The is a one-week, online course, run by All Nations focused on training for intercessory prayer for the nations, with teaching and facilitation by prayer leaders from different countries.

Do you want to grow in your prayer life and learn to partner with God in what He is doing in the nations through prayer?  Would you like to be better equipped to respond to world events, and engage in intercessory prayer to see God's Kingdom established “on earth as it is in heaven”?  Come be part of an online learning community for a week, as we engage in God’s heart for the world through intercessory prayer!

Course Delivery:

This course is run via Zoom where participants will learn through online lectures, breakout group discussions, and corporate worship and intercession times. Hours of engagement include a two and a half session in the mornings (9:30am - 12 noon, UK Time), followed by another hour and a half session in the afternoons (2:30pm - 4pm, UK Time) from Monday through to the Friday.  On Saturday, 24th April, there is the “Prayer Ignite” seminar for the month of April that has been integrated into this week-long course.

Topics covered for the week include:

The Character and Ways of God in Intercession

Listening to God in Corporate Intercession

Engaging in Prayer for our Covid-Plagued World

Biblical Worldview in Prayer & Missions

Worship, Prayer & Missions in the Global South

Prayer Ignite:  History Belongs to the Intercessors

More info and sign up at: https://www.allnations.ac.uk/courses/short-courses/prayer-nations-course

Kinyarwanda Version

We brought breaking news a few days ago of the military coup in Myanmar. The situation there is extremely serious.

The brief history is.... independence from the British rule - 4 January 1948 First military coup - 2 March 1962 Second military coup - 8 September 1988 Third military coup - 1 February 2021

On February 1, 2021 the Myanmar military detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other government leaders in a coup. They announced that they will take control for at least one year. The internet was shut down, but it appears to be partially back online. Day to day life is a challenge as soldiers are out on the streets and banks are closed. People are angry, sad and fearful of the uncertainty of what comes next.

Let's pray in unity across the world for the situation:

• Pray that this action will be something that can be turned for good, and prayer that this is a step towards the breakdown of the military’s power, which has now overtly exposed itself as the real power in Burma. Before this, the Burma military made a pretense of Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the National League of Democracy and other groups having some control; but in reality, the military held the true power behind the scenes. This coup has revealed that.
• Pray for the hearts of those who staged the coup, that they would see the love of Jesus and that there are other ways to serve and lead, and that God would have mercy on them.
• Pray that those detained would be released and that attacks against the ethnic minorities/tribal groups would stop.
• Pray that negotiations currently taking place between the military and government bring a peaceful resolution to the situation.
• Pray that there will be no violence or killing.
• For peoples’ daily needs, particularly the poor, as banks, markets, and services have been disrupted. Rice, the staple food, has increased in price, as have other day-to-day needs.
• Please pray for health services in Myanmar. All the doctors, nurses, and health workers are not going to the hospitals and clinics, saying they do not want to work under the dictatorship.
• Pray for people who are currently sick, especially those with Covid. This walkout significantly affects their care.
• Pray for the many small businesses whose operations are interrupted. Countless families depend on these kinds of business for their daily income, and they usually rely on this daily income to afford their daily food.
• Pray for the education system: right now, all the universities and colleges have come out as opposed to the military dictatorship. The Ministry of Education and student organizations are planning walkouts. In the long term, pray that the levels and quality of education would be upgraded to be of a standard equal to neighboring countries.
• Pray that UN sanctions will not harm the innocent civilian population. May this be a punishment felt by the military leaders and have an impact on their policies. Pray that any UN actions will be effective in bringing positive change.
• Pray for Aung San Suu Kyi’s protection: that they will not torture, harm, or poison her (we are afraid that this is a possibility, according to previous history such as the 1988 military coup).

For the longer term, remember to pray for God’s eternal purposes to prevail:

1. Pray for foreign and domestic missionaries in Myanmar
2. Pray for different NGO groups in Myanmar
3. Pray for Churches in Myanmar
4. Pray that Churches could be united to fight against the spiritual darkness to establish the Kingdom of God
5. Pray for Church Planting Movements to accelerate in Myanmar
6. Pray for the evangelization of the Unreached People Groups of Myanmar
7. Pray that a great revival would take place in the heart of Myanmar

We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for February 2021.

