Prayer Request 12/13 - 12/19

Tuesday
The ordinary person in China has little idea of the origin and true meaning of Christmas but he/she will brave cold weather to line up in front of a church to get in to attend a Christmas Eve service.We pray for all of the preparation and effort to invite people during the Christmas season. May the Lord use these special services to welcome the unreached and may the Holy Spirit move in their hearts so that some will respond and accept Jesus as their personal Savior.
Wednesday
In Beijing, Shanghai and many of the larger cities in China, churches offer Christmas Eve services as well as those on Christmas Day which curious people who usually would not step inside a church will attend. Many curiosity seekers get into a long line to see the "Christmas show":. We pray that churches will have adequate plans so they can follow up on all those who attend, attract them to return to worship, and even join small groups.
Thursday
When churches in China (whether large or small) have a special Christmas service, the church building predictably will be packed. For churches​ there, Christmas is a great time to share the gospel openly. We pray for believers to get excited and have the boldness to witness to their neighbors and be willing to invite them as well as their relatives and friends to church.
Friday
Christmas is one of the rare and precious occasions for churches in China to have multi-generational services. Usually there are presentations by the seniors, adults of all ages, and especially the children.​ ​We pray for more opportunities for church members of all ages to be together, learning from and edifying each other. We thank the Lord for all of the little ones who perform in the Christmas programs. May the Lord help them to know Jesus well while they're still young.
Saturday
In China, the slogan of “China Dream” is ubiquitous, it is a vision of a cohesive, equal society, increasingly wealthy and healthy, and happily wedded to Communist Party rule, ardent patriotism and traditional values. The nationalistic and patriotic sentiment do not bode well for churches in China, since Christianity is still deeply suspected of having foreign ties and agenda. We pray for growth of churches and spiritual growth of all believers in China
Sunday
As China’s total wealth has rapidly grown, there are increasingly pronounced imbalances in Chinese society. This is reflected not only in the polarization of incomes and wealth, but also in plainly observable disparities in education, health and other social protections. The disparity of rich and poor churches in China is also widening. We pray church leaders, especially those in the cities will step up and offer some solution to this problem and try to provide some assistance now.
Monday
The top one percent of Chinese households possess one-third of the country's domestic wealth while the bottom quarter of them hold only one percent of it. The disparity is greatest in access to housing, education, and health care. Christian philanthropy is still in its infant stage in China. We pray that believers who are blessed by the Lord will first give themselves to God then devote their efforts to helping churches that have few resources. We pray many more wealthy believers will step up and give for the sake of God's Kingdom.


星期二
一般中國民眾不甚明白聖誕節的來源和真諦，但是到了聖誕節期，許多非基督徒都會來到教堂前排隊等待參加聖誕晚會。我們為各地教會今年的聖誕籌備和邀請禱告，願主感動更多人因著這些對外的節目，開始接觸福音，並接受主耶穌為個人救主。
星期三
北京、上海等許多一線、二線城市，在平安夜和聖誕節兩天都會有特別聚會，規模較大的教堂還會安排從早到晚數場的聖誕演出，而且幾乎都是「供不應求」。在參與聖誕崇拜的人中，多有從未進過教堂的，因對「聖誕演出」好奇而來。我們為教會能有良好的跟進計劃禱告，能幫助這些「來賓」繼續參與教會活動，甚至加入查經小組。
星期四
往往在聖誕節期間，聖誕節的特別聚會都會「爆滿」，不僅大教會如此，連許多中小規模的家庭教會也有類似的情況。「聖誕節」對教會而言，不論是大教會或小教會，都是一個「傳福音」的絕佳契機。我們為信徒願意邀請親人朋友，和他們分享福音感恩，更是願意在社區、鄰居面前勇於見證神。
星期五
在教會的聖誕晚會裡，最寶貴的場面是四代同堂，老、中、青、兒童們歡聚一起。每個年齡層的人都用他們的特色節目來歡度聖誕，見證主耶穌帶來的平安和喜樂。我們為中國教會能有更多跨越年齡代溝，彼此造就的機會祈求。特別為主日學的孩子們表演感恩，願主幫助他們從小明白耶穌降生的意義。
星期六
在中國隨處可見“中國夢”的標語--一個有凝聚力的平等社會，日益富裕，不斷改善，樂見共產黨的統治，熱切追求愛國主義和傳統價值觀。民族主義和愛國情操對中國教會而言，恐怕沒有太多好處。因為在政府眼中，基督教是與外國有所聯繫。我們為中國教會數量增加更多和信徒的靈命更長進不斷禱告。
星期日
儘管中國人的收入迅速增加，貧富不均及教育和醫療等社會保障方面的機會不平等現象也在加深，中國貧窮和富裕教會之間的差距也更大了。我們求神興起教會領袖，尤其是在城市教會中，能有策略提供解決的方法，也能提供一些嘗試性的措施來幫助貧弱的教會。使在神的家里眾肢體間多的也沒有餘，少的也没有缺。
星期一
中國收入最高的1%家庭擁有全國三分之一的財富，而收入最低的四分之一家庭只有1%。最明顯的差距是在獲得住房、教育和醫療服務的機會上。基督教慈善事業，在中國仍是處在嬰兒階段。求主感動興起富裕的信徒，先將自己擺上為主使用，滿有神國度觀的視野和胸襟，致力於幫助貧窮的教會。