World Christian's FIRST annual Buddhist World Prayer Focus calls Christians and churches worldwide to set aside ANY 15 days in 2019 to learn about and pray for our world's over half a billion Buddhist neighbors. The informative prayer guide booklets will help Christians to know how to pray for the people(s) growing up within this major world religion.

It is not our intention with this prayer focus to disparage Buddhism's attempts to understand the mystery of life and to seek solutions to the problem of human suffering. We acknowledge that Buddhism is a great and enduring tradition, and as such it would be inappropriate to simply or easily condense, explain or take lightly within a mere booklet.

At the same time, however, it is no secret that as Christians, we long that all the world's people(s) will have tangible opportunity to freely see, hear and understand the grace of God incarnated in Jesus Christ. To this end we inform ourselves, pray for and want to support respectful efforts to make that grace known also within the world's Buddhist communities.

We invite all Christians and churches to participate, and to learn about and pray for Buddhists.

More info and order here: https://www.worldchristian.com/productdetails.php?product_id=37788

March 6 - April 14, 2019

This is Your Invitation to Join The Journey

In 2013, the Body of CHRIST united around the things GOD cared about on 2nd street in El Cajon, California. This set us on a path to continue to expand each year to what is now known as 40 Days of HOPE for California. The LORD used a street full of homelessness, underage drinkers, and businesses struggling, to ignite the Body of CHRIST to pray, love the lost, and be a part of the solution to these problems.

Today, across California, the Body of CHRIST is being invited to unite around the areas that we all value; to pray, fast, worship, and do outreach together for 40 Days leading up to Palm Sunday to be a part of the solution to California's problems.

This is our first year opening up this initiative to California. Will you join us, and believe with us, that GOD's heart is fixed on California? HE loves California and is awakening HIS Body to join HIM in bringing HIS power and solutions to our great state. 

Here is how it works...

For 40 days we are asking you to pray with us by following our daily prayer prompts and fast, as the LORD leads you, during this time.

We are also asking that you join or lead prayer meetings, worship events or outreaches and open them up to your community so other people from different congregations can unite and join with you. (Don't miss this part...when the Body is joined together in our regions and state, this is where the power of GOD is poured out.)

Sign Up for Prayer Prompts

Promotional Resources

www.40daysofhope.net

An invitation is going out across Europe for a unique gathering of 3,000 young people from all 51 nations of the continent, taking place in July 2019.  United Prayer Rising (UPRising) Europe will draw together believers for 72 hours of united worship and prayer with a mandate to contend for a youth awakening across Europe.

JJ Waters, Director of UPRising Europe said, “Following God’s lead, we are incredibly excited to gather together people from every nation in Europe to contend for a youth awakening. This is such a critical time for Europe – much is being shaken whilst at the same time God is moving powerfully in many nations. We believe He is doing something beautiful in the hearts of young people, in what is now one of the most unreached continents on earth. Now is the time to come together from different nations, across denominations, honouring fathers and mothers, and to worship and pray for a mighty move of God in Europe.”

We want to invite young people and anyone with a heart for Europe, to save the dates – 8^th to 11^th July 2019 and to plan to be part of this event.

The backbone of UPRising Europe will be 72 hours of non-stop worship and prayer led by worship teams of young people from all over Europe. We want to see young people from each of their nations bringing their own unique flavour, style of music and worship songs in their own language alongside English songs. These are the grassroots, passionate worship and prayer leaders who are faithful to where God has placed them and willing to contend for Europe.

Out of this will flow prayer and intercession for Europe, with occasional inspiration from speakers in our main sessions and seminars. There will also be prayer for these young people to be sent with a lasting fire to see their cities and nations changed by Jesus.

UPRising Europe is part of the global UPRising movement that was birthed out of the World Prayer Assembly in 2012 in Indonesia.  The first UPRising event was in Seoul, South Korea in July 2016. Since then, there have been UPRising events in the Philippines, South Africa, Mongolia, Bolivia, Malaysia, Canada, Chile, Mexico and California.