Dr Jason Hubbard’s Editorial sets our theme for the year and is entitled ‘Igniting HOPE: Praying God’s Word in 2021’.  It’s a challenging and encouraging article that shows us how to shape our prayers on the solid foundation of God’s Word.  Jason illustrates the dynamic promises and commands in scripture that are the key to powerful intercession.  Let’s be intent on listening and hearing God’s voice this year so that doors will open to “let him in!”  Download the free resource booklet ‘Pray the Word’ which Jason has written especially for us.

On 1^st January, we launched the Global Family 24/7 - 365 Online Prayer Room in association with several of our partner organisations.  The vision is to host worship-saturated prayer around the throne, around the clock and around the globe for the whole of 2021. We have had some amazing times of prayer and worship already, led in many languages from each continent.  Do join us at any time throughout the year as we, as a Global Family, worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness (Psalm 96: 7-9).

Over the coming months, we will be introducing members of the IPC Council to you in these emails.  We begin with a long-standing friend and colleague, Tom Victor who is also on our Exec Team and serves as a Senior Advisor. 

Prayer Covenant - Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, a huge amount was achieved during 2020.   A Prayer Covenant for Children / GO DECADE initiative partnered in an LQE Outreach in Africa during the last quarter of 2020 that saw 264,771 children and youth mobilised to share the Gospel with 5.8 million people.  There were 301,907 commitments to Christ!  More follows about this amazing outreach project in the article below.   Do watch the inspiring video.

Take-Aways from 2020 - Graham Power from Global Voice of Prayer along with Dr Jason Hubbard and a number of colleagues shared their thoughts on what had been achieved during 2020 in this short video that we would like to bring to you.

Pandemic - As we are going to press, we are hearing of an eighth verified vaccine for Covid-19, with evidence of good efficacy.  This really is encouraging news as the pandemic has now affected 101.6 million people worldwide with 2,195,871 sadly dying.  We bring you up to date information on the situation along with prayer points and links to various resources.  Let’s be in prayer that the vaccines can be distributed equitably to all nations without disputes, nationalism or politicisation of the process.

Situations Vacant – As our partner projects continue to develop and grow, we are finding an ever increasing demand for voluntary help with translation, technology / IT, social media, research and copy-writing skills.  We would welcome enquiries from anyone looking to serve in these areas.  Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Save the dates – A number of leaders from different ministries around the world have been gathering online to share what God has laid on their hearts to be doing in 2021.  There is a desire for us to be collaborating like never before, in a spirit of John 17 unity, as we seek to reach the nations with the message of the Gospel.  Please do check the dates in the calendar section below as you plan your events for this coming season; we would invite you to email your event details to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

US Elections - We are so honored and thankful for all the prayer and intercession from the nations on behalf of America and our recent US Elections. We are trusting that God has heard our prayers and believing for an awakening across the body of Christ in response to those prayers!  Even as deep darkness increases, and great shaking is coming, we know that the Lord will arise upon his people and the Gospel of the kingdom will be preached with power!   

• In obedience to 1 Timothy 2:1-5, let’s pray for the Biden administration, for godly counsel, wisdom and the fear of the Lord to rest upon them.

• Let’s continue to pray for justice to be released in America, for any corruption to be exposed and dismantled in God’s timing and for God’s Glory!

• Let’s pray for a 3rd great awakening and a mighty harvest of souls. As the church in America, may we sanctify ourselves for a powerful move of the Spirit of God! As Jesus prayed, “Father sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth!” John 17:17

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Every blessing,

Jason Hubbard - Director
International Prayer Connect

Please use this link if you would like to sow into our ministry with a donation

Disclaimer…

The views and opinions expressed in IPC Connections and the articles on our website are those of individuals and our partner organisations. They do not necessarily represent the policies or views of IPC or its individual leaders.
We aim to respect the diversity within the prayer movement and yet embrace our unified calling to mobilise prayer for the nations. (2 Chron 7:14)
If you wish to discuss the appropriateness of any articles, please contact us.

For many of us this last year has been a year of the ‘unexpected,’ caught off guard by the surprising circumstances of 2020. I believe what the world needs now more than ever is HOPE. Our hope is not in the New Year, 2021, but in the one who makes all things new! 

