Neighbor Prayer Update

In God’s word we read this promise, revealing the heart of God for all peoples, so we can pray with confidence, knowing that God is at work fulfilling these promises.  They are HIS reality!

After this I (John) looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10

1.  Pray for Ron & the Editorial Staff of 30-Days of Prayer, that God will give them wisdom and resources for their ministry….AND that God will continue to raise up prayer partners to intercede daily through Ramadan on behalf of neighbors.  Will YOU be one who answers this call?  Sign up now for the 30-Days daily prayer updates. 

2.  The trip to the high mountain, farming province of Pakistan took 14 hours by bus and van.   Peter and his Pakistani host spent the past 5 days in this area where the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior has never been heard. The area has no churches and no one is working in the area to share the “truth”; it is therefore classified as unreached and unengaged. With the Lord’s help they will recruit, train and place a two person team in that area.  As Peter and his friend shared tea with one of the local men, they realized: “If the other mountain people are like him, they are open minded and simply need to be told the Gospel in a friendly non-confrontive manner. These are simply, poor farmers who grew up in a family of our “cousins”, but who are open to hearing the truth.”

Please pray that the Lord will bless their plans to recruit, train and place people in this area where the truth about our Lord has never been spoken.  They will soon be conducting a 4 day seminar on sharing the Gospel to “cousins”.

3. Adapted from this week’s Intercede Magazine:

• …for Neighbors in the United States. Pray for the Christian workers trying to reach them, especially in urban centers.
• …for Christian ministries among the 500,000 Western Cham in Cambodia. The Cham are related to the Malay of Malaysia.
• …for MBBs across the Neighbor world desperately searching for discipleship and fellowship.

30-Days Prayer Calendar, 1-30 September

For Christ’s love compels us…..
And he has committed to us the message of RECONCILIATION.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.
(2 Cor. 5:14-20)

1. A PERSONAL PRAYER – God, help me today to seek and find ways to build bridges of friendship with my neighbors. Bring someone into my life today who needs to be reconciled to you. Use me as your ambassador of love and peace.

2. While commuting to work on a crowded train, Nicole noticed a young neighbor lady wearing brightly colored shoes. “Hey, I like your shoes!” That complement was all it took to open a door of friendship between Nicole and Lastri. A brief conversation about family convinced Lastri that she wanted the kind of marriage that Nicole has. So Lastri grabbed Nicole by the arm and said, “I could learn so much from you!” They exchanged cell phone numbers, and after a series of text messages and calls, the two new friends got together for a lengthy lunch outing this week. God was at work. Now this newlywed neighbor couple wants to be mentored by a Christian couple so they too can have a godly marriage and family. Pray for Lastri and her husband Dian that through this mentoring relationships they will be drawn to Christ as the only source for a truly godly home.

3. Vicky and Karl have been developing relationships with a neighbor family in their city. This weekend Vicky has been asked to host a baby shower for Adilah. In addition they have been invited to celebrate the wedding of another young neighbor couple. Pray for Vicky and Karl this weekend that the light and love and joy of Christ will shine through them, drawing their neighbor friends to Him.

4. Pray for peace on the Philippine island of Mindanao. Local residents, including many Nazarenes, are suffering from an escalation in fighting. In recent weeks, nearly 140, 000 people have been displaced. Pray for local churches, that they might show the compassion of Christ as they address the physical and spiritual needs of the refugees. May their love and concern build lasting bridges with their neighbors. May the neighbors eyes be opened (and hearts drawn) to the love of Christ being shown to them.

5. “God is at work!” is the exclamation of one neighbor ministries trainer in
the Sealands.   May God continue to raise up and call young people to
prepare for this critical area of service.  Ask God to bless the
instructors to pass on the vision and impart the necessary knowledge,
and to provide for all the logistics of the program.

6. Adapted from this week’s “Intercede Magazine” — Please pray…..

• for an atmosphere of religious freedom in Indonesia. Between 2004 and 2007, 110 churches were shut down by authorities. May believers see these challenges as opportunities to be THE CHURCH in community, outside the four walls of their closed buildings.
• for children in madrassahs (religious schools) across the Neighbor world. Pray they would have the opportunity to hear of Jesus’s love, through exposure to Bibles, Christian broadcasts, and especially through Christlike believers in their communities.
• for Neighbors in the Central Asian countries. Pray that the Gospel would reach the hearts of so many hungry people. Pray for laborers to go and share the Good News with them in a variety of ways. Are YOU willing to go?