UPRising Europe will take place at Ashburnham Place, Battle, East Sussex – a Christian retreat and conference centre set in beautiful grounds with three lakes, gardens and an abundance of nature.  Delegates will be able to stay in Ashburnham place itself or camp in the spacious grounds.

We want to bring together young people from every nation in Europe and to make this event accessible to all. In order to do this, we intend to make ticket prices reasonable for those from all parts of Europe. If anyone or any church wishes to help subsidise these costs, please contact us via the website.

Anyone interested in finding out more and pre-registering for UPRising Europe can do so at the website:

www.uprisingeurope.org  Also, follow us on social media.  Pricing and tickets will be released shortly.

As we move into a New Year as followers of Jesus Christ, presumably we want to see our lives make a greater impact for Him and our world. One of the most powerful,impactful things we can give ourselves to is praying with others for the changes we want to see in our lives, communities, and nations. I have been encouraged and stimulated by rereading a great classic on corporate prayer that I would like to share with you.

Rosalind Rinker, who served in China as a missionary from 1926 to 1940, wrote a provocative reflection on corporate prayer based on her own experience of learning to pray with others. She found herself bored and annoyed by the way prayer meetings were conducted each Friday night as the missionaries gathered to intercede. People would go on and on, touring the world in their praying, while other participants like her would try to stay focused but would wander mentally as they listened to what amounted to prayer orations.

A friend of hers and she later discovered the power of “conversational prayer” when two or more focus on the actual presence of Jesus Christ with them according to His promise in Matthew 28:20- that He would be with us “always”. Counting on His presence, they began to learn to speak to Him from the heart as one who was very much a part of their conversation and wanted to be included. They discovered that they did not need to use flowery, well thought out, theologically correct expressions, but rather like close friends would express their heart desires, questions, and concerns in natural, brief sentences, each giving attention to one subject at a time and then moving on to another when that subject had been covered enough.

Rinker opens her book with these words:

“Group prayer has lost its meaning for many of us, so that any excuse is a good excuse for not going to a prayer meeting. Praying conversationally (that is praying back and forth on a single subject until a new one is introduced by the Spirit) makes prayer such a natural means of “spiritual togetherness” that the healing love of God touches us all as we are in His presence. Meeting the Lord in this way brings us to the anticipated realization of what it means to be consciously with Him, and to belong to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.” (p.10)

Here are some vital principles that can be derived from Rinker’s book,Prayer: How to Have a Conversation with God, that will make our times of prayer with others much more lively and exciting:

• Count on the actual presence of the Trinity-Father, Son and Holy Spirit- when you come together to pray with others. Let the Triune God prompt you as to the things you should focus on together.
• Don’t make prayer speeches but talk things over with the Lord back and forth, including Him in it as we do in human conversation.
• Speak with the simplicity of a child talking to His Father. It is not the exact words but the heart attitude that God is attentive to.
• Be aware of the others in this prayer conversation who have their own heart perspectives to share. Don’t pray a monologue (you can do that when you are alone) but let everyone pray what they are being led to articulate by the leading of the Spirit.
• Make use of sentence prayers, expressing just one angle of a subject. God knows more about the subject already, far more than we will ever understand anyway!“Now remember the Lord is here. We are speaking to him. Pray in short sentences and then let someone else have a chance. He will guide us.” (p.26)
• Keep focused on the same subject, taking turns to pray about it until there is a sense of completion and the Spirit nudges you to move on to another issue.
• Be in tune with when you should jump in and pray, being patient and letting other members of His Body play their part, trusting God to move them to bring out other aspects that should be addressed.
• “We don’t learn how to pray in six easy lessons, we learn to pray by praying… Go ahead and stumble in your prayers, go ahead and cry. Out of your very weakness your brother is made strong. Out of your own weakness you are made strong by Christ. Out of the inadequacy of your prayer, the inability to express yourself, the shame of your tears, and the urgency of your need, you meet the Savior who understands you. You are comforted and your brother is strengthened.” (p.47, 49)
• Some things we can ask for by ourselves. Other things, she writes, are like great mountains and we need the faith and prayer of others to help us when we pray. “If two of you agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever (anything and everything) they ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18-20, Amplified) (p. 63)
• “Have faith in the One who is able to answer… God has given us power over our imaginations, so that by the positive use of that imagination, we can picture ourselves receiving the answer. This is the way to believe in one’s heart, and to believe that what one has asked for, he will receive.” (p.73)