Hope is the joyful expectation of God’s goodness coming our way in every area of our lives. Hope is always future orientated. It is a vision of God’s good future before us, meaning where you are going is better than where you are and where you are coming from.  Our ultimate hope is discovered in seeing and savoring, prizing and praising, recognizing and relishing the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

Christ is our HOPE! He is the summation of all the promises of God, the source of all the riches of God, now and forevermore.  In Christ we have been given an inheritance of HOPE.

This glorious future is revealed to us through the written and reliable word of God!  God promises, commands, and reveals himself to us through his written Word! When our prayers are shaped by the Word, we are building on solid ground. We are responding to who God is and what he is doing! We are claiming his promises, and obeying his commands… there is no better way to pray! The Scriptures declare to us that God is much better than we think he is, and is doing much more than we  think he is doing and as we pray he will do even more for His glory and our good. As Paul prays in Ephesians 3:20-21,

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen”

Together we can Ignite Hope as we pray God’s word in 2021!

Fostering a culture of Hope is critical to effective and sustainable intercession!  As Paul declares to us in 1 Cor 13:13, “Now these three remain, faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.”  The greatest of these three is love, however I believe hope comes first. Hebrews tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. And of course we know that faith needs to work itself out in love (Gal. 5:6). 

So we could look at this way:  our hope is in hearing the music of the future, our faith is dancing to that music NOW!  And our love is brining others into the dance with you!  The song being sung is the beauty, majesty, and supremacy of Jesus Christ.   Let’s create a culture of Hope-empowered prayer in 2021!

As we pray the Bible, we are pleading the good promises of God!  Promises predict the answers by foretelling what to expect!  They are the molds into which we pour our prayers.  Promises like these, “call unto me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3). Promises like, “whatever things you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:22). Promises like, “if you ask me anything in my name I will do it” (John 14:14).

When we pray God’s word we pray from the answer … with the answer in mind! When we plead God’s promises we are praying from the answer to the answer!  In intercession we are asking him what he asks us to ask him!  As we ask according to his will and for his renown, his activity increases releasing his power, his love, and his truth!  Five times in John 14-16, Jesus asks us to ask him or his Father, ‘in his name’  and then promises to do it!  In this way not only does answered prayer satisfy us, it also delights the heart of God by fulfilling his own Word and accomplishing his own purposes! 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 55:10-11).  

We pray fervently to the ‘Lord of the Harvest to hurl forth laborers into the harvest fields’ … why? Because Jesus promised, ‘the harvest is ripe.’ We ‘go and make disciples of all nations’… why? Because he promised us that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him and that he will always be with us even to the end of the age! We pray that every people group on the earth will hear the gospel, why?  Because Jesus promised that the gospel of the kingdom WILL BE preached in every nation and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14).  We pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven… why?  Because he promised that the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14).

There’s no better fuel for our prayers than the Bible. By praying Scripture, we are ensuring that our prayers are anchored to God’s truth and aligned with God’s will.   If we don’t form the habit of praying the Scriptures, our prayers will almost certainly degenerate into vain repetitions around our immediate concerns, rather than God’s larger purposes. As Dennis Fuqua says, “Praying and meditating on Scripture is how his word produces his life and power in our lives. It is how the Spirit of God writes the Word of God on the hearts of the people of God.” The basic method is simple, “Open the Bible, start reading it, pause at every verse and turn it into a prayer” (John Piper).

According to Jesus, sitting at his feet and listening to his word is the most necessary thing in our lives! (Luke 10:41). Think about these promises of God’s word about God’s word!

• God’s Word releases God’s Fire within us!  (Luke 24:32, Jer. 23:29)
• God’s Word sanctifies us and produces the life of Christ within us! (John 17:17, 2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 12:2-3)
• God’s Word feeds us and nourishes us! (Matt. 4:4)
• God’s Word awakens and revives us (Psalm 119:107, 154).
• God’s Word washes us clean (Eph. 5:25b-27).
• God’s Word sets us free! (John 8:31-32)
• God’s Word gives us power to overcome sin and walk in purity (Psalm 119:9-10).
• God’s Word provides direction and guidance (Psalm 119:105).
• God’s Word is our weapon of warfare that tears down strongholds as we wield it in prayer (Eph. 6:18-9).
• God’s Word teaches, corrects and equips us to be effective in ministry (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
• God’s Word blesses us making us happy and joyful (Psalm 1, Psalm 119:1-2).
• God’s Word gives us Hope (Rom. 15:4).

