“Our Father in Heaven, your Kingdom Come…” -Matt 6:10

This second petition of the Lord’s prayer began to explode in me in our recent gathering in Hong Kong, July 22-27^th. Several thousand Chinese came to pray in unity together as family from Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

We joined with these precious saints to seek First God’s kingdom in the midst of a swirl of political chaos, turmoil, and increasing violence. Many protests have been launched against the Chinese government asking for democracy, religious freedom, and autonomy in the city.  Several times during our gatherings, we cried out, “Father Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” with a great sense of urgency. To pray this second petition of the Lord’s prayer is one of the most radical things we can pray as human beings. It turns out that in this petition we are asking God to bring about the most massive revolution imaginable. 

In using the term Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven the Hebrew writers were not just thinking of a place over which God would rule, but rather it was a way of expressing, “God is acting as King.” The Hebrew prophets longed for the day when God would impose his kingly rule over all of creation, ushered in by God’s Messiah, ‘the anointed one.’  On the final day, the ‘Day of the Lord,’ God would judge human wickedness, and wipe away all evil, forever reversing the effects of the fall of man! He would vindicate those who trusted in him and fill them with his Holy Spirit, bringing about the restoration of all things according to God’s original design! 

Jesus asks to pray this way “Your Kingdom Come.”  We are given the amazing privilege of inviting God’s glorious future, heaven invading and occupying earth! Not only is God’s kingdom coming, but Jesus declared in Mark 1:15, “the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand.” The term at hand literally means, ‘come near.’ Jesus means that the reign of God, God acting as King has come near!

Does Jesus mean it is about to arrive and therefore we should get ready?  Or does Jesus mean it has arrived and we should grab hold of it and enter in?! I believe he means both!  It is here right now -already- and it is yet to come!  Jesus is announcing that in him and because of him the future reign of God has now broken into the present! 

When Jesus healed the sick, cast out devils, raised the dead, calmed the winds and the waves, multiplied bread and fish to feed the hungry, championed the poor and the needy, filled ordinary people in and with the Holy Spirit- that is the Kingdom – the blessing of the future breaking into the present! And yet Jesus also says several times that the Kingdom was still to come, sharing with his disciples several parables to be waiting and watching – ready for his return! Therefore, in Jesus, this glorious, redeeming, restoring ‘reign of God’ is already -not yet!

In another sense it might be compared to ‘veiled’ versus ‘visible.’  The already – not yet is a matter of ‘hidden’ versus ‘manifest.’ The really good news is that in Jesus, the Kingdom is already among us but often in a veiled and hidden form. When the King is present, so is the Kingdom! Indeed, the Kingdom is present only where Jesus Christ is King! Certainly, the King is here- right where you and I are – in our everyday lives, in our homes, at our workplaces, in our hospitals- and yet just behind that thin veil of hiddenness. At any point God could pull back the curtain and we would all fall on our faces and worship!

One of the interesting keys to understanding this prayer is to see how Jesus uses the verbs, ‘hallow, come, be done, give, forgive, deliver.’  Surprisingly the verbs are in the imperative. They are commands not requests. To pray the Lord’s prayer is to command not to request, “Be done - your will, Hallowed – be your name, Come - Your Kingdom” This may seem a bit audacious, but this is how Jesus taught us to pray. These verbs are also in the passive voice, which means only God can hallow his name, bring his kingdom, do his will!

The prayer is not what many believers have thought it to be, ‘let us hallow your name.’ ‘let us bring your kingdom,’ ‘let us do your will.,’ important as those things may be. Rather the prayer is, ‘Father you do it! You hallow your name on earth as it is in heaven. You bring your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. You do your will on earth as it is in heaven!

Professor Stendahl of Harvard university reminds us that the prayer, “asks for the establishment of the kingdom of God, by God for us, not by us for God.” We are asking God to do what only he can do!

So then how ought we to pray, “Your Kingdom Come?” Of course, with each of these simple phrases you can include the who, when, where, of places, circumstance, situations and peoples as the Spirit leads! It might sound something like this:

“Father before the coming Day of the Lord, Revealwhat is invisible, Manifest what is hidden!”

“Father Unveil your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.”

“Father let your Kingdom come in me, so it can come through me!” 

“Father act as King!  Extend your sceptre, reign and rule on earth as you do in heaven! May your Kingdom be established, be expanded, and be embraced!”

