The heat of the battle is intensifying in our families, churches, and nations. In this critical time of history, we believe a united call to release our children, youth, and families is a key to changing nations. Therefore, we are asking pastors, leaders, educators, and parents to unite, empower, and release the voices of the children and youth in prayer and worship.
Psalm 8:2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.
Global Prayer and Praise is a collaborative worldwide initiative asking leaders to empower the children, youth, and families of nations to raise their voices together for the release of God's justice. With the participation of various organizations including The International Prayer Council, Children in Prayer, YWAM, IHOPKC, 4/14 Window Movement, Global Day of Worship, Transform World, TheCall, Arise International, and numerous others, we believe this is a God movement.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them"
(Matthew 19:14). Will you let them come?
For 24 hours, on the weekend of April 13 - 14, 2014, there is a worldwide call for all children, youth, and families to unite in prayer and worship of Jesus our Lord. We invite local communities to gather together to pray, knowing that they are joining countless others around the world.
HOW TO PARTNER AND HELP THIS INITIATIVE
- Visit the Global Prayer & Praise website for more information: globalprayerandpraise.com
- Get the word out to all believers, organizations, denominations, and networks, especially those who focus on children and youth. (Please feel free to forward this email)
- Ask those with current ministries to children and youth to gather and host prayer & praise events however big or small.
- Include an announcement in your bulletin and newsletter.
- Announce on Palm Sunday and invite families to participate.
- Would you extend a personal invitation to those in your network to participate?
Last weekend in Houston, Texas, I was privileged with others to participate in an evening of giving special honor to Barbara Byerly. She is an "ordinary woman" as she describes herself that God has used to unleash extraordinary breakthroughs through prayer around the world. The theme of the evening was "The God of Barbara Byerly" because she and the organizers wanted to affirm that it is only His grace that enables us to be who we are and to see His wonders happen through walking with Him.
Together, we reflected on how through leading on-site intercessors at many international gatherings, Barbara has served both the prayer and mission movements in exceptional ways, including us in the IPC. We were all given copies of her inspiring book, Miracles Happen When Women Pray, that recounts some of the remarkable wonders Barbara, her family and colleagues have experienced.
Another outstanding intercessor, who has co-led many of these on-site prayer sessions with Barbara at international prayer events, is Derek Brant from the U.K. Derek like Barbara has traveled across the world at his own expense in order to serve the Lord and us all. He often weeps as he so empathetically and movingly prays over individuals who come for personal ministry to the prayer room. Working together, they have certainly been a dynamic duo that have encouraged and blessed us all so much!
At the launch of the IPC in November of 2002 in which 300 prayer network leaders from around the world took part, the 24/7 prayer room was charged with His presence so much that some participants testified to me that even in the middle of the night when they entered the door, they could hardly stay on their feet. Since then, in many IPC gatherings Barbara and Derek have sensitively and selflessly invited the Lord's presence and facilitated both life and ministry-transforming experiences for event participants. Indeed, the prayer room has often become the most exciting part of our IPC gatherings. This was also the case in 2012 during the World Prayer Assembly in Jakarta. Many, many attending Christian leaders from the nations were deeply impacted by the experience of praying with Barbara, Derek and the other intercessors.
Here are some special quotes from Barbara's book to which Derek would undoubtedly also give hearty assent. Her words should encourage all our prayer lives:
"We are all called to be intercessors, for intercession is nothing more and nothing less than making yourself available to God and believing that He will hear your prayers."
"This call isn't for only a select few. We are all called to be women and men of prayer. Why? Because prayer changes everything. It can transform your life and literally change the course of a nation, a city, a church or a family. Think of it! You can actually be involved in reshaping history-even from your own home prayer closet. This is the miracle of intercessory prayer and worship."
"By studying His Word, we learn to stand alongside Jesus, the Great Intercessor, to bring about God's plans and holy purposes. He is calling all of us to intimacy with Him, pure and simple. From this place of intimacy, miracles will flow."
"When we spend time with Him in prayer and are tutored by the Holy Spirit, we get to know His heart and desires well enough that we become partners with Him. The miracles we are seeing today are simply God's reclaiming the intimacy for which He created us."
"Together, our prayers and worship can prop open the windows of heaven, so His light and glory will fall on our homes, our cities and all nations."
There are many other priceless stories and quotes in her book. She closes it with these words: "I encourage you to believe in the miraculous for your own life. Pursue intimacy with the great Healer, the matchless Physician and see your own life transformed."
John Robb
IPC Chairman.
A world wide call to release children and youth in prayer and praise!
Dear IPC Leaders and Networks,
The heat of the battle is intensifying in our families, churches, and nations. In this critical time of history, we believe a united call to release our children, youth, and families is a key to changing nations. Therefore, we are asking pastors, leaders, educators, and parents to unite, empower, and release the voices of the children and youth in prayer and worship.
