Displaying items by tag: Inspiration

At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September, the Bible Society's 'Psalm 23’ garden attracted much attention (bit.ly/bspsalm23). Many were touched by the garden, by the psalm that inspired it, and by the Good Shepherd himself. One visitor said, ‘I suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, I saw the garden and wanted to pray there. I’ve got a deep faith in God now, it's helping with the anxiety and voices’ (bit.ly/bs23josh). Others are now creating Psalm 23 gardens in their localities. As individuals, schools and communities read the psalm and plan their own gardens, pray that they will hear the Lord speaking and come to know Him as their Shepherd and dwell with Him for ever. We can thank God that nature and gardens are attracting many different spiritualities and therapies, though some will need sifting to align with the truth.

A note was left on a vending machine at a cancer hospital in Manchester asking people to help themselves to free treats. Staff at The Christie found the anonymous note on Sunday on a machine where the tray had been left full of paid-for snacks. The donor said they hoped the ‘random act of kindness’ would ‘brighten up someone's day’, and ended by saying ‘Finally, if you can, try and spread the kindness.’ Nurse Emma Widdowson said: ‘It made me feel so happy I was beaming all day. Who doesn't want chocolate on a Sunday?’ Healthcare assistant Lauren Hunstone said: ‘It just perked up everyone's day that someone would do something so lovely out of the goodness of their own heart, not wanting to take any sort of thanks.’ The Christie was recently praised by health inspectors for providing ‘exceptional’ care and being a ‘leader in its field’. It is the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe, treating more than 44,000 patients a year.

The Samoan government wants to change the constitution to define Samoa officially as a Christian nation. The constitution already references Christianity in the cover and preamble, but not in the main text. Prime minister Malielegaoi said, ‘Instead of "Samoa is founded on God", the constitution will state that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”’ The Samoan parliament has shown widespread support for these amendments. Many are wondering why this tiny nation suddenly wants to make such a bold statement. The prime minister says it is a way to fend off religious wars that have stormed other countries, primarily in the Middle East and Africa. He wants to clarify that this is a Christian country and that faith will be integral to the country’s law. Other faiths and religions will not be undermined, said a member of the governing party.

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.

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.

Chinese pastors are on their way to North Korea in the New Year to spread Christianity. While remaining anonymous for security reasons, the pastors claim that they have been through the worst of times in life and have only received salvation through God. One pastor was a second-in-command of a mafia gang before coming to Christ. Since then, he has been preaching the gospel to whomever he meets in house churches; some are North Koreans who fled their country to find refuge in China. He and other Chinese pastors are going to preach the gospel in North Korea itself. He said, ‘Before, the North Koreans came to China, but now, we send Chinese people to North Korea through a Christian brother who has a registered travel agency. So, as Christians, we can travel to North Korea.’

2017 is a year of promise. It is 500 years since the reformation that shook the world and reshaped history. It is seventy years since Smith Wigglesworth’s prophecy: ‘When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed the world, has ever seen. There will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.’ It is fifty years since Jean Darnell’s prophecy of renewal in the Church which would spread outside, resulting in a public awakening; she said there would be so many conversions that it would actually change the character of the nation of Britain and determine the future move of God in Europe. Please pray for these prophecies to be fulfilled. Pray that 2017 will be a year when God mobilises His Church. Pray for His presence wherever you live, go deeper into His Word, and wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit to work mightily in each one of us and all whom we meet. Our prayer is the prayer of the Welsh revival, ‘More, Lord!’ - and then “Even more!’

Marvin Lahoud, a 26 year-old volunteer with a Lebanese church serving Syrian refugees, was in charge of food voucher distribution. On this day, Marvin discovered that one of the refugee families returned to Syria leaving him with an extra voucher to distribute to another family.

He scanned the wait list. The first family he called—also returned to Syria. The second family didn’t answer the phone. Further constraints led Marvin to dismiss the third and fourth families from the wait list. Marvin finally decided to make his way over to the house of the fifth family.

A little boy stood at the entrance of the basement space his family called home, looked up at Marvin, and smiled. Matter-of-factly the Syrian boy said, “Come in. We were expecting you.”

Marvin looked at him—puzzled. He hadn’t told anyone he was coming; much less contacted the Muslim Syrian refugee family. How could they have known he was coming?

The young Syrian boy’s mother beckoned Marvin into their home and asked the boy to explain.

“Yesterday”, the little boy said, “I had a dream that was so vivid I thought it was real. I was walking on the shore of the sea and saw a man standing in the sea with water up to his knees. He was clothed in a bright white robe. His face shined so bright, I couldn’t see the details of his face. His hands were noticeably tender. I asked him who he was. He said, ‘I am Jesus.’ I said, ‘What do you want?’ Jesus said, ‘I want you to believe in love, have faith and keep hope.’ And Jesus continued to say, ‘Do not be afraid. Help is on the way. Tomorrow, a man will come over called Marvin and he will help you and your family.’”
And now you are here, said the mother to Marvin.

Source: Providence Magazine

Photo Credit: Rawaa, 21, a mother of three from Aleppo, draws water from a storage tank in her tent at an informal tented settlement for Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, in July 2014. Photo by Sam Tarling for Norwegian Relief Council, posted by Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), via Flickr.