Prayer Request 3/24 - 3/30

Tuesday
The Taiwan baseball team lost to China again and was eliminated in the World Baseball Classic series. The sentiment that is pervasive in Taiwan these days is, "If we can't even win in baseball, what other way can we beat China?" The coach of the Taiwanese team conceded, "China is getting better quickly while we are stagnated." Will churches in China be helping the churches in Taiwan some day? We pray that believers can worship and praise God together and encourage one another in the near future.

Wednesday
China traced and captured twelve hundred corrupt officials who escaped the country in 2008. At home there were a total of 41,179 corrupted officials who were brought to justice last year--a ten percent increase over 2007. Since the mid 1990's twenty thousand corrupt officials have fled China. Corruption is getting worse despite the government's repeated efforts to educate people and stop it. We pray that the Holy Spirit will constantly remind believers and church workers alike of their need for purity and that He will keep us all from greed. May the Lord give our church leaders integrity and humility.

Thursday
Now that the Beijing Olympics are but a memory, the spotlight is moving to Shanghai as she gears up to host the 2010 World Expo. With an anticipated seventy million visitors and two hundred participating countries, this six-month long World's Fair promises to be enormous by any measure. Shanghai is mainland China's most cosmopolitan city but historically churches there have been subdued. There are many open churches which have unique ministries to migrant and factory workers. Let us pray for revival of the churches in Shanghai and especially those fellowship groups of Christian businessmen.

Friday
Yu dan, a lady Beijing professor is a household name because she put her modern spin to the ancient Confucius literature. Her televised talk shows and books made the obscure Chinese texts of ethics understandable and relevant to common Chinese. Admittedly, non-believers will be lost listening to most of the sermons preached in churches in China. Let us pray for wisdom of all the Chinese preachers and their ability to make Biblical principles applicable to their congregation.

Saturday
Yu dan was superbly successful in making old Chinese classic popular, because she managed to make the writings of Confucius (551-479 B.C.) and Zhuangzi (369-286 B.C.) understandable, relevant and even entertaining to laymen with "colloquial re-wordings and vivid short stories". Many Chinese pastors are lost in how to connect with their audience in a personal and transparent way. Often, messages become "same and stifled". We pray for powerful preaching of God's Word across China, convicting hearers, turning believers from hearers to doers.

Sunday
China has many of the Western-styled women and men magazines; they appealed to the wealthy, fashion-conscious urban middle class. While pornography is illegal in China; these magazines walk the fine line of being racy and sex-appealing. In a way, they push the cultural boundary of timidity and taboo of display of body. China churches usually take a condemning or unhealthy negative view about sex. We pray for guarding of hearts against sexual temptation, but a healthy and Biblical appreciation of sex and a more open discussion of marital problems of believers.

Monday
Many children of migrant workers are not able to afford the extra fees levied by the local schools. Although government has prohibited those charges but other obstacles kept these children from getting the adequate education. Unable to afford the basic education and facing discrimination. Families of migrant workers are "second class citizens" in their own country. We pray for all the rural pastors who entered into cities to minister to mingong and urban churches caring especially the rural workers in their communities.


星期二
世界棒球經典賽中（WBC）台灣隊又再一次輸給中國隊(上一次是2008 北京奧運)。「如果連棒球都輸了，台灣還有什麼能贏大陸的呢？」這句話，顯示出台灣對大陸複雜的心理情緒。總教練賽後說：「中國棒球隊的進步很快，我們卻停滯不前。」中國教會會有幫助台灣教會的一天嗎? 讓我們禱告在不久的將來兩岸弟兄姊妹能一同敬拜讚美上帝，能在主裏彼此鼓勵。

星期三
2008年中國檢察機關共抓獲在逃職務犯罪嫌疑人1,200名。全年受審的貪污官職人員共41,179人，比去年上升10%。自90年代中期以來，約2萬貪官潛逃外國。儘管當局致力肅貪，但腐敗問題卻越趨嚴重。讓我們禱告求聖靈能不斷提醒教會同工和信徒追求聖潔、遠避貪婪，願神保守教會領袖們持守正直、謙卑。

星期四
北京奧林匹克運動會剛成為歷史，全球焦點又集結於上海即將舉辦的2010世界博覽會。屆時預期有超過２００個國家，或７千萬人會參加長達六個月的世界貿易會，規模之大前所未見。上海乃中國最具時代感的城市，但歷代所有教會在這地方都無法興旺。很多公開的教會都有專為民工及工廠而設的外展事工。讓我們為上海教會復興禱告，尤其記念當地的基督徒商人團契。

星期五
北京師範大學的一位女教授 – 于丹，現在在中國家喻戶曉，因為她對孔子的古典文獻“論語”作出了她自己的現代化詮釋。她的電視訪談節目和書籍，使原本艱深難解的中國古典道德著作，變得讓普通中國老百姓容易理解並覺得與自身息息相關。誠然，現在中國教會中的許多講道信息常常讓非信徒感到茫然不知所云。讓我們禱告求神賜給傳道人智慧和能力，使聖經的原則容易被理解並且被應用在生活中。

星期六
于丹將中國古典著作在當代流行推廣上做得非常成功。因為她通過「口語化的重新措詞和添加生動的短篇故事」的方式，使孔子（主前551-479年）和莊子（主前369-286年）的著作，對外行人而言，變得易於理解並與切身相關，甚至頗具娛樂性。許多中國牧師在與其會眾建立互動關係、以及透明的聯繫方式不知所措，使其講道信息常讓聽眾感到「老調重彈和令人窒息。」我們禱告神讓真道在中國大地能得到強有力地傳講，使聽眾認罪歸主，能從聽道者變成行道者。

星期日
中國現在有許多西方風格的女性和男性雜誌，讀者主要是一些富裕且具有時尚意識的城市中產階級。儘管色情業在中國是非法的，這些雜誌卻在活潑和性吸引力上大打擦邊球（遊走灰色的地帶）。從某種意義上說，他們在身體展示方面突破了膽怯和禁忌的文化邊界。中國教會在性的問題上，通常採取譴責性或不健康的負面態度。我們禱告神保守我們的心遠離性的誘惑，同時也求神讓我們對性有一個健康、合乎聖經教導的認識，能更加開放地討論信徒的婚姻問題。

星期一
隨父母進城的農民子女，入讀城市學校面對的是一道道高牆。儘管當局已下令面授農民工子女的借讀費，但還有其他登記入學的要求，擋住了城市農民工子女的入學之門。農民工遷居城市，不但供應不了兒女的基本教育，還備受歧視，成了自己國家的二等公民。有些農村教會的同工到城市牧養農民工，也有城市教會派同工專門牧養和支援農民工信徒。讓我們為這些事工禱告，求神大大賜福、使用。