Prayer Request 9/4 -- 9/10

Tuesday
Robert Morrison came to China on September 7th, 1807. He first learned the Chinese language secretly and quickly became an expert. By 1823, he had published an important piece of work, the Chinese-English Dictionary. Being able to share the Gospel in Chinese is difficult for many. We pray for all who are learning the language now and planning to reach Chinese for Christ, not just the English speakers but also Koreans and even Africans.

Wednesday
Seven years after Robert Morison arrived in China, William Milne who was 3 years younger arrived from England to assist him. Unable to settle in the Macau, he went to Malacca where they founded the Anglo Chinese College in 1818. Both men were succeeded by their sons who continued serving God in China. We thank the Lord for all the missionaries and pastors who have served and encouraged their children to serve. May the Lord bless abundantly these descendants of the righteous.

Thursday
Many of the early missionaries in China, including Robert Morrison, arrived in Guangdong Province. Despite two hundred years of evangelistic effort there, Guangdong is still "hard soil" in comparison to other regions of China. Some of the contributing factors are secularism, lack of workers, and poor location of the churches (mostly in old towns). Let us pray specifically for Guangdong churches. May the Lord awaken all of His own people to turn from being lukewarm and be passionate for His Word.

Friday
Liang Fa, the first Chinese Protestant evangelist, was ordained by Robert Morrison in 1821. He used simple language in both preaching and writing. One pamphlet titled “Quan Shi Liang Yan” (The Benevolent Words to Advise the World) was most influential. We pray for the powerful impact and deep influence of all who are involved in literature ministry. May the Lord raise up a new generation of powerful writers that will spur Chinese believers to be more fervent for Him.

Saturday
It is remarkable that in recent speeches highly-ranking party officials have used terms such as democracy, lawfulness, liberty, equality, human rights, and kindness. Does this signal a shift in the attitude of the government toward churches? We pray there will be more opportunities for churches to share the gospel publicly and that churches can be free to own their own property.

Sunday
The city of Beijing is nearly full since its population has surged past 17 million. Many (5.1 million) of its residents are considered migrants because they do not have a "hukou" (are not registered) there so their children cannot attend regular schools.Beijing churches tend to have more intellectual and young members than those in other areas. We pray for the many retreats they will be hosting for college students in the coming months that they will be a time of harvest of souls and a hunger for God's Word rather than merely a time of philosophical debates.

Monday
China continues its soul searching on the quality and safety of products made there as more "Made in China" food, toys, and electronic products are being recalled due to safety concerns. The government has imposed stiff penalties and sentences on violators who produce these inferior goods. In China it is common for churches to exaggerate the numbers of people coming to the services to give a false impression of a vibrant ministry. Let us pray that pastors will resist this temptation and go to a focus on the spiritual transformation of believers.

星期二
1807年9月7日，馬禮遜進入廣州，秘密自學中文，預備向中國人傳福音。 开始時雖遇許多艱難，但不久他的中文已學得相當好。1823年馬禮遜出版了一部漢英對照字典：《華英字典》是劃時代的重要貢獻。對很多人來說，用華語分享信仰是一件相當困難的事。讓我們為那些現正學習中文並計劃向華人傳福音的弟兄姊妹禱告，當中不乏英、美籍人士，也有韓國人及非洲人，求主賜給他們語言的恩賜和堅定的信心。

星期三
1807年馬禮遜牧師隻身來華宣教，七年後才有另一位比他小三歲的英國同胞米憐牧師成為他宣教工場的得力助手。由於米憐無法停留在澳門，後來與馬禮遜一起籌辦南亞的馬六甲英華書院（Anglo Chinese College）於1818年成為首任校長。兩位宣教士都有兒子接棒，承繼在華的服事。讓我們為所有祖孫多代曾在中國服事神的宣教士、牧者及信徒感恩，求主更多祝福義人的後裔。

星期四
許多早期傳教士, 包括馬禮遜, 首先踏足中國的是廣東省。 儘管福音事工在廣東省已努力推動了二百年，至今該省仍是塊基督信仰的「硬土」。本地福音無法擴散的因素是：教會世俗化、缺乏傳道人和教會地點不理想(在老城區)。讓我們特別為廣東的教會祈禱。祈求上帝喚醒所有沈睡的子民, 能渴慕神的話, 追求靈命的成長。

星期五
梁發是中國教會史上第一位華人牧師。他是由第一位來華宣教士馬禮遜在1821 年按立。梁發擅長以深入淺出的話語來傳講福音和寫作，最著名的著作是《勸世良言》，影響了整個世代，尤其是來自花縣的秀才，後來成立太平天國的洪秀全。讓我們為文字事工禱告，因能超越時空，對人心發揮廣大深遠的影響力。願主興起更多優秀新生代作家，透過文章吸引中國人熱心歸主。

星期六
中共領導人第一次把「民主、法治、自由、平等、人權、博愛」這六個觀念放在一起，認為是人類共同的文明成果、，具普世性的價值，而非資本主義所獨有。這是否意味著政府對教會的態度會有所轉變？求主為我們打開疏通更多公開傳福音的途徑，也讓教會能合法擁有所屬不動產的產權。

星期日
北京市戶籍人口在今年六月底已高達1,204萬，全市實有總人口數超過1,700萬。其中流動人口為510.7萬，都是所謂沒有「戶口」的人，他們的子弟也無法上一般的學校。感謝主，北京的教會一般而言較年輕化，且以高知識份子為多。求主在將舉辦的各型退修營會裡預備人心，能渴慕更多明白神的話語，不虛耗精力在繁冗的哲理辯論上，使福音禾場收穫更大的豐收。

星期一
近來「中國製造」的食品、玩具，還有機電產品，因為質量和食品安全有問題，在國外被召回。這些事件引起中國政府高度的重視，展開一連串殺雞儆猴式的嚴厲懲罰。國內教會通常在編撰各項事工報告上，也常流於誇大不實並缺乏驗証制度，往往帶給人不切實際的假象及錯誤評估。 求主幫助我們抗拒虛榮的誘惑，專心依靠祂的引領，再次集中精力於建造信徒的靈命工程上。