Don’t forget to visit the 30-Days of Prayer website (www.30-days.net) to participate individually, or with your family, or with your small group by praying daily for Neighbors all around the world through the month of Ramadan. Order the prayer booklet (available in multiple languages) and/or sign up for daily email prayer updates. Be active : Change your own perspective on Unreached People. Change the world through prayer. Participate in 30-Days of Prayer for the Neighbor World ’08.

As we prepare to begin praying through Ramadan (1-30 September) for the Neighbor World, be encouraged to know that God is working amongst the nations, drawing men & women to Himself…..even those like Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) who are unlikely disciples of Christ.

Mosab Hassan Yousef is an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary story. Fox News ran an exclusive interview on Tuesday 12 August with this new follower of Isa al Masih.

"...but they can't take my soul."

According to the Fox News article: “He was born the son of one of the most influential leaders of the militant Hamas organization in the West Bank and grew up in a strict (Neighbor) family.”

“Now, at 30 years old, he attends an evangelical Christian church, Barabbas Road in San Diego, California. He renounced his former faith, left his family behind in Ramallah and is seeking asylum in the United States.”

“The story of how his life unfolded is truly amazing! …Below is a link to that exclusive FOX News interview with Hassan as he tells firsthand how a West Bank (Neighbor) became a West Coast Christian.”

• Click here to view video of Mosab Hassan Yousef speaking out.

PLEASE PRAY FOR MOSAB:

1. That Mosab will be a true disciple and follower of Christ and not just a Christian by name.
2. That he truly has and maintains an intimate relationship with God through Christ, not just a new religion.
3. That his story and testimony will not be used for political purposes as much as it is used for KINGDOM purposes, to encourage & inspire other neighbors to truly seek God.
4. That Mosab proclaim the true Gospel in word and in deed, and that he will lead a Christlike lifestyle, glorifying God.
5. That he remain “safe” as long as God wants to use his life for His glory, and that even if persecuted or even martyred his life and death draw many men and women to Christ.

AND DON’T FORGET to sign up for and participate in the “30-Days of Prayer” for Neighbors.

This is a special Monday edition of “Praying Neighbor”.  You can expect more frequent updates as Ramadan nears, and as we receive updates from “30-Days of Prayer for the Neighbor World” !

30-Days of Prayer, 1-30 September

Ramadan 2008 / 1429:  September 01 – September 30

Hey prayer partners, with just 16 days before the start of our focused prayer time for Neighbors, we are so excited.  The author of “30-Days” just had the privilege of praying for some 20 families who are going to totally UNREACHED Neighbor people groups.

And you know what?

All those just back from the massive harvests had the same testimony:

“We got breakthroughs when God’s people prayed.”

One family had struggled for years without seeing any fruit. Over the last year 100 Neighbors came to Christ. The breakthrough, they said, came after we targeted their Unreached People Group in prayer!

A middle-aged German women told of her hardships reaching M’s, especially the men. She felt distanced by the culture and wondered how she could win any friends, let alone Christ-friends. Again, you and I had prayed for her region last year. Again, “all of a sudden they became interested to hear the Message”.

WOW, when we pray, God answers!!!

WOW, when we pray, God sends!!!

WOW, when we pray, NOTHING can stop Neighbors from hearing the Good News!!!

Be encouraged, let your faith multiply. Let’s get people praying now!

If the idea of bringing God glory where there is currently no Christian witness stirs your soul, then help me help others to join the Lord directly in what he is doing.

Are you a Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, social network user? Tell your network about this prayer movement. Do you have a blog? Use ours for automatic, daily feeds during Ramadan.
Do you have an email list? Forward these emails daily.
Do you have faith in God? Pray in Jesus name for Neighbors to come to Christ. He is answering daily.

Be encouraged.

God is faithful!

Pass this email on to all you know, let’s pray, let’s change the world, together.

Links:
Christian’s pray for Muslims during Ramadan :
The email list for daily prayer updates :
Order the printed booklet (in many languages) :
Download the prayer booklet :
–
You are welcome and encouraged to forward these e-mails to others.
30-Days International create Christian prayer materials coinciding with Ramadan each year. Complete overview via the Sitemap of our 30-days.net website. Donations are welcome / needed. View the About Us (video)

Today’s Prayer Post will focus on and promote one of our partner’s prayer initiatives. We encourage each of you to visit their website, order their prayer calendar, and follow their 30-day prayer focus during Ramadan. (Follow the hyperlinks within this article for more information).

