European Evangelical Alliance Prayer Guide for Week of Prayer 2010

Transcription

1 Eurpean Evangelical Alliance Prayer Guide fr Week f Prayer 2010 theme: Yu are My Witness! Intrductin Abut the theme As Christians acrss Eurpe unite in prayer, we are aware that Eurpe has been deeply shaped by the cming f the Christian faith centuries ag. Frm Eurpe came a wrldwide mvement. In 1910 Jhn Mtt initiated the Wrld Missinary Cnference in Edinburgh. Christians f all churches celebrate the centennial f this visinary initiative in 2010 with gatherings in Edinburgh and Cape Twn, rganised by the Wrld Cuncil f Churches and the Lausanne Cmmittee fr Wrld Evangelizatin (tgether with the Wrld Evangelical Alliance) respectively. Many believe that Eurpe has changed in this past century: frm being a cntinent that sent ut Gspel messengers t becming a part f the wrld that mst needs t receive and welcme them. In this Week f Prayer, we shall pray t ur Gd t wrk thrugh His Hly Spirit t pen eyes and hearts fr His Message and His Lve s that the Christian faith will be newly embraced in many parts f Eurpe. The Eurpean Evangelical Alliance welcmes all such initiatives and pledges t wrk with them fr the blessing and benefit f the church and the cming f Christ s Kingdm Partnership There are n rdinary peple, says C.S Lewis in his bk The Weight f Glry. Yu have never talked t a mere mrtal. Natins, cultures, arts, civilizatins - these are mrtal, and their life is t urs as the life f a gnat. But it is immrtals whm we jke with, wrk with, marry, snub, and explit - immrtal hrrrs r everlasting splendrs.. Next t the Blessed Sacrament itself, yur neighbr is the hliest bject presented t yur senses. Prayer is essential t healthy relatinships. Our unity, if it is nt t be just an abstract term, has t lead t practical c-peratin and partnerships. It must be nurtured by penness t Gd and each ther, genuine interest, listening, vulnerability, respect and mutual learning. Challenges that we are facing as evangelical Christians in Eurpe are far beynd the capacity f any individual. We need t learn and encurage each ther, even frm natin t natin. Als this prayer guide is ne f many fruits f a lng partnership between the Dutch and the Czech Evangelical Alliance. We desire that yu will have a life full f deep and inspiring friendships that we can enjy with each ther and between ur tw alliances. Cntent In this prayer guide seven authrs - frm the Czech-Republic and The Netherlands - wh are wrking as missinaries share different aspects f the theme being a witness, each frm their wn perspective. Fllwing each Thught fr the day are prayer requests frm all ver Eurpe. Feel free t add thers as we pray fr ne anther as well as fr urselves. We pray that this Week f Prayer will inspire believers and lcal churches in all ur natins: enabling ur effective witness and enabling us all t make a difference. Jiří Unger, General Secretary Czech Evangelical Alliance Arnld van Heusden, Directr Dutch Evangelical Alliance

2 Week f Prayer The Eurpean Evangelical Alliance unites peple f evangelical cnvictin fr witness t Christ. Eurpe and Eurasia need that witness in 2010 as much as ever. Each day s theme fcuses n ne aspect f ur witness. Our prayer is that during this week we will all encunter the crucified and risen Christ and that He will enable us all t be mre effective witnesses t Him in ur cmplicated wrld. I am deeply grateful t the Evangelical Alliances f the Netherlands and the Czech Republic fr prducing these ntes. Their partnership has enriched bth natins and nw enriches all f us. Such synergy reminds us all f the benefit f wrking tgether. The themes they have chsen fr this year s Week f Prayer are the same as thse f the Wrld Cuncil f Churches Week f Prayer fr Christian Unity. Our lnging and ur prayer is that ur witness t Christ and His Wrd might be mre effective than ever, as we draw clser t Him by His Wrd, and the pwer f His Spirit. Grdn Shwell-Rgers General