Prayer Request 5/12 - 5/18

Tuesday
The earthquake in Sichuan did something to the churches in China because we saw Christians from both Three-Self and house church going to the disaster area and serving together publicly. We are so thankful for this watershed event and we believe that Christians will one day step outside of their churches and become the light and salt of their communities, living out the teachings of Jesus Christ and serving those who are needy.

Wednesday
As the world looks at the rise of China both financially and militarily, many Christian leaders speak of her becoming a worldwide "army of missionaries". Such a grand vision can be misleading since the churches in China are still weak and Christians account for only a small fraction of the total population. We need to pray for the alarming tendency in the churches of China of thinking of themselves too highly. Let us continue to ask the Lord to grant them a life that is deeper, wider, more fruitful, and of greater impact.

Thursday
College graduates are having difficulty finding a white-collared job. In the wealthiest region of Guangdong, college grads are fighting over even such positions as nannies. This year 6.1 million young people are expected to graduate from colleges but a third of last year's grads still have not found a job. Many young people accepted Jesus in Bible study groups in college. We pray their faith will sustain them and they will be able to connect with a local church quickly so they will not be like the seeds sown in shallow ground that Jesus spoke about.

Friday
One apt description of the churches in China is that they are "big in appearance but weak inside". They are big in the sense of the large number attending in both rural house churches and Three-Self churches, but the number of committed and Biblically-sound believers is much smaller than the number of those who attend. Again, we lift these Chinese believers up into God's hand. May the Lord stir each of us out of our complacency so that we will crave the spiritual milk of the Word of God. May we see a revival and awakening again.

Saturday
Among foreign observers and Christian leaders there is a lot of anticipation for the future of churches in China. These people easily assume that China will be picking up the baton of world missions and rise up to be another Korea. Such expectation overlooks the true state of these churches. We beseech the Lord for His will to be done in the churches in China and that the gospel will be preached mightily there. We pray that believers will have the passion and vision to take the gospel to the world and not just dream about it and write slogans.

Sunday
Today the church in China is in a time of transition, especially in those provinces like Henan where a majority of the people are farmers.The quality of leadership must be improved and the churches must have new strategies for stable and sustainable church growth. Rural churches must somehow find a way to appeal to and connect with the quickly-urbanized and the younger generation or face a rapidly graying church. We pray that the church in China will learn to connect with the present day young people. May the Lord raise up leaders who are sensitive to cultural changes and have a willingness to adapt their methods to attract the youth.

Monday
The church in China is weak in that it has few professionals, even generally educated people, and the financial level of the believers is low. In many provinces the Christian churches are still considered marginal and insignificant. As the society moves forward, churches are at risk of having graying congregations and being known as a place for only poor farmers. We thank the Lord for pockets of strong growth in China and we pray urgently for the vast number of churches that have in the recent past become stagnant and are dying.


星期二
四川地震後，我們看見許多海內外華人及海外基督徒的熱心，也看見許多三自或家庭教會的基督徒公開地、積極、急速和熱心的付出。為這些，我們向神感恩！ 我們也禱告有一天中國的信徒都能夠走出教堂或聚會點，服事我們的同胞，活出主耶穌的教導，成為光和鹽。

星期三
隨著中國的躍昇，軍力和財力的騰飛，不少海外基督徒領袖期望中國教會很快就成為全球宣教大軍。面對此目標，我們需要努力，但更需要謹慎。 「外盛中虛」的中國教會需要著重「深耕廣種、立德立義」，絕不能輕浮，也絕不能忘記，相對於整個國家的整體力量和人數來說，中國基督教的實力仍屬薄弱，中國仍是「少數派」。 讓我們為中國教會能更實際的自我評估來禱告，求主繼續幫助教會建造更有深度與內涵，能多結果子、發光發亮的生命。

星期四
在經濟不景下，今年大學畢業生的就業前景極不樂觀。如在最富裕的廣東省，大學生甚至要爲爭奪保姆這類工作擠破頭。估計今年有610萬大學畢業生湧入就業市場，然而去年畢業生中仍有三分之一的人尚未找到工作。很多年輕人都是在大學時期的查經班接受主耶穌，願他們在畢業後仍持守信仰，並能儘快在居住地找到教會，能不停止聚會，讓神的道在心裡生根建造，茁壯成長，而不像主耶穌所說的，落在淺土石頭地上。也使他們在艱難的現實中，因靠著對神的信心，而不至於頹喪。

星期五
「外盛中虛」正可形容目前的中國教會。「外」指外表數字。很多中國教會，無論是「三自」或農村的家庭教會，表面聚會人數不少，但實際委身又能在真理紮根的基督徒有多少呢？讓我們再次把中國信徒交托在主手中，求主除去我們心中的自滿，能真正渴慕主的話語，成為靈糧。我們求神再次甦醒人心、復興眾教會。

星期六
中國教會的「外盛中虛」也能形容「外」是「海外的猜想」。海外教會常不經過審慎分析，就簡單地接受了中國教會有極龐大的信徒群的看法，並有揠苗助長的危機。過急地期盼中國教會能急速地成為宣教的中國,繼韓國教會，成為宣教最後一棒。以目前而言，這些都還是過高而不實的期望。我們懇切禱告，求主的旨意行在中國教會，使福音在此地迅速廣傳。我們也禱告中國信徒都能有普世宣教的異象和熱情，使這個異象不致留於空泛的夢想和口號。

星期日
中國教會正面對著轉型的挑戰，對傳統的以農民信徒居多的省份如河南省等教會而言，轉型挑戰更為嚴峻。如何提升同工的質素，建立一個穩固又能持續增長的牧養體系，並發展出一套能吸引現代城市化下年輕人的傳福音模式，都是極大的挑戰，是需要整整一代人的努力。我們禱告主，幫助教會知道如何與時下青年銜接，興起對文化思潮變化有敏銳洞悉力的教會領袖，知道如何在不犧牲真理原則的情況下，采納能吸引年親人的新方法。

星期一
中國教會的「中虛」，特別指在專業才能、知識水準、經濟實力方面。教會在很多省份中仍是薄弱的邊緣組織。當國家社會急速進步前進，這些教會卻面臨老化和停滯，給人依然是「農民多，老人多」的印象。我們為中國教會在局部領域的持續發展上，呈強勁的增長來謝恩。同時，更迫切為許多停滯不前，甚至就快病入膏肓的教會禱告求恩。