Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Prayer Request 7/31 -- 8/6

Tuesday
An average of 8 million Chinese viewers watch the NBA games and the number doubles when Yao Ming plays. Many of the American star players are known by Chinese nicknames like French Magician, Stone Buddha, or Africa's Big Mountain.Several Western, Korean, and Singaporean preachers also have large followings among churches in China. While not all methods and techniques for church growth can be adapted for China, let us pray for the positive impact of these ministries and their teaching.

Wednesday
There is an estimated hearing-impaired population in China of 20 million. Stiff commercial competitions have caused many factories for the handicapped to close and have thus eliminated opportunities for the hearing-impaired to work. A handful of churches have services for deaf people but there are fewer than a hundred church workers who can use sign language. Let us pray for the missionaries Korean churches are sending who able to communicate in sign language and train people to reach out to deaf people.

Thursday
In the next two years Beijing will recruit 8000 college graduates to work as "village officials" in an attempt to elevate the quality of Party membership in rural regions. College graduates are expected to be able to read and converse in basic English. There are few church workers who are college graduates, so few are able to communicate with intellectuals. Although this cannot be changed overnight, let us pray for the few training programs and official seminaries that provide specific training for college graduates.

Friday
The “post-1980 generation” college students are very different than their predecessors. They are more emotionally labile, anxious, less patience, more inferior complex and less able to deal with set-back, according to university psychologists. Student ministry is booming as Bible study groups flourish on or near college campuses. But making a life-time commitment to walk with God requires dedication and discipline. Let us remember the fruitful but time-consuming ministries among college students.

Saturday
Much of the economic boom of the past decades took place in the eastern half of China. The western half lags behind in terms of development and capital investment as the government pushes the grand "West China Development" plan.Eighty percent of China's minority population is in the West. The government strongly discourages church work among Muslims. Let us pray especially for Muslim converts and the very difficult work of evangelism and church work among them.

Sunday
The newest trend among office workers is trading on the stock market and it is not unusual to delay office appointments until after the stock market closes at 3p.m. Even college students are attracted to the stock market and want to make a "quick kill". It is difficult not to pay attention to how much money people make as even church workers get into various schemes or businesses. Prosperity is harming China's churches far more than persecution ever did. Let us pray for this alarming change .

Monday
Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia, with one million people, 170 parks, and year-round beautiful weather. There are 50,000 Chinese and almost 50, mostly smaller Chinese churches. Many of the churches there have no pastors. Let us take this time to pray for all of the Chinese churches in Australia. Pray for unity and a vision that all are serving the same God. Pray for a true willingness to share the gospel by whatever means is available.

星期二
美國NBA職業籃球賽的播出平均能吸引8百萬中國觀衆。舉凡有姚明出場則觀衆人數加倍。很多美國球星在中國都有響亮的外號,如法國魔術師,石佛,非洲大山。一些西方、韓國和新加坡的教會講員也有一大群追隨的聽衆。但並非所有介紹教會增長的方法和技巧都適用於中國教會,讓我們為這些傳道人和他們的教導禱告,求神保守他們忠心傳講神的話,能造福中國的信徒和教會。

星期三
據估中國約有兩千萬人失聰。嚴峻的商業競爭使得許多為殘障人士設的工廠倒閉,降低了就業機會。教會只有少數的有提供聾啞人的聚會或敬拜,而傳道人和教會工作者懂得手語者少於一百位。近十年來,韓國聾啞教會協助展開中國聾啞基督徒領袖培訓。讓我們為此事工和栽培出來的傳道人禱告,求神繼續興起更多聾啞信徒,將福音帶給中國各地有特殊需要的人。

星期四
北京在兩年內將分別選聘3,000名大學生「村官」奔赴各基層,擔任行政助理,例如推廣英語。中國大學生應該能以英語書寫和交談。最終使大學生「村官」達到8,000名數量,實現「村村有2名」的目標。中國教會傳道人很少擁有大學學歷,能與知識分子交流者更是稀少,而神學院也少有為大專畢業生提供神學課程和訓練。這情況雖不會一夜改變,但我們求神不斷興起高學歷基督徒向更多知識分子傳福音。

星期五
「80後」大學生比前代人更顯脆弱,容易情緒激動、自卑、憂慮、無耐心,易疲倦煩躁、對挫折的耐受性差,對事物多採具體而刻板的理解。感謝神,目前國內校園學生事工的發展正如火如荼,幾乎各大專院校或內或外都有查經班。但要一生與主同行、靈命成熟,需要個人堅持委身和自律。讓我們為這能多結果子卻耗時、費力的校園事工禱告。

星期六
許多年來,中國社會發展重心一直向東南偏移,西部地區越來越落後,造成了東西部發展嚴重不平衡問題。直到近幾年,中央開始實施「西部大開發計劃」以平衡東西部地區的發展落差。中國西部人口的80%是少數民族,回民占了絕大部份。中國政府強烈反對基督教做回民事工,改信基督的回民也會面對許多來自家人和族人的逼迫。讓我們特別為成爲基督徒的回民以及在他們當中的宣教士禱告,懇求神為艱難的回民事工開路。

星期日
中國白領階級上班炒股蔚為「時尚」,在廣州等地,經理級主管在三點股市收盤後才約見客戶已成了檯面下現象。現在就連大學生也加入炒股大軍,期待一夜致富。我們的目光很難不被別人所賺取的財富所吸引。就連傳道人也會兼職或兼做生意。如今,富裕的侵蝕對中國教會的傷害遠勝過去的種種逼迫。求神警惕眾信徒和教會,幫助我們時刻儆醒仰望主。

星期一
澳洲第三大都市布里斯本又稱陽光城。人口約有1百萬,全市有170多座公園,四季繁花盛開風景怡人。當地約有5萬旅居華人,有46所華人教會。其中多為中小型教會,牧者僅十餘人,多家教會沒有牧者牧養。讓我們禱告澳洲衆華人教會都能同心合一、同感一靈、忠心事奉同一位真神,並且隨時隨處樂於與人分享福音。

No comments: