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DAY 4THE REVERSAL OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONSActs 13:47In the early 1900s, the majority of Christians lived in the West. Morethan a century later, a large proportion of all Christians now live inAsia, Africa, and South America. The number of missionaries goingto the four corners of the world is also growing. Last February, inBrazil, 140,000 people met in three stadiums pledging to makethe Great Commission their main ambition. Three million morewatched online - promising to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christto every nation. “We declare today that now is the time for harvest,now is the season for revival and every nation on earth will betouched,” said Andy Byrd with Youth With a Mission (YWAM).Half a world away, Chinese Christians, under intensepersecution, hold 24-hour-a-day secret prayer meetings,crying out for the nations. “Lord, the number of Christiansin China is increasing, what should we do, Lord?” asked aprominent leader of China’s underground church movementduring a prayer meeting. “What’s our job? How should weexpand Your Kingdom? Lord, we pray that you will place Yourmission into each of our hearts.” A similar scene plays out 7,000miles away in North Africa. “God has put in our hearts to beable to send 1,000 missionaries by the year 2025 and I reallybelieve, maybe one day, America will end up with some Muslimconvert missionaries coming to reach out to the Muslimsthere,” Youssef Qurahman, a North African pastor based inAlgeria, told CBN News.It’s a far cry from those early days when Western missionary legendslike William Carey, Hudson Taylor, and David Livingstone laboureddecades before seeing the fruits of their efforts. Today, missionariesanswer that same call. This new generation, however, comes from,among other places, the remote parts of Mongolia, desert sandsof the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Before, where you wouldthink of a missionary in the 1900s as pale, white, British persondressed in somewhat Victorian clothes - that is over now. “Wehave missionaries now that look like everyone,” said Dr CorneBekker, Dean of Regent University’s school of Divinity. CBN NewsP R AY7JUNE Praise God that He always has a plan – He isnever taken by surprise! He is using the fruits of pastmissionary labours to bring the Gospel back.WIDERJULY Praise God for the missionary zeal of the newChristians from Brazil, China and other places. Praythat their efforts may be accompanied by greatrevivals.D EEP E RAUGUST Praise God that those who received theGospel through the sacrificial efforts of Westernmissionaries are now bringing the Gospel back to theWest. Pray that they may be full of grace and fruit.

DAY 5THE BRAVE IRANIAN MISSIONARY WOMENPsalm 96:3Born into separate families, Marziyeh Amirizadeh and MaryamRostampour were both desperately seeking for truth andmeaning for their lives. While reading the Koran, Maryam neverfelt the presence of God or found answers her heart longed for.Maryam’s sister came home one day and gave her a booklet whichcontained Luke’s Gospel. As she started reading that little bookMaryam says, “I believe that Jesus that day revealed the truth tome because every word that I was reading I felt it talking to myheart.” Maryam and Marziyeh both found hope in Jesus Christand converted to Christianity. Seeking to learn more, they bothseparately moved to Turkey. This is where the two women metfor the first time. They instantly became friends with an interest insharing their faith. With that in mind, they moved back to Iran tostart their journey across the country sharing the Gospel.Their journey started in Tehran, giving out over 20,000 NewTestaments until they had covered the full area. During thattime, they literally had to run for their lives handing out Biblesunder cover of darkness. The women were eventually caughtand arrested. Maryam recalls, “I remember we had to sleep ona freezing and filthy floor when we did find blankets most ofthem strongly smelled of urine.” On more than one occasion thewomen were pressured to deny their faith in Jesus. Eventuallythey were transferred to Evin Prison, notorious for raping,torturing and executing many innocent people. Marziyehrecalls her time there, “They told us if we want to insist on ourfaith, that we would face execution by hanging.”“We had long hours of interrogation, while having to listen to thesounds of other prisoners being beaten and tortured.” Despiteall of this, the women were determined to share the Gospeland they started to view their prison as a church. They broughtmany people to Christ and made many friends. Maryam states,“We believe that it was God’s plan for us to be in that prison fornine months we had great opportunities to share the messagewith many prisoners.” Eventually the United Nations and AmnestyInternational enabled their release from jail. Their book, Captive inIran, tells their story. Premier ChristianityP R AYW I D ERD EEPER8JUNE Praise God that He enabled both these women– independently – to come to a true faith in Jesus andthen meet up in Turkey. Pray for the women of Iran.JULY Praise God for the zeal these woman had toshare the Gospel despite the awful consequences.Pray for those who came to know Christ through theirministry.AUGUST Praise God that there is a faithful witnessto Christ in Iran and that the number of believers isgrowing rapidly. Pray for the day of salvation for Iran.

