Neighbor Prayer Update

This I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
(Lamentations 3:21-26)

As we continue to pray for Neighbors around us, and around the world, may we pray with hope. God’s salvation plan IS being accomplished amongst the nations, as people daily are being drawn by His Spirit to seek Him and place their faith in Him.

REMEMBER, today is the 7th day of Ramadan. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to register for daily prayer updates from 30-Days of Prayer.

1. Pray for the Kaili Unde, a small but not forgotten people in the province of Central Sulawesi in Indonesia:

• For an openness and a willingness to obey the Gospel (Rom. 1:5 and 16:26)
• That they can hear and see the Indonesian Christian radio and TV programs and thus find a way to Christ.
• That the power of darkness and enslavement to spirits be broken and their eyes opened, so that the Kaili Unde can be freed (Acts 10:38; 26:18).

2. Continue to intercede for Daud. He is now out of the hospital, but still under observation and medical care. He is sending and receiving SMS (text messages) that indicate his great appreciation for prayer, and openness to dialogue about Christ. May this time of illness be a turning point in his life where he calls on the name of Jesus for healing, physically and spiritually. May God’s presence be very real to him through Christian visitors, literature, dreams and visions.

3. Today, August 28 — in one of our creative areas with majority Neighbor population — our team members are beginning a series of seminars to enlighten and train Christian laity and pastors to be more effective at working among neighbors. The second seminar will occur in October. The plan is to go to every zone to increase the acceptance and understanding of new paradigms for neighbors among our established pastors as well as teach them new attitudes and methods. Through these, may God call, raise up and equip many new laborers for the harvest.

4. Pray for Luis, who wants God to take over his business so that he can be used as a servant of God’s people and help them. Luis also asks for God’s direction and provision in his relationships. May he find contentment first in his relationship with Christ, to be the man that God wants him to be, and be a light and witness to his neighbors.

5.  Next week, 2-4 September, several key broadcast organizations will be meeting in a creative location in Asia to discuss strategies and partnerships to more effectively reach Neighbors in Indonesia with relevant, contextualized methods and messages.  Pray for God’s wisdom to be with these 15-20 ministry leaders.

Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”

“And HE will be their peace.”
(Micah 4:2; 5:5)

This passage from the Prophet Micah is such a hopeful promise, even in the midst of very challenging times. Out of the context of warfare and exile, Micah introduces the promise of nations at peace, through the coming of Messiah. Today this is no longer just a future promise. It is a reality (and becoming more so) for many nations and people who accept Isa al Masih as their peace. So today, instead of focusing on all the situations of conflict, we want to rejoice and pray for situations where God is at work establishing his Kingdom of peace.

AND A REMINDER, tomorrow begins Ramadan (22 August – 20 September), so please register to receive your daily email prayer updates from 30-Days of Prayer. You can also receive daily Twitter updates. The important this is that you join the rest of us in praying each day (or as often as you can) for the needs of the Neighbor world, during this very important event for them.

1. Pray for our friend Daud. He is very close to the Kingdom. A real man of peace. He has been seeking truth, asking questions, reading Christian books, and requesting prayers. Right now, Daud is in the hospital, since last Tuesday. May this time of illness be a turning point in his life where he calls on the name of Jesus for healing, physically and spiritually. May God’s presence be very real to him through Christian visitors, literature, dreams and visions.

2. From friends in a creative ministry area, they send very good news of God’s work amongst Neighbors in their country. Please, please pray with them for the following items:

• They have now developed a leadership team who are involved in strategy, placement, and training. Pray for their planning meeting at the end of this month.
• Six people are involved in ongoing intensive training to better serve Neighbors. Three of them are already involved in active ministry, and the other three will be placed in strategic ministries by early next year. Pray for these and others who are dedicating themselves to serve.
• Pray for Mr. D as he has been assigned the role of shepherding each of these trainees through this process, evaluate their progress and help them with problems they are facing.
• One of these young men testified that he turned down an offer of a pastorate complete with a building, a parsonage, and a very nice wage in order to heed the call of God in his life. He talked to his parents and they have given him their blessing in this. This is a very sharp young man, who will become a valuable part of this neighbor ministry team. Pray that he will maintain his commitment and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to endure all the challenging times ahead.
• All of these people will be learning skills they can use to support themselves, to create a personal identity in the places where they will go, and as a bridge to build relationships. Over the next 4 months they are to present a short list of possible skills that are appropriate for the areas where they will be living and working. Pray that God will direct and guide them to wisely select areas of work that He has uniquely gifted them to do.
• There are two additional students who have expressed a call to working with neighbors who will be entering the program next year. We are praying for more as we open the students eyes to this work.
• Additional seminars will begin on August 28th to enlighten and train laity and pastors to be more effective at working among neighbors. The second seminar will occur in October. The plan is to go to every zone to increase the acceptance and understanding of new paradigms for neighbors among our established pastors as well as teach them new attitudes and methods.

Muslims are my / your / our Neighbors!
(Matthew 22:39)

Look around you. You don’t have to search very far. We have precious people all around us, in our communities, cities, schools, universities, work places, supermarkets…who follow the Islamic faith. And their numbers are growing. This fact should not concern us. No, in fact God is orchestrating something in our day to draw the nations to Himself. He is bringing our Muslim “cousins” to us. We no longer have to necessarily go abroad to them. They are right next door. They are our neighbors. God is doing this for a purpose — so that through His people, the nations will see His glory, goodness, grace, and love. He has always desired for His people to be “a light to the nations.”

Yet, sadly, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 Muslims do not know a single follower of Jesus.

How can they come to know Jesus (Isa al Masih) if the followers of Jesus refuse to befriend them? The call of Christ still goes out to all of us to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39).” And that is exactly why we at PrayingNeighbor generally substitute the world “Muslim” with “Neighbor,” — to change our attitudes and perspectives, to break down stereotypes that cause fear, mistrust, even hatred. When you think of someone as a neighbor, you begin to see them and treat them differently. So during this upcoming season of Ramadan (August 22-September 20), we at PrayingNeighbor urge you to PRAY and OBEY in the following ways:

1. Log on and register at http://www.30-days.net to receive daily prayer updates for the Muslim world. If possible, find a local distributor of the 30 Days Prayer Booklet.

2. Pray Daily, using the 30-Days Prayer guide (either online or with the booklet).

3. Ask God to open your eyes to the Neighbors in your area, to sensitize you to their likes, interests, foods, culture, needs, and issues. Begin to read and learn about Islam from reputable, Christ-centered sources.

4. Ask God to give you a divine appointment with a man or woman (neighbor) of peace whom you can befriend, talk to, learn from, and share the love of Christ with. (Luke 10)

5. Ask God to show you ways that you can serve your neighbors with hospitality.

6. Consider FASTING yourself during Ramadan, even if just one meal a day. Take this time to identify with and pray for your Neighbors. And by all means, respect their desire to keep the fast. Encourage them. Ask them how you can pray for them during their fast. Ask them what they themselves are praying about and seeking from God during the fast.

Come!… join the millions of Christians around the world who have participated in this largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world.

August 22 to September 20, 2009, 18th Anniversary. Grab a booklet today