Topic: Healthy Relationships
Today we pray for Attendees: Laura, Taylor, Ingrid and Carol
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34
The mission community can begin to feel small. Many teams are comprised of various nationalities, backgrounds, giftedness, with a variety of ministry focuses. This can give rise to comparison, competition, and perceived differing values. How fast one learns the language, sees conversions, how one’s kids adapt to national schools/churches, the furnishing of one’s home (or size of it). Having limited funds. Singles and married couples, with and without kids. Adventurous or needing to be “hand held” during an orientation period. Little visible fruit for the sacrifice and effort of living overseas. All equate to ample opportunity for Satan to cause disunity, discontent, and hurt. Many times this feels like an emotional quagmire. We pray for confession of wrongs, healing of hurts and rebuilding of trust to unify teams and clearly reflect Jesus. May the retreat provide a place to process and gain new perspective.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
©2017 Thrive
Regional Prayer Focus Nation: Russia
Challenges for Prayer
Christian leaders, who are few in number, must rise to many great challenges. Lack of training in the past, need for funding today and loss of many pastors and educators through emigration contribute to this lack of leaders. The role of foreigners will be highly limited; solutions must come from within Russia. Pray for these needs:
a) Biblical leadership patterns need to be instilled.Authoritarian leadership styles, a legacy of Russia’s past, sadly shape how most Russian pastors operate today. This is particularly difficult because women make up the large majority of churchgoers, men have a much lower life-expectancy and too few pastors have an extensive theological education. Christian Women in Partnership is a joint venture that prepares women to be effective in ministry.
b) Discipleship patterns are sorely inadequate.Many churches across all evangelical groups are filled with younger folk. But most of these come from non-Christian backgrounds and need grounding in Scripture and a Christian worldview. Systematic Bible study and expository preaching are rare. Cell-based Bible study groups are one key solution; pray for their multiplication.
Excerpts taken from Operation World