Secretary Eurpean Evangelical Alliance Authrs: Lub Hlavacka, pastr and frmer Czech EA General Secretary Glria Ginn, missinary, head f the Greater Eurpe Missin in the CR Daniel Fajfr, pastr and Directr f Missin cmmittee f CB Wut van Laar, secretary Dutch Missin Cuncil Pieter van Kampen, Christian authr and pastr Kees van der Wilde, assciate Directr WEA Missin Cmmissin Jacb Haasnt, EMA The Netherlands Wim Althuis, prayer c-rdinatr Dutch Evangelical Alliance Frmer Prayer themes at the EEA Week f Prayer: 2009: By Faith 2008: The Presence f Jesus Christ in ur Wrld 2007: Epiphany a Time t Manifest Christ! 2006: UN s Millennium Develpment Gals 2005: The Lrd s prayer 2004: The Race f Faith 2003: Meeting with Gd 2002: Gd Reasns t Believe 2001: The Message f the Crss 2000: Discvering Gd s Pssibilities

3 Sunday, Being a Witness Bible text: yu will be my witnesses (Acts. 1: 8) Bible reading: Acts 1: Gspel reading: Luke 24: 1-5 Old Testament: Isaiah 52: Thught fr the day Yu are my witness! This week we will think and read abut being a witness f Christ. The Bk f Acts and the histry f Christianity start with the last wrds f Jesus n earth: Yu will be witnesses t me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and t the uttermst parts f the earth." Many Christians knw this passage by heart, but there are nly a few wh make it their way f life. Why is it s hard fr us t fllw Jesus' last wrds? Quite an uncmfrtable and challenging theme fr a week f prayer The mst hpeful part f this Great Cmmissin is the sentence befre: Yu will receive pwer when the Hly Spirit has cme upn yu.. The gd news fr the wrld is that Jesus is alive. The gd news fr us as His disciples is that we dn t have t cnvince the wrld with ur wrds: that s the jb f Gd s Hly Spirit! As Christians we are witnesses f the fact that we experience the wrk f Gd in ur wn life, by the presence f His Spirit in us. Being a witness has t d with wh we are: beautiful creatures, belved sns and daughters and the dwelling place f Gd's Hly Spirit. We are witnesses in the way we live ur life with ur Lrd, here and nw. The wrld will see that Gd is real in ur walking and talking, mre than by shwing ur mral perfectin r biblical knwledge. We prtray Gd by living the way Jesus lived; lving Gd abve all and ur neighbrs as ur selves; paying attentin t marginalized and lnely peple; perfrming gd deeds; and caring fr the beggars and the sick. Thrugh the wrk f Gd s Spirit we are like Gd s hands transfrming ur sciety. Being a witness is nt synnymus with Christian activism. It s all abut ur spiritual life with Christ, which makes a difference in ur wrld and sciety. This week we will take a clser lk at sme imprtant aspects f being a witness: cnfessing, calling t Gd, preaching, being sent, making jealus, and reaching ut, cncepts that might change yur life and change yur wrld. This mvement starts with praying, lking fr the ways and the presence f the Almighty, and in ur daily prayers fr the peple arund us. Israel and the Palestinian Territries: Pray fr the peace f Jerusalem; fr a peaceful and just slutin fr all inhabitants f the regin and fr the Christians wh face particular extra pressures. Mldva: Pray fr Christian educatin and witness f hpe in situatins f severe pverty. Mntenegr: Pray fr the small church (arund 120 believers) and missinaries in this yung natin. Hungary: Because f the ecnmic crisis many Hungarians are lking fr spiritual answers. Pray that they will meet signs and messengers f Gd s kingdm f hpe. Rmania: The church in Rmania has develped well since the fall f cmmunism. Pray fr flexibility and visin fr the leadership f the church. Minrities: Pray fr Rma-gypsies in Eurpe and Christians in the frmer Sviet Unin and the Middle- East. Pray that the pwer f the gspel will bring new Life, Light, Hpe and Change fr the gd. Immigrants: Many refugees have fund a hme in Eurpean cuntries. Pray they will meet Christian hspitality and pen drs t spread (r receive) the Gspel f Hpe.