Psalm 8:2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.
Global Prayer and Praise is a collaborative worldwide initiative asking leaders to empower the children, youth, and families of nations to raise their voices together for the release of God's justice. With the participation of various organizations including The International Prayer Council, Children in Prayer, YWAM, IHOPKC, 4/14 Window Movement, Global Day of Worship, Transform World, TheCall, Arise International, and numerous others, we believe this is a God movement.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them"
(Matthew 19:14). Will you let them come?
For 24 hours, on the weekend of April 13 - 14, 2014, there is a worldwide call for all children, youth, and families to unite in prayer and worship of Jesus our Lord. We invite local communities to gather together to pray, knowing that they are joining countless others around the world.
HOW TO PARTNER AND HELP THIS INITIATIVE
Visit the Global Prayer & Praise website for more information: globalprayerandpraise.com
Get the word out to all believers, organizations, denominations, and networks, especially those who focus on children and youth. (Please feel free to forward this email)
Ask those with current ministries to children and youth to gather and host prayer & praise events however big or small.
Include an announcement in your bulletin and newsletter.
Announce on Palm Sunday and invite families to participate.
Would you extend a personal invitation to those in your network to participate?
In February, on-site prayer initiatives were carried out in Iraq and for Lebanon/Syria with local ministry leaders. Our small team of four facilitators-Sam, Elizabeth, Lucrece and I- felt the prayer support of many, and so the Lord blessed in wonderful ways.
Iraq
50-60 Christian leaders and intercessors gathered in the city of Erbil in the northern part of the country known as Kurdistan. It was a time of teaching sessions as well as authoritative and united prayer for breakthrough. Participants were so hungry to learn and to pray that they did not seem to care about taking coffee breaks or meals. We did teaching sessions on transformational praying for nations, repentance for corporate sin and reconciliation, strategic intercession, spiritual mapping and deliverance (this included praying for the deliverance of oppressed participants and others who came for counseling). Many there have been through terrible experiences of seeing others killed before their eyes, torture, kidnapping, etc.
The final Saturday was an especially strong day of authoritative praying, and I felt there was a measure of breakthrough for the development of a united prayer movement as well as for the binding of spiritual forces of darkness and the overthrow of the terrorists. Later in the day, while we worshipped and prayed at the Citadel in central Erbil, high above the city, we got news that a top commander of the Al Qaeda- related Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had been killed. This was followed by the reports of four other mid-level commanders and then a report of 21 more who were killed as they tried to build a bomb to destroy others. We had felt led to hand over mass murderers into the righteous judgment of God. Though we never rejoice in the death of people, God knows best how to deal with those who have made themselves the devil's agents of death and terror.
Since returning home, we have heard from leaders in Erbil and Baghdad about the continuing impact of the initiative and their attempts to bring others together to continue the prayer of deliverance for the nation. A leading pastor from Baghdad writes: "I have just returned from a combined meeting for many churches gathered together to pray for the nation, the presence of The Lord was awesome and powerful."
The leaders in Erbil who arranged the initiative ask us to pray for the following:
1) To start a small prayer group (the nucleus) in Erbil, and connect with leaders in other cities such as in Baghdad and one couple from Duhok who attended the prayer training.
2) A strategy for local and outside prayer networking.
3) For two bishops who are hindering the Lord's work in their churches. Pray for open doors and favor.
4) Above all, let's pray for a strong and well-connected prayer movement to arise in Iraq so that full deliverance and transformation can come.
5) Let's also continue to pray for the overthrow of terrorists and their attempts to destabilize the nation and that His shalom/ salaam will be upon this battle-scarred, bloodied country.
Lebanon
Our small team drove the breadth and length of this small, but captivatingly lovely nation, celebrating communion along with our intercession a number of times for the healing of the land and spiritual breakthrough. We went out to visit the Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley and prayed at the border with Syria. We also met with local intercessors in various places and had strong times of agreement in prayer at massacre sites and places of ancient idolatry. We believe such places still empower the principalities and powers to bring war, violence and division to nations today since they give the devil a legal right to be present.
As we were praying in Tripoli, a northern city that has been increasingly infected by the war in Syria through the same factions who also live there, a grenade went off not far from where we were praying. We continued to pray with His authority against the violence and the attempts by terrorists to cause confusion and harm in the country. The next day it was reported that four terrorists were captured with over 200 lbs. of explosives before they could detonate it, praise the Lord!
As we drove across the rest of the land, we sang His praises, claimed His promises and interceded with all our hearts joined by the local people. We felt like spiritual commandos on a mission and had the shared sense that the Lord was listening and answering throughout. One of the things we all prayed for was rain since the country was in a dry spell for more than a month. The last day of the initiative, clouds gathered and cool breezes began to blow in from the Mediterranean. Raindrops appeared on the windshield followed by a gully-washer of a downpour a couple hours later. What a cause for joy!