DAY 6FIVE BOXERS SURRENDER LIVES TO JESUSIsaiah 44:22To the familiar tones of a Stormzy soundtrack, five youngboxers put down their gloves and, rather than knock out theiropponents, laid down and surrendered their lives to Jesus.Flanked by friends and families, the boxers made their wayinto the ring and testified to the difference Christ had made intheir lives. “I feel like a clean person and the worries are off myshoulders,” one said. All five boxers are members of The GoodShepherd Boxing Community, in Romford at the Church of theGood Shepherd, a mission outreach conceived by Dave Harrigan,a graduate of Church Mission Society’s Pioneer Mission LeadershipTraining Programme, which is now in its tenth year.Launched in 2015, the boxing club has now become a hub forpeople in the local community to learn to box and get fit, aswell as a place where they can have fun, build relationshipsand encounter God, many for the first time. Dave explainedthat the idea to be baptised came from the boxers themselves.Dave and the team at Good Shepherd decided that in order toput the participants at ease, they would organise the churchlike a boxing ring and place the baptism pool in the middleof the church with seating circling. Friends and family wereencouraged to take part by offering their own prayers andexpressing thanks to God.After the service, which took place on Thursday 27 February,the boxers shared the impact the ceremony had made. Onesaid, “It was like an out of body experience I saw myself goingunder but there was so much weight lifted off my shoulderswhen I came up.” Another said: “This journey has re-lit the fireand belief that was always there, and with the help of the otherguys, I discovered that it was I that was lost. Being a part of thiscommunity has made me want to be a better person.” DaveHarrigan concluded: “This baptism is a fulfilment of our visionfor pioneer ministry and is exciting proof that pioneer projectssuch as the Good Shepherd Boxing Community are an effectiveway of being ‘church’ for people who live outside the traditionalbounds of the regular church and who wouldn’t normally attenda Sunday service.” Church Mission SocietyP R AYWIDERD EE P E R9JUNE Praise God for the outreach work of the Churchof the Good Shepherd and its Boxing Community.Pray these five will be the first fruits.JULY Praise God for the witness these five wereable to give to their families and friends. Pray thatGod will keep them ever stronger in their faith andwitness.AUGUST Praise God that ever more churches arebeing ‘church’ for those who live outside the regularchurch community. Pray for revival in this land!

DAY 7SYDNEY REFUGEES ARE FINDING JESUSIsaiah 55:7Deep in the western suburbs of Sydney, there is a vision emerging:a vibrant church is growing at Oakhurst, a suburb in the Blacktownarea. On any Sunday there is good news ringing out as 150 to 200members of the Sudanese community meet for a Dinka languageservice. The children are mainly Australian-born, but the parentsand some of the youth came to Australia from the civil war turmoilof South Sudan, often via refugee camps in Kenya. Their pastor,the Rev Samuel John, says, “In South Sudan, and in Africa ingeneral, many people call themselves Christian,” he tells SouthernCross. “You know, they call themselves Christian as an identity, notto follow Christ fully. This is the thing that we want to work on.To make sure we understand what Scripture says and to live likeChristians.”Pastor John speaks quickly and with passion. He is balancinga growing family with theological study. Ordained a deaconin Kenya after being forced out of South Sudan, he has nowfinished an Advanced Diploma at Moore College and graduatesthis month. He is also doing further study at Sydney Missionaryand Bible College. He works at Oakhurst as assistant ministeroverseeing the Sudanese congregation while the new rector,the Rev Jason Ramsay, runs the family and night services. “In thenext five or 10 years, we are thinking to get a bigger church or abigger place that will accommodate us”, says Pastor John.The church is also looking outward by supporting an Anglican Aidproject to train Christian leaders from all over the young nation ofSouth Sudan, through Bishop Gwynne College in the city of Juba.Despite a vision to have their own building one day, being atOakhurst has its advantages. “Our children are mixing now withwhite Anglo Australians,” Pastor John says. “We’ve got what wecall ‘Christ for Kids’ on Monday night. So, our children go togetherand they mix up with Australian kids and they do Bible studiestogether. This is very important actually, because we will be onechurch one day, or maybe the Sudanese or African church will bea church where you have no boundaries.“ Sydney AnglicansP R AYWIDERD EEPE R10JUNE Praise God for the vision of Pastor John to bringtogether Sudanese refugees and teach them what itmeans to be a true Christian. Pray for them.JULY Praise God that the children of these refugeesappear to be integrating well with white Australiankids. Pray for church with no boundaries – an exampleto all.AUGUST Praise God for the missionary heart of thischurch seeking to support the training of Christianleaders in Sudan. Pray for Gospel peace in Sudan.