Rinker concludes her short but profound exploration of united prayer in this way:“After all, prayer is conversing with God, and to converse with someone we must be with that person. And in His presence is fullness of joy.” (p. 88)

If I may add to what Ms. Rinker has said, we in the IPC have also found how powerful, even history-changing, such united prayer orchestrated by the Holy Spirit can be. Let us all go deeper in this wonderful adventure of conversing with the Lord together and through united prayer watch Him bring His transformation into our hurting, problematic world!

John Robb
IPC Chairman
More:Prayer:How to Have a Conversation with God (Zondervan Publishing House, 1959)

Dear Prayer Family

It was about this time in late December 2015 when God gave me a wild vision for a prayer relay on New Year's Day, the vision was of people holding 'Olympic Relay Torches' (flames) at seven high points around the Illawarra, the vision then zoomed out and I saw the flames spread across Australia, and then around the world, I immediately knew this was a prayer relay and I shared the vision with Warwick Marsh from National Day of Prayer (Australia). With only 12 days until New Year's Day 2016 we shared the vision and many believers joined us to pray across Australia and around the world, then on New Year's Day 2017 believers prayed in over 23 nations, and on New Year's Day 2018 the relay continued to grow with believers prayed in at least 50 nations, including 172 public locations in Australia.

In November this year I completely laid this vision down at the altar and the Lord quickly told me to pick it up again with two fresh instructions; "SIMPLIFY" and "SOUL FOCUS", a couple of weeks later He gave me a sentence to help explain what this looks like practically;

"WHEREVER YOU ARE AT SUNRISE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, PRAY FOR SOULS TO BE SAVED."

So, I invite you to join me at sunrise on New Year's Day wherever you are around the world, to pray for souls to be saved, I am convinced that the number one priority of heaven is the salvation, and reconciliation of sons and daughters back into the intimate relationship with God that we were all created for. Jesus described in Luke 15:7 and 15:10, a joyous celebration in heaven when just one sinner repents, I believe that it is God's will for every person to be saved, our part to play in God's plan is to pray for souls to be saved, and to preach the good news so that people may hear, believe, and call on Jesus to save them (Rom 10:13-17).

You can organise to pray as a group at a public location lookout, landmark, or a church in your city or town, or you can also pray privately in your home, we suggest you start around 15 minutes before your local sunrise time and pray for around 30 to 60 minutes, or longer if you feel led.

Watch the latest video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAq7YT6eXoE

We encourage you to pray 'The Lord's Prayer' (Matt 6:9-13) aloud as the sun rises, and make a declaration that Jesus is Lord of your life, your family, your region and your nation, then contend in prayer for souls to be saved, pray for our unsaved friends and family to know Jesus in 2019, you may also like to make a declaration over your nation like “Australia for Jesus”, or “America Shall Be Saved”, these declarations are the cry of God’s heart, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9), so let’s pray in agreement with His will and contend for our nations to be saved.

Your group might like to include praise and worship in your time of prayer, you could also include communion, a time of fellowship e.g. breakfast, and then go and share the good news.

To register your participation in the New Year’s Day Sunrise Prayer Relay 2019 and receive the prayer resources, including prayer points, and info on how you can continue to pray daily for souls to be saved in your nation, and updates please visit http://www.sunriseprayerrelay.org/registration

This year WE WILL NOT BE PUBLISHING A LIST OF PUBLIC LOCATIONS, if you are hosting a gathering at a public location we encourage you to promote locally by inviting people you know and sharing in local churches, prayer groups and via social media, we also recommend that anyone considering hosting a public location make sure you have at least one or two people you know well that have agreed to be there with you for accountability and safety before you promote the location publicly.