We also prayed with our Lebanese friends about the lack of a working government and the political intrigue that has paralyzed the nation for more than a year. On Saturday, the day we departed, our wonderful hostess, Nuna, sent this message: "This is no less than a miracle after 10 months of no being able to form a government, this Saturday after a very hard and long night the prime minister finally announced the new government. Now we're praying that the parliament will approve it. God is on the move!"
Let us continue to pray for the prayer movement to be strengthened and connected. Recently, eight churches in Beirut met to pray together, but this needs to continue and to expand to include the traditional churches as well as the evangelical and charismatic ones and go right across the country.
Pray for an honest, good, effective government to be agreed to by parliament and established.
Let's pray also for heart unity among the churches and their leaders.
For Syria, pray that a cease-fire will be agreed on that enables those in many besieged cities to evacuate and for relief shipments to get to desperate people needing help all across the nation. May the government and the opposition also come together to negotiate what form a transitional government will take.
Thanks so much for praying for these troubled nations and their people that the Lord loves so much.
Yours in Christ,
John Robb
Use this link to find excellent articles with pictures to use in your prayers for the healing of the conflict in Syria which has now claimed well over 100,000 lives, men, women and children. Please continue to pray for His peace to cover this land and for negotiations to end it.
Click here for more details!
We thank God for his assistance; we have succeeded in organizing our second session with children, church leaders and Sunday school teacher, 15th February 2014. In total 275 participants (255 children, 5 church leaders and 15 Sunday school teachers). We have succeeded this meeting, with our small grant. For now, we have 500 children and Youth who already know what is the CIP.
Désiré Kajabika
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(They have a need for funding to get an LCD projector if anyone would like to help. If so, please write to Desire at the email address above.)
Reported in Joel News International
"We reported on the role Christians played in the massive protests in Ukraine. Last week saw an escalation of violence and police opening fire on the crowds, leading to the death of 88 protesters.
In the weekend the corrupt President Victor Yanukovych fled the capital Kiev. Journalists and Ukrainian citizens storm
ed his private mansion and surrounding grounds, closed off to the world for nearly a decade, to discover their President had lived in incredible opulence. The new government has charged Yanukovych with murder and has issued a warrant for his arrest.
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, considered a hero of a 2004 Orange Revolution against Yanukovych, was released Saturday after 2½ years behind bars. The court case against her was widely considered politically motivated. Just hours after her release, in a wheel chair, she addressed the jubilant crowds on Independence Square. Tymoshenko sees the crisis in Ukraine as primarily spiritual. For this reason she proposed spiritual education in all Ukrainian schools. In 2010 she participated in a national prayer meeting organized by the churches in which she confessed the sins of the government. "I want to ask the Lord for forgiveness to be given to all the authorities and to me personally, for all unjust and dishonest things done," she said.
On Sunday, Oleksandr Turchynov, a well known Baptist pastor and top opposition politician in Ukraine, was unanimously named interim President by the Parliament in a bid to fill the political void and to end the three-month-long crisis. The choice of a Baptist pastor as acting president in Ukraine does not come as a huge surprise to Sergey Rakhuba, head of U.S.-based Russian Ministries. "He is well-known in political circles as a principled, honest leader. It is great that Turchynov is calling for unification and healing of the nation."
Ukrainian evangelicals are calling for national prayer, forgiveness and reconciliation in the wake of the traumatic recent violence. Valery Antonyuk, vice president of the All Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Churches, issued the following statement:
A Message of Reconciliation
"During this time of fateful change in the life of the Ukrainian nation, the Church and each Christian individually cannot remain spectators on the sidelines of the battles and losses. The Church serves society and mourns together with it. We went through difficult days together with the nation - we served through prayer, evangelism, volunteers, medical help, clothing, and food. Today a time has come for a ministry of active reconciliation, which will help maintain unity in our country and nation.
We supported the nation's demand to put an end to the tyranny of the authorities and repressions by the police. Now it is important to restore justice and due process of law in the country, to form a government that has the people's trust, and provide fair presidential elections. We believe that those guilty of crimes against the people will be justly judged, and that peaceful citizens will be protected.
But on behalf of the Church we must say more, we must speak the whole truth; we must say that which is still hard to accept and fulfill; that, which is a precondition for a better future.
Therefore the Church calls the Ukrainian nation to more than just feelings of human justice - to Christian forgiveness, grace, and reconciliation. We pray to God for repentance for the guilty. However at the same time we ask victims to forgive those who are already repentant as well as those who are still lost. In order to unite the nation, in order to reconcile its various parts, its various social, cultural, and political groups, laws and justice are not enough. Without repentance, grace, forgiveness and reconciliation, the country will remain divided and in conflict. This is the precondition for a deep spiritual transformation of Ukraine...
