Prayer Requested for Christian Pastor Sentenced to Death

Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death for his faith in Christ. He is charged with "apostasy." Please pray for him and his family. You can read more about it here and other followers of Christ who are persecuted at Persecution.com.

An Outline for Daily Prayer

In Matthew 6:6-13 Jesus provides an outline for daily prayer. This passage is often referred to as "The Lord's Prayer" but we know that Jesus never prayed this prayer because He never needed to ask for his "transgressions" to be forgiven. This prayer is also prayed as a liturgy, but it was not intended to just be recited from memory. Jesus provides an outline for us to pray daily as we go about activities. There are 5 main areas of focus in this prayer.

1. Enhancement of God's Reputation ("Hallowed be Your Name") - this is praying that as we go about our daily activities, that we represent Christ and that His reputation is enhanced by how we conduct ourselves at home, at work, at school, in our times of recreation. That is, in all of our activities.
2. Advancement of God's Agenda ("Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven") - this is part of prayer asks God to use us to help reach people for Christ. It is praying that we will have the opportunity to help lead people to Jesus. This will help us to focus on sharing Christ and praying for opportunities for that.
3. Our Material Needs ("give us this day our daily bread") - this reminds us that God is the provider of all of our needs. We respond in thanksgiving for what he has provided: food, clothes, place to live, heat, and so much more.
4. Forgiveness ("forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors) - we are reminded that we need to seek God's forgiveness on a daily basis, in fact, as soon as it is brought to our attention that we have "missed the mark" in our relationship with Christ. But this passage also reminds us that we must forgive those who have sinned against us.
5. Spiritual Protection ("lead us not into temptation") - the Bible plainly teaches that God does not tempt anyone to sin (James 1:13). This is a prayer that we might be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading in our lives in regards to what we should do, and shouldn't do. Praying that we might be able to see the spiritual land mines which are around us. It is also a prayer that we might not miss the good works that God has planned for us to carry out this day (Eph. 2:10).

This provides a great outline for us to pray each day as we prepare to live for Christ and serve Him.

Fascinating Update from the CAR

Yesterday we were introduced to Francois & Claire Ngoumape. Francois is heavily involved in ministry in the CAR (Central African Republic). We were told that there are 2,400 Grace Brethren churches in the CAR with 900 trained pastors to serve those churches. They have a combined membership of approximately 350,000 and 30 new churches are being planted a month - that is 1 church a day!

There are currently 150 pastors who are in training in the Bible Institute program which obviously is not enough to support the current growth of the church in CAR. They are in need of three things: 1) More teachers and the plan is to partner with pastors & teachers who will go over to teach a 2 week module; 2) More facilities and the plan is to build a school complex in Bangui; 3) More people to send which means raising up men and support for them to go through school. It takes three scholarships of $40.00 a month (total of $120 a month) or provide the support of the students. They have no means by which to support themselves and the churches are unable to support very many as the average annual income is $300. This is a good project for a Sunday School class as is helping to provide funds to build the buildings on the property.

There is also danger involved because of bandit activity in which individuals are kidnapped and held for ransom. In the past couple of years, 5 Grace Brethren pastors have been kidnapped and killed. In fact, Francois calls Nov 18, 2007 his death day because he was kidnapped by bandits and the hostages are normally beaten and then killed with or without a ransom being paid. On this particular day, the bandits did try and kill him but the one wielding the sword kept hitting his motorcyle, and when he was shot at they shot the motorcycle and not him. On the final attempt, as he stood up, Francois said it was as if an invisible hand pushed him backwards just as the bandit shot at him. Those who had followed him, thought he was dead. There were about 1,000 who eventually gathered around, and needless to say, there was a tremendous time of praise and testimony to God's glory. God chose to spare Francois's life.

God used this event in Francois's life to give a sense of urgency to training others and so the plan mentioned above was prayerfully developed. It was also noted that 2002 was a critical year where missionaries had to flee the country because of rebel activity which resulted in changing the strategy for missions in CAR. One final note, it was observed that in much of the world, President Bush is despised, and there is the feeling that with President Barack Obama, it will make the work of missionaries easier (which is intended to be an observation, not a political statement for or against any individual).

Francois and Claire sang an acapella praise duet and here is a partial recording in mp3 format (click and wait for your media player to load). I understand the song has the idea that "He Will Answer our Prayer" but for a fuller translation, you can contact Karen Hardcastle.

Please remember to pray for our African brothers and sister in the CAR, the Chad, etc., who are in danger, but seeking to reach their communities for Christ.

Living for Christ in an Hostile World

This past Sunday (10/19/2008) we were instructed from Scripture that we are living in an "unfriendly world." Gayle Williams, 34 years old, lived in a hostile world. She worked with an organization called SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises) in Afghanistan. On Monday (10/20/2008) she was shot and killed by two men on a motorbike in Kabul as she walked to work. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for issuing a decree that this woman had to be killed because she, as a Christian, was proselytizing. SERVE states that they do not proselytize because it is illegal. Their website states that their purpose is to ""SERVE Afghanistan's purpose is to express God's love and bring hope by serving the people of Afghanistan, especially the needy, as we seek to address personal, social and environmental needs."

We are reminded to "Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." (Heb 13:3 NASB)

This is a good reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Afghanistan and other parts of the world where there is extreme animosity toward followers of Christ. If you want information on fellow believers who are suffering, here is a link to check so that you can pray! Why not make this a regular category in your personal prayer time and with your family.