30-Days Prayer Initiative Begins SOON:

30-Days Prayer Calendar

Ramadan dates:  (1 – 30 September, 2008).

Please pray with us that many people will hear about this prayer initiative and PRAY WITH US either by ordering the booklet (available in 42 languages) or downloading the PDF or join this email list.

Fred Markert, director of YWAM Network for Strategic Initiatives writes, “I believe consistent prayer lays the foundation for the Lord’s breakthroughs, so I hope every Christian everywhere prays through your Guide so that we can see the Lord’s name established throughout the entire (Neighbor) world.”

THINK OF THE PEOPLES, TRIBES AND TONGUES

Remember the plan of God concerning peoples, tribes and tongues (Rev. 5:9, 7:9). Some versions of Christianity are particularly oriented toward individualism (my salvation, my problems, my happiness, my future). We need “big picture” Christianity. The Bible speaks of ethnic groups (nations), peoples, tribes, and tongues. Jesus is to reign over all.

As you pray for the following requests today, meditate on the following scriptures –

Psalm 67:1-7, Mt. 28: 18-19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, 10:11, 13:7, 14:6, 17:15 and 22:1-5.

Please pass this on to others who can pray with us.

1.  From a team member in Indonesia:  “Please pray for A & S, our previous neighbors who are sharing good news at their noodle stand—that they will have opportunities and courage, wisdom and effectiveness.”

2.  Pray for peace to prevail in the Northwestern part of China, where recent violence has broken out between extremist groups & government / civilian personnel.   May these events not hinder open doors for spreading God’s love to the precious people (on both sides) in this part of China.

3.  Please pray for peace and safety of all in Pakistan during these days.  This week marked the anniversary of the Red Mosque incident and the current President, Pervez Musharraf is likely to face impeachment hearings.  In the midst of all this uncertainty, may believers be bold in their witness, proclaiming and living the peace of Christ.

4.  Pray particularly for a group of pastors and lay leaders in Pakistan who are gathering this month for a series of two-week seminars, with the following goals:

• to encourage one another to overcome fear, persecution and prejudice
• to understand the Biblical mandate to reach all peoples
• to examine their church’s individual strengths, resources, local context, passions and experiences and
• to develop two plans for outreach

5. Adapted from this weeks “Intercede Magazine” — Please pray…..

• for an Algerian convicted of carrying a Bible and Christian study books. He received a one-year suspended sentence and a $460 fine, but will additionally face scrutiny and threats.
• for Neighbors in Nigeria. Sharia and a shift toward radicalism are contributing to a volatile political climate.
• for Turkey’s tiny Protestant minority, that they’ll be filled with Christ’s love and power. Violence and threats from the majority group have steadily increased in 2008.
• for increasing numbers of expatriate believers in Brunei. Pray they would be salt and light.
• for government leaders in Malaysia to be given wisdom as the country continues to see a rise in extremist activity.
• for an Egyptian MBB that has been refused legal recognition of his conversion and faces a lengthy court battle.  May his life and testimony bring glory to Christ.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11

1. From a team member in Sealands: “Please pray for a neighbor lady, B.I., who has begun to listen to Bible stories for the first time ever.” May she have increased hunger for God’s word, and have courage to respond to it.

2. Pray for all the various ministry organizations that are actively at work translating God’s word and producing biblical media products for neighbor people.

3. May hearts and minds be open to the truth of God’s word being broadcast daily into neighbor areas via radio, TV, internet, cell phone, etc.

4. Pray for the production team of WMC-AP as they develop film, video, and radio programs for unreached people groups in Mindanao.

5. Adapted from this week’s “Intercede Magazine”: Please pray:

• for continued successful witness to Neighbors through print, television, radio, and Internet ministries.
• for satellite television to continue to reach Neighbors. Recently, several Neighbor countries have made overtures suggesting a coming attempt to restrict television content.
• for increased Christian witness to Neighbors in Europe. The potential neighbor demographic increase in Europe over the
  next 50 years is staggering. May opportunities for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be heard by neighbors abound.