DAY 8CHINA: CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO COVID-19Acts 17:30-31With the world in turmoil as the Coronavirus outbreak sweptacross the continents, Christians in Wuhan, at the epicentre of theoutbreak, used the calamity to spread their faith. On February 11,the New York Times’ China correspondent, Chris Buckley, who hadbeen reporting in Wuhan since the lockdown and escalation of theoutbreak, tweeted that despite the apocalyptic feel of a megacityin quarantine, he was surprised to encounter Christian evangelistshanding out Gospel leaflets packaged together with face masks.A video which had generated 100,000 views on the Chinese socialnetworking app WeChat shows a group of Christians from Wuhanhanding out protective gear that their church received fromdonations across the world. They slipped in leaflets quoting John3:16 and calling for the salvation of souls.A few days later, voice recordings and writings of the manbehind the actions, a Wuhan-based missionary known asPreacher Luo, also started to circulate. In the recording, Luostated that the he has been sharing the Gospel for more than adecade. He believes that this is the opportunity to demonstrateGod’s love and the message of hope. Other Wuhan churchesstarted operations online to help with the virus and maintaina life of faith for their congregants. A joint prayer committee ofpastors was set up under the leadership of Pastor Huang Lei,formerly a medical professor and now the head pastor of theWuhan Roots and Fruits Church. It coordinated online sermons,checked up on vulnerable and diagnosed congregants anddistributed donated goods to assist those in need.Other videos featured advice on how to continue worshippingonline and at home, how to obey God’s will in this difficult time,as well as congregants sharing scenes of their worshipping athome. As one of Wuhan’s largest house churches, despite allthe repression and adversity it has faced since its founding,the Roots and Fruits Church has proved to be amazinglyresilient. Prior to the coronavirus crisis, it continued to growand attract hundreds of professionals and families alikesince its founding as a seven-member prayer group backin 2002. William Huang, MercatorNet; Joel News InternationalP R AYWIDERD EEP E R11JUNE Praise God for the vision and bravery of theWuhan Christians. Pray that their witness mayproduce fruit leading to a large harvest of souls.JULY Praise God that the Roots and Fruits Churchof Wuhan has attracted so many professional menand women. Pray for renewed growth and powerfulwitness.AUGUST Praise God that He mobilises His people tobring honour to Christ in times of trouble. Pray thatWuhan may see an unstoppable spiritual revival.

