Prayer Request 6/21 - 6/27

Tuesday
Li Na won the French Tennis Open and became the first Asian ever to be the Grand Slam Champion. She has always been known as a "rebel" with a rose-through-the-heart tattoo on her chest. She openly and defiantly dropped out of the traditional government-sponsored athlete training program and chose to have her own trainer. Churches in China have always highly valued "conformity" and stressed "unity" even though it was only very superficial. We pray for a true acceptance of those believers who due to their convictions practice their faith in a way somewhat different from the traditional style. We pray, too, that all believers will realize the difference between what is traditional and what is Biblical.

Wednesday
Both husbands and wives are expected to work outside of the home in China but the wives are still expected to do housework and cook for the family without help from their husbands. In the workplace women and men are nearly equal in terms of their workload and the stress encountered. However, in the churches it is very rare to find couples who serve together. We pray for those rare husband and wife teams that the Lord will use them mightily and bless their commitment and sacrifice. May their godly example shine brightly before other believers and their lives bless many of those outside of the church as well as the families in their churches.

Thursday
There is a large disparity in the ratio of males to females born in China--a whopping boy to girl ration of 118 to 100! However, within the church, female believers outnumber male believers. Although this phenomenon is shared in the culturally similar Korean churches, women definitely outnumber men in the churches in China. Female believers shoulder most of the work in churches and they are heavily involved in visitation, marital counseling, and even "running" the church if there is no shepherd available. May the Lord bless and remember the dedication of all of the "Martha and Mary" believers.

Friday
The lyrics of the "Red Songs" or "Revolutionary Songs" praise the supreme Communist party leader, Chairman Mao, or glorify the motherland. The height of the time when they sang the Red Songs was during the Cultural Revolution. During that time the only literary works available to the public were the so-called Revolutionary Model Opera and since all love songs and ballads were forbidden, the only thing people could sing were the Red Songs. There is a huge collection of Chinese praise songs written by Chinese songwriters. Many believers find these songs express their love for Jesus and that they can identify better with the melodies than with other songs. We thank God for these Chinese praise songs and the mighty work the Holy Spirit has used them to accomplish in the church in China.

Saturday
During the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960's, the de facto national anthem was "The East is Red" which says: "The east is red, the sun is rising. China has brought forth a Mao Zedong. He works for the people's welfare. Hurrah! He is the people's great savior!" This song was played through the public address systems everywhere in China twice daily and every student was required to sing this song every morning. Perhaps the painful memories of the Cultural Revolution have started to fade for hundreds of millions of Chinese fifty years old or older. We pray for spiritual vitality for all the believers in that age group, many of whom are now leaders in the church. May the Lord give them humility, with a spirit that is not dictatorial but is truly humble enough to accept criticism and suggestions from the younger generation.


Sunday
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party, officials are encouraging and promoting the public frenzy of singing of the "Red songs" - traditional revolutionary songs. The most famous revolutionary songs are "The East is Red" and "Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman". In the days past, all public meetings always begin and end with the singing of these two songs. Cultural Revolution was a sad page in the history of Chinese and untold numbers of Christians chose to give up their lives rather than forsake Jesus Christ. We take a moment to remember all the martyrs of faith, their sacrifices were not in vain as the church grew even stronger and bigger during the great persecution. May the Lord richly bless the descendants of those who loved Jesus even to their death.

Monday
Although it seems like everyone is jumping on the "Red Song" singing bandwagon, people are singing them in the neighborhoods, schools and factories. Retired and older folks enjoy singing these songs because they are nostalgic and appreciate the cultural background and context of these songs. However, few young people find the "Red Song" interesting. We should pray for all the choirs in Chinese churches. Many churches have large choirs and are an important part of the worship. May the Lord use their hard work in practice and their voices to lead congregations in praising God. We too remember in prayers the worship teams led by young people, which are becoming more common in many urban churches.


