Displaying items by tag: Praise

Some of us from the IPC spent several delightful days last week with others from the international children and youth prayer movements making plans for the future development of those movements during meetings in and near Jakarta, Indonesia. Praise God for all the good things happening in our day as He, working through the efforts of perceptive, supportive adults, raises up the Next Generation of men and women of God through engaging them in a life-long encounter through prayer. Here are some brief highlights from the meetings last week for rejoicing and our further intercession:

• India- we heard how hundreds of thousands of children and youth are being helped and trained to pray in that vast land with its enormous diversity of peoples and that a national Children in Prayer consultation is being planned for later this year.
• Indonesia- the National Children’s Prayer Network now has 67 networks and will host a national CiP conference this May, bringing together up to 200 children’s prayer coordinators from across this expansive island nation.
• Myanmar has many thousands of children praying and has seen amazing political and economic transformation as the kids pray for their nation.
• China- 500 gathered from 24 provinces to raise up a CiP effort throughout their land. A city-wide Hong Kong training event is in the offing to evaluate and strengthen CiP.
• 4-14 Window Movement- this effort has developed a good infrastructure of regional coordinators and wants to help ministry leaders see that children are on a mission for God in order to nurture them in their unique callings to serve Him.
• We were challenged by the call of the Lord in Psalm 2:8 to ask Him for the nations and the uttermost parts of the earth as our possession in the Body of Christ and that the way to see this happen is through Psalm 8:2 –it is through the prayers of babes and children that the enemy of Christ’s global mission will be silenced and stopped.
• We envisioned the “New Wave of Glory” (Habakkuk 2:14) from the World Prayer Assembly of 2012 that involved so many youth and children becoming “new waves” plural and unending, flowing out to impact the nations through the Next Generation. “Empowering children in a lifestyle of prayer and service to transform our world” is a new vision statement we propose for the international CiP movement. We also suggested other more detailed directions for the future that will be reported on soon.
• We reflected on scripture passages such as Isaiah 11:6-9 which envisions a new world where children will help lead. They will be bold, unafraid and will take His authority to become agents of His transformation.
• We prayed and dreamed together for a CiP and youth prayer movement in every nation on earth in the next 10 years. We estimate about one third of the 220 nations have such networks and movements by now. Please help us in this huge enterprise by prayer and by connecting us with other CiP efforts and leaders we are not yet aware of.
  
  (For more information about getting involved in CiP or if you already are involved in a CiP ministry or can connect us with others who are, please contact Jeffrey Chew This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Onassis Jeevaraj This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
• In the youth prayer movement meetings that followed, we heard about how the UPRISING event held in South Korea was such a deep blessing to the youth leaders that participated and how other nations now want to have similar gatherings in the future (Mongolia, Brazil, Germany, South Africa). Also, most significantly, the decision was made to hold a World Youth Prayer Assembly in Indonesia next year in July (17-20). It is anticipated that several thousand youth and also children from across the world will take part.
  
  The goal is not another event but igniting a world transformational movement organized and led by the youth, now that half the world’s population is under 30 years of age. As we were in prayer, one saw a flask of oil representing the Holy Spirit that would be poured out on the participants. Another saw a volcanic explosion with rivers of fire flowing out to the nations as Jesus baptized the youth with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). We believe that the WYPA will be a highly supernatural experience that will equip many from the Next Generation to do exploits for the Lord, finding and fulfilling their unique callings and destinies and raising up many new leaders for the Body of Christ in all walks of life.
  
  (For more information about the World Youth Prayer Assembly or youth prayer movement, please contact the UPRISING/WYPA administrator, Sarah Torres This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

Please pray for the unity and clarity of the Spirit for the international CiP team as it seeks to build a more coordinated effort that will connect the various strands for a worldwide CiP network of national movements and that we could see CiP be planted and practiced in every nation on earth in the next 10 years.

Pray for the youth leaders in Indonesia and the International Dream Team of the UPRISING as they seek to work together to organize the World Youth Prayer Assembly to be held in Jakarta, July 17-20, 2018) that they will have His guidance, unity and protection and that all the resources needed will flow in a timely manner. 

Pray also for the Indonesian national election happening February 15 that the first Christian governor of Jakarta will be vindicated amidst the current attacks by radical Muslims on his candidacy and will win another term of service. This will be important not only for the WYPA but especially for the blessing and welfare of Indonesia and His people there.