Please post photos, videos, and testimonies from your location on social media and use the hashtag #SunrisePrayerRelay

Let’s awaken the dawn together in 2019 with prayer for souls to be saved.

Now is the "right time", now is the time of salvation (2 Cor 6:2).

Thanks & Be Blessed
Pat Steele
More:http://www.sunriseprayerrelay.org/

Important milestone achieved towards finishing the Great Commission and reaching the Unreached Peoples: Finishing the Task 2018

Aliso Viejo, CA:  Finishing the Task (FTT) and The Issachar Initiative are delighted to report the achievement of a major milestone in the effort to fulfill Jesus’ command to “make disciples of every nation.”  At this year’s Finishing the Task Conference, every remaining known unengaged, unreached people group (UUPG) was adopted for gospel engagement in the coming two years.  A UUPG is a group of people without a single known worker doing evangelism and church planting in their people groups.  In many cases UUPGs don’t have a single believer and have never had an opportunity to hear about Christ’s love and forgiveness.  

The conference started by presenting 343 UUPGs to those in attendance.  Leaders asked the over 600 missionaries, strategists and pastors in attendance to “roll up their sleeves” and spend the week praying, planning and working to get laborers to each of the 343 UUPGs on the FTT list.  “It’s time for the Church to stop debating the Bible and start doing it,” said Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.  The mood in the room was one of action and urgency.

When final commitments were made, organizations and churches far exceeded the faith goals for the conference.  In all, 603 unique people group adoptions were indicated. Many UUPGs were adopted twice, three times and even four times, increasing the likelihood of the people group receiving a team of missionaries soon, or even multiple teams of missionaries.

Those in attendance also experienced many moments of Spirit-filled unity.  All-together 280 different organizations attended FTT, each coming in a spirit of cooperation and partnership for the greater glory of Christ.  Perhaps the best illustration of this was when a young 30-something missionary from East Asia came to the microphone and said “I’m only one man.  I don’t lead hardly anyone compared to most in the room.  But I would like to adopt all the remaining people groups in my country if you will help me.”  Four mission agencies followed this young man’s faith and approached him to partner together to see every group in that country reached.  The young man and the four agencies stayed overtime at the conference to continue praying and strategizing together.

Perhaps it was the increased focus on prayer and repentance that led to this unity.  Within two hours of the event kicking off attendees spent an entire session praying through the Lord’s prayer together.  “Who have you harmed?  Who do you need to forgive?  What needs to be made right in your heart today?” the prayer leader asked.  On the second day of the conference attendees removed shoes and walked on a near football field-sized map of the world to pray for every person in every nation.  In some instances, pools of tears were seen on the map as God led people to cry out for those who’ve never heard of Jesus in their land.            

The body of Christ will now take the next steps in the work; that of recruiting, training and sending nearby workers into these 343 people groups.  The commitments of these first missionaries will begin the process of making disciples in those people groups, thus hastening the day when the Apostle John’s vision of “a great number of people” “from every nation, tribe, people and language of the earth” “standing before the throne” of God is finally realized.”

Dusty Hoffman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information on the Finishing the Task effort, seewww.FinishingtheTask.com

Please note: There are still over 5000 Unreached People Groups that are less than 5% Christian and a hard core group of about 4700 of these that are less than 0.1% Christian (one believer per thousand) that need our prayer and attention in mission outreach.

Please pray for the efforts of the FTT coalition of mission agencies and also that all the remaining UPGs will be adopted for prayer and mission engagement.

…one of the Longest-running conflicts in the world.

Afghan Forces' Losses May Not Be Sustainable, U.S. General Warns

“The death toll among Afghanistan's security forces will no longer be sustainable unless urgent measures are taken to address recruiting and training issues, a top U.S. general has said.

"They are fighting hard, but their losses are not going to be sustainable unless we correct this problem," Lieutenant-General Kenneth McKenzie said on December 4 at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee amid frustration among Congressmen over a lack of progress in the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan.

McKenzie, who has been nominated to lead the U.S. military's Central Command that oversees wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, also warned against an abrupt withdrawal of American forces or change in strategy. 

The Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to counter attacks from the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO combat troops in 2014.

In October, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Afghan forces had more than 1,000 dead and wounded during August and September alone. 

And Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last month said the death toll among Afghan security forces since 2015 was close to 29,000 -- a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged…

McKenzie said that Afghan forces are still unable to effectively withstand the Taliban fighters, who now number about 60,000 in Afghanistan.

“If we left precipitously right now I do not believe they would be able to successfully defend their country," he said.

Some 14,000 U.S. soldiers are currently serving in Afghanistan, mainly training and advising the Afghan security forces, and McKenzie couldn't say how much longer the United States will remain in the country.

"I do know that today it would be very difficult for [the Afghan security forces] to survive without our and our coalition partners' assistance," he said.

"The operational military situation is largely stalemated," said the U.S. general, who also voiced optimism over invigorated U.S. efforts to settle the Afghan conflict...

https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-forces-losses-may-not-be-sustainable-u-s-general-warns/29637684.html?ltflags=mailer

BRUSSELS - A senior U.S. diplomat has called on the Taliban to seize a "moment of opportunity" to open formal peace talks with the Western-backed Afghan government and negotiate an end to the 17-year conflict. 

Alice Wells, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of South and Central Asian affairs, told RFE/RL that the "door had opened" for a possible peace settlement with the Taliban following President Ashraf Ghani's offer of unconditional talks in February and an unprecedented cease-fire in June. 

"The Afghan government is ready," Wells told RFE/RL on November 29 in Brussels, a day after she attended a UN-sponsored two-day conference on Afghanistan in Geneva. "The Afghan people, and by that I mean the Taliban also, are ready. It's a question of whether the Taliban leadership is prepared to take up this offer."

ZalmayKhalilzad, an Afghan-born former U.S. ambassador to Kabul and Iraq, was appointed in September to the U.S. State Department team that is leading the reconciliation effort and peace talks with the Taliban. 

Khalilzad, who has held several rounds of preliminary talks with Taliban officials in Qatar, told reporters in Kabul this month that he was optimistic a peace deal with the militants could be reached before the presidential election in Afghanistan in April 2019.

Moment of Opportunity

Wells, who met with Taliban representatives in Qatar in July, said there was no deadline but "there is a sense of urgency because we think this is a moment of opportunity." 

Ghani, speaking in Geneva on November 28, said his government had formed a 12-strong team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, but he warned that any deal must fulfill certain conditions, including respecting the constitutional rights of women. 

In February, Ghani offered to allow the Taliban to establish itself as a political party and said he would work to remove sanctions on the militant group, among other incentives, if it joined the government in peace negotiations. In return, the militants would have to recognize the Kabul government and respect the rule of law. 

The Taliban has refused to deal directly with Kabul, saying they would negotiate only with the United States. The militants have also said NATO forces must withdraw from Afghanistan before negotiations can begin. 

Wells said the militants were "suffering enormous casualties" and "there's war fatigue among the Taliban." 

In June, the government and Taliban declared a three-day cease-fire coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the first ever cessation of hostilities between the warring sides. 

Wells said the cease-fire demonstrated that the sides want to "find a way to live in peace." 

"They've always said publicly that they seek peace and they don't seek to dominate Afghanistan as they did in leading up to 2001," said Wells, referring to the Taliban, who were in power from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. "Let's test that proposition about whether or not they're prepared to actually sit and negotiate a political solution." 

Efforts to open peace talks with the Taliban come as Afghan security forces struggle to fend off attacks from the militants, who control more territory than at any time since 2001. 

Afghan forces are suffering record casualties, with Ghani saying that nearly 29,000 Afghan police and soldiers have been killed in the country since the start of 2015 when Afghan troops took over primary responsibility for security.

