Wow - one full month! Today wraps up our prayers for Asia and also our first month on our journey! I hope you've been blessed and challenged by our "birds eye" view of the world and our "boat level" view of Africa, the Americas, and Asia. We'll be wrapping up the continents with Europe and the Pacific over the next few days, then beginning February 9 we'll lace up those hiking boots and get out of the boat and onto the ground, country by country through this incredible world God created.
Today, though, we want to stay focused on Asia. Please read "The Unfinished Task" on pages 69-71, then return here for our prayer time.
Did you catch how significant Asia is? Over 81% of non-Christians in the world live there ... 8 out of 10! It's also the home to the world's three largest non-Christian religions. The missions need is great here - not only for national believers but also cross-cultural believers, as there are so many unreached people groups. Asia truly exemplifies why we need "the whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world."
As we wrap up our time "in" Asia, let me encourage you to seek God
specifically for your part in His plan for this continent. If you've been
quickened by these needs, perhaps God would have you commit to praying, giving,
or going to Asia. A few resources to get you started follow my prayer
for today.
Lord, thank You for the progress in Asia and the outreach of the church there. But Lord, as I read these statistics I am so convicted. The church in Asia cannot finish the task alone! We all must chip in and do our part under Your leadership to see this continent reached for You. I pray for those who are already serving and those who are being called. I pray for full obedience and faithfulness to Your truth. Lord, send laborers to the harvest in the Arab world, the Iranian-Median bloc, South Asias, Turks, East Asians, Southeast Asians, Tibet/Himalayans, and Malays. Prepare the people even now to hear the message. Let them look up at the stars and see the awesome world You created for Your glory, and begin wooing them to You. Help our churches be faithful to seek Your guidance for our role in Asia. We love You and we thank You for the heart You've given us for Asia this
past week. Please guide us to be fully obedient as we walk out what Your heart
for Asia should look like in our own lives. In the precious name of
Jesus, amen.
Resources:
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/prayer-resources.php
- Prayer calendars for the unreached in a few key areas of Asia.
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/ - Amazing
research tool for digging deeper
- http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/ - Focuses on
the annual event, but also includes urgent alerts and prayer points for
countries on an ongoing basis
- http://www.gfa.org/pray/ - Pray with Gospel for Asia, a ministry focusing on equipping national believers.
- http://www.omf.org/ - Reaches East Asia.
Are you already part of what God is
doing in Asia? If so please comment with any additional resources that
you would recommend.
Showing posts with label Unreached People Groups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unreached People Groups. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - January 24 (Day 24)
If you live in the Americas like me, it's hard to think in terms of unreached peoples - and yet there is a huge unfinished task in the Americas. Please read pages 53-54 and then return for our prayer time.
One of the things God has been impressing on me this time through Operation World is that from His viewpoint, there are no unreached peoples. When we prayed through Africa we talked about the need to reach the unreached is simply a matter of someone being obedient to the call - they will remain unreached until God calls and we answer. Today God gave me a Scripture - and a vivid illusration - that even now He is reaching out to the unreached and to the others groups in this "unfinished task" section.
Psalm 19:1-4 says:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
Think about it: Where no missionaries have gone, where there is no Bible in their language, God is still speaking through His creation. Tonight, I stepped out onto the porch and looked up at the sky. I was staring straight at the Little Dipper, and the Milky Way which I usually cannot see from my vantage point at our house was clearly evident. Immediately this passage came to me along with the thought: "Somewhere there is someone from an unreached people group looking up at the same sky, seeing the same stars and the same Milky Way, and God is speaking to him through it." WOW.
This idea of "general revelation" - the revelation of creation - does not negate the importance of missions. People still have to hear the Gospel - Romans 10 makes it clear that someone has to go tell them of Jesus. It's simply not optional. But Acts 10, the story of Cornelius, encourages us that God is working in both the hearer and the goer to bring about the proclamation of the Gospel. Somewhere tonight, God is preparing someone through looking up at His creation to hear to Gospel message for the first time. He is preparing someone to go. What an encouragement to know that when our going intersects with their hearing, God has already been at work.
