Global: Ramadan 2012
05 Jul 2012Some time ago Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ wrote. ‘We are experiencing an amazing phenomenon. Moslems are having dreams and visions confirming the reality of Christ’. The month of Ramadan runs from July 20th to August 18th and followers fast from food and water during daylight hours believing it’s a holy opportunity to draw closer to God through obedience rules. Many mosques have extended prayer times. Seekers cry out to God for revelation, and at the same time many Christians pray for Muslims to encounter Jesus. Reports are multiplying of Muslims converting to Christianity through dreams during Ramadan and at other times. A survey of 600 ex-Muslim believers showed 42% of Africans came to Christ through visions, dreams, angelic appearances and hearing God's voice. One-fourth of the world’s Muslim population live in the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. (457 million) For encouraging stories of Muslims experiencing supernatural encounters with Jesus Christ click the more button.
Pray: for dreams and visions of Jesus Christ, for Muslims to have opportunities to hear Christian broadcasts, access Christian websites and come into contact with Christians at this time. (Ac.2:14-21)
More: http://www.amightywind.com/fastfood/dreams/040723muslimdreams.htm
Global: Persecution increases during Ramadan
21 Aug 2010
For some Christians around the world, Ramadan represents an opportunity to talk about Christ while Muslims are seeking truth, but for believers in mostly Muslim nations, this Islamic holy month is a time to lay low. Open Doors reported there was an upsurge against Christians in the Muslim world during Ramadan last year. Egypt being one of the worst with a church burned to the ground and at least 155 Egyptian Christians arrested for not participating in Ramadan. This year tension rises after Muslims attacked Christians in Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and other nations just before Ramadan. The potential for a increase in persecution in the next 28 days is high. For Muslim-background believers who have come to Christ from their Islam background, there's extra pressure on them to return to Islam. These new converts have tremendous pressure from their families, including death threats and many have to leave their homes and families. Pray: for believers protection and ability to recognise opportunities to share Christ - particularly when Muslims have dreams or visions of Jesus. (Joel 2:28)
Between 18th and 25th of November the United Nations discussed a new international law on cluster bombs. Religious groups are opposing proposals currently being discussed saying it would put more civilians at risk than an existing treaty. The new law supported by the US, Russia, Israel, China and India would mandate the destruction of all cluster bombs produced before 1980, but allow stockpiled weapons to be used for up to 12 years. It would also allow the continued use of munitions that had a failure rate of less than 1% . A cluster bomb releases smaller ‘bomblets’ designed to kill civilians, damage vehicles and enemy munitions. The Oslo Convention 2010 was ratified by 111 countries and imposed a comprehensive ban on cluster bombs and ordered the destruction of existing stockpiles. The five countries supporting the new law have not signed the Oslo Convention.
Pray: for international Christian groups currently working to eradicate these weapons to be successful – the Mennonites in the US, Tasmania Australia and Canadian churches and the Church of England. (Php.4:1)
More: http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-11/faith-groups-oppose-proposed-cluster-bomb-accord
In the traditional Church calendar All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the month of November are set apart to remember the saints and the souls of departed Christians. The modern Church has set apart November 3-10 to remember and pray for the persecuted Church during the international days of prayer for the persecuted Church’ (IDOP). November 3rd is the day set apart in the UK and Ireland, however individuals are free to choose another date if they wish. Believers in Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam face violence, imprisonment and even death because of their faith in Jesus Christ. In North Korea hidden acts of persecution take place. 2013’s focus includes Indian Christians suffering increasing persecution by militants wanting a Hindu-only nation. We can pray that this year many thousands will stand alongside the persecuted Church praying that they will be able to stand firm and to continue making known the mystery of the Gospel to their neighbours.
Pray: for God to strengthen, encourage and protect those Christians living in places where faith costs the most. (Ro.1:16)
More: http://www.idop.org/
Global: Media reporting
30 May 2013Two men engaged in a horrific act of violence on the streets of London by using a meat cleaver to hack to death a British soldier. The assailants shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and a video showing one of the assailants citing Islam as well as a desire to avenge and stop UK violence against Muslims spread across media outlets. Also last week, a disturbing video made the social media rounds showing an armed Syrian rebel dismembering a dead Syrian government soldier’s body, extracting an organ and taking a bite out of it while saying, ‘We swear to Allah that we will eat your hearts and livers, you soldiers of Bashar the dog.’ We’ve seen this before with a bloody beheadings of Daniel Pearl and hundreds of others. We’ve seen the lynching of Israeli soldiers by men who then held up their blood-drenched hands in celebration.
Pray: for government implemented media blocks on articles that encourage further acts of terrorism. (Ps.2:1-7) Pray for families of victims of terrorist crimes as they become ‘to-days news.’ (Ps.17:8)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/23/woolwich-attack-terrorism-blowback
Global: Combatting human trafficking
26 Oct 201330 million people are held as slaves today. Global awareness is rising but there is no major breakthrough. The survivors need healing and jobs with dignity. Jobs are also essential for adequate prevention of human trafficking. A Business as Mission (BAM) think tank’s report explores ways to combat slave trade with concrete and practical steps for businesses to engage in. This report helps Companies understand how businesses can become Freedom Businesses. Martin Luther King said, ‘When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we’re free at last!’
Pray: that this call to freedom through businesses working together would ring out, be heard and acted upon globally. (Ps.133)
More: http://www.matstunehag.com/2013/10/19/let-freedom-ring-let-freedom-businesses-trumpet-a-new-call/
Global: Climate change
04 Oct 2013A UN report on global warming suggests Britain's climate could cool in the next 80 years. The Intergovernmental Panel gave a clear prediction of global warming affecting currents in the Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf Stream will weaken by 20% to 44% by the end of the century. The Gulf Stream carries warm water from the equator to the west coast of Britain, making the country’s climate warmer than it otherwise would be. Such a Gulf Stream cooling will cause a 1.8F drop in Britain and disrupt weather patterns. As long ago as 2007 a UN report stated, ‘Up to a billion people in Asia could be adversely affected by global climate change, 400 million people could struggle to find drinking water, farmers would not be able to irrigate their land, Hydro-electric power stations would generate less electricity and India's economic growth could be affected as India could be one of the big losers from climate change.’ See:
Pray: for international governments to consider scientists warnings when making decisions that could impact the weather. (Ps.24:1-4)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/10337064/IPCC-report-Britain-could-cool-if-Gulf-Stream-slows.html
Global: Christians martyred every 5 minutes
08 Aug 2013Few realize we are living through the largest persecution of Christians in history; worse than the Roman emperors Diocletian and Nero. Estimates of the numbers of Christians under assault range from 100 million to 200 million. According to one estimate a Christian is martyred every five minutes. Most persecution is taking place at the hands of Muslims. Of the top 50 countries persecuting Christians 42 have either a Muslim majority or sizeable Muslim populations. The extent of this tragedy is being met with a shrug by most of the Western media. Reports and witnesses that appear in Arabic newspapers, news shows and websites rarely get translated into English or picked up by the Western press. The extent of the persecution forestalls any claims that it is a marginal problem. Victims are forgotten and their suffering is lost because of indifference or inattention of the media and government officials.
Pray: for God in His mercy to work through the media to highlight this human rights disaster. (Ps.38:20-22 & Pr.8:5-7)