Prayer request 9/25 -- 10/1

Tuesday
"What is on the mind of Chinese people now?" you may ask. The answer is "stock speculation". When one reads the newspaper, it is almost all about stocks and the Olympics. The mentality of striking it rich by speculating seems to permeate all of China. Recently a large Christian-owned company declared bankruptcy after it lost a large amount on highly speculative ventures. Christians are not immune to greed and we pray that all believers will be reminded to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

Wednesday
It is said that there are two to three thousands meeting place for worship on Sunday in Beijing. Most of them are about 20-30 people in size. Only those who are “connected” or affiliated with the Three-Self are permitted to have open services. In the past year, there is a strong growth as believers are excited about the coming Olympic. Many of these churches are attended by professionals and college educated. Let us remember all the churches, open and house churches in the capital.

Thursday
"To rule scientifically, democratically and lawfully" is the slogan the government has been promoting. To arrest people in the house church movement, police must now have a reasonable cause and follow rules to make an arrest legally and without illegal detaining. Recent cases of people being arrested in church meetings involve mostly those in foreigner-led meetings and that is illegal by the book. We pray for safety and good fruit for all the teachers and students in these training sessions.

Friday
“Chineseness” –having Chinese own characteristics is the hottest buzz word. The government has been promoting the idea of a "harmonious society" as the Chinese answer to Western style election-based democracy. Does this mean the Communist government will give more room and fewer restrictions on religious practice? We do not know for sure. But, we know the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and we will not stop praying for those who are in power for believers and the advancement of God's work.

Saturday
The Chinese government says it aims to "rule scientifically" and the constitution allows the freedom of religion but still those in charge insist they must crack down on erroneous religious practices which they consider to be evil and backward. Unfortunately, some charismatic house churches have been included in this category by the government. Fringe Christian groups and those extremely charismatic continue to present a dilemma for churches in China. Let us pray for both a heart of unity and a discerning spirit for all the church leaders.

Sunday
Gangzhou in the Jiangxi Province is situated where Fujian, Guangdong, and Hunan come together. It is the home of the Hakka people (about 8 million people or 95% of the local population). However, there are few young men in the area since most of them go to work in cities in nearby provinces.One in five of the children in Gangzhou lives with grandparents and this lack of young adults presents great difficulty for church workers there. We pray for the churches in Jiangxi, that the believers will not become discouraged and the pastors will remain faithful to their calling.

Monday
Are Chinese foods healthy because they are rich in oil, salt and sugar? From time to time, news reports complains about the health values of the varieties of dishes Chinese restaurants offer. Chinese restaurants are where Chinese gather and is a natural place for outreach. Let us pray for the spiritual health of all the believers who work in restaurant. They work long hours and often are marginalized in church.

星期二
「除了股票，人們還關心什麼？」翻開報紙所見的似乎除了奧運就是股市，一夜致富的投機心態充塞著整個中國社會。最近一家為基督徒所擁有的大型公司在高風險投資中失敗，宣告破產倒閉。基督徒亦難免於貪心及投機的誘惑。求主憐憫我們，常常提醒我們全心全意地服事。

星期三
北京市至少有兩三千個家庭聚會點，一般聚會人數是20-30人，其中有數百個跟合法註冊的教會有聯繫的能得到正式活動允許。過去一年裏，在信徒歡欣迎接奧運的來臨的同時，教會人數亦有很大的曾長，很多地方都有很多大學生，教授以及學者參加教會聚會。讓我們繼續為北京教會其信徒的靈命奮興來禱告。

星期四
「科學執政，民主執政，依法執政」是政府近年來的執政綱領。執法部門將按著憲法或法規辦事，包括取締家庭教會的聚會時也是如此。許多教會的聚會迄今尚無法取得合法的承認，尤其是聘請外國講員的聚會。讓我們為所有培訓的安全、學員們的靈命，及研習的好成果來向神祈求。

星期五
擁有「中國特色」是當今最熱的名詞。政府推行所謂的「合諧社會」就是有中國特色的社會主義 – 有別于西方民主多黨自由選舉的寬鬆政策呢?在此氛圍下，教會是否因此就擁有更多的發展空間，少一些限制呢？「王的心，在耶和華手中」，因此我們持續為執政掌權者禱告。

星期六
「以科學執政」是政府執政的綱領。中國憲法承認人民有宗教自由，但也要打擊所謂的民間邪教。一些極端靈恩的教會，也官方歸列為邪教之流。異端和極端的存在一直是中國教會的難題。求神賜教會合一的心，也賜下分辨的靈，能辨識誰是神國的同路人。

星期日
江西省南部的贛州為南北貨運必經的水路樞紐，與福建、廣東、湖南三省接壤。人口中95%是客家人(800萬)，以務農為業，但到外地經商或打工者甚多，以致附近農村根本沒有青、壯年人口。其中1/5的孩童是從小起居跟著祖父母長大。由於年輕人大量流失，江西地區教會事工的推展特別困難。讓我們爲當地傳道人和信徒能忠心持久服事來代禱。

星期一
西方媒體常有中餐館的食物對健康危害的負面報導。中式餐點多油、多鹽、多糖，就要被冠上不“健康”的惡名嗎？西方漢堡包、炸薯條、匹薩餅、炸雞塊，這些食品哪一種不是高脂肪、高熱量？ 中國餐廳是華人喜歡聚集的地方，也是方便我們向同胞傳福音的好場所。從事餐飲業的信徒由於工作時間長而且週末無休，經常因無法參加聚會而在教會被邊緣化，讓我們特別為他們的屬靈健康禱告。