“King of Kings manifest your splendor, power and glory on the earth! Break through any darkness King Jesus! Make wrong things right! Heal the sick, bind principalities and powers, raise the dead, free the captives, reconcile enemies, reverse the effects of sin, restore broken humanity, Come and Reign without Rival on the earth!”

And at the end of each of these prayers as you add specific places, situations, peoples as the target of your prayers, you can also add, “So that’ your name might be hallowed! ‘So that’ your name might be honoredand treasured!  ‘So that,’ your name might be treated as infinitely valuable here on earth (in your home, school, church, city, nation, etc.)  as it is in heaven!

Come Thy Kingdom!

Dr. Jason Hubbard – IPC Executive Coordinator

‘In honor of our elder brother, Ben’

Ben A. Jennings, Th.B., D.D., our elder brother in Christ and a father to many of us in the international prayer movement has graduated from this life and gone into the presence of his Lord on Saturday, August 3rd. Ben was just short of his 96th birthday, having lived a full and fruitful life of varied ministry as a Youth for Christ minister, a pastor of several churches, and finally as a Campus Crusade for Christ staff person. His obituary states that “Ben's focus at Campus Crusade was on prayer and ministering to people around the world through prayer, conferences, published books, and seminars. His passion was that people would understand God's love, and His power to change people's lives through prayer.” That quote describes Ben’s heart for the Lord, for people, and for ministry so well. We in the IPC appreciated him so much and will never forget his loving, kind, wise and prayerful character.

Ben was the primary instigator who brought together a number of international and American prayer leaders to New York City in early December 2001 just weeks after 9/11. He invited us to discuss and pray about the formation of an international network that would coordinate prayer for global issues like terrorism, wars, HIV AIDS as well as the completion of the Great Commission. That meeting’s deliberation as well as our praying together at Ground Zero resulted in the formation of the International Prayer Council that was launched the following year.

Ben continued to serve on our Board of Reference and to take part in IPC events and initiatives. Even at age 90, Ben travelled all the way to Jakarta, Indonesia to join us for the World Prayer Assembly in 2012. There he was a hit with the youth during a Q and A session, who asked him and other admirable elders any questions that they might have about life in Christ, prayer, or any other topic they were interested in. You can hear Ben’s rich baritone voice share some encouraging tidbits about the power of united prayer during this video from the WPA. https://youtu.be/qmDeuokTQ7I

Below is an article that he wrote in 1999 entitled 'God's Wonderful Plan for Prayer'.

John Robb

Chairman, International Prayer Council/Connect

'God's Wonderful Plan for Prayer'

Prayer leaps beyond our finite world. Shaped by God’s very nature, it deals with the Creator, and launches people into the vast arena of God Himself.

Romans 8:26, 27 describes the action: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray (for) as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which are not spoken. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to (the will of) God. (NKJV, adjusted to reflect original Greek)

Prayer can be pictured as a cosmic circle engaging four major participants. At the zenith is God the Father, to whom prayer is rightly directed. Three intercessors engage in the action.

The first intercessor, at a “three o’clock position,” is God, the Holy Spirit, who does not articulate His passionate longings, but uses human intercessors to do it. (See verse 27.)

The second intercessor, at a lowly “six o’clock position,” is the praying Christian who needs to improve in prayer.

The third intercessor, at “nine o’clock,” is Christ Jesus, identified in Revelation 2:18, 23 as the Person in the Godhead who searches human minds and hearts. He prays for prayers He receives from His people.

A dramatic scenario unfolds here: God the Holy Spirit continually receives the Father’s purposes and craves their fulfillment. He expresses these groanings within praying Christians as cares, burdens, and even anxieties.

God, the heart-searching Son, receives those yearnings through His praying disciples. He perfects and empowers them; presents them back to the Father; gets them answered (John 14:13); and thus completes the circuit of God’s action in the world!

Four conclusions stand out in this panorama:

1. When you pray, you step into the arena of God’s plan for mankind.
2. Your praying connects the passion of the Spirit with the power of Jesus.
3. Praying does not change God’s will; it effects His will. (Matthew 6:10)
4. Praying is God at work through you!

Article is adapted from The Arena of Prayer, Dr. Ben Jennings, © 1999, New Life Publisher, re-published with thanks to Campus Crusade for Christ International

Global Outreach Day is a Global Missions Network that calls the Church worldwide to focus on praying and sharing the Gospel with the un-churched in the month of May each year.

This coming year, May 2020 the vision is to mobilise 100 million people in united prayer. 

We are calling this initiative Go2020!

Already, Christians in 250,000 churches across 140 nations are part of this global outreach strategy to pray and witness towards the fulfilment of God's great commission.

Can you imagine with me - God calling 100 million Christians to united prayer for the global harvest?! 

We know that Jesus said that the harvest is ready, but the workers are few. Pray then to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into the harvest fields of the nations. (Luke 10:2 ESV Paraphrased)

Would you join us in praying for Go2020?!

Together, we can reach 1 billion people with the Gospel!

For more info and to sign up, visitwww.go2020.world/prayer

Dr Jason Hubbard - IPC Executive Coordinator

IPC colleague, Tom Victor reports back on the Chinese Homecoming and Watchmen gatherings held in July.

God’s Amazing Family!

Hong Kong has been in the news a lot lately. But with all the mass gatherings and ongoing protests, perhaps you missed the most exciting news!

From July 24-27 thousands of Chinese Christians from around the world met in Hong Kong to worship, to pray and to celebrate their “Oneness” in Christ.

They came from the mainland, from Hong Kong, from Taiwan and from nations around the world. These believers recognize that they are One Family with One Father.

This is their true identity. They are committed to be one in Christ - just as Jesus prayed facing the cross.

Their oneness found expression across the generations as the worship turned towards children.  On the last evening, a group of children in “full animal costumes” led us in our time of worship and celebration. The joy was contagious and gave new meaning to the words of Jesus: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16

Others from around the world also came to Hong Kong to worship, pray, celebrate and cheer on our precious Chinese family. Several leaders from Japan and Korea were present. They are all committed to walk together as One Family in Christ, an identify that transcends the history of brutal conflict and conquest between these nations!

What an amazing family! What an amazing God!

A group called Watchmen for the Nations put on the Chinese Homecoming. They are led by a former Egyptian medical doctor, David Demian. The Watchmen group hosts similar gatherings all around the world. David’s team includes young leaders who were front and center in the planning and execution of the Chinese Homecoming. They were the ones who felt God calling them to include the children in worship. It’s no wonderthat more than 50% of the attendees in Hong Kong were under the age of 40. Their passion for Oneness extends in tangible ways - across generational lines.

(Photo - left to right: Tom Victor / Werner Nachtigal / Dr Jason Hubbard)

A team of more than 180 leaders gathered for two days before the larger event to pray and seek God together for His direction. Some of us with the International Prayer Council were invited to join them – topray and to listen to God together. Before those two days ended, we felt God wascalling us to “enlarge ourfamily” by committing to walk together.

The Watchmen for the Nations team allowed us to share the Go 2020 Kids vision and key resources with their leadership team. We are now working to get the Go 2020 Kids “tool kit” into Chinese. So good!

Tom Victor – Great Commission Coalition / IPC Leadership Team

UPRising South Africa - ‘PRAYER By Youth For Youth’ - 4-6 Oct 2019

United Prayer Rising - South Africa arose out of the 2016 UPRising event in Seoul, South Korea.  The South Africa delegation came home with a burden - to see young people across South Africa reconciled and praying in unity for the needs of their generation, the Church and of their country.

‘There is only so much we can do for this generation’ - those are the words of Parents, selective leaders and the government.  Young people seem to have become impotent in our societies. Everything that is bad is associated with ‘young people’.

It is almost like our surname is ‘trouble, rape, robbery, gangster-ism, drugs, pain, loss, hopelessness, drunkards, thieves, poverty and death’.

Somehow, that's what our parents see when they look at us, that's how society sees us, that's how the government sees us and we have to admit there is truth in that.  Because we have become hooligans and we cannot tell right from wrong.

Admitting that means we know that there’s a problem and there is a way to solve it. Nothing is beyond God, nothing is impossible with him. Change and transformation are Gods specialties. Hebrews 1:3 declared that all things were created through Christ. This declares that we, as young people are created through Christ, for Christ, in Christ's image and likeness and therefore that means that we are overcomers, pace-setters and game-changers.