星期二
李娜獲得法網女單冠軍，成為有史以來第一個獲得大滿貫網球賽事冠軍的亞洲人。她向來以「叛逆」著稱，胸前的穿心玫瑰紋身十分惹人注意，也曾公開脫離國家運動員所接受的政府傳統訓練系統。中國教會相當講求信徒「一致」，特別重視教會之間表面的「合一」，認為應該持守教會傳統留下來的做法，不能接納某些信徒的崇拜方式與不同的「教會傳統」。我們記念他們愛主的心，也禱告信徒能分辨何謂人的傳統與聖經中心須堅守的教導。

星期三
中國社會一般要求夫婦二人同樣工作。女子在家務負擔不減的同時，在社會上和職場中的壓力和活躍度卻與男子相差無幾。中國教會中夫妻能在教會一起服事的實在太少了。讓我們特別為「難得少有」的夫妻檔禱告，願神祝福他們的擺上，大大使用他們，並成為其他信徒婚姻、家庭、服事的好榜樣。求主保守他們的服事，滿有力量，能成為多人的祝福。

星期四
中國出生人口男多女少，比例是118：100。 然而在教會中信徒卻是女多男少，在海外華人教會和韓國教會中也有同樣的問題，但不像中國教會這樣嚴重。姐妹們除了負擔、分擔教會各樣事工之外 ，她們在探訪、協調婚姻家庭問題上更是出力，尤其在沒有傳道人的教會，願主加添這些為主擺上的「馬大及馬利亞」們。

星期五
紅歌意指「革命歌曲」，多是歌頌共產黨及其領袖或推崇國家之作。文革時期是紅歌最興盛的年代；那時文藝作品就那幾部革命樣板戲，但因歌曲可以大唱特唱，在愛情歌、抒情歌遭封殺的情況下，革命歌曲成了唯一的選擇。中國教會有許多華人所寫的讚美詩歌，歌詞和旋律都讓信徒產生共鳴，更容易表達對主的愛。我們為中國教會的詩歌感謝神，求主藉著祂的靈繼續動工，使詩歌帶給會眾更大的祝福。

星期六
「東方紅」是文革時期的中國國歌，『東方紅，太陽升。中國出了個毛澤東。他為人民謀幸福，呼爾嗨喲，他是人民大救星！』。這首歌每天早晚都會在每個城市和鄉村的擴音器裡播放，學生更是每天早上必須齊聲頌唱。時光茌苒，或許文革慘痛的回憶在億萬五十歲以上的中國人腦海中已淡化了些。我們為所有年齡半百以上的信徒禱告，求主更新他們，更加活潑見證主道。大部分中國教會領袖們都在這年齡層，求主賜下謙卑的心，能接受年輕一代的建議、批評。

星期日
今年是共產黨建黨九十周年，在官方強力推動下，各地市民狂熱唱起紅歌（傳統革命歌曲）。最著名的是「東方紅」和「大海航行靠舵手」，從前各種大小會議以唱「東方紅」開始，唱「大海航行靠舵手」結束。文化大革命是中國歷史悲哀的一頁，無數基督徒不願當眾羞辱主名、更不願放棄信仰，都將性命置之度外。我們不能忘記這些為主洒血的信心榜樣，他們的擺上不但沒有徒然，更成為近代中國教會迅速成長的原因，願主厚待、祝福他們的子孫。

星期一
「紅歌」熱正在中國大地掀起，唱響在社區、學校、工廠，進入社會的各個角落。愛唱紅歌主要的是退休和老年一代，因為他們最清楚音樂的歷史文化背景。但年輕人對此浪潮卻缺乏熱情。不少中國教會有相當陣容的詩班，也是崇拜的重要部分，讓我們為所有詩班的成員祈求，願主記念他們的辛勞，使用他們的聲音帶領弟兄姐妹讚美上帝。同時我們求主使用在城市教會越來越普遍的年輕人組成的敬拜團隊。