Mark 6:7:14-16, 30-44

Mark 6:7, 14-16, 30-44

 

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits….

 

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”….

 

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Prayer Focus for Burundi – Sunday, February 28

buru-MMAP-smBurundi, Africa: The socio-political situation is one of cautious hope. There have been many encouragements, but threats to the fragile new peace remain. The final rebel group, the FNL, signed the peace accord only in 2008. Pray for these key issues: a) Decades-old enmity between Tutsi and Hutu that boiled into a violent eruption claiming 300,000 lives in the 1990s has simmered down with the peace accord and representational government. The systematic humiliation of Hutus has all but ceased, leading to a more peaceful co-existence. There is widespread intermarriage between these groups. Pray for genuine respect and cooperation as these two peoples build Burundi’s future together. B) The president is a former leader of a rebel Hutu group. He is a believer and has actively sought the counsel of Church leaders on several issues. His relative political inexperience, his past as a rebel fighter and Satan’s desire to tear down Christian leaders each pose a danger; pray for moral integrity, wise advisors and spiritual grace to do the right things in the right way. For more information go to www.operationworld.org.

Mark 6:7; 14:30

Mark 6:7, 14-30

 

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits….

 

14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

 

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

 

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught…

Prayer Focus for Burkina Faso – Sunday, February 21

burk-MMAP-smBurkina Faso, Africa: The spirit world is very real in Burkina Faso, where, as the saying goes, the population is “50% Muslim, 20% Christian and 100% animist”. The power of the occult has yet to be decisively challenged and broken in many peoples of Burkina Faso. Few countries in West Africa are more dominated by idolatry, fetishism and secret societies. Even in churches, occult power is wielded, hampering and polluting the message of Christ. The most strongly animist groups include the Lobi, Birifor and Dogosi peoples (WEC), Dagara (Canadian Pentecostals, AoG, WEC), Senufo and Bobo (CMA), Lyele (IMB), Karaboro and several smaller groups. Almost all live in the west and southwest of the country. Pray that the power of the risen Christ might be demonstrated for the saving of many.For more information go to www.operationworld.org.

Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16-20

 

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Prayer Focus for Bulgaria – Sunday, February 14

bulg-MMAP-smBulgaria, Europe: Pray for Bulgarian-speaking Muslims in the south have an identity crisis – rejected both by Bulgarians (religion) and Turks (language); a specific ministry is needed to reach them. Only a handful of congregations exist among them, but Bulgarian workers have increased focused prayer and church planting work among this group in recent years. Foreign missions have traditionally found Bulgaria a tricky place in which to minister, yet missionaries and tentmakers who will learn the culture and language are still needed and can play a valuable role. Pray for: a) More workers for the field. There are increasingly open doors and opportunities to serve the Church in Bulgaria through training, teaching and serving. Partnering with nationals to reach the unreached minorities is also a need. b) Missions and money. A sudden and disproportional injection of foreign funds in the 1990s created dependent churches and a negative bias against evangelicals who “buy” converts. A focus on humanitarian work further painted evangelicals with the brush that the gospel is only for the poor and illiterate. Every infusion of money is both extremely useful and potentially damaging. Pray for great wisdom in the use of funds, and against overdependence upon such resources.  For more information go to www.operationworld.org.

Prayer Focus for Brunei, Asia – February 7, 2016

Prayer for the unreached.

a) The Malay majority are Muslim with a handful of Christians, none daring to publicly make his or her faith known. There is little reason for people to change their spiritual status quo; pray for the Spirit to move in the hearts of Malays.

b) The Chinese lack security and are still regarded as foreigners, even if born in Brunei. Most still follow the traditional religions of China or are secular. Less than 20% are Christian and, of those, many do not pursue the Christian life. Chinese Christian businessmen from Brunei and from abroad have significant potential to impact Brunei economically and spiritually.

c) Tribal peoples have either converted to Islam and then been absorbed into the mainstream of national life, or they have remained isolated in jungle villages. Pray for those still in villages; there is a fairly strong Church and witness to them.

Mark 6:7-13

Mark 6:7-13

 

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Matthew 7:1-14

 

Judging Others

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.