We call on the Evangelical churches of Ukraine to serve to bring peace between people and healing to the wounds of war. We do not call black white and do not justify crimes or even mistakes. But we, as Christians, forgive, because we have been forgiven by God. He reconciled us to Himself, and gave us a message of reconciliation. This grace-giving Word to our whole nation should be heard from Lvov to Donetsk, from Kiev to Simferopol.
We also call upon the international Christian community asking for prayer and intercession for the Ukrainian nation and for help with peacemaking. We mourn for the victims, and thank God for His grace toward Ukraine, and pray for peace and spiritual revival in our nation."
The Parliament has set new national elections for late May.
Let's pray with our Ukrainian and Russian brothers and sisters for the resolution of this crisis in Ukraine and Crimea during this pivotal time in this nation's history.
A call to pray for the traumatized, remnant Church in North Korea
On 27 February South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook (50) fronted a North Korean press conference in Pyongyang to 'confess' to his crimes and plead for mercy. For seven years, Kim Jung-wook had been providing food, clothing and sanctuary to North Korean refugees and job-seekers in the Chinese border city of Dandong. Kim was arrested in North Korea on 8 October 2013, a day after crossing into the state, although a source in China told South Korea's Chosun Ilbo that Kim was kidnapped by North Korean agents in Dandong. In the press conference, Kim confessed to conducting 'anti-State' crimes with funding and assistance from South Korea's intelligence agency. When arrested, Kim reportedly had Christian literature and DVDs that allegedly he was going to use to set up 500 underground churches to spy on and overthrow the regime.
When Hong Kong-based Australian missionary, John Short (75), was arrested in North Korea in mid-February, he confessed to his 'crimes', apologised and was expelled. As an Australian, Short was of little value to the regime in Pyongyang. The situation is more serious for Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae. Arrested in late 2012 while leading a tour, Bae gave a similar press conference confession in April 2013 before being sentenced to 15 years' hard labour. In August 2013 Bae was transferred to a hospital due to his deteriorating health. However, on 20 January the regime returned Bae to the labour camp to protest American B-52 bomber flight drills around the Korean Peninsula. As an American, Bae is a pawn of great value.
There is no word yet as to what punishment Kim Jung-wook will face. According to Radio Free Asia, 'dozens' of people have been detained, accused of assisting Kim. Border guards who let Kim slip through security, North Korean believers, new converts and the families of the accused are amongst those banished to labour camps upon Kim's 'confession'. Now South Korean news agencies report that 33 of the accused have been sentenced to death, charged with conspiring with Kim to overthrow the regime. It is reported they will be executed in a secret cell at the State Security Department. Doubtless these 33 are predominantly Christians, probably significant Christians who may or may not ever have been in contact with Kim but whose ministry is deemed an existential threat to the regime. This will be a terrible and traumatising blow to North Korea's remnant Church.
As noted in RLPB 248 (18 Feb 2014), the regime's main concern is managing the state monopoly on information in the face of severe challenges posed by new communication technologies, while endeavouring to raise living standards so as to ward off revolt. In response to pressure, the regime is ramping up repression, spreading darkness and stoking fear. Security on roads has reportedly doubled, making it more difficult for North Koreans to travel around the country. Furthermore, North Korean security agents now have new signal detectors, enabling them to intercept mobile phone signals in real time. Now people using cellphones smuggled in from China can be arrested within minutes. The recent wave of arrests will ensure that people stop using their cellphones.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
- 'Lift up his hand' to 'break the arm [instrument] of the wicked' and 'call his wickedness to account'. Pray Psalm 10 for North Korea.
- Spare the lives of the 33 who are to be executed. However, if that is not to be, then sustain and comfort them so that instead of being overwhelmed with fear, they will know 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding' (Philippians 4:7 ESV) as God himself encompasses them. 'And he will become a sanctuary [Hebrew: miqdas, the place where God dwells] . . .' (from Isaiah 8:11-14a ESV). [For more on this subject, see: The Promised Presence, by Elizabeth Kendal.]
- Comfort and encourage the North Korean remnant Church; may they know 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding' (Philippians 4:7 ESV). 'When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."' (See 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 ESV.)
- Take this evil event of the executions and use it for his glory to effect the exact opposite of the regime's intent. May the news of these executions spread through all the country, establish not terror, but the link between Christianity and freedom. May interest in the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ and in his power and grace to spring up all across the nation. 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.' (John 12:24 ESV)
'Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.'(Psalm 24:7 & 9 ESV)
By
Elizabeth Kendal
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) 251
Special to ASSIST News Service