We, the young people of UPRising (United Prayer Rising) are saying that as young people in the church, we are Uniting in Prayer, Rising as a body of young people, forming a revival wave, taking a stand, marching to the gates of Hell to give the devil back his surname and take our Identity back. And Uniting in prayer together, black or white, every tribe, putting our differences aside and praying non-stop with every young person across South Africa, Africa and around the world. Because where there is United Prayer, (Psalm133:1-3) God is present and where God is, there is hope, love, transformation and honour.

Let’s Unite in prayer and be more than Joseph who got to see Canaan, or David who smote Israel’s biggest enemy.  Let’s acknowledge Christ who changed our surname from evil to Good, and gave us life.

UPRising South Africa aims to unite young people from across the provinces in united prayer for justice, peace, healing and reconciliation in our nation.

UPRising South Africa aims to mobilise young people in every street, every township, every city, every province to Pray, BELIEVING.... and to see great and wonderful things happen as a result!

Join us! Get in touch, plan to be at UPRISING SOUTH AFRICA 2019, spread the word!

We will gather. We will pray. We will see change across our country.

4th - 6th October, Orange Farm, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

Bishop Peter Sekhonyane - IPC Leadership Team

More at: www.uprising-south-africa.org

We want to invite you to be a part of a new 'virtual' opportunity called '10 days'

The vision can be found here www.10days.net/what-is-10-days-full

It comes over the Jewish festivals 29 Sept - 9th Oct Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during a time known as the 'Days of Awe'.

The focus is to see ourselves and eventually our whole cities actually pause, humble ourselves, and repent before God and seek His face for the lost. It is a time of together turning, asking forgiveness and yearning to see the fulfilment of Jesus' promises and His second coming.

This year the 10 days team have decided to run a pilot project for a VIRTUAL online non-stop prayer meeting 24 hours a day for 10 days around the globe. This is why I am inviting you to see if this is something that you would like to help facilitate. It would involve taking an hour slot every day for 10 days. This hour could be shared with people in your church or a group that you are linked with.

There will be a guide produced so that we all keep on the same page and with the same focus, which includes praying for those with the least access to the gospel. Several major global networks including the Ethne prayer workgroup, the 24:14 Coalition Prayer Task Force, Intl. Prayer Council and Morningstar Network are collaborating in this effort.

Could you let me know if this is something that you could organise in your network(s)?  https://form.myjotform.com/Nations123/10-days-int-global-upper-room would be where you can indicate the time slot that you would be responsible for each day.

Isebel Spangenberg is helping with coordination on this (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) If you have further questions, I'm happy to answer if I can.

10days.net has many of these resources, and also videos and podcasts.  We have two teaching video series on 10 Days plus this vision video (below) which I recommend you watch first:

10 Days Vision Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=TsgM8EK-ju8

Bridgeport Story--Bridgeport is leading the way as a city that is really stopping...this podcast is worth listening to: https://soundcloud.com/10daysofprayer/10-the-bridgeport-story-luis?in=10daysofprayer/sets/10-days-summit-2018

Last year, the '10 Days' was observed in various forms in 40 locations around the world. We believe God is calling the Body of Christ to a season of preparation of the Bride in this hour, and this season of coming aside seems to be part of His ordained plan. We welcome you to join hands with God and our sisters and brothers as we look together with expectancy for the Great Harvest and Our Bridegroom's soon return...

Liz Adleta - Global Prayer Strategist

Web: www.ethne.net/  www.prayerstrategists.net& https://www.2414now.net/

September 24, 2019, is the annual Save North Korean Refugees Day, organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition, marking the anniversary of Communist China signing the international refugee convention – the very agreement it ignores and cruelly violates by its treatment of North Korean refugees.

Do not forget that China’s president Xi Jinping continues to kill innocent men, women, and children fleeing North Korea, as we see reports of his ongoing brutality against Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, Uighers, and now the citizens of Hong Kong.

Everyone, regardless of where you live, can participate with us on Save North Korean Refugees Day, this September 24. We are recruiting city and country coordinators who agree to deliver an appeal, on that day, to the local Chinese Embassy or consulate in your city.

Here’s what you can do:

If you live in a City with a Chinese Embassy or Consulate: Consider being a country or city coordinator.  We ask you commit to deliver a letter of appeal to Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping demanding the PRC end its repatriation policy.  A template letter will be provided for your use, or coordinators can prepare their own letter of appeal from their respective NGOs.  We only ask that you share a picture of your delivered letter.