Being a pastor's son is never easy, especially as there is a lot of pressure to do good and maintain the right image. Hillsong United frontman Joel Houston knows this feeling very well: his father is Brian Houston, senior pastor at Hillsong Church. Instead of embracing the pastor's kid image, Joel says he tried to shake it off: ‘I grew up a pastor's kid looking for an excuse, honestly, to run away from the pressure of being a pastor's kid.’ But Joel says God knew better. Try as he might to escape his identity, he always ended back at his roots. He thought he knew what he was doing, but God took all of his plans and said, ‘Watch how I'm going to make this work.’ Joel said God definitely has a sense of humour, since he ended up serving in the ministry he swore he wanted nothing to do with. He says God believed in him even during moments when he doubted himself, and he assures other lost souls that they do not need to be perfect to serve God. ‘You don't have to be super-talented, or have it all together - God is all about using people who just make themselves available,’ he says.

‘About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.’ (Acts 16:25) Lives can be changed for good in prison. Praise God for all who work in prisons. Pray for protection for prison officers and their families. Also, pray for all involved in the Prison HOPE initiative to link churches, prison chaplains and organisations involved with prisoners, former prisoners and their families. Consider: how could your church pray for and link with the local prison?

(Written by Bishop James Langstaff, Bishop to Prisons)

‘I realised that we are all bearing the cross in different ways, just like Jesus did. It’s a humble reminder of the sacrifice He made for our salvation.’ Iman, a Christian refugee from Iraq, had a crisis of faith when she was driven from her home by militants. But with the help of a church in Lebanon, her trust in Jesus was restored. Iman shared her dramatic story with SAT-7 documentary series From East to West, offering hope and encouragement to other struggling Christians.

A street evangelist has been cleared after being charged with threatening and abusive behaviour for sharing his views on homosexuality. Gordon Larmour was handing out leaflets on the street in Irvine when a group of men engaged him in conversation about his faith. After he responded to a request to share his position on homosexuality, the men became angry and chased Larmour. When police officers arrived at the scene, the men told them that he had made homophobic remarks and he was arrested. The trial took place at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court earlier this week. Larmour - supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) - was found not guilty, after a judge decided there was insufficient evidence against him. Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of CLC, said: ‘This is a wonderful result for Gordon and for Christian evangelists in the UK. Freedom of speech is being consistently undermined in the UK, but here is a win for common sense.’

We are encouraging a period of prayer and fasting at the start of the year in 2017.

We sense the need to push in prayer at the start of 2017 because of the potential of this significant year.

The lining up of the national 'Mill statement' by prayer leaders in 2015, Malcolm Duncan’s refocusing on the Smith Wigglesworth revival prophecy at the World Prayer Centre conference this year, the deep significance of Brexit, the Trumpet Call about Jubilee over the British Isles, anointed street evangelism in Reading and other places - all point towards an increase in the move of the Spirit to expect in coming months.

We are aware that the prophet Daniel in Daniel chapter 9, when he realised a 70 year prophecy was soon to be fulfilled, didn’t just rejoice and accept it, but prayed and fasted to help pray in the fulfilment of it. We sense the need to partner & birth the new season.

As Beacon house of prayer, supported by UK houses of prayer network, we are suggesting 21 days of prayer and fasting to start when appropriate in January; we are going from Monday 23rd to Sunday 12th February, but we know a couple of other HOPs are doing the start of January.

Exact timing is not so important, as long as there is a covering of prayer at the start of 2017.

We are attaching a very simple prayer guide outline for any HOPs and prayer groups that would like to take this up.

Download the prayer & fasting guide

Download prophetic words

Source: Beacon House of Prayer

For some time now, Iran has had the infamous reputation of being one of the most dangerous countries to be a Christian. However, Christianity is taking root in an ongoing revival for Jesus. Hundreds of Iranians as well as Afghans were baptised in November. It is thought that twenty years ago there were 2,000-5,000 Christian believers in Iran: that number has grown more than tenfold since then. At least 300,000-400,000 former Muslims now live new lives in Christ. TBN Nejat TV, a broadcasting ministry, has also seen astounding harvests. Since its launch in 2006, as many as five million Iranian Muslims have begun a new life in Christ as a result of the network. TBN reports that it has helped to establish and disciple over 90 underground churches in Iran, Afghanistan, Kurdistan and other Farsi-speaking areas.

Colossians 4:2-3: ‘ Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.’ We discovered in the Talking Jesus research (www.talkingjesus.org) that one in five of the people we talk to about Jesus wants to know more. So join us as we each pray for five of our friends or family members who don’t know Jesus. You could set an alarm on your phone to remind you each day to pray for your five. Pray that you are given opportunities to share about Jesus with them and that they come to follow Jesus for themselves.

(Written by Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf, Church of England)