During the same period, 58 American had been killed, he said.”

https://www.rferl.org/a/senior-u-s-diplomat-calls-on-afghan-taliban-to-seize-moment-of-opportunity-for-peace-talks/29628847.html?ltflags=mailer

The recently concluded negotiations in the UAE were promising according to the US Afghan envoy. Let’s pray that this war-weary land will finally find peace and that both the Afghan government and the Taliban will be able to negotiate directly with one another at this pivotal point in this longstanding conflict.

Prayer Topics

• Pray that God would protect all Christians in Iraq with His divine grace, so that they would persevere these hard times for His glory.
• Pray that the rights of Iraqi Christians would be voiced and improved in every area of Iraqi society through education and political changes.
• Pray that all evil spiritual forces that are attacking to kill and destroy all Iraqi churches and Christians would be bound on earth as they are in heaven.

SILK WAVE MISSION USA

http://silkwavemission.com/en/index.html

Following the detention of its pastor and about 100 members earlier this week, a Christian church in Chengdu, China, is thanking God and preparing for even more hardships. Overnight on December 9 and 10, government officials arrested leaders and members of Early Rain Covenant Church, one of the country’s most prominent unregistered churches. Since then, some people have been released, while others are being closely watched. Some members report rough treatment while in custody.

(December 13, 2018)

“God has given us a reward”

“Shortly before his arrest, elder Li Yingqiang wrote a letter to his church from a hiding spot. Describing the “large-scale persecution” as a “reward,” Li expresses confidence that the detainees are within God’s “sovereign providence” during their trials.

Citing 1 Peter 4:12-14, Li asks his fellow Christians, “Are you rejoicing in the fact that you are suffering with Christ because of this church? Do you know that we are blessed?”

He then thanks God for being present during the ordeal, “for training us through these days of hardship,” and “for sculpting us through today’s persecution.” Though the future is uncertain, Li says, he expects the crackdown on Christians to “become the status quo for us in the future.”

The Church Plans to Stand Firm

In his letter, Li relays the church’s contingency plans, urging elders who haven’t been detained to continue leading the congregation. No matter what happens, Li says, Early Rain must not alter its faith statement or its “path of openness.” He writes, “We will not register with the Religious Affairs Bureau.”

China has been cracking down on churches, requiring them to register and submit to government control. Most of the country’s Protestant house churches remain underground, but Early Rain operates and evangelizes openly. Earlier this fall, it received a warning from authorities.

Saying Early Rain “will not easily relinquish our church building,” Li urges worshipers to return to the sanctuary. If necessary, he says, worship will be held at a rented location or even outdoors. The “last resort,” according to his letter, is meeting in small groups.

“We are willing to pay an even greater price to bear witness to the…gospel,” Li writes. “We are willing to have 200, 300 or 500 people arrested and imprisoned.” He encourages Chinese Christians to “welcome, filled with hope, the even heavier cross and more difficult lives that lie ahead.”

Early Rain’s Pastor Wang Yi Faces Charges of Subversion

Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain, is being charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” according to documents his mother was shown. Wang hasn’t been allowed to meet with lawyers or relatives, and his wife’s whereabouts are unknown.

The couple’s 11-year-old son is staying with Wang’s mother, who says officials are constantly stationed outside her home. “They follow us whenever and wherever we go,” says Chen Yaxue, adding that officials are urging her to send her grandson to a local school rather than Early Rain’s primary school.

Wang, a human rights activist and scholar who converted to Christianity, wrote an open letter to church members in September, giving instructions in case he went missing. He emphasized that he’ll employ non-violent means to oppose crackdowns against his faith. “My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked law,” Wang wrote.

 Stephanie Martin, ChurchLeaders.com

https://churchleaders.com/news/339593-wang-yi-chinese-church-thanks-god-persecution-hand-of-government.html?utm_source=outreach-cl-daily-nl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text-link&utm_campaign=cl-daily-nl&maropost_id=&mpweb=256-7496753-744075199

Let’s continue to uphold the Christians in China in our prayers as they seek to bear the increased surveillance and persecution of their government.
Pray for those that are being held in prison to be released and that the authorities there will realize that followers of Christ are actually the best citizens they will ever have. May China be liberated from this anti-Christian spirit that has recently reemerged so strongly!