Prayer Request 11/23 - 11/29

Tuesday
China showcased proudly its largest (190 seats) commercial airliner which is scheduled for delivery in 2016. It was given the name, “C919”, C stands for China, and the number was chosen because it sounds like “very durable” in Chinese. These days every accomplishment stokes nationalistic pride in China. Christian believers there feel the same way. May the Lord give the church in China the vision of global missions, not out of nationalistic and ethnic superiority but purely because of their burden for lost souls.
Wednesday
Concern over the loss of languages and dialects in China is growing in Tibet and Xinjiang. Some ethnic Tibetans and Uighurs say that the use of Mandarin as the official language in schools has weakened the fluency of use of local dialects among the young people. Officials say that mastering Mandarin is important for students who want to compete for jobs and university slots. Reaching the young people of various Chinese ethnic groups has become easier with Mandarin as the official language. However, older people are still more comfortable using their own dialects. We want to remember all those who work in churches in the ethnic minority regions, especially those places where the younger pastors must use Mandarin and are no longer able to use their own dialect to share the gospel.
Thursday
As a whole charitable organizations in China still suffer with the struggle to be opaque due to a lack of proper accounting and management. There have been many scandals involving the misuse of money that was raised for disaster relief by charities being used for personal gain. Charities in China suffer from low creditability. Many Chinese believers are reluctant to tithe because they do not know who will decide how the money will be used. We pray that many more churches will become more transparent in their use of their finances and will encourage believers to give cheerfully to God's work.
Friday
Many of the pastors in the house churches are old but the problem really is that they refuse to cultivate and train younger people to be leaders. This often leads to a "one man show" church because these older leaders are afraid of potential competition. Yes, we are sad to see people claim a church as "my own church". May the Lord remind us that we need to be faithful servants and not be afraid that others will replace or outshine us. Lord, grant us Your humility, we pray.
Saturday
Usually a house church in China can run rather well as a centralized, "one man show" without checks and balances. However, when there is dissension among the co-workers and/or believers, the church quickly unravels because the people turn against the leader. There are many reports of church splits and believers who are badly hurt by dictatorial leaders. We pray specifically for those who have stopped attending church because of being hurt there. May the Lord help each of us to focus on Him alone and forgive others.
Sunday
Unfortunately many older church leaders feel insecure when younger leaders are more gifted and better trained than they are. They often refuse to ordain them and send them far away to another location, thus, casting doubt on the young leader and making people think he is not mature or not reliable enough. We cannot force people to change but we know God is in control of His church so we pray that young leaders in the church will not be discouraged and will trust God knowing that all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called to serve Him. We pray, too, that they will remain faithful in serving their Master.
Monday
Since many house churches in China are not able to get registered, they operate in limbo legally without a real administrative mechanism. Many churches encounter problems in the area of finances since there there no check and balance system so they operate in a vacuum. We pray for those churches that struggle with the decision of whether they should register or not. We also pray for churches that lack a functioning or healthy administative system. May the Lord raise up leaders who seek His own heart, flawless in character and integrity.

星期二
中國自製商用客機C919，首架將於2016年交付。C919是China的第一個字母，19是最大載客量為190座，諧音是"久又久"。這幾年中國在各領域的成就都激發不少的民族自豪，中國的弟兄姊妹也是如此。求神給中國教會有全球宣教的異象，不是出於自己民族和種族的優越感，而是對失喪的靈魂有深刻又廹切的負擔。
星期三
近來隨著普通話的普遍，不少人開始關注方言失傳的問題。有些藏族和維吾爾族的人指出，自從普通話成為官方指定的教學語言後，許多年輕人已不能再操流利的方言。少數民族學生為了升學與就業都能掌握普通話，所以使用普通話就能向少數民族年輕人傳福音。然而長者們仍說他們熟悉的方言。讓我們在禱告中記念少數民族當中的事工，尤其為少數民族教會裡的年輕一代傳道人，他們除了普通話外，已不會使用自己的方言來溝通和分享信仰。
星期四
中國慈善團體總體而言是收支不透明、監督機制不健全，甚至一些不肖的”慈善機構”渾水摸魚、借災斂財，導致慈善事業公信力持續下降。不少信徒在守十一奉獻上是猶豫的，很大的原因是對教會金錢的管理沒有信心。求主幫助教會領袖們在許可的範圍內讓財務能更透明，並教導弟兄姊妹學習在金錢上甘心樂意做一個神的好管家。
星期五
不少家庭教會缺乏年輕的同工起來服事，主因是老傳道人沒有培養同工，也不花心思栽培新的領袖，教會裏外都是「一人秀」。究其最終原因是不想有「競爭」出現。傳道人將把教會視為「自己的教會」的心態實不可取，求主光照，除去人裡頭的驕傲，調整我們服事主的心態，願做神的忠僕，高舉基督的名，惟神的榮耀彰顯。
星期六
許多家庭教會出現「一言堂」、「一枝筆」、「一個人」等情況，若同工間能彼此同心，教會還能「風平浪靜」；可是，一旦同工間（甚至信徒間）出現矛盾，且不願到神面前尋求解決時，教會就面臨重大危機。許多教會分裂是因著「獨裁」的領袖與受傷的信徒而起。讓我們為那些有分裂難處的教會禱告，尤其為靈裡軟弱的肢體代禱，求主剛強我們不看人的不足，單單定睛仰望信實的主，依靠祂度過艱難的處境。
星期日
很不幸的，許多年長的家庭教會領袖看到恩賜比自己強的年輕領導人才往往是：第一，不予提拔按立或不安排服事的機會；第二，安排到遠處的工場事奉；第三，散佈輿論，諸如「背景不可靠」或者「屬靈生命不夠成熟」。我們為年輕牧者不氣餒禱告，求主保守他們繼續忠心的服事神。幫助他們看見主在祂的教會中掌權，基督是教會的頭，我們是身體。神要藉著一切事奉操練他們，萬事互相效力，叫愛神的及回應祂呼召的人得著益處。
星期一
有些家庭教會發展迅速又沒有明確的管理機制認證，很容易出現管理上的問題，例如：教會財政沒有監督、沒有審計、沒有調查，形成了監管與權限制衡上的真空。 我們為那些正在討論是否要向政府登記的家庭教會禱告，求主給他們智慧的決定。我們也為那些缺乏有效管理的教會代禱，願主興起合祂心意的僕人，以品格和忠心來照管神的家，服事羊群。