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have HOPE”

So let’s pray and plead God’s promises and make the Bible our prayer book this year! Here is a link to a prayer guide full of bible promises that we can use! 

We have a saying in our house of prayer, “little keys open big doors.” As we pray God’s word in 2021, we can be like little keys in the hand of the Lord to open up big doors called Awakening and Revival!  And this can only happen out of the place of abiding intimacy and fascination with Jesus. Jesus said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

And as we listen and hear his voice this year, let’s open the door and “let him in!”

“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

In the midst of increased shaking and uncertainty, let’s ‘Together Ignite Hope in 2021’ as we pray God’s Word!

Dr. Jason Hubbard

Download Jason’s free ‘Pray the Word’ Guide, - packed with teaching, outlines and practical advice on going deeper into praying the scriptures and unlocking the HOPE that we all share in Jesus.

This is an invitation to join in an extraordinary 24-7 / 365 Prayer Room that is running online for the whole of 2021!  It is a partnership project between IPC and a number of international ministries and organisations.

Prayer and Worship leaders from every continent are facilitating each hour in 10+ languages.

Whether you are able to drop in for 5 minutes here and there or for hours or days at a time, you would be most welcome to join us as we worship and glorify the Lamb of God – and offer our prayers for the Church and its mission and the needs of the world. 

More info and sign up at:

www.globalfamily24-7prayer.org/

To Christ be the Glory,

Jonathan Friz, 10Days   |   Dr. Jason Hubbard & John Robb, IPC   |   Dr. Jonathan Armstrong, AQ
Elizabeth Adleta, FPS   |   Soloman Lujan, the Seed Company   |   Jenny Oliphant, Ethne Prayer Team

This is the first of a series of articles that will introduce you to some of the Council members at IPC.

Tom Victor is one of our key global leaders at International Prayer Connect, and is respected across multi-national missions and prayer ministries around the world.  He has been with IPC for 20 years during which time he has spoken at numerous events and conferences. He currently serves on the Executive team and is a Senior Advisor.

Tom has 8 years of pastoral experience in the Chicago and New York areas together with 15 years with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

While with CBN he served as Vice President of the Ministries Division where he led a staff of 500 employees and over 10,000 volunteers in 90 ministry centers worldwide.

Tom is also serving as Facilitator for the Go 2020 Kids Global Team and now leads the ministry Great Commission Coalition, committed to serving Christ's body to fulfil the Great Commission.

Tom was originally from Bellingham, Washington State, but is now settled in Texas.

We are copying Tom’s most recent report below which succinctly tells the story of some of his main activities, connections and involvements during 2020.  It also conveys his calling and passion to ensure that the Gospel message is accessible to all peoples groups - and all ages - across the world. 

A February prayer report looking at the opportunities and challenges of vaccinations, Covid-19 Hot Spots and some suggested Prayer Pointers with Links to Resources:

As of 29 January, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stood at 101.6 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totalled 2,195,871.

Covid-19 hot spots

Here are those countries / regions which are currently showing high levels of infection:

The US continues to be the country with the highest numbers confirmed cases and deaths related to Covid-19 globally with figures at around 25,793,302 and 433,719 respectively. The daily infection rate has fallen steadily after a peak in late December to around 285,000 new cases per day and new deaths are projected at around 2939 a day (7 day average) according to Worldometer.

India is the second worst-hit country in the world pandemic after the United States based on case counts.  The health ministry's 29 January figures reported 18,855 infections and 163 deaths in the past 24 hours - bringing the overall case count above 10.7 million and the death toll to 154,010. This is the lowest figure in 8 months and follows a steady decline since mid-September

In South America, Colombia and Brazil continue to see high levels of infection. There have been at least 9 million cases of the coronavirus in Brazil and 221,547 deaths.  In Colombia, a leading politician and defence minister, Carlos Holmes Trujillo recently died with Covid-19, one of 52,913 deaths and over 2 million infected people.

New waves and Variants

The United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa have identified new variants of COVID 19, all more infectious and potentially more deadly.  These have had particular effects on the UK, which on 26 January passed 100,000 deaths due to Covid-19, and Brazil where the most vulnerable communities have been affected as ICU’s are overwhelmed and oxygen supplies are running low.  The South African variant is of concern as it may reduce the efficacy of some vaccines, as well as being more transmissible.