DAY 9WUHAN: CHRISTIANS SHOW THE WAYActs 26:16-18The organization of the Wuhan Roots and Fruits Church contrastedmarkedly with the chaos Wuhan saw in the early days of theoutbreak, as the coronavirus exposed the incompetence of thelocal authorities. Churches often delivered masks and protectivegear accurately and efficiently, whilst the rest of China recoiledin horror as the government-sponsored Wuhan Red Cross failedto distribute much needed resources to the frontlines, leavingmany medical staff exposed and frustrated. But, where thegovernment failed, Christians stepped in. As many N95 maskslay idle in the Red Cross warehouse or were siphoned off byWuhan local officials, Preacher Luo and his team managed todeliver 400 N95 masks, 1000 gloves and 1000 protective gogglesto the Wuhan Central Hospital, the workplace of the deceasedwhistle-blower Dr Li Wenliang. Most of those donations weresent directly by overseas believers. This was in addition to the30,000 face masks handed out on the streets – together withScriptures - by the members of Luo’s team in the first week ofthe outbreak.Besides churches and street preachers, individual Christiansin Wuhan also assisted the sick. As cases skyrocketed fromlate January, many thousands of patients did not have accessto hospital beds. Desperate people were being turned awayevery day from hospitals. A Christian engineer, whose ownfamily had been affected by the outbreak, used his WeChatpublic account to coordinate information to help people findmedication and a hospital bed. The engineer developed anetwork of volunteers, many of them Christians, who helpedwith on the ground information and managed to give severalfamilies medical assistance.Christians in Wuhan are living proof of the best qualities ofhumanity; they showed a glimmer of hope in a city full ofsuffering and paranoia towards the epidemic. Their composureand efficiency, as well as their love and strength, stemmed fromtheir faith and trust in Jesus. William Huang, MercatorNet; Joel NewsInternationalP R AYWIDERD EE P E R12JUNE Praise God for the loving care shown by WuhanChristians. Pray that this love and care may leave anindelible mark on the city’s people.JULY Praise God that, despite all the persecutions,the Chinese Church has shown a huge level ofconcern and organisation. Pray for continuingstrength of the Church.AUGUST Praise God that Christians in Wuhan werelights shining in the darkness. Pray that their witnessmay lead to the light of Christ shining in the city.

DAY 10THE FAITH OF A PERSECUTED INDIAN FAMILY2 Timothy 1:7-8Tribal animists in central India threatened to beat and kill a9-year-old Christian girl, as she tried to reach the village school,after driving her family into the jungle because they refusedto renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The girls’ father, pastorLalu Kirade, told Morning Star News, “I cried before the Lord forhours, asking Him what the fault of my children was and whyare they being treated this way,” he said, adding he does notfeel comfortable reporting the attack to police. “My children arestudying in the government school of the village - I cannot risktheir lives,” he said. “If I make a complaint with the police, theassailants will not spare my children.” The animists had enteredthe pastor’s property a few days earlier and told the Christiansthey would be expelled unless they abandoned Christianity.The villagers harassed the family for about two hours withquestions that insulted Christianity, and then began to beattheir 5-year-old son. Then they began to break items that layoutside the family’s home. After beating the family, a mobbegan demolishing the Christians’ house. The pastor tookhis three boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, along with his daughter andparents, and escaped to the thick jungle about 1 mile away.His wife was away visiting her parents. Kirade’s congregationlater informed him that the assailants demolished his homeand warned that if they saw him in the village again, theywould kill him.Later, the pastor received a phone call from a villager offeringhim a safe return to the village and a promise to rebuild hishouse if he renounced Christ. “I told him that you broke myhouse because it was a worship place of the living God, butwhat you do not know is that wherever I build my house, God’sworship place will be established there. So, I told him that I willnot renounce Christ.” Local officials have announced that anyonewho tries to help Lalu and his family with food, clothing, shelteror is even seen associating with them in any manner will have topay a fine of 5,000 rupees [ 67]. The family is now living with achurch member and is receiving assistance from the EvangelicalFellowship of India. The Christian PostP R AYWIDERD EE P E R13JUNE Praise God Pastor Kirade and his family werenot intimidated by the villagers and preferred thefaith of Jesus to their own comforts. Pray for them.JULY Praise God that, amidst the violence of thevillagers, a church member was there to care for thefamily. Pray that the whole village may be saved.AUGUST Praise God that the Church in India isgrowing rapidly, in the face of hardship, becauseIndian Christians remain faithful to their Lord. Prayfor the day when India opens widely to the Gospel.

DAY 11PAKISTAN FAMILIES FREED FROM DEBTRomans 12:11-12Christian families set free from the yoke of bonded labour inPakistan’s brick-kilns because of the generosity of Barnabas Fundsupporters are, in turn, releasing their brothers and sisters fromthe same burden of debt! The 1,001 families whose lives havebeen transformed since Barnabas first stepped in to help in 2017have since given enough money th

Dr. Corne Bekker, Dean of Regent University's School of Divinity, says regions that were once mission fields are now becoming the mission force. "So, from countries that used to be the focus point of mission, they have become the major players in mission." But the new missionary-sending peoples are