Prayer Request 3/11--3/17

Tuesday
A Western-styled breakfast served in a fast food restaurant has become a way of life for many Chinese urbanites, especially students and young professionals. Many people are willing to pay more for the convenience and eat breakfast outside the home. Attending an early morning prayer meeting has been a tradition for many churches. Let us remember all of those believers who faithfully get up early in the morning to attend prayer meetings. May their supplications rise to the throne like sweet fragrance.

Wednesday
Many people have the impression that house churches are "closed" and refuse to cooperate with the Three-self churches as they extend their welcome to the house churches. There is still much apprehension and distrust between the house churches and open churches. While we are not to judge our brothers, we pray for healing and faithfulness to the Word of God for all.

Thursday
In the past few years Buddhism has gained popularity with China's new and wealthy white-collar class. Recently President Hu Jintao even suggested that religion, including Buddhism, could help ease the tensions between the "haves" and the "have-nots". We do praise the Lord that many urban churches are now seeing many younger faces.However, rural churches are still composed mostly of old and uneducated people. We need to pray for the phenomenon of the huge wave of once atheistic urban young people turning to Buddhism because they feel it is a Chinese religion while Christianity is a foreign religion.

Friday
The rapid appreciation of Chinese currency has been a double-edge sword. Import of many luxury goods is more affordable and it is cheaper for Chinese to travel abroad. But, it makes the Chinese export less competitive. Chinese believers need to be encouraged to give to God’s work and their church. Most preachers are hesitant to speak on offering and giving for mission. Let us pray for a willing attitude and willingness to trust God as they give to God.

Saturday
It is projected that by 2015, half of the Chinese population will be living in cities instead of in rural setting. Every year, 20 millions peasants move to cities, many of them are young people. Rural Chinese churches face a terrible depletion of young coworkers as they flock to cities for better-paying jobs. Let us pray that God will raise up urban churches willing to help the churches in villages, by sending people to teach and preach. We urgently need to pray for all the rural Chinese churches.

Sunday
Corruption in the academia is a wide spread problem in China. Plagiarism, multiple uses of the same article and behind-the-scene manipulation for awards are so common. Many Christians who are in academic settings find it very difficult to maintain integrity and stay away from compromises. Let us pray for them as they strive to live out their testimony for God with integrity.

Monday
“Les Miserable” the opera will be produced in Chinese this year by a joint Chinese and English effort. Chinese intellectuals are warm to appreciate many Western classics. Many Chinese intellectuals have read the Bible as a literary masterpiece and later come to accepted Jesus Christ as personal savior. These same intellectuals are also drawn to Western Christian classic. Let us pray for shepherds who are able to reach out and share with the intellectuals.

星期二
西式快餐店售賣的早餐，已經成了許多中國都市人生活中不可或缺的一部分，為圖方便，很多人寧願多花些錢在外買早餐，對於學生和職青更是如此。至於靈性上的供應和操練，許多教會仍保留著晨禱會的傳統，讓我們為清晨早起，忠心參加晨禱的弟兄姐妹們禱告，願他們的祈禱如馨香的祭在寶座前蒙記念。

星期三
有許多人對家庭教會有以下的印象：太過封閉，不願意與三自教會和好，也不接受後者對他們的接納。家庭教會和公開教會之間仍存著許多猜疑和不信任。讓我們都尊主為大，竭力追求合一，不論斷自己的弟兄。求神醫治一切傷口並叫所有主內信徒都忠實於神的話語。

星期四
過去幾年中，佛教在中國新富有的白領階層已得到普及。在最近的一次講話中，胡錦濤還提出，宗教，包括佛教，有助於緩解貧富階級間的緊張關係。感謝神許多城市的教會日益增多許多年輕的新面孔。但農村的教會仍以年長者和未受過教育者居多。目前有一股趨勢：無神論的城市年輕人因感覺佛教比較中國化而傾向接受佛教，並誤以為基督教是外國宗教。讓我們特別為這可憂的現象祈禱。

星期五
人民幣升值是一把「雙刃劍」，正面影響是使中國可以進口很多好東西，出國旅遊得著好品質；負面影響則是減少了中國的出口競爭力。教會自養的最大支持是信徒的奉獻。但國內仍有許多教牧同工甚少傳講奉獻的信息，有些甚至不提。讓我們為教會信息都能教導正確的奉獻觀念來禱告，求神幫助信徒明白奉獻的義意外，更能憑信心來奉獻。

星期六
中國的城市化步伐不斷急劇加速。估計至2015年，城鎮人口會達到全國人口百分之五十，即每年平均有二千萬流動人口從農鄉湧往城鎮。農村人口（特別是年青人）大量的流向城市，使農村教會面臨缺乏同工的困難。求主興起對農村教會有負擔的城市教會，能定期派同工前往教導和牧養信徒，使農村教會的成長也得著幫助。

星期日
當前中國學術界的腐敗，已廣為學人們所垢病。抄襲、操縱評獎的黑幕、論文一文多發等普遍現象，已使學界尊嚴蒙受極大虧損。許多置身其中的基督徒想要持守誠實及清白的立場，十分不易。求神保守在學術界的信徒能在這種混濁惡劣的環境中，堅持不同流合污，以保有高尚的品格，來為主做見証。

星期一
中英正式合資成立音樂劇製作公司，預計今年將推出中文版《悲慘世界》。中國知識分子愈來愈歡迎不同層面的知識輸入，特別是透過閱讀。其中就有不少人通過閱讀聖經而歸向基督。我們懇求主，為知識分子預備更多適合他們閱讀的屬靈書籍，牧養他們的屬靈生命日漸茁壯。