Prayer Request 8/11 - 8/17

Tuesday
With 160,00 episodes in 500 TV series, in 2008 China produced more soap operas than any other country in the world. These were made for television and were shown around the world via satellites and local stations. A local Chinese website boasts of 40,000 legally downloadable TV shows. Without a doubt the quality of Chinese television programing is excellent and highly entertaining so that even believers have the problem of becoming addicted to the shows and preferring them to going to church. Midweek church attendance is steadily declining in China. Let us pray for this "lust of the eyes" spiritual distraction to be lessened.

Wednesday
A Communist Party-owned magazine released a report of "trustworthiness" - farmers and monks (Buddhists and other religions) are listed as two groups people can trust. Prostitutes are ranked third and ahead of government officials. Nearly 90% of surveyed said that "what officials said is always a lie, cannot be believed." Unfortunately, the average Chinese do not know anything about Christian leaders or pastors at all. Even among Christians, there is still a large degree of mistrust of how money is handled in church. Let us pray that believers can be a light to society and faith in God can be extended to trust in those who faithfully lead the sheep.

Thursday
In the past, rural churches in China have been particularly poor. Both pastors and believers lived austere lives. Now, however, with the improvement in the economy and with financial support coming from abroad many rural churches have more money at their disposal than they did formerly. Many residents in the villages flock to the churches hoping to find quick prosperity since the pastors have not taught against such an imbalanced belief. Let us pray that money will not corrupt the rural churches and that people do not seek God only so they will have material riches.

Friday
Rural churches in China have gone through a dramatic financial improvement recently. Money has literally flooded in for ministry, community welfare, training and equipping of pastors, assistance to the poor and needy, publishing printed materials, and even foreign mission work. Unfortunately, many believers have found that pastor a church is a "cushy job" and a quick way to economical comfort which has led to numerous financial scandals. We pray for the integrity of all church workers with a restoration of trust rather than cynicism among the believers.

Saturday
In recent years money intended for ministry has poured into the churches in China but a lack of accountability and transparency have invariably led to allegations of misused funds. since even the "best and strongest" of us are susceptible to greed and sexual temptation. Many churches also treat the wealthy with favor and despise the poor. We pray for a guarding of hearts, a renouncing of unholy ambition, and that churches will treat all people equally, not judging anyone by the amount of money he has.

Sunday
According to a recent national survey, the top six favorite books are: A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh (all Chinese classics) and How the Steel Was Tempered (a Stalin era revolutionary biography). The top three authors are Jinyong, a kungfu novelist; Luxen, an essayist; and Quingyao, a female romance novelist. What people read influences how they think. We seriously pray that there will arise life-changing Chinese who will inspire believers to think of the love of God and how to impact society in their Christian walk.

Monday
Taking a close look, we can see that the churches in China are very fragmented. They divide over such things as political orientation, historical background, differences in their region of origin, speaking a different dialect, and even over being rich or poor. Right now a big split is found in evangelicals versus charismatic. These divisions lead to malicious criticism, forbidding members to attend other churches and even outright hostility. We need to pray for humility and a genuine love for Jesus Christ for our Chinese bothers and sisters. May the Lord have mercy on us and give grace to each one of us.


星期二
中國媒體進入龐大製作時代﹕2008年中國電視劇已達每年500多部、近16,000集，成為世界第一電視劇生產大國和播出大國。透過衛星和所在地電視台在世界各角落播放，其中一個國内網站更自喻可提供合法版權下載熱播的經典電視劇多達40,000部。無容置疑，中國製作的電視劇水平卓越且極具娛樂性。教會信徒們同樣也有沉迷電視劇目的問題，甚至影響到具會的出席率。讓我們為保守我們的心懷意念，勝過俗世「眼目慾望」的誘惑來禱告。

星期三
一份黨屬雜誌針對中國誠信的調查顯示，民眾寧可相信性工作者，也不信官員。調查顯示，農民、宗教職業者名列最講誠信的前兩名；而約有8%的網民認為，性工作者有誠信，居調查的第三位。民眾對政府官員的信任度遠遠落後，近90%的受訪者對官方的調查數據表示「絕對是假的，從來都不信」。 可惜報導中所謂的宗教職業者對中國人而言是佛教、道教的人物，並非基督教的領袖或牧師。仍有不少基督徒，對教會的奉獻處理也存相當程度的不信任。讓我們為基督徒能成為社會的明燈，及毫不保留地信任牧者來祈求。

星期四
中國教會，尤其是農村的家庭教會，一向都很貧窮。信徒與教會領袖也過著簡樸的生活。然而，近年因國內經濟起飛和海外資助等多種原因，教會掌握的錢財越來越多。許多村民認為有利可圖而信耶穌、加入教會，而教會又沒有及時糾正，使他們的信心建造在真理的根基上。當我們為農村教會人數增多而感恩之際，求主保守信徒能抵擋金錢的腐蝕，單純地尋求神！

星期五
近年來，大筆的財富湧入農村的教會，透過教會供應福音事工、慈善、培訓、供應牧者、幫補信徒、文化事工以及海外宣教等領域。然而，一些投機的信徒發現成為教會的領袖、牧養教會是一項不錯的「營生」和致富的捷徑，以致教會先後涉入數宗財務醜聞。求主保守每個信徒的心懷意念，尤其保守教會領袖與牧者能向公義的神存誠正和忠心，再次嬴回信徒的信任。

星期六
投入中國教會以用於福音事工的大量資金，在不透明的管理下不免遭濫用。畢竟財、色、權、勢都是極強的誘惑，些微不慎，再好再強的信徒亦會失守。在「利字當前」，許多教會亦有「抑貧愛富、以『貌』取人」之嫌，導致教會內也劃分等級。求主憐憫我們的軟弱，幫助信徒排除心中的貪婪、自私及不純淨的野心。也求主讓教會能以基督的愛，無論貧富，貴賤，皆一視同仁。

星期日
據一項全國調查顯示，中國最受歡迎的六本經典書依次為：《紅樓夢》、《三國演義》、《西遊記》、《水滸傳》　（中國經典小說）、《鋼鐵是怎樣煉成的》（史大林時期劃時代作品）。 讀者最喜愛的前三名作家是：武俠小説作家金庸、散文家魯迅、愛情小説作家瓊瑤。人們的思想很受他們的讀物影響。讓我們祈求中國能出現具生命力的基督徒作品，能激勵信徒思考上帝的愛及如何活出基督為社會帶來變革與更新。

星期一
當今中國教會由於政治、歷史、籍貫、文化甚至經濟狀況等因素影響，往往分門別類、各自為政，相當不合一。目前中國基督教最大的分離可見於福音派與靈恩派。分裂和派別導致彼此之間惡意中傷，甚至禁止會友到其他教會，彼此公然敵對。我們懇切求主使主內的弟兄姐妹們能夠因耶穌基督的緣故，找到中間的平衡點，彼此謙讓，彼此相愛。願神的憐憫 與恩慈臨到我們每一個人。