Vaccines

12 months after the start of the pandemic it is worth reflecting that to bring this pandemic to an end, a large share of the world needs to be immune to the virus. The safest way to achieve this is with a vaccine. It is therefore right to thank God for the work of the many scientists who have defied expectations and, less than 12 months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, risen to the challenge and developed vaccines that protect from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

As of 28 January 86.7 million doses of various vaccines have been administered worldwide across 62 countries according to Ourworldindata.  There are currently 6 vaccines being administered across the globe - The pharmaceutical organisations Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca have developed vaccines being widely distributed in western nations. Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute has agreed to sell its Sputnik V vaccine to a number of countries while two Chinese manufacturers, Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech, have signed deals with more than a dozen countries.

Additionally, new vaccines continue to emerge and add to potential worldwide capacity.  A coronavirus vaccine developed by the US firm Novavax has been shown to be 89 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19 in clinical trials. Janssen, a subsidiary of US firm Johnson & Johnson, announced that its Covid-19 vaccine showed 66 per cent efficacy in an international trial. These results are based on a single dose of the vaccine, which makes it easier to administer than the two-shot vaccines that have already been approved. The company has said it will sell its vaccine on a not-for-profit basis.

Vaccines provide optimism for the future, however Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, outlined the ‘hope and hardship’ currently facing the continent where 25 million vaccine doses have been administered in 35 countries in the region, but 25 European countries are in partial/full nationwide lockdown due to high COVID19 transmission & new variants. He highlights the paradox of communities across Europe sensing an end is in sight with the vaccine but, at the same time, having to adhere to restrictive measures in the face of a new threat, which is causing tension, angst, fatigue and confusion.

Whilst this may be a problem for the rich western countries of Europe, the challenges of worldwide vaccine supply and the potential for vaccine inequality have been acutely highlighted in recent days.  Dr Margaret  Harris from the World Health organisation stated "Currently we are seeing squabbles amongst the cake by a few countries whilst there are lots of workers in countries that haven't even got access to the crumbs.” Most of the vaccines currently being distributed around the world have been used by 10 countries, and only two middle or low income countries have started to vaccinate.

Hope still rests on the COVAX  initiative - established by the World Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) – which by mid-December 2020 had reached its target of securing two billion doses of various coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poorest nations according to the World Health Organisation’s Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Nonetheless, he still fears that ‘the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure – and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.’

There are also concerns about the prioritisation and take-up rates for vaccinations among ethnic minorities. According to the British Medical Journal, globally, ethnic minority communities have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.  It goes on to highlight vaccine hesitancy among a range of communities, identifying lower levels of confidence in vaccination in several South Asian and other developing countries compared with Europe and the need for ‘Cultural Competence’ within Healthcare systems.  In the USA, new President Biden has moved to address the disparity in levels of vaccination and wider healthcare for concerns for Black and Latino Americans.

Let’s Pray… Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to flatten the curve, prevent and lessen the impact of second and third spikes, manage the wave of new variants and finally arrest this epidemic.

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders.
We pray that leaders and nations will see their moral duty to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.
We pray release and healing from mental illnesses as a result of the lock-downs.
We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.
We pray for refugees and displaced peoples. We pray against domestic violence and other crimes that have become rampant during lockdowns.
We give thanks that safe, effective, and affordable vaccines are being released.  We pray for the continued development of a range of vaccines to supply the whole world.  We pray that the vaccine will be accessible to all nations and plead generosity of spirit from the wealthier economies.
We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.

Join in Online Prayers:

World Prayer Centre, Birmingham, UK – Virtual House of Prayer

iHop Kansas Prayer Room

247 Prayer Coronavirus Prayer Room 

Additional Prayer Resources for Coronavirus

God and the Pandemic – Tom Wright
Beyond the Pandemic - Rev Dr Clifford Hill
A coronavirus prayer from Pete Greig

19 Things to Do in response to Coronavirus

Prophecy Today UK’s Responses to Coronavirus

PrayerCast Video and Prayer Briefing
CSM Nigeria Article

Lausanne Resources
Operation World EBook on the impact on Mission

WW11 Veteran Gets 180k Praying

On a lighter note… 50 countries affected by Covid 19 sing Amazing Grace in this video

Reporting from John Hopkins University: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

Further data on Europe and the world: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases

Myanmar's military has seized power after detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of her governing party.

