Prayer Request 2/17 - 2/23

TuesdaySince Mao Zedong’s time, few sins have been more repugnant to the Chinese Communist Party than forming factions. And under the current anti-corruption campaign, that abhorrence has resurfaced. Cadres should be the selfless tools of the party leadership’s will. Paul admonished us ​ “to let​ there be no divisions among you; but that may be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1Co 1:10 ) We pray for true unity among churches in China.
Wednesday
While graft is bad, it is usually considered the failing of an individual but cliquism as Mao called it, is seen as a political blight threatening the Party's bedrock unity. ​Cliquism is common in the churches in China​ where many would like to serve but feel they are excluded or not trusted. May the Lord open doors for them to serve and bless them for what they humbly do in His name.
Thursday
​A long line of Chinese leaders see corruption as not only a symptom of personal greed, but also as that of dangerous disunity. The collapse of the Chinese dynasties was often accompanied by the spread of self-serving bureaucratic factions.​ Some leaders of the churches consider their church more spiritual than others and even forbid their members to fellowship with people in other churches. We pray for genuine humility and that we will see others as better than ourselves, not having false humility.
Friday
​Han Feizi, an ancient philosopher advised, "If appointment​ to office is controlled by cliques. men will work only to establish profitable connections". He meant that these people would put the interest of their own family first and not think about the needs of others. In the churches, the leaders often keep things secret for security purposes but many believers feel they have no voice in the church and do not know what is happening in their churches since they are not in the "inner circle". We pray for wisdom and unity for the churches that are under close scrutiny of the police.
Saturday
​In the cities of China yuppies are turning to Christianity. Buddhism attracts the middle class while Taoism has rebounded in small towns and the countryside. Islam is also on the rise, not only in troubled minority areas, but also among tens of millions of people elsewhere in China​. We pray that churches in China will not settle down in contentment and become full of pride because of the large numbers of believers. May the Lord give us a burden to evangelize as we see the empty hearts of so many and the great urgency to save lost souls.
Sunday
On the streets of Urumqi, long a bastion of secular cosmopolitanism, there is a visible shift from headscarves and veils to pants, skirts, and high heels. Beneath the veneer of prosperity, there exists a serious tension between the Han Chinese and the local Muslims.​ Urumqi has twenty-two open churches plus other family churches. Their objective is to preach the gospel to the Han-based people. We ask God to add to the number of Christians those from the minority group as well.
Monday
Beijing has spent a great deal of money to woo the women in Xinjiang to their way of thinking. From 2000 to 2010 well over three million​ of the ethnic minority women enrolled in classes to learn tailoring, cooking, and computer skills. However, more recently, an alarming number of Uighur women have turned back to conservative Islam. The issues of divorce and remarriage are not usually topics of conversation in the churches in China, even among pastors. We pray for God's comfort and strength for all of the sisters who have lost their husbands. May the Lord give them good emotional support in their churches.

星期二
自毛澤東時代以來，拉幫結派幾乎是最令人反感的。近來頻密的貪腐行動正顯示這種憎惡重新浮出了水面。共產黨強调：所有幹部都應該是黨內領導層意志的無私工具。保羅也提醒教會：「你們中間也不可分黨，只要一心一意，彼此相合。」 (林前1:10 ） 求主賜給中國教會領袖們真有謙卑，效法主基督，有神僕人的心志。
星期三
貪污受賄已經是很惡劣的事，但它通常被歸類為屬於個人私德的墮落，而「小團體主義」（毛澤東也稱其為「山頭主義」）則被認為是嚴重的政治破壞，危及黨集中統一的基石。結黨或是「小圈子」也是教會常有的問題。不少想參與服事的肢體被拒絕，因為他們不被信任或不是核心同工。求主帮助教會能廣開服事的機會，並厚賜智慧、能力和恩典給那些為主謙卑擺上的弟兄姊妹。
星期四
許多人認為腐敗不光代表着個人的貪慾，也是失去團結的危險信號。 許多朝代的傾覆，都伴隨着官僚結黨營私風氣的盛行。「我們比你們更屬靈」、「不要與他們交往」是許多教會固守的態度。求恩主開我們屬靈的眼睛，叫我們明白自己也不過是一個蒙恩的罪人，以致能看別人比自己強，以基督的心為心，彼此包容、接納，互相守望、砥礪。
星期五
古代哲人韓非子曾說（大意是）：「官員的任命若任由派系來控制，人們私下就會儘力交結有利自己的人脈關係，根本不為人民著想。」不少信徒常覺得他們不受教會重視與信任，如同外人一樣。 教會領袖有時也為了安全顧慮而不願太多人知道教會內務。求主賜給教會在被官方監察下，仍有智慧做好與各個肢體間的聯繫與交通。
星期六
在大城市，白領一族傾向青睞基督信仰；佛教吸引中產階級；道教則在窮鄉僻壤較為流行。另一方面，信奉伊斯蘭教的人也在漢人中增加。求主叫我們不因城巿教會人數加增而自滿，而是看到人心的空虛，永恒真理和救恩的寶貴，信徒要加倍努力傳揚福音，拯救廣大失喪的靈魂。
星期日
烏魯木是個世俗化和多元化並存的大都市。如今在烏魯木齊，頭巾、面紗，與褲子、裙子和高跟鞋混搭了起來。在繁榮的表面下，其實漢人與當地穆斯林的關係嚴重緊張。烏魯木齊市已有22間公開教會，及許多家庭教會，其傳福音的對象還是以漢人為主。我們求神不斷地將得救的人數添加給教會， 更是激動漢人信徒願意關心其他少數民族能得著真理與救恩。
星期一
政府花費巨資，在新疆爭取女性的支持。從2000至2010年，超過300萬名少數民族婦女參加了裁縫、烹飪和電腦培訓班。 但是，近來卻有越來越多的維吾爾女性轉向保守化的伊斯蘭教。教會一向不談離婚、再婚、及老年婚姻等問題，甚致在牧者間也少涉及。牧者實在不知如何幫助和牧養有此需要的會眾。我們為失去丈夫的姐妹們禱告，求主安慰並加添她們力量，在教會中能得到接納與適切的關注。