Prayer Focus for Greenland – Sunday, October 30

grel-mmap-smGreenland, Europe: Special ministries:

  1. a) A new and more contemporary version of the Bible in Greenlandic was released in 2001 – pray that many will read it and be changed.
  2. b) The JESUS film was translated into the Greenlandic language, it has received widespread distribution, impacting many.
  3. c) Training for leaders and counsellors. With such widespread brokenness and responsiveness, more Greenlandic Christians must be equipped to minister effectively. Recently, INO established a leadership training school for local believers, for the equipping of the national Church. For more information, go to operationworld.org.

Mark 11:1-11 – No Audio

Mark 11:1-11 (NIV)

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

 

Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52 (NIV)

 

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.

 

47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”  So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”

 

50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

 


 

Prayer Focus for Greece – Sunday, October 23

gree-mmap-smGreece, Europe: Foreign missions have not found Greece to be an easy field because of strong nationalism, visa restrictions and the high degree of cultural adaptation required. A general lack of responsiveness (or outright hostility) means that calling must be certain to endure long-term. Greece’s EU membership facilitates the residence of missionaries from other member states, an opportunity not yet fully utilized. Pray for more workers and greater fruit from their faithful labour. For more information, go to www.operationworld.org.

Prayer Focus for Gibraltar – Sunday, October 16

gibr-mmap-smGibraltar, Europe: Muslims working in or visiting Gibraltar are very open to receive Christian material and to hear about Jesus; pray that this opportunity might be utilized sensitively but decisively. Pray for effective methods of reaching them and for more workers for this rare opportunity. For more information, go to www.operationworld.org.

 

Jesus and the Seventh Commandment: Principles for Battling Lust

Matthew 5:27-30

 

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

 

 

Prayer Focus for Ghana – Sunday, October 9

ghan-mmap-smGhana, Africa: Christianity has long been established in the south. About 63% of Ghanaians call themselves Christian, but many have only a tenuous link to a church, and attendance figures rarely top 10%. African traditional worldviews and practices too often lie beneath a veneer of Christianity; this dual spirituality is the greatest challenge to the Church in Ghana. The formality and foreignness of many older churches have stimulated rapid growth among some AICs and charismatic churches, which instead offer excitement, involvement and healing, but not always salvation by faith. Pray that the true gospel may shine into the hearts of those who call themselves Christian but who are not born from above. Pray for a decisive break from all fetishism and occult bondages, and that true liberty in Jesus is found. For more information, go to www.operationworld.org.

Protecting Something Precious

          

Exodus 20:14

 

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

 

Genesis 2:18-25

 

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones     and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman,     because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 

You Shall not Murder

James 3:6-12

 

And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

 

Exodus 20:13

 

13 “You shall not murder.

 

Genesis 4:1-9

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

Prayer Focus for Germany – Sunday, October 2

germ-mmap-smGermany, Europe: The nation’s spiritual health is failing. Humanism and destructive criticism of the Bible in the 19th Century enfeebled churches and opened the way to compromise and to pagan Nazi tyranny in the 20th. Post-war dynamics accelerated the secularization and de-Christianization of society. Symptoms of this sickness are:

  1. a) The marginalization of Christianity. The Church is widely perceived as irrelevant, and open hostility to anything Christian is increasing.
  2. b) The rise of false religious teachings. New Age, the occult, Satanism and other religions, including new expressions of pre-Christian paganism, are increasing.
  3. c) Mental illnesses are occurring in record numbers, including clinical depression. Suicide is the second-largest killer of 15-29 year olds. Gruesome crimes and killings are also on the rise as many lack a moral foundation to their worldview. For more information, go to operationworld.org.