Prayer Request 4/24 - 4/30

Tuesday
The gap in wage earning between cities and villages in China has widened dramatically in the past thirty years. In 2012, people in cities earned 3.1 times more than those in the villages. Many rural churches struggle to be self-sufficient and their pastors need to work full-time to support themselves or even have to abandon their ministries. It is not unusual that churches in the countryside have no pastor at all. We pray that God will provide a solution and revive those churches once more.
Wednesday
We pray for the older pastors in villages that they will be mentors to a new generation of workers and help them grow spiritually by giving them opportunities to serve. May the Lord help those pastors to be good examples of faithful service and striving to help their younger ​co-workers to serve and love God.
Thursday
In contrast to those in the new house ​churches in the cities, believers in the traditional churches in China are mostly elderly, women, illiterate or semi-literate, poor, unable to give offerings, and do not understand Biblical truth or the meaning of their faith. A great majority of the believers in the Three-self Churches are older. We pray especially for them that God would cause a great revival among them and renew their passion to share the gospel.
Friday
In the past, the rapid growth of rural house churches in China came mostly from conversions,​ their passion for God, and their zeal to evangelize (share Jesus Christ with others). There was also a heavy emphasis on personal spiritual experience found in the comfort, guiding, and moving of the Holy Spirit. We pray that God will once again revive the rural churches so they have true freedom in Christ and will​ minister to one another in love being powerful witnesses because they are steadfastly following Jesus.
Saturday
In the rural churches in ​​China​​, the Sunday schools for children need good curriculum greatly along with training for the teachers so they will teach the Bible in an age-specific fashion rather than just watering down whatever is in the adult​ materials. We pray that rural pastors will include and speak to the young people when they preach and that they will be able to help young believers to live out Jesus Christ in this pluralistic culture.
Sunday
With the rapid increase of the number of churches in cities across China, urban churches definitely have an advantage over those in the villages in terms of freshness of messages from the pulpit and all kinds of spiritual resources. We praise God that even young Christians are able to enjoy good shepherding in the urban churches.​We do pray, however, that urban churches will not ignore rural churches and that they will share their blessings with believers in the countryside who are not so well off financially.
Monday
We boldly beseech God that churches in the cities will share their rich spiritual resource​s​ with the churches in rural China, and also supply the teachers to assist the impoverished churches in villages. ​We also pray that God​ will raise up believers who are well-equipped and have a burden to go to churches in the villages and specifically serve the youth there.

星期二
在過去三十年，中國城鄉之間的貧富差距持續拉大。2012年，城鎮居民的收入是農村居民的3.1倍。不少農村教會奉獻有限，很難自給自足，使傳道人的生活很拮据，有些傳道人因生活所迫而放棄全職服事。農村教會中缺少工人是個普遍現象，求主賜恩給這些經濟貧困的教會，為他們的困境 開出路，並以祂的大愛吸引傳道人，不放棄服事的路，也降下復興的靈火激勵眾人。
星期三
中國某些地區的農民，八成是五十至七十歲的長者。他們不懂現代農業技術，仍使用最原始的方法來耕種。有些農村教會在行政和聚會方式也都是多年不變。我們為年長的農村傳道人禱告，在屬靈生命的建造與承傳上，能成為新一代的導師；樂意提攜及幫助年輕一代同工愛主，以言教身教成為他們忠心服侍的好榜樣。
星期四
相對於城市裡較新成立的家庭教會，在一些傳統教會內，信徒多是老人和婦女，弟兄姊妹多為文盲或半文盲，經濟基礎差，對聖經真理認識也不全面，沒有奉獻觀念，信仰模糊。我們特別為三自教會禱告，老人或是老一代基督徒佔多數，求主復興他們，叫信徒生命大有成長，有更多傳福音的熱誠。
星期五
農村家庭教會以往的成長主要體現在蒙恩得救、單純的愛心和火熱的傳福音熱情。牧養上注重個人屬靈經驗，如聖靈在心靈裡的安慰、感動和帶領，最為普遍的是以見證來傳遞信息。求主再次幫助農村教會的信徒，在基督裡得著真自由，用愛心互相服事，以他們活潑的見證，讓人看出他們是跟從主的人。
星期六
目前農村教會的主日學缺乏屬靈資源和受過正規裝備的師資。如何將信仰真理和兒童成長心理需求結合將會是主日學教牧的需要和挑戰。求主賜恩農村教會，講台的釋經講道能更深入和貼近年輕一代的生活。願主幫助他們在多元化的群體和文化中活出基督聖善生命的見證。
星期日
隨著中國城市教會的日漸興起，在信息更新和屬靈資源上都遠優於農村教會。感謝神，很多城市年輕人能享受無微不至的牧養，求主提醒城市信徒，相比於農村地區，他們大大欠了福音的債。我們禱告主感動豐足有餘的教會要多關顧農村羸弱的教會，將恩典、資源和愛心更多的流通，成全主的心意。
星期一
我們大膽的向主求，願城市教會能幫助農村教會，提供更多屬靈資源，也在師資人力上直接給予協助。求主興起並差遣更多受過良好裝備，有負擔和服侍心志的弟兄姊妹願意到農村去，為主牧養各地的青少年。讓主耶穌的大使命得以薪傳，福音的花朵得以遍開大地。