Prayer Request 3/9 - 3/15

Tuesday
An official report compares delinquency among high school students in China, Japan, Korea, and the United States. It looks at smoking, drinking, gambling, pornography, skipping school, and drug abuse. Drug abuse is lowest in China but they rate highest in running away from home with a whopping one out of five students! Having only one child presents a great challenge to parents of teenagers. We pray for wisdom, patience, and gentleness for Christian people who are struggling with parenting issues, especially when their children are rebellious and no longer interested in attending church. We pray, too, that churches can provide assistance to parents through training and support classes. font>
Wednesday
The breakdown of communication between parents and their children is a prevalent and a major problem in China. Children turn deaf ears on their parents and will not even speak to them, so many parents are at a loss to know how to get their only child to talk with them. Believers have few resources teaching them how to raise children according to the Scripture. Most church leaders struggle with the same problem at home as the laymen do. We pray for healthy Christian families and parents who are able to demonstrate God's unconditional love.
Thursday
Singapore opened its very first casino during the Chinese Year of the Tiger. It has an ambitious goal of attracting 13 million tourists, with 20-25% of them from China. Although Singapore is small, it has many tourists, students and even immigrants from Mainland China. Let us pray for all the mission works, seminary training, and church support coming from Singapore into China. May these ministries and resources accomplish great results among China churches.
Friday
No one knows the number of Chinese pastors who quit their churches because of problems or infidelity in their marriages or other temptations. We hear how some leaders fall but many more simply silently quit. When it comes to serving in Chinese churches, workers are falsely pressured into believing that their marriages and family should be second to their church work. Infidelity and divorce are common in and outside of the church including church workers and believers alike. Sadly, the Chinese church is in great need of more marriage counseling skills. May the Lord have mercy on our families. Many stand in the pulpit but their marriages and families are in tatters. Let us pray about this heart-wrenching reality.
Saturday
Ancient politics was all about "personal relationship" which decided whether one got promoted or demoted. Modern China is not a whole lot different and thus this the famous saying, "Guanxi (relationship) is everything." Many Chinese believers wrongly believe the best way to share the gospel is through personal relationships done discreetly and privately to avoid bringing unnecessary attention to themselves and their church. They literally fear that their identity as Christians will be known. We pray that all believers will have the courage to witness for Jesus.
Sunday
What is the most common parent-child relationship problem in China? For urban parents, it is being too busy. In rural families, it is the absence of parents because they go to the cities to work and families are re-united only once or twice a year. Let us pray especially for Christian families that are practically disjointed. We pray for the children who usually live with a relative, for their fledgling faith and for the parents that they will stay faithful sexually and continue to maintain their faith in God.
Monday
Some churches in China still hold to the extreme idea of "suffering" and see confronting the officials as "suffering persecution for Christ". Within some rural churches it is considered an honor to go to jail and they adore those who suffered persecution during the Cultural Revolution. To comply with the government regulations or go against them is not only a deeply emotional but also a personal thing. We pray for those who choose to defy the government and are willing to pay the price of such an action. We uplift them in our prayers and ask the Lord to give them peace, the courage to live out their faith and convictions, and above all to have the love of Jesus Christ in their lives.

星期二
官方有一份報告，內容是比較中、日、韓、美，四國高中生不良行為的發生率，如抽煙，喝酒，賭博，瀏覽色情網站，曠課，逃學，吸毒等。「好」消息是：中國高中生吸毒率在四國中最低；「壞」消息是，18.7％的高中生曾經離家出走，是四個國家當中最高。「獨生子女」為中國父母帶來極大挑戰。讓我們為所有對養育子女感到吃力的基督徒父母，尤其是面對子女因反叛不願回到教會的父母禱告。願神賜他們智慧、忍耐和溫柔，不住的禱告，也願教會為父母提供適當的親子教育訓練及支援。
星期三
兩代之間的話不投機，相對無言，已經是今日許多中國家庭中很普遍的現象了。許多孩子們對父母的說教已經不屑一顧，甚至懶得和父母說話，而父母們則陷入不知如何才能博得兒女們「一開金口」的苦惱之中。很多教會領袖在如何按聖經教訓養育子女上，碰到相當大的挑戰，信徒也缺乏引導。讓我們禱告，基督徒家庭能健康發展，父母能效法神無條件的愛來養育子女。
星期四
新加坡第一個國際賭場在虎年開張，計劃達到第一年吸引一千三百萬名遊客的目標，預估中國遊客將佔兩成至兩成五。澳門因地理位置靠近中國大陸，有龐大的客源，將一直會是新加坡較大的競爭對手。新加坡地方雖小，卻吸引不少來自中國的遊客，學生，甚至移民。讓我們為從新加坡教會進入中國的宣教，培訓及支援工作禱告，願有關事工及資源為中國教會帶來巨大的果效。
星期五
因婚姻問題、不敵誘惑或不忠而離崗的傳道人雖無確切數據，但關於中國教會領袖軟弱跌倒的事卻時有所聞，許多人選擇在東窗事發前悄然離開。中國教會對事奉的教導與觀念上存有不少謬誤，錯以教會工作應凌駕於婚姻家庭之上。外遇和離婚問題在教會內外同樣普遍，信徒和傳道人亦難倖免。教會?切需要加強婚姻輔導技巧的裝備，求主憐憫、保護我們的家庭，尤其為處於婚姻家庭破裂的牧者及同工禱告。
星期六
古代官場的潛規則無非就是利用私人關係獲得恩寵，也因為失去私人關係而敗落。今天的中國社會仍是要靠關係，「『有關係』就沒關係；『沒關係』就大有關係。」 不少中國基督徒誤認為傳福音要看場合、時機，最好是利用私人關係如同學親戚等私下場合傳。這種教導的主要顧慮是，如果在公開場合傳或向陌生人傳福音， 容易使家庭教會受牽連被發現，導致聚會停止，教會受虧損等等。求主給我們智慧膽量，能在人前為耶穌做見證。
星期日
現今的中國，親子間最主要的問題何在？城市父母太忙，子女常受忽略；農村父母外出打工，一年只見得一兩次面，父母與子女關係維繫不易。讓我們特別為各分東西的基督徒家庭禱告。也為與親戚同住的孩子初生待哺的信仰禱告。更求神保守父母們能守住婚姻的忠貞，維持他們的信仰堅定，繼續與神親密同行。
星期一
中國信徒往往對「受苦」推崇備至，視「為主受逼迫」、「為主坐牢」為一項榮譽。因而對在文化大革命為主受迫害的信徒深表尊敬。政府對教會頒行的措施，決定選擇順從或反對 ，對許多教會而言都是左右為難。讓我們在禱告中記念那些選擇不依循政府的信徒，深知他們所付上的代價，能靠著主有力量。同時為他們切切求主賜下平安、鼓勵、信心和勇氣，時刻活在基督的愛中。