4 Mnday, Cnfessing Bible text: it is in yur muth and in yur heart (Rmans 10: 8) Bible reading: Rmans 10: 8-10 Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Deuternmy 30: 9-16 Thught fr the day It is nt hw great we are, but hw great ur Gd is that makes the difference. We are called t cnfess befre the wrld the reasn fr the hpe we have. The wrld is searching fr hpe. The wrld is searching fr what yu and I have t ffer, thrugh ur cnfessin f Jesus Christ. Cnfessin invlves cnfessing ur sins as well as cnfessing ur faith. In 1 Jhn 1:8,9 we see that it is imprtant fr us t acknwledge we have sinned befre Gd. If we are unwilling t cnfess ur wn sinfulness befre Gd, we are nt able t cnfess ur faith in a Gd wh has saved us frm ur sins by dying n the crss. Cnfessing ur sin leads t cnfessing ur faith in Jesus and what He has dne fr us. Withut the realizatin f the first, there wuld be n need fr the secnd and we can't have a right relatinship with Gd. We acknwledge what Gd has dne and cnfess ur belief that He has raised Jesus frm the dead and that He has saved us (Rmans 10:9). It is by grace we have been saved thrugh faith, and nt by ur wn wrks (Ephesians 2:8, 9). We are able t cnfess ur belief, but the pwer t prclaim ur belief and share with thers des nt cme frm simply knwing the truth. We read in Acts 1 that the disciples believed Jesus and knew that He had risen frm the dead. Hwever, the pwer t prclaim this t thers in a new way came frm the Hly Spirit. There was a transfrmatin in the strength f the message they had t give because it is the Hly Spirit at wrk, nt simply human wrds. Gd has called us t be His witnesses and cnfess Jesus befre ther peple. We see in Acts that the frmerly timid disciples were transfrmed int peple willing t die fr their faith and witness t thers. They were nt afraid t cnfess their faith in Christ Jesus and the pwer that came alng with that has reached all crners f ur wrld tday. If that culd happen thrugh Jesus telling his disciples t g int all the wrld and preach the gd news t all creatin (Mark 16:15) what is He able t d thrugh yu and me? Nrway: Nrway s cmmitment t wrld evangelism has been exemplary. Pray that visin fr wrld evangelism may increase and bear much fruit. Sweden: Pray fr the Alpha Curse mvement t grw and expand and reach many peple with the lifechanging truths f the gspel. Iceland: Pray fr Icelanders wh are facing dire ecnmic cnsequences in this financial crisis. May Gd's Spirit tuch the hearts f many and give them new hpe fr the future even in these hard times. Finland: Many have cme t Finland t seek asylum. Pray that immigrants will meet with Christian witnesses and will receive Christ as their Savir. Latvia: Amng Latvian yuth, 80% believe in Gd, but few knw Jesus persnally. Pray fr mre wrkers with the visin t reach yung peple. Lithuania: Bible-based training schls are being funded. Pray that these institutins may be used t train gdly, well-educated and visinary leaders fr the natin. Estnia: Pray fr an pen atmsphere fr a spirit f belief t pervade believers s that their sharing f faith tuches mre hearts.

5 Tuesday, Calling n Him Bible text: The same Lrd is Lrd f all and is generus t all wh call n Him (Rmans10: 13) Bible reading: Rmans 10: Gspel reading: Luke 24: 13-19a Old Testament: Genesis 12: 1-9 Thught fr the day There is ne thing that binds Christians tgether and distinguishes them frm thers. They are part f the cmmunity f all thse wh call n the name f the Lrd. This includes all peple wh have been called ut f the wrld (ekklesia) but live dispersed all ver the ancient wrld. Gd calls each individual by name and a persn respnds by calling n the name f the Lrd. Abraham, father f all believers, sets the pattern. He is called ut f the land f Ur and arrives at the prmised land. But that land turns ut t be ccupied and he has n ther ptin than t wander arund. When the Lrd appears t him at the hly ak f Mreh, Abraham builds an altar penly in the sight f wrshippers f ther deities: he built an altar t the LORD and invked the name f the LORD (Gen. 12: 8). Our first impressin is that Abraham shelters and prays behind that altar and beseeches Gd fr salvatin and aid. Martin Luther, hwever, takes it a step further and translates: Abraham prclaims the name f the Lrd. He des nt nly cry unt, but he als cries ut the name ver the land. He prclaims the Lrd as the wner f the land upn which he stands. The earth is the Lrd s and all that is in it (Psalm 24). That is the very thing we d every Sunday as we gather fr wrship. We cry ut the reign f Christ ver this wrld, in preaching, in ur prayers and ur