Greetings from Mission Network News, a daily news service of
Cornerstone University of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. This is your
weekly Mission Network News prayer bulletin.
Here are your weekly prayer items. Please pray over them during your
personal devotional time and at your church prayer meeting.
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Olympics are under way, Christians ready
Romania (MNN) -- Romanian churches are facing a threat of persecution at the hands of the government. Romania may not be communist anymore, but that isn't stopping the government from trying to control church activity. Patrick Klein with <a href="http://www.mnnonline.org/groups/VBB">Vision Beyond Borders</a> says new legislation being considered threatens smaller churches. "The government is clamping down. They're making it more and more difficult for the churches. There's talk of even closing down churches that are under the number of 200 people." Vision Beyond Borders sent out a mission team last week to work with one of the Romanian churches under threat of being closed. Despite this, the church is doing amazing work for the name of Christ. "One of the elders in the church really has a heart for the gypsy people, so he's encouraged our teams to go out and minster to the gypsies." And the Word of God does not return void. "We were able to go there and minister the Gospel to them, give them clothes and vegetable seeds, and then about five people came to Christ." Pray for the Romanian church and the spread of the Gospel.
* Pray that the government will not force small churches to close.
* Pray for outreach to the gypsy population.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17497)
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Good news in missionary abduction case
India (MNN) -- Missionary Ponnachan George, supported by Gospel For Asia, was violently kidnapped by terrorists on July 23rd from a Bible school in Assam, India. The chances of him surviving were small. GFA sent out an emergency prayer alert, and a storm of prayer went up on his behalf. On Sunday, GFA's K.P. Yohannan said, "Finally, after almost a week, he was released. Of course, blindfolded, his hands tied back, left on the roadside" -- but alive and otherwise unharmed. Pastor George was heavily involved in community development and evangelism, so a lot of people rallied to his cause. "It's a real miracle. The local police, the state government, all authorities, and even the Central Government...everyone got involved." The GFA team's commitment to Christ and to love stood firm. "When [the terrorists] released him, all our workers, all our leaders, continued to stay there--they didn't run away. [They spent the night] and regrouped and declared, 'We are here for life. We're not going anywhere.'" There is rejoicing, but there's still work to do. Find out ways to help at our Web site.
* Thank the Lord for answering prayer in such a miraculous way!
* Pray for continued safety and wisdom for the GFA team.
* Pray that God will cause seeds of the Gospel to grow.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17507)
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Why Christians are dying in Nigeria: understanding Boko Haram
Nigeria (MNN) -- From Christmas Day bombings to weekly church attacks, Boko Haram is responsible for hundreds of deaths in Nigeria. But who exactly is this terror sect, and why do they exist? Rae Burnett with Christian Aid Mission says Boko Haram is about one thing: "Their agenda is Sharia. It is to establish Islamic rule in Nigeria." Boko Haram was formed over 10 years ago with the goals of jihad and power. In recent months, reaching those goals has meant attacking churches. "If you look at the Quran, what you see is that there are two ways that Muslims are instructed to deal with non-Muslims: that is to convert them, or to kill them." Boko Haram has chosen the latter. Whatever the combination of reasons for their terror, as attacks heat up against believers in Nigeria, prayer is vital. Pray for these radicals to turn to Christ, and for Christians to know how to respond to attacks. Educate yourself more on Boko Haram at our Web site.
* Pray for Boko Haram members to come to Christ.
* Pray for wisdom for persecuted believers.
* Pray for peace for victims of these attacks and for families of victims.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17511)
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Egypt scolded over religious freedom issues
Egypt (MNN) -- This year's International Religious Freedom Report notes that sectarian violence has increased in Egypt. Despite promises from Egypt's new leader President Mohamed Morsi "to be the president of all Egyptians," Christians are unsure. Still, there are steps in the right direction, notes Rex Rogers, President of SAT-7 USA. "The new president in Egypt has extended an opportunity for two Christian leaders that we know at SAT-7, to work with the new constitutional committee whenever that group finally begins its work." SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television agency to the Middle East and North Africa. Rogers explains that their teams in Cairo adjusted programming to create a public forum to handle the nervousness. "We simply talk about 'Who is Christ?' and 'What does He mean in your life?' [We] have testimonials of people whose lives have been changed and again, we get great response. We get people contacting us in a variety of ways, talking about their newfound faith and new commitment to Jesus Christ."
* Thank God for the prayers of Christians and the increased unity between denominations.
* Pray for the church as it disciples and supports Muslim-background believers in secret.
* Pray that God will bring peace and justice to Egypt through those who govern this country.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17517)
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Sahel food crisis called 'permanent'
Mali (MNN) -- Some aid agencies are calling the Sahel region's food crisis "permanent." The area is made up of a dozen countries, including Mali. Jeff Palmer with Baptist Global Response explains, "It's in a cyclic hunger crisis. It's been that way from time immemorial because of droughts...and conflicts and things that happen." Mali's tilt toward militant Islam is destabilizing what effort remains. 18 million are at risk of starvation in the Sahel region. Open conflict has been disruptive to BGR's work. The need is growing. "We have a third assessment team in looking at some very hard areas toward the north in Mali for another food distribution. I've not heard from them. I was supposed to hear this week what the results were [and] where we would be going to make the distribution. So pray for that team." BGR's work opens doors of opportunity for the Gospel. It's a work in progress. "In the midst of everything that's going on, it's hard to know exactly what to do [and] what's right. So we just need wisdom and knowledge from above to make good decisions."
* Pray for wisdom for ministry leaders as they meet financial and logistical challenges
* Pray for BGR as they reach out with the Bread of Life, both physically and spiritually.
(FULL STORY: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/17519)
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Mission Network News is dedicated to keeping Christians informed about
missions and evangelism around the world. Our goal is to help you
become engaged in missions through praying more effectively, giving or
going to the field short or long term.
Thank you for your dedication and heart for world missions. Your
prayers are greatly appreciated. May God richly bless you as you
serve Him today!
In His grip,
Greg Yoder, Executive Director
Mission Network News
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