowing any individual or institution to dominate.
• Since every human being has infinite worth, politicians should work for the good of all, including those who did not or could not vote for them.

So let’s be proactive in our praying, voting and influencing to speak up for these core biblical principles and to protect and strengthen the health (in God’s eyes) of our democracy, nations and continent.

Uniting despite differences

As Christians, we should be able to agree on foundational principles of what the Lord would want but there will still be much we continue to disagree on. Since no political party has a monopoly on truth and wisdom, Christians will vote in different ways. But, there is still huge value in praying and discussing together, asking for the Lord’s blessing and mercy, and seeking to understand what is needed for His Kingdom values to be more strongly reflected across our continent.

Therefore, the European Evangelical Alliance urges its members and local churches across the EU to unite in

• non-partisan intercession for our nations and continent,
• biblical reflection about the Lord’s values, listening to other opinions, asking big questions,
• challenging untruth, disrespect and idolatry,
• encouraging people to study political manifestos carefully and to vote.

Politics has its limits

However, no matter how important these elections are, politics becomes an idol when we expect it to solve every issue, give 100% guarantees of security and answer our every need. We look to the King of Kings first, trusting in His sovereignty and ultimate Kingdom purposes. And we also understand the responsibility of citizens to contribute to the common good. Local Church has a particular joyful task to offer the hope of Jesus Christ in word and deed. There is so much anger, fear, loneliness, injustice and hardship around. The Church is doing a vital job in serving communities, reaching out to the most vulnerable, encouraging neighbourliness, building peace, offering hope for today and ultimate hope for eternity. Let’s keep going, whatever happens in political life.

Pray for the European Parliament elections 23-26 May 2019

Christians may vote for different political parties but there is great significance in praying together in humility and unity for our nations and continent.

Here are suggestions for united intercession. We invite people to pray in non-partisan ways

so that all Christians can say AMEN.

Let’s pray for

• the well-being of all candidates and their families during this stressful time,
• peaceful and safe campaigning and voting,
• truth to be sought, seen and heard, valued and accepted,
• opportunities for respectful debate, with a variety of voices being heard,
• growing support for core biblical values, including love, truth, justice, righteousness, forgiveness, integrity, respect, service and generosity,
• the success of politicians who will
  • preserve and strengthen democracy and freedom,
  • work for the good of all, including the weakest and most vulnerable,
  • be a blessing to their nation but also work well with politicians from other nations.
• The next 5 years of the European Union to be a period
  • where mutual respect and listening in political debate increase,
  • where every Member State of the EU is able to be and to offer its best to the whole and to be humble enough to learn from others,
  • where there is greater understanding of the value of every human being,
  • where wise and just decisions are made to face the many economic, technological, environmental, social and security challenges Europe faces, and where the weakest are better protected,
  • where freedom of religion or belief and of expression are strengthened,
  • where decisions are made at the appropriate level – European, national, local,
  • where there is a stronger connection and trust between politicians and officials and the citizens of the European Union.

More: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanEA

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appointed a new chief commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), just days after the United States designated the paramilitary force as a foreign terrorist organization.

Iranian state media reported on April 21 that Khamenei appointed General Hossein Salami as the new head of the IRGC, replacing Mohammad Ali Jafari, who had been in charge for more than 11 years.

Salami, 59, had been serving as a deputy commander in the IRGC. State media gave no reason for Khamenei’s decision to replace the IRGC commander.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on April 8 designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in an unprecedented move that drew Iranian condemnation.

Tehran responded by designating the U.S. military's Central Command as a terrorist organization.

The estimated 100,000-strong IRGC is a branch of the military that also plays a major role in Iran’s economy.

It is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and runs its own intelligence operations.

The IRGC has been involved in enforcing Islamic codes and crushing dissent at home, experts say, while taking part in covert operations, arms smuggling, and other efforts aimed at expanding Iran's influence abroad. It answers directly to Khamenei.

The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organization as a whole.

More:https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-supreme-leader-appoints-new-chief-of-revolutionary-guards/29894970.html?ltflags=mailer

Pray that the devious and manipulative actions of the IRGC will be thwarted
Pray for the people of Iran, who yearn for freedom of speech and true democracy

Elections in Israel were yesterday.  This afternoon (Wednesday) with some 97% of votes counted, the Likud with Benjamin Netanyahu and the Blue and White party with Benny Gantz were tied, each having received 35 seats each in the new Knesset. 

However, because the two religious parties, the Sephardic Shas and the Ashkenazy United Torah Judaism, received an astounding eight seats each, and have vowed to join a Netanyahu government—and there are still several other right-wing parties expected to do the same,

Netanyahu is being seen as winner (President Rivlin will almost certainly give him the task of forming a coalition after the final military and write-in votes are counted tomorrow).  This will be Netanyahu’s fifth term.  It means that Israel will go into this next season with a proven, strong defense stance against the threat from Iran.  It will continue with a leader whose prowess as a statesman is respected (if not always loved) in the international community.  There should continue to be a government with strong feelings for Israel’s right to a presence in the Covenant Land of the Mountains of Israel—Judea & Samaria—the West Bank.  And, extremely important for the present time, the relationship forged between Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Trump continues in a realm of mutual favour no new Israeli leader could hope to imitate.

On the other hand, a coalition so strongly impressed with the religious parties means one which will likely continue with a “double standard” related to religious and civil responsibilities of citizens (most ultra-Orthodox demand to be allowed to study Biblical commentaries of rabbis rather than to fulfill those responsibilities).  And the Shas party will almost certainly demand to maintain control of the Ministry of the Interior and other offices related to immigration—thus deciding who is considered a “Jew”, and discriminating against Messianic Jews and others it considers not lining up with its narrow religious views. 

In general, a far-right government is far less concerned with civil rights of Israeli citizens.  Any overtures the government might wish to take, for example, towards allowing other streams of Judaism to have access to their own portion of the Western Wall, can (as happened two years ago) be nipped off at the bud by a threat from one of the religious parties to leave and bring down the government.

Another question mark relates to the “Deal of the Century” for solving the Israel/Palestinian questions, which President Trump is due to release within a few weeks after the new government is on its feet.  Will it “allow” Israel to annex portions of the Mountains of Israel, and for Jerusalem to remain undivided?  Will the present relationship with Mr. Trump and America be able to remain close if there are tenets of the plan which Israel finds impossible to accept?

The Prime Minister Elect will have a month to put together a coalition; if that fails, he may ask for one short extension.  That failing, the country goes again to new elections.

PLEASE PRAY:

• That the God of Israel will watch over and guard the building of the new government. That none will be allowed to be formed which would restrict His path of mercy for his covenant land and people during the coming season.
• That grace will rest upon Mr. Netanyahu—a grace which leads to humility, and to seeking heavenly counsel for his governance during this term.
• That no occult powers would be able to influence the forming of the new coalition.
• That the most recent Shas leader (a convicted felon) will not be allowed to again hold the office of Ministry of the Interior. That the anti-Messiah spirit would not be allowed to reign over that office.

Martin & Norma Sarvis

Jerusalem