Jeremiah 9-11
1 Timothy 6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:2-3
Last year, at The Peoples Church (Toronto, Canada), we received an urgent request from one of our mission partners outlining that one of the pastors in a country that is very difficult to be a Christian in, had been taken into prison and did not know what awaited him. The urgent request was for prayer to stand with the pastor, and so we did, as a church.
When a team of us went to Egypt last summer, Pastor Brett McBride had an opportunity to say some words of encouragement to our partners. There were over 500 leaders and pastors gathered in that place, and they all served in really tough locations. Pastor Brett told them that we, as a congregation, were committed to praying for them. Then, he shared the story about praying for this one particular pastor who had been put in prison. He then added, “Often, when I pray for that pastor, I felt like I was standing in prison with him, beside him.” Unbeknownst to Pastor Brett, that pastor was at the conference—he came up to him and they embraced and were able to pray in-person together. It felt like they were already connected and they knew each other.
Often, we hear the statistic that more people of Muslim background are coming to faith in Jesus Christ than ever before, but if we follow the statistic further, the reality is over 60% of people who come to faith in Jesus Christ of Muslim background go back to Islam—this is a sad tragedy. Do we know what would make the difference? The consistent difference is that those who are able to continue their walk with Jesus are surrounded by a loving community. The challenge, however, is that in many of these countries, believers are not able to gather regularly because it is too dangerous. Since they are unable to gather together, that is why they long for our prayers, as we are and can be the loving community that surrounds them. We do not have to know these partners by name; our Father knows their name.
What we cannot imagine or ever know is how much of a difference it makes to people when we stand with them in prayer. May we remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who are serving and working in creative-access areas in the world, and how they risk their very lives to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to people. May we stand with them in prayer and be the loving community around them.
Lord Heavenly Father, I stand with our brothers and sisters around the world. I pray that they know that they are not alone in their faith but there is a body of Christ that surrounds them with prayer and love. Thank You, Lord.
1 Timothy 6
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:2-3
Last year, at The Peoples Church (Toronto, Canada), we received an urgent request from one of our mission partners outlining that one of the pastors in a country that is very difficult to be a Christian in, had been taken into prison and did not know what awaited him. The urgent request was for prayer to stand with the pastor, and so we did, as a church.
When a team of us went to Egypt last summer, Pastor Brett McBride had an opportunity to say some words of encouragement to our partners. There were over 500 leaders and pastors gathered in that place, and they all served in really tough locations. Pastor Brett told them that we, as a congregation, were committed to praying for them. Then, he shared the story about praying for this one particular pastor who had been put in prison. He then added, “Often, when I pray for that pastor, I felt like I was standing in prison with him, beside him.” Unbeknownst to Pastor Brett, that pastor was at the conference—he came up to him and they embraced and were able to pray in-person together. It felt like they were already connected and they knew each other.
Often, we hear the statistic that more people of Muslim background are coming to faith in Jesus Christ than ever before, but if we follow the statistic further, the reality is over 60% of people who come to faith in Jesus Christ of Muslim background go back to Islam—this is a sad tragedy. Do we know what would make the difference? The consistent difference is that those who are able to continue their walk with Jesus are surrounded by a loving community. The challenge, however, is that in many of these countries, believers are not able to gather regularly because it is too dangerous. Since they are unable to gather together, that is why they long for our prayers, as we are and can be the loving community that surrounds them. We do not have to know these partners by name; our Father knows their name.
What we cannot imagine or ever know is how much of a difference it makes to people when we stand with them in prayer. May we remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who are serving and working in creative-access areas in the world, and how they risk their very lives to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to people. May we stand with them in prayer and be the loving community around them.
Lord Heavenly Father, I stand with our brothers and sisters around the world. I pray that they know that they are not alone in their faith but there is a body of Christ that surrounds them with prayer and love. Thank You, Lord.
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