Our church supports some missionaries to a tribal people in Latin America. This group hasn't heard the Gospel and has no Scripture in their language. One day, these missionaries will be able to communicate in this tribal language. One day, they will share the Gospel. What an encouragement to know that God is already at work. My prayer is that God will lead them to those who have been looking up at those stars and wanting to know more about the God who created them. Truly, there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Also, as we wrap up our time "in" the Americas, let me encourage you to seek God specifically for your part in His plan for this continent. If you've been quickened by these needs, perhaps God would have you commit to praying, giving, or going to the Americas. A few resources to get you started follow my prayer for today.
My prayer for today: Lord, You are always at work. You simply invite us to join You in what You are already doing. My prayer for the unfinished task is that You will be at work Lord, preparing the way for Your messengers. Lord, for the upper classes and those who are at the higher power levels of their societies - show them their spiritual poverty. For the urban poor, show them how You care about their physical realities as well as their soul-searching questions. For the unreached in each country, the unreached among the native populations, and for the harvest of unreached from around the globe who come to study or work -- we pray for laborers to the harvest. We ask You, Lord, to prepare the students' and immigrants' hearts and guide them to have strong connections with Christians. Give wisdom for how to reach the Jews and Gypsies of Latin America. Guide those who are working and those who are planning to go. Lord, we thank You for the way that has been paved by so many martyrs to the unreached of the Americas, and I echo the words of one of those martyrs who said that "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose." Lord, whatever we give for Your kingdom, to reach the unreached and finish the task, is not a foolish sacrifice. Help us be ever more willing to lay up treasures in heaven to see the Gospel reach the ends of the earth. We love You and we thank You for the heart You've given us for the Americas this past week. Please guide us to be fully obedient as we walk out what Your heart for the Americas should look like in our own lives. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
Resources:
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/prayer-resources.php - Prayer calendars for the unreached in a few key areas of the Americas.
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/ - Amazing research tool for digging deeper
- http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/ - Focuses on the annual event, but also includes urgent alerts and prayer points for countries on an ongoing basis
- http://www.primeministersprayerteam.org/ - Prayer for the leaders of Caribbean nations.
- http://southamerica.imb.org/Prayer/default.htm - Prayer network for South America
Are you already part of what God is doing in the Americas? If so please comment with any additional resources that you would recommend.
One of the things God has been impressing on me this time through Operation World is that from His viewpoint, there are no unreached peoples. When we prayed through Africa we talked about the need to reach the unreached is simply a matter of someone being obedient to the call - they will remain unreached until God calls and we answer. Today God gave me a Scripture - and a vivid illusration - that even now He is reaching out to the unreached and to the others groups in this "unfinished task" section.
Psalm 19:1-4 says:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
Think about it: Where no missionaries have gone, where there is no Bible in their language, God is still speaking through His creation. Tonight, I stepped out onto the porch and looked up at the sky. I was staring straight at the Little Dipper, and the Milky Way which I usually cannot see from my vantage point at our house was clearly evident. Immediately this passage came to me along with the thought: "Somewhere there is someone from an unreached people group looking up at the same sky, seeing the same stars and the same Milky Way, and God is speaking to him through it." WOW.
This idea of "general revelation" - the revelation of creation - does not negate the importance of missions. People still have to hear the Gospel - Romans 10 makes it clear that someone has to go tell them of Jesus. It's simply not optional. But Acts 10, the story of Cornelius, encourages us that God is working in both the hearer and the goer to bring about the proclamation of the Gospel. Somewhere tonight, God is preparing someone through looking up at His creation to hear to Gospel message for the first time. He is preparing someone to go. What an encouragement to know that when our going intersects with their hearing, God has already been at work.