sngs. At the same time, as Christians we are called t g ut beynd the walls f ur churches int that wrld and cnfrnt mdern paganism n its wn turf with the gspel. Faith is nt a private matter, but must be made visible in public space. Empwered by His Spirit, we call upn Gd and lift Him up by a missinary lifestyle, exactly in thse areas where the masses bw befre idls. It is remarkable that Gd des nt shw favuritism. Whatever skin clur, scial class r status we represent, we all wrship the same Lrd. As ur Saviur He is equally generus t all wh call upn His name and sanctify that name in their lives. Italy: Pray that the church-planting strategy launched in 1997 will bear much fruit, increasing churches frm 2,100 in 1997 t 11,260 by 2010 and expsing many Italians t the gspel. Prtugal: Many cngregatins lack wrkers with adequate thelgical depth and spiritual maturity. Pray fr Gd t raise up training centers t train leaders t meet the ministry needs f the churches. Spain: Pray fr effective, culturally apprpriate methds f utreach, fr the lack f values in sciety and fr a spiritual awareness in the whle natin. Greece: Pray fr unity in the Spirit and greater grwth amng existing evangelical cngregatins. Albania: The evangelical witness in Albania has grwn dramatically since Pray that evangelicals may be recgnized as having a whlesme rle in the recvery f the cuntry. Malta: Pray that the many travelers, turists and businessmen will be tuched by the gspel f Christ. Macednia: Recently tw discipleship schls have been started in Macednia. Pray that they might nurture gdly, aninted leadership fr the yung church in this natin.

6 Wednesday, Preaching Bible text: Hw can they hear withut smene preaching? (Rmans 10: 14) Bible reading: Rmans 10: 14 and 15 Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Jnah 3 Thught fr the day Christians have a missin t preach the gspel arund the whle wrld. First amng Christian preachers is the Lrd Jesus, wh passed the traditin f preaching n t His disciples, wh in turn cnsidered preaching a pririty (Acts 6:2). Church histry further cnfirms this reality. The great servants f Gd have been first and fremst expsitrs f the Wrd: Tertullian, Eusebius, Jhn Chrysstm, Francis f Assisi, Jhn Hus, Jhn Calvin, Jhn Wesley, Charles Spurgen, Karl Barth, Billy Graham, etc. In spite f ur highly sphisticated cmmunicatin technlgy and media finesse, it is abslutely clear that simple expsitin f Gd s Wrd in the pwer f the Hly Spirit remains an effective means f sharing the Gspel. It wuld be a mistake t leave this task nly t the prfessinals, that is, t preachers and priests. We live amng peple whse path t a church has becme exceedingly vergrwn. We cannt expect the miracle that peple will themselves start seeking ut the shelter f the cathedral in rder t listen t spirit-filled preaching and s find their way t Gd. Therefre, Christ s G! becmes all the mre urgent. G t the peple where they live, speak and live the Gspel amng them. The cntemprary persn will mre likely than nt be reached by lifestyle and an authentic life stry which, hwever imperfect, bears Christ s imprint. A sterilized Gspel cncentrate des nt exist, smething that can be distilled ut f the Bible, neatly packaged and then given ut with a guaranteed prduct value. Christ s Gspel is always united with the persn wh brings it. Such a persn becmes a Fifth Gspel, the visible Wrd f Gd. The mst natural lcatin fr sharing then is ur place f residence r wrk: the emplyee wh is an expert in her prfessin, the resident in his neighburhd r the student amng his classmates. It is here that every Christian has an irreplaceable rle, where day after day he r she ges ut int Gd s wrld t practise the advice f Francis f Assisi: Preach the Gspel at all times if necessary, use wrds. Luxemburg: Pray that Christians in Luxemburg will cntinue t set aside their differences and learn t lve each ther mre and tgether take Christ s lve t the peple. Liechtenstein: Pray that Gd will call believers t serve in utreach and evangelism. Mnac: Pray that Gd s Spirit will spark revival in the Christian churches f Mnac. Andrra: Pray that the evangelical churches in Andrra will have a visin t creatively reach ut t ther Andrrans and immigrants with Gd s lve. Belarus: Pray fr the cultural bias against evangelical Christians t be vercme by the lve f Gd. San Marin: Pray that there wuld be freedm fr Christians t witness abut their faith in Jesus Christ. Belgium: The lack f Belgian, and especially Flemish, Christian wrkers and pastrs is crippling indigenus grwth. Pray fr this t change and fr many t be called int ministry.

