Prayer Request 11/12 - 11/18

TuesdayWhile the central government of China offers extensive, need-based grants and loans for students at four-year universities, little financial aid is available for students at polytechnics to help pay their higher tuition. All parents in China try to save to give their child a college education. We pray for believers who feel they do not have enough savings and feel guilty about it. May the Lord remind us all that the best education we can give our children is the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wednesday
Students at polytechnics tend to be from poor or rural backgrounds. China’s education ministry said that last year, eighty percent of the students at polytechnics were the first in their families to receive higher education. These days, there are more college graduates among members of churches in China than before. Believers who have different levels of education understand what the pastor says at different levels. Let us pray that the pastor’s sermon can effectively appeal to a more educated group but the message will be both Biblical and applicable to daily living.
Thursday
The work of evangelism is much more difficult now in China, compared to a few years ago. On Sunday, it is also difficult to ask Christians to bring their friends to church because many would work extra hours for extra pay. There are so much entertainment around and people are focused on materialism and enjoyment, with little spiritual appetite left. We ask the Lord to give urban churches wisdom and strategies for evangelism, so the Gospel can be taken into the society with His power.
Friday
Because church members are physically exhausted after work, Chinese pastors find it difficult to visit their flocks. In order to provide caring to those working, pastors have to spend more time visiting people at home or call them over the phone as the only way of ministering, It is nearly impossible for a pastor to care for everyone in church, simply because they do not have the time and there are too many church members. We pray for effective caring of church members, especially those members who need much encouragement but are not receiving enough attention, may the Lord speak and comfort them.
Saturday
In the past, when Christians passed out tracts on the streets, at least some people will read them. Now, there are so much business ads and commercials, handing out Gospel tracts seem to be unproductive. People simply throw them away, making evangelism very difficult. We pray that Christians in their workplace, those Christian businessmen or social workers, will intentionally share the love of God and be a great witness for Him. They can be highly effective in loosening the hard soil.
Sunday
Factory work attracts young people from the rural regions, inland provinces that are generally poor and these youth are predominantly middle school graduates. They work to send money back home and very few of the Chinese Christians in the cities know their stories. Let us pray that young factory workers who are from Christian homes can quickly find a spiritual home near where they work whether it is a church or a meeting place so they can continue to be fed with God’s word and be built up spiritually.
Monday
Although in the past extramarital affairs were unheard of in churches in China, they are no longer “big news”. Their evil influence is affecting churches very deeply, like cancer, and it damages believers, even the pastors. May the Lord have mercy on each of us, believers and leaders alike. Churches need to be transparent and discuss this issue openly teaching their people how to face sexual temptations by guarding their hearts and running away from the lures and traps of lust. We pray that pastors will lead the movement to the return to holiness.

星期二
政府儘管向四年制本科院校生提供範圍廣泛且按需給予的助學金和貸款，但專科院校的學生幾乎無法獲得任何資助來承擔高昂的學費。父母都會竭盡所能的為孩子的大學教育費用積蓄。我們在禱告中要記念那些沒有足夠儲蓄，甚至因此對孩子有內疚的信徒父母禱告，求主提醒我們，父母帶領孩子認識耶穌基督才是給孩子最好的教育投資。
星期三
在專科院校就讀的學生當中，來自窮困或者農村家庭的比率非常高。教育部透露，去年專科院校中家有八成的學生是家中第一個考上大學的孩子。今日中國教會裡的弟兄姊妹的教育程度已比昔日大大提升了，如何牧養各類不同的信徒是傳道人的一大挑戰。求主幫助牧者能進入羊群中，了解他們的實際需要，在傳講主的話語時，能適切按眾人的屬靈狀況輔導、餵養。
星期四
目前在中國城市的福音工作開展更為不易，傳福音比從前難得多！就算在主日，仍有好些弟兄姊妹自願回公司加班賺錢，同理也很難帶領朋友到教會聽福音。城市資訊泛濫，人心苦於被功利物質競逐及世俗享樂所充滿，福音信息往往難以突圍而出。求主幫助城市教會制定適切的佈道計劃，針對人心在浮華沉澱過后的空虛，靠著主的大能把福音大大傳開。
星期五
由於工作量大，信徒下班後已經很疲倦，所以能接受牧養的時間有限。許多城市教會的牧者只能多花時間上門牧養或是以電話牧養在主日加班的信徒。想讓每個會友都得到牧者的關懷是不太容易的，牧者忙，會友多是極大原因之一。我們為那些特別需要鼓勵關懷的會友禱告，願主的話語和來自神自己的安慰能彌補牧者的不足。
星期六
過去信徒在街頭給未信者派發福音單張時，他們多半會接過去看。但現在因廣告和推銷單張太多，福音單張淪為其中一種，人們往往看了就扔掉，不會特別珍惜。今時的人心難向福音開放，使佈道工作倍加困難！求主使用職場上的信徒、社會上的基督徒商家及社會工作者，能在工作崗位上作光作鹽，以美好的生命見證，為未來的福音工作鬆土及舖路。
星期日
很多民工都是從鄉下到工業區打工，十多歲的青年人佔了大多數。他們离鄉背景辛苦工作，為的就是掙錢寄回鄉養家。很少城市教會的基督徒知道這些民工的個人故事，他們的靈魂曾否有人關心過？我們要為「農民工」信徒在城市裡都能加入或組成一個屬靈的家（聚會點）禱告，求主供應他們屬靈生命上的需要，並在愛中彼此建立。
星期一
以前在教會鮮有聽聞會眾中有婚外情發生。但今天時移勢逆，這股歪風已捲進教會，滲透到信徒的家庭，像毒瘤般危害弟兄姊妹，甚至在傳道人及教會領袖的家中也難以幸免。求主恩待教會，保守領袖同工及信徒的心。教會實在要公開面對這個挑戰，坦誠地教導弟兄姐妹如何更積極有效地捍衛家庭的價值觀，隨時隨處謹守自己的心，逃避眼目的引誘，情慾的陷阱。