You are also welcome to take whatever additional action you would like on that day.  For example, coordinators have hosted conferences and film screenings to raise awareness of the North Korea human rights issue, while others have planned demonstrations and rallies and prayer vigils.   

Here is a link to last year's activities and events for reference to give you some ideas of what folks from Los Angeles to Pretoria, from Tokyo to Linglongwe did last year to stand up for our North Korean brothers and sisters facing death by China's actions: http://www.nkfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/B-SNKRD-2018-FINAL.pdf

We must not remain silent for those being led away to death.  If you can deliver a letter or take action in solidarity to raise awareness of this issue, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Suzanne Scholte - Seoul Peace Prize Laureate

President, Defense Forum Foundation

www.defenseforumfoundation.org  /  www.nkfreedom.org

Pray: Lets be in prayer for a step change in China's treatment of these innocent and vulnerable people escaping North Korea.

Pray: For a change in policy by President Xi Jinping, that stops the killings and forced re-patriations.

Pray: For an end to the imprisonment and brutality against Christians and other faith groups in China.

Pray: For the Church in China and North Korea to grow and become stronger despite the persecution and oppression.

We would like to extend a warm invitation to the South East Asia Prayer Council Conference 2019 which takes place from 8th to 11th October 2019 at the Changi Village Hotel in Singapore.

We are grateful to Senior Pastor DjohanHandoyo from Bethany Church Singapore who is our Host this year.  Pastor Handoyo along with Reverend Edmund Smith, founder and Director of Real Love Ministry (RLM) Melaka, Malaysia, will be speaking on the theme: 'From Glory to Glory' - How we experience His Glory!

Dr Jason Hubbard – Executive Coordinator of IPC will also be taking part.

We look forward to welcoming delegates from the 11 nations of South East Asia as well as international visitors and IPC friends from around the world.

Full details of the event along with links to Register and Book accommodation are on the conference website at www.seaprayer2019singapore.org/

In His service,

Pastor Veronica Lorenzana | Pastor Ann Low

South East Asia Prayer Council

Pray With Youth – 22 September 2019

http://praywithyouth.com/

Save North Korean Refugees Day - 24 Sept 2019

www.nkfreedom.org

10 Days - 24-7 Virtual Prayer Gathering - 29 Sep - 9 Oct 2019
www.10days.net

United Prayer Rising – South Africa – 4-6 October 2019

www.uprising-south-africa.org

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

https://www.seaprayer2019singapore.org/

Hindu World 15 Days of Prayer - 20 Oct - 3 Nov 2019

www.15daysprayer.com

Go 2020 Prayer Gatherings - 1^stMay 2020

https://www.go2020.world

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

www.1gda.org

From an organization working inside the country:

"We need your Prayers urgently for the upcoming presidential elections on 28th September. A complex attack on vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh on Sunday, July 28 with at least 30 people dead and was carried out by the Taliban marked to beginning of the presidential election campaign. Saleh is running as vice president with president Ashraf Ghani in the elections and stands for a moderate, anti-Taliban regime. The Taliban and their allies had announced as in previous elections, that they would do all they can to stop or at least seriously disrupt the elections. If God does not intervene it will definitely be again a very violent and deadly election campaign.

Please pray for the right person to be elected. Even the former Taliban support and “butcher of Kabul”, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, launched his election and pledged that religious scholars will be hired in high-level national decision-making levels with his new government.

While the preparations for the next elections are under way, peace negotiations are going on between the US government and leaders of the Taliban. The Trump administration has so far undertaken eight rounds of negotiations with the Taliban. The US president seems to be very eager to get his troops out of Afghanistan and news just came out that the US government is preparing to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan as part of a proposed peace deal with the Taliban. Pray especially for President Trump and his advisors for discernment and for a firm standing in support of the present and new government in Afghanistan.

We and also many local people we spoke to, are disturbed by so called peace negotiations and are concerned and afraid that the US army will abandon Afghanistan and it would fall back again into the hands of the Taliban. It causes a lot of insecurity and uncertainty with the people. Please pray that no dangerous compromises be made and that the foreign armed forces will support the Afghan Army as long as they are need.

Pray also for the teams. Many Team Members have taken a break or are on furlough. Pray for those who bear the extra load and will stay strong and healthy in the heat.

Please pray for continued strengthening and protection of our local brothers and sisters who have remained in the country and that they would be a strong witness to the many desperate people in Afghanistan

Thank you for interceding with us on these key issues.