7 Thursday, Being sent Bible text: Hw can they preach unless they are sent? (Rmans 10:15) Bible reading: Rmans 10: Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Isaiah 6: 5-9 Thught fr the day Rmans 10 speaks f the unimaginable grace Gd ffers t humankind. He remved every hindrance s that we might be recnciled with him. At the same time Gd seems t shut ut lud in verse 14: Hw will they be enabled t call n me, as they have nt believed in me and cannt hear the gd news as it is nt preached t them as yet? Frm there the questin arises, Wh is the preacher? If the preacher is available things will start t happen fr the gd, as faith cmes frm hearing the message and the message is heard thrugh the wrd f Christ. Apparently the preacher plays a crucial rle, but wh is he r she? The preacher is the ne called by Gd: he preaches (as) he is sent. As Christians we need t be aware that all f us are called by Gd fr this purpse. Obviusly we might lk (again) at the familiar missin passages like Matthew 28:19 Therefre g and make disciples f all natins and Acts 1:8 Yu will be my witnesses. But these texts have been used s ften that they have started t take n a life f their wn and are used t fcus n a specific grup with a specific calling, the missinaries.' And this releases us, the nn-missinaries frm ur respnsibility - r s we ften think. The reality thugh is that we all are called. There is n such thing as missinaries and ther believers. All f us can live and speak the wrd f Christ in fellwship with Him. Gd is faithful, s He will cnvert ur fellwship message int faith fr thse wh hear us. In the gspel f Luke, Jesus explains t the disciples n the way t Emmaus His suffering and His entering int glry (Luke 24:26). After Jesus return t heaven, we as His disciples are called t make this explanatin alive and clear in the wrld. Like Isaiah we may respnd, Here I am. Send me! Pland: Pray fr Unshakeable Hpe, a mvement f Plish Christians frm diverse backgrunds wh have begun reaching the 39 millin Plish peple with the gspel. Pray fr penness and curage. Austria: Pray that Gd wuld raise up a new generatin f yung and respnsible peple wh truly fllw Christ, and wh will start making a difference in this cuntry. Slvakia: Pray fr passin f churches fr utsiders, and bld everyday witness t Jesus Christ. Switzerland: Pray that true believers in bth the Cantnal Refrmed Church and Free Churches may be mre effectively mtivated and activated fr utreach. Slvenia: Pray fr cntinuing partnerships amng Christians in reaching this cuntry with the gspel. Russia: Pray fr the men f Russia that they wuld see their need and call ut t Gd, that they will meet the Lrd f Creatin persnally and becme respnsible men, gd husbands and gd fathers. Ukraine: Churches are grwing fast. Pray fr the equipping f Ukrainians t becme pastrs and church leaders, the Biblical Educatin by Extensin prgram and that their passin will be kept alive.

