Prayer Request 6/7 - 6/13

Tuesday
July 1st is the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party in China. The government is launching a huge wave of both TV and cinema blitz praising the glory of the party. In contrast to the propaganda of the past, these films feature young and popular stars in an attempt to capture the hearts of the younger generation to "love the party". It is true that young people today do not show much interest in religion or in searching deeply for the meaning and purpose of life. We pray, however, for true commitment to Jesus for young Christians. and that they will not merely look for blessings from God but will always have the boldness to be counted as believers.

Wednesday
The Chinese government is working hard to gain the heart and soul of the generation born after the 1980's, those who are the one-child generation who are enjoying good lives and have money to spend, but have very little interest in politics. To them, joining the party means only that it is a good move to find a job and get good connections. Churches in China cannot give up the effort to reach out to this same group of young people, many of whom find church boring and irrelevant to their culture. We pray that more young Christians will stand up to be powerful witnesses that Christians are not just old people or disconnected from society.

Thursday
The number of college students who are Christians in China has increased significantly in recent years and they have also transformed the urban churches there. Another development is that up to twenty percent of the Chinese students in North America are Christians or exposed to Christianity and when they return to China, they often form their own churches. It is always a challenge to minister in urban churches where the educational background varies greatly. Pastors must adjust their preaching according to the audience. We pray for humility for all believers and specifically those in China's urban churches and we pray that they will be stirred up to love the Lord by their fellow believers rather than feeling jealous of them.

Friday
A unique development in the churches in China is churches for Chinese businessmen who hold foreign passports and their families. They are often called fellowships and must report their existence to the authorities but the government has allowed them to flourish to cultivate a good image and also to foster a good business climate. These fellowships are not open to local believers but we can pray that their members will be powerful witnesses among their employees, neighbors, and people who work in their homes and be able to lead them to Christ.

Saturday
The Chinese government has changed quite a bit in its way of dealing with religious issues. They now follow certain methods and procedures and are in principle trying their best to avoid violence but it is difficult to ascertain whether these improvements imply a tolerance of or the legality of house churches. Many unregistered churches are still very cautious and avoid being "interviewed" by the police since although the police know full well of their activities; it is still wise to avoid unnecessary confrontation. Let us pray for wisdom for the church leaders, especially those who are trying to expand their ministries but desire to minimize the risks of interference.

Sunday
In the recent past the Chinese government has tried to give some room to mainstream house churches. Some dialog between church leaders and officials is eventually inevitable but the real solution is in whether house churches can achieve legal status. We pray to our gracious Lord that all churches will receive legal status. We also pray that believers will have the boldness to preach the Word before that day arrives. Above all, we lift up all the believers so they will not be swayed or tempted by secularism and thus become lukewarm and ineffectual Christians.

Monday
When urbanization began in China the rural churches thought they could play a role in the evangelization of the cities because they had the manpower needed. However, it turned out that rural believers could not penetrate the cities and so their churches have lost many people since the young people went to the cities for work and ended up lost in the cities. Let us remember those churches that are reaching out to migrant workers who are highly mobile and whose attendance is often sporadic, We pray that these churches are not just their spiritual home but are a place for spiritual growth and development.


星期二
隨著中國共產黨建黨90週年紀念日（7月1日）的到來，中國政府推出大量的電視和電影節目來歌頌共產黨。和以往相比這些作品大量起用了年輕的俊男美女明星，試圖利用這些作品對年輕一代開展「愛黨教育」。 現在的年輕人對信仰宗教並無太大興趣，也很少思考人生意義和目的。我們求主剛強教會中的年輕人有真正的委身，大有勇氣的為主做見証，而不是提停留在只求神賜給祝福保佑。

星期三
政府努力對80後出生的年輕人展開宣傳工作，他們多為獨生子女，生活條件優沃，具強烈的利己主義和追名逐利的傾向，多半不太中國關心政治。不少人入黨動機只因「有利就業」和「拓展人脈」。政府與教會都想贏得年輕人的心，然而教會往往對年輕人沒吸引力，與他們的文化無交集。讓我們禱告有更多的年輕基督徒，在社會及社區中成為有力的見證，讓更多人了解教會，不是與世隔絕的組織, 也不單是老年人聚集的地方。

星期四
近年來大學生中基督徒人數激增，改變了中國城市教會的面貌。據估現居北美的中國留學生中，可能有20％是基督徒，或對基督信仰有所了解，一旦回國，往往組建海歸教會。城市教會信徒的教育程度高低不一，挑戰牧者調整講道內容以應會眾的需求。求主賜下謙卑的心，尤其在城市教會的信徒。也求主使牧者能夠除去嫉妒等負面情緒，被高教程度信徒所激勵，更加愛主，共同配搭興旺福音。

星期五
華商團契在中國教會雖非主流，但他們默默耕耘的努力也結出豐碩的果子。一般而言，華商團契需要向當地政府報備，但政府允許他們蓬勃發展，以圖在華商中保持政府的良好形象從而營造良好的商業氣氛。雖然一般信徒不能參加華商團契的聚會，我們求主讓所有華商團契的成員都能在員工，鄰居，僱員面前為主做美好的見證，吸引人心歸向基督。

星期六
中國政府在處理宗教問題上，現在遵循一定方法和程序，原則上盡量避免採取暴力方式，與過去相比已大有改善。但仍難判定官方對家庭教會的容忍度和家庭教會的合法身份。 許多家庭教會目前還是非常小心地避免招到公安的過問。雖然公安多半清楚知道他們的活動，但謹慎避免不必要的衝突仍是明智之舉。讓我們繼續為家庭教會的領袖們禱告，求神賜他們智慧，知道如何在發展事工時也能避開無謂的干擾。

星期日
政府在過去己年來的寬鬆讓主流家庭教會有一定的發展空間。政府官員和家庭教會領袖之間的對話和互動是早晚避免不了的事，然而中國家庭教會在社會中的合法地位問題必須解決。我們為所有的中國教會能得到合法的地位來仰望恩主。也在等候主再來那日之前，求主賜給我們剛強壯膽的心能勇敢為主傳福音。更求主保守所有信徒，不被世俗和財富所吸引，不成為不冷不熱的基督徒。

星期一
中國城市化初期，農村教會同工以為靠著農村基督徒人數之眾，必能在城市宣教上佔優勢，結果發現只能包圍城市，卻打不進去。反過來，農村教會的會眾卻大量流失，因為許多年輕人到城市打工失落在城市中。 我們為那些關懷民工的教會來禱告。因為民工的流動性很大，維持與拓展事工極其不易。求主使用這些教會，能成為民工屬靈的家，帶給他們生命的成長和發展，將福音的種子再帶出去。