Our church supports some missionaries to a tribal people in Latin America. This group hasn't heard the Gospel and has no Scripture in their language. One day, these missionaries will be able to communicate in this tribal language. One day, they will share the Gospel. What an encouragement to know that God is already at work. My prayer is that God will lead them to those who have been looking up at those stars and wanting to know more about the God who created them. Truly, there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Also, as we wrap up our time "in" the Americas, let me encourage you to seek God specifically for your part in His plan for this continent. If you've been quickened by these needs, perhaps God would have you commit to praying, giving, or going to the Americas. A few resources to get you started follow my prayer for today.
My prayer for today: Lord, You are always at work. You simply invite us to join You in what You are already doing. My prayer for the unfinished task is that You will be at work Lord, preparing the way for Your messengers. Lord, for the upper classes and those who are at the higher power levels of their societies - show them their spiritual poverty. For the urban poor, show them how You care about their physical realities as well as their soul-searching questions. For the unreached in each country, the unreached among the native populations, and for the harvest of unreached from around the globe who come to study or work -- we pray for laborers to the harvest. We ask You, Lord, to prepare the students' and immigrants' hearts and guide them to have strong connections with Christians. Give wisdom for how to reach the Jews and Gypsies of Latin America. Guide those who are working and those who are planning to go. Lord, we thank You for the way that has been paved by so many martyrs to the unreached of the Americas, and I echo the words of one of those martyrs who said that "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose." Lord, whatever we give for Your kingdom, to reach the unreached and finish the task, is not a foolish sacrifice. Help us be ever more willing to lay up treasures in heaven to see the Gospel reach the ends of the earth. We love You and we thank You for the heart You've given us for the Americas this past week. Please guide us to be fully obedient as we walk out what Your heart for the Americas should look like in our own lives. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
Resources:
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/prayer-resources.php - Prayer calendars for the unreached in a few key areas of the Americas.
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/ - Amazing research tool for digging deeper
- http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/ - Focuses on the annual event, but also includes urgent alerts and prayer points for countries on an ongoing basis
- http://www.primeministersprayerteam.org/ - Prayer for the leaders of Caribbean nations.
- http://southamerica.imb.org/Prayer/default.htm - Prayer network for South America
Are you already part of what God is doing in the Americas? If so please comment with any additional resources that you would recommend.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - January 17 (Day 17)
Today, our African travels take us right into the heart of the 10/40 Window - from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, where the majority of the world's unreached peoples live. In Africa, the vast majority of the unreached are Muslims of varying degrees of commitment. Please read pages 38-40, "The Unreached of Africa", then return here for prayer.
From the early days of Christianity, there have been Christians in Africa. Tradition holds that the Ethiopian eunuch, best known to us as the man God took Phillip to share the Gospel to from the midst of a revival in Asia, returned to his country and became an evangelist. We know for sure that Christians were found in North Africa as early as 100 A.D. Despite the presence of a church, the Gospel did not permeate Africa and in fact, Islam spread throughout much of North Africa after thta religion was founded in the 7th century. Africa remained "the dark continent" in the eyes of much of the west but eventually missionaries began to find their way there. Robert Moffatt and later David Livingstone did much to pave the way to the interior and open up the continent to the rest of the world. Still, there is much history of missions in Africa that remains to be written. Let's pray today for God to call laborers to the unreached peoples of Africa.