8 Friday, Making jealus Bible text: I will make yu envius (Rmans 10:19) Bible reading: Rm. 10: Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Psalm 19 Thught fr the day Being jealus is nt a very gd attitude and usually centres n pssessins. My neighbur has a new car, s I need a new car as well. My friend has the latest mbile phne, s I really shuld have a new ne t. Smetimes peple envy anther persn s character r psitive attitude: If I culd nly be like him... Making thers jealus is even wrse. T shw ff yur new gadget r t emphasize yur wn talents and lk dwn n smene else is wrng. Surprisingly, Paul talks in tday s scripture abut Gd making Israel jealus (Rmans 10:19). Nt all Israelites have accepted the gd news f Jesus, and Paul makes clear that the prblem is nt with the gspel. If gentiles ( a natin f fls, GNB) culd understand it, Israel culd t. Hw shuld we as Christians in Eurpe make nn-believers jealus f the gd news f Jesus Christ? Isn t that a missin impssible? A lt f Eurpean citizens have a very negative view f the church. They see it as the surce f mral ppressin and cnservatism. Hw can we change the tide? I think the key is t think relatinships. It is indeed almst impssible t change peple s views n abstract cncepts such as Christianity r the church. But small grups f Christians and individuals can make a huge difference in this regard. We can shw peple with ur wrds that Christians prmte peace, truth and recnciliatin. Often mre visible is ur lifestyle. Are we making thers jealus f ur deepest values by shwing care, supprt and lve t thers in need? Actins speak as lud as wrds! It wuld be wnderful if we, as 21 st Century Christians, culd find a lifestyle that reflects that in keeping Gd s law there is great reward (Psalm 19:11). Turning back t Rmans 10:19 there is ne imprtant emphasis we need t realize. It is Gd himself speaking in the qutatin frm the Old Testament: He will make Israel jealus. We are his fellw wrkers and it is imprtant that we reflect Christ in what we say and d, but in the end it is Gd wh will cnvince peple f His gspel and His grace. We have all the mre reasn t pray that Gd will pen drs fr the gspel in Eurpe and that we as His church can make thers jealus s that they might recgnize Jesus as the risen Saviur (Luke 24:31). Bsnia and Herzegvina: Pray fr justice fr thse wh cmmitted heinus crimes and fr healing and cmfrt fr thse wh were abused, trtured and enslaved. Cratia: Pray fr the Christian utreaches t refugees f all cmmunities and their lasting spiritual impact. Pray fr effective church planting in every part f Cratia. Bulgaria: Pray fr the bdy f Christ t play a significant part in the recnstructin f this cuntry where 50% live in severe pverty, abrtins exceed the number f live births and hpe fr the future is rare. Serbia: Pray that the Serbian Orthdx Church, which has grwing influence, wuld supprt true religius freedm in its beliefs. Ksv: Pray fr Christian missin agencies t be able t establish lng-term ministries in Ksv. Pray that develpment prjects in villages will result in transfrmed cmmunities as peple cme t Christ. Turkey: Pray that the barriers and prejudices against Christianity will melt dwn. Pray fr Gd s prtectin f all Christians wh are threatened, intimidated and smetimes rejected by their families. Cyprus: Cyprus is a majr base fr Christian rganizatins ministering t the surrunding Middle Eastern states. Pray fr the rganizatins t thrive and have effective ministries.

9 Saturday, Reaching ut Bible text: All day lng I have held ut my hands (Rm. 10: 21) Bible reading: Rm. 10: Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Isaiah 65: 1-3, Thught fr the day Christian missin starts with Gd's cmpassin fr all f His creatin. He is reaching ut His hands t a brken wrld. He sends us as messengers and letters f Christ t the peple arund us. Yu shw that yu are a letter frm Christ (2 Crinthians 3: 3). These days an is what a letter used t be in the past; written and sent t reach its addressee in rder t pass n a message. Paul underlines that the believers themselves are a letter frm Christ. They are a letter that needs t find its addressee. Wh is this? It culd be peple arund us, ur neighburs, clleagues at wrk, schlmates r peple wh live further away - t the ends f the wrld - in freign cuntries r n different cntinents. Peple need t read Christ s letter. It cntains a vital message Gd lves the wrld. He sent His sn, the Lrd Jesus Christ, t mediate Gd s saving lve t every human being. We are the letter written by the hand f Christ. This is nt primarily a task fr a few prfessinals, but a challenge t all Christians. Many peple frm a variety f cultures are mving int ur neighburhds s we need t becme missinaries. This frms a healthy fundatin that helps us t understand the life f a lcal bdy f Christ, in the vicarage, the lcal church, in fellwship and cmmunity. If we fail t remember that we are a letter f Christ with a message written n t ur hearts by the Hly Spirit fr peple arund us, then ur prgrammes, prjects and meetings will lse the tuch f heaven. Gd s purpse fr us is nt nly t be the letter, but als t cmprehend its message and receive frgiveness, hpe and jy, which were written n ur hearts. Jesus did nt cme t be served but t serve. We are challenged t fllw Christ s example. Since the church cnsists f individuals, let us pray fr the ability t always see the riches we have received in Christ Jesus. Let us pray that each f us will perceive ur call t be a missinary Christ s letter t ther peple. Kazakhstan: Religius liberty in Central Asia (where Evangelical Alliances are EEA members) is under grwing pressure. Pray fr Christians wh face great prblems simply because f their faith. Kyrgyzstan - Churches and pastrs struggle with new discriminatry laws. Pray fr wisdm in hw t respnd t these laws and hw t live in the midst f serius ppsitin. Tajikistan - Many nn-gvernment rganizatins have been clsed by the gvernment. Pray fr thse wh seek t set up their wn small businesses t serve the peple there. Uzbekistan - Pray fr the remaining expatriates and netwrks f churches wh meet fr prayer. Pray fr thse churches and pastrs wh have t meet 'undergrund.' Azerbaijan - Pray fr the ppressed Christian leaders wh seek t cmmunicate and wrk tgether. Pray fr twenty pastrs wh are imprisned fr crimes they did nt cmmit. Turkmenistan - Pray fr the churches wh are islated frm internatinal Christian supprt. Pray fr curage t meet tgether in the midst f ppressin and t be witnesses f Jesus Christ.