All authority has been given to the top army commander and a one-year state of emergency has been declared, a statement on military TV said.

The coup follows a landslide win by Ms Suu Kyi's party in an election which the army claims was marred by fraud.

She urged her supporters to "not accept this" and "protest against the coup".

In a letter written in preparation for her impending detention, she said the military's actions put the country back under dictatorship.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the armed forces until 2011, when democratic reforms spearheaded by Aung San Suu Kyi ended military rule.

She spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010. She was internationally hailed as a beacon of democracy and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

In the early hours of Monday the military said it was handing power to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing because of "election fraud". Soldiers are on the streets of the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon.

The military says it found millions of irregularities in parliamentary elections lost by the army-backed opposition in November. The election commission has rejected the fraud claims.

But the army had threatened to "take action" and now says it will use its emergency powers to organise a new vote.

Mobile internet data connections and some phone services have been disrupted in major cities. Communications with Nay Pyi Taw are down and it is difficult to assess the situation there.

BBC World News television, as well as other international broadcasters, are blocked while local stations are off air.

Banks have temporarily halted all financial services, according to the Myanmar Banks Association.

IPC’s senior team members are attempting to make contact with our representatives on the ground.  We will report back as soon as the situation is clarified.

More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55882489

Pray: for firm intervention from the international community that will resolve the situation peacefully.
Pray: that the leadership of Myanmar is swiftly returned to the democratically elected party without loss of life or violence.
Pray: for the people of Myanmar for whom this coup will have brought fear and anxiety.  The people suffered severely under military rule for 50 years and they do not want to see it recurring.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7).

Our friends at Asia Harvest have been a consistent voice and advocate for the Church in China. During 2020, however, they felt it was a season when they could better serve God's people in China by being a little quieter than usual.  Here's why...

As the verse at the top of this page says, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. The Apostle Paul knew the importance of discerning the seasons and following God accordingly. Paul once boldly declared: "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13), but on another occasion he was hidden inside a basket and lowered over the wall of Damascus to escape from those who wanted to kill him (see Acts 9:20-25).

In partnership with their co-workers, the Asia Harvest China Bible distribution project has continued to operate strongly. 2020 saw the print and delivery of more Chinese Bibles than any other year in nearly a decade.

However, the situation for believers in China has been extremely difficult, as Xi Jinping and the Communist Party gradually prepare for what seems like a final assault to try to rid Christianity from the country once and for all.

The Body of Christ, however, has grown to such a size under Communism that they will find it impossible to completely eradicate God's people. Instead, the authorities have been putting plans into place to corrupt the Gospel. By doing so, they hope to control the Church and ultimately render it powerless and subservient to the Communist system.

To that end, the government has openly announced plans to "reinterpret" the Bible and other religious texts, so they will have "socialist characteristics". A glimpse into what that might look like was seen recently when a government publisher altered the ending of the account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Their blasphemous version now has Jesus concluding his talk by saying: "I too am a sinner," instead of, "Go now and leave your life of sin."

The battle lines are drawn. Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters in China. This year, tens of thousands of house church pastors and evangelists have gone missing, especially in those provinces with a large concentration of Christians.

Most of those tens of thousands are still alive, but in preparation for the struggle ahead, they have gone into hiding. They have completely disconnected from all phones and computers, because those devices are used by the government to track their location.

Furthermore, each person in China must have an ID card. It is impossible for a person to catch a flight or train, open a bank account, get a job, or rent an apartment without using their card. Each ID card contains a computer chip which is also used to track people's movements. Many Christian leaders, before they go into hiding, have placed their cards inside a microwave oven for a few seconds, which ruins the chips and renders them useless.

Asia Harvest recently passed the milestone of 13 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to house churches in China.

Pray: for the Church in China, that it will continue to thrive amidst the persecution and oppression.
Pray: for the Church leaders under house arrest, imprisoned or who have disappeared.  Pray for comfort, divine wisdom and guidance for them and their families.  Pray for provision for their immediate needs.
Pray: for continued success for Asia Harvest and other ministries who print and distribute Chinese language Bibles.
Pray: in agreement, for an immediate cessation of the ill-treatment of Christians by the Chinese authorities.  Luke 6:28

More: https://asiaharvest.org/china-update-the-battle-for-chinas-one-billion-souls/