My prayer for today: Lord, we love the diversity of the body of Christ, including the beautiful African segment of Your body. We know Lord that when the last page of history is written, around Your throne will stand believers from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group. But Lord, today some of the African people groups are missing from Your throne room. Today, we come before You to plead the prayer You taught us to pray - laborers for the harvest. Lord, send laborers for the harvest of unreached people groups in Africa. Call many to take the Gospel where the name of Jesus has not been heard. We pray specifically for some of the largest unreached groups in Africa: The North African Arabs, millions of whom have had little outreach from Christians. The Berber people who had somewhat of a Christian history before being conquered by Islam, and their relatives the Tuareg - Lord, please call people who are able to live in the desert climate. For the West African coastal and interior groups that are unreached, Lord, I pray for You to especially use the churches already established in other parts of west Africa. Burden their hearts for their near neighbors, Lord. God I ask You for the Fulbe, one of the major challenges. Thank You for the unified ministry to them; Lord please give creative access ideas to those seeking to minister to this nomadic group. Oh Lord, I have a special place in my heart for the Hausa. I see their beautiful faces before me from the pictures I've seen in the newsletters. Lord, help them to have a hunger for the resources that exist in their language. Give them a thirst for You, Lord, a desire to know You deeply and passionately. I pray, Lord, for the peoples across North Africa - Sudan, Chad, CAR, Egypt - guide them to You Lord. Where there has been a prevous witness I pray that You will water the seeds that have been planted. Lord, for those in the Horn area where it is so hard to witness - I pray that You will use believers from within Africa, and I pray that those who are traveling or studying or working abroad will find themselves surrounded by Christians. I pray that as You bring these unreached peoples across our paths that You will give us deep relationships and boldness to share the Gospel. Lord, for the Bantu and for the mountain peoples of Chad, the Nile, and the Nuba area , and for the East Asians living in Africa - we ask for You to remember them, hear the cries of those who long to know You and send someone to share the Gospel with them. In all these peoples Lord we pray for You to raise up Corneliuses and Peters - those who long to hear and those who are called to share. We are reminded You love them far more than we do. Thank You, Lord.
From the early days of Christianity, there have been Christians in Africa. Tradition holds that the Ethiopian eunuch, best known to us as the man God took Phillip to share the Gospel to from the midst of a revival in Asia, returned to his country and became an evangelist. We know for sure that Christians were found in North Africa as early as 100 A.D. Despite the presence of a church, the Gospel did not permeate Africa and in fact, Islam spread throughout much of North Africa after thta religion was founded in the 7th century. Africa remained "the dark continent" in the eyes of much of the west but eventually missionaries began to find their way there. Robert Moffatt and later David Livingstone did much to pave the way to the interior and open up the continent to the rest of the world. Still, there is much history of missions in Africa that remains to be written. Let's pray today for God to call laborers to the unreached peoples of Africa.
My prayer for today: Lord, we love the diversity of the body of Christ, including the beautiful African segment of Your body. We know Lord that when the last page of history is written, around Your throne will stand believers from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group. But Lord, today some of the African people groups are missing from Your throne room. Today, we come before You to plead the prayer You taught us to pray - laborers for the harvest. Lord, send laborers for the harvest of unreached people groups in Africa. Call many to take the Gospel where the name of Jesus has not been heard. We pray specifically for some of the largest unreached groups in Africa: The North African Arabs, millions of whom have had little outreach from Christians. The Berber people who had somewhat of a Christian history before being conquered by Islam, and their relatives the Tuareg - Lord, please call people who are able to live in the desert climate. For the West African coastal and interior groups that are unreached, Lord, I pray for You to especially use the churches already established in other parts of west Africa. Burden their hearts for their near neighbors, Lord. God I ask You for the Fulbe, one of the major challenges. Thank You for the unified ministry to them; Lord please give creative access ideas to those seeking to minister to this nomadic group. Oh Lord, I have a special place in my heart for the Hausa. I see their beautiful faces before me from the pictures I've seen in the newsletters. Lord, help them to have a hunger for the resources that exist in their language. Give them a thirst for You, Lord, a desire to know You deeply and passionately. I pray, Lord, for the peoples across North Africa - Sudan, Chad, CAR, Egypt - guide them to You Lord. Where there has been a prevous witness I pray that You will water the seeds that have been planted. Lord, for those in the Horn area where it is so hard to witness - I pray that You will use believers from within Africa, and I pray that those who are traveling or studying or working abroad will find themselves surrounded by Christians. I pray that as You bring these unreached peoples across our paths that You will give us deep relationships and boldness to share the Gospel. Lord, for the Bantu and for the mountain peoples of Chad, the Nile, and the Nuba area , and for the East Asians living in Africa - we ask for You to remember them, hear the cries of those who long to know You and send someone to share the Gospel with them. In all these peoples Lord we pray for You to raise up Corneliuses and Peters - those who long to hear and those who are called to share. We are reminded You love them far more than we do. Thank You, Lord.
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