Prayer Request 9/2-9/8

Tuesday
China achieved her goal of receiving unprecedented number of Olympic gold medals. Parents see sports now as a potentially lucrative career and many are encouraging and investing money for their children to train in sports. Very few Chinese parents will ever encourage their own child to serve the Lord because being a church worker is considered "dead end" and "poor for the rest of life". Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to change this attitude which greatly hurts the growth of the China churches。

Wednesday
In the past twenty years the province of Guangdong has had a phenomenal growth in population. It also boasts the highest urbanization rate (nearly 60%) in China which means farmers have moved into cities. Church work and growth are generally harder in Guangdong than in other places. Many Christians arriving from other provinces are lost to follow-up because local churches conduct services in Cantonese. Let us pray for spiritual revival and solid growth of churches there.

Thursday
According to a report, the number of millionaires (in USD) has increased rapidly. India leads in terms of the rate of increase, China is a close second. There are many wealthy believers in China as well. They have been active in supporting local church work and helping other ministries. We give thanks to God for their generosity and pray that all believers will be equally charitable in giving to God.

Friday
Millions of Chinese have jumped naively into the stock market only to realize that they could lose everything. The government is now trying to educate people that such an investment has risks. The stock market is the hot conversation topic among urban churches and many believers are deeply involved in this speculation. It creates a sense of comparison and jealousy among believers. Let us pray for true contentment and godliness for all believers.

Saturday
An estimate of one in six factories is closing in the Pearl River Delta and 10,000 companies are relocating to Southeast Asian countries with cheaper labor. Although this conforms to the official economic planning, it still has a great impact locally. Churches in Guangdong have always been affluent and suffered less restrictions, but church work is relatively weak and sparse because of the prosperity. We commit the church work and spiritual health of believers in Guangdong into His hands.

Sunday
Experts say, "Chinese universities are not uniformly up-to-par; the leading universities are very good, but lesser universities suffer deficient resources." For students, a matter of few points in the entrance exam means a giant difference in the quality of their college education. We pray for all the Christian students entering into universities this year; may the Lord prepare what is best for them. We, too, pray for the college ministries as they reach out to the new class of students and ready them to harvest.

Monday
China, which produces 70% of the world's sex toys, is ranked as the fourth "sex-crazed" nation behind Greece, Brazil, and Russia. The Chinese view of sex has been dramatically "opened." In Beijing alone, 5000 "sexual health" stores have opened in the past eight years. Sexual temptations are extremely prevalent in China. Compromising sexual purity is the leading problem believers, and even church leaders, face. We humbly beseech God for protection and guarding the hearts of all of us.


星期二

在2008北京奧運中國隊得到破紀錄數目的金牌。已有很多家庭看到從事職業體育的「錢景」，願意投入資金來幫助孩子走體育這條路。相對於全職服事神，極少數華人父母會鼓勵自己的孩子，以全職事奉神為榮。因為一般人眼中，成為教會工人，往往意味著「前途無亮」和「錢途無亮」。 如此心態大大妨礙了中國教會的增長，求主醫治我們這種俗世短淺的視野，以投資永恒的國度觀為念。

星期三
近二十年間，廣東省的城市人口急劇增加，城市化水平不斷提高（已近乎60%），這意味著省内農業人口不斷迅速向城市聚集。在廣東省的教會事工與增長要比其他地方來的困難，因為教會聚會都用粵語，來自別省的信徒由於語言的隔閡，很難在此地獲得適切的跟進。讓我們為廣東省教會及所有的信徒們禱告，為他們靈命的復興，以及教會得以穩健成長來向神求恩。

星期四
據報導，全球百萬富翁的人數激增，其中以印度的增長率最高，緊隨的是中國。中國的教會裏也有許多富裕的信徒，他們也一直積極地參與並支持各項聖工，我們除了為此向神感恩外，也求主讓弟兄姊妹有智慧管理神賜予的金錢、恩賜和才幹，忠心盡上自己奉獻的本份。

星期五
在中國股票巿場中，有許多不成熟的投資者，不諳其風險重重，盲目爭相加入股巿。中國政府也開始教育國民，有關投資股票的風險。股票投資也在各大城市教會裏掀起話題，不但使許多信徒深陷其中，也在信徒之間醖釀出爭競和妒嫉。我們求主幫助所有信祂的人，都能敬虔知足，以神的心為心，不為屬世的價值觀所迷惑。

星期六
最近在珠江三角洲，約每六家工廠就有一家關閉。有約一萬家工廠已撤離此地，轉往勞工更低廉的越南、柬甫寨、孟加拉和印尼等地。雖然這些撤資情況都在中國政府預計之內，但仍在地方上造成相當大的衝激。我們在此要特別記念廣東省的教會，在富裕繁華、紙醉金迷的大環境之下，省內的許多信徒容易迷失生活的方向。縱使教會有較大的自由度，福音工作卻相對的較爲疲弱，求神復興信徒的靈命、挑旺教會火熱追求成長的心。

星期日
許多專家認為中國大學的程度參差不齊，頂尖大學確實優秀，但一些次一級的大學卻仍是資源不足。而考生常常因幾分之差，就進不了首屈一指的大學。我們特別為今年入學的基督徒準大學生禱告，求神為他們預備道路，讓他們看到神美好的計劃。在各地的大學事工積極預備迎接新生的時刻，我們求主賜給同工們充足的智慧，同時也在學生心中做鬆土、澆灌的エ作。

星期一
中國生産全球七成的「情趣玩具」, 擠身全球四大”最好色”國家之列，居希臘, 巴西和俄國之後。中國人的性觀念越來越開放，過去8年內，單單在北京一個城市裡就開了5,000家的「性商店」。情色的誘惑在中國非常普遍，性的解放和道德混亂已成為教會領袖和信徒首要面對的挑戰之一，求神保守信徒的心思意念，能竭力追求聖潔，躲避試探、引誘，謙卑靠主得勝。