10 Sunday, Be Bld! Bible text:..they spke the wrd f Gd with bldness (Acts 4: 31) Bible reading: Acts 4:19-31 and 28: Gspel reading: Luke 24: Old Testament: Psalm 51:12-17 Thught fr the day Believers are suppsed t g ut and share the Message f Jesus with thers. They shuld be mtivated, equipped and lking fr pprtunities. As true as that may be, in reality it is still ften a real challenge t d s withut fear... There are several lists in the New Testament f the fruit and the gifts f the Spirit. One f the gifts f the Spirit, nt necessarily s identified, is bldness. We find the Greek wrd parrhèsia a number f times in the Bible, which pints t smething that nly Gd s Spirit can give t very timid and fearful peple. There is a supernatural aspect t it, a heavenly fragrance. Bldness stems frm a harmnius relatinship with Gd, thugh nt with absence f sin. As we read in Psalm 51 king David cnfesses grave sin and prays, d nt take yur Hly Spirit away frm me and give again t me a free spirit. (KJV) Fr the apstle Paul fearlessness is nt smething t be achieved nce and fr all, an acquired characteristic. It must be given, time and again, frm abve. Acts 4 says mre abut bldness than any ther part f Scripture. We learn there that it has nthing t d with intellect r a well-stcked library. The ability t cmmunicate the gspel withut inward fear fr thers is as imprtant as ding s withut external hindrance. Pray als fr me, that whenever I pen my muth, wrds may be given me, s that I will fearlessly make knw the mystery f the gspel (Ephesians 6:20). This is stated directly after mentining the need fr spiritual warfare and the putting n f spiritual armur. Mst interesting is perhaps what we read at the end f Acts. Paul has appealed t the emperr and he is t stand n trial befre him. He lives in a huse in Rme under clse supervisin f the emperr s guards. He cannt mve away frm the Rman sldier chained t his wrist, but then neither can the sldier mve away frm him! Peple f all srts f backgrunds and belief systems cme and visit him. The last verse in Acts and als f ur Week f Prayer states: Bldly and withut hindrance he preached the kingdm f Gd and taught abut the Lrd Jesus Christ." Let s jin Paul in bldness, and practise it in ur hmes, with ur families, in the streets, in ur schls and wrk situatins. United Kingdm: Pray that Christians can reach ut t the needs f Britain s grwing ethnic minrities. Ireland: Ireland is a yung cuntry with half its ppulatin under 28 years ld. Pray that the spiritual penness amng this ppulatin grup wuld be turned tward Jesus. France: Church attendance is plummeting and Christianity is seen as irrelevant and ut f date in this secularized sciety. Pray fr a dramatic and nging spiritual change ver France. Denmark: Pray fr leaders t be raised up wh are able t cmmunicate with the mdern yuth culture. Germany: In the Eastern part cmmunism has left many peple with distrust and feeling generally empty. There is an increasing penness t the gspel. Pray fr bldness t reach thers despite persnal risk. The Netherlands: Pray fr the unity f churches and new mutual c-peratin between evangelical, traditinal and migrant churches as a bright witness f Gd s kingdm in Dutch sciety. Czech Republic: Pray fr the indigenus churches t mature int pen, relevant and supprtive churches, fulfilling their visin fr sending missinaries bth at hme and abrad.