Welcome to Notes from Nanjing What a joy to share with you once again. I hope you will be blessed as I share about the prayer needs about the Chinese church in general. Please share these prayer needs and also read the website and also listen to the excellent sermon. Thanks and God bless Keith HOW TO PRAY FOR THE CHINESE CHURCH? China is such a huge country, indeed my land the UK, can fit into Jiangsu province, in which Nanjing is situated, three to four times over. I am absolutely privileged, because I am one of the rare westerners, who goes to an unregistered church in China. What are the specific challenges the church has to meet in the 21st Century. What do you need to pray for th Chinese Church? Well people will say...China is a communist country and yes that is true. The communist party holds a defining place in the life of your country, although it is slightly declining, it is still a powerful voice. I have lived in the USA, Canada,UK and Now China and As I see it, China is probably the most materialistic country. The church in the Chinese countryside, was the engine room of the growth of the Chinese Church, but the government, has brought in a policy of bringing millions to the cities . This is probably one of the greatest migrations of people in history. It has stripped the country churches of most of the young people and has brought most of the young church leaders to the cities, but has encouraged them to seek after money. This is a crafty tactic of the devil and he has been quite successful with this. So this is the first thing to pray against. It lots of cases, the countryside church is declining. Please pray for an explosion of Gods spirit in these churches. That a fresh and dynamic group of new leaders would be raised up. That the materialistic way will not affect the Chines and that especially the young believers, would not seek after things, but after Christ. For the marriages of Chinese believers, many Christian couples who are Pastors, because of Ministry, have to live apart and this causes problems in these marriages. Marriage is under attack and divorce is becoming more common in China. Also pray because many marriages have one of either the husband or wife are believers and the other is not. Please pray for protection upon all christian marriage and for the conversion of unbelieving husbands and wives. Please pray for single believers would meet godly partners. One of the most cults that is in operation in China, is Eastern Lightning, which is very dangerous and active and indeed kidnaps Christians and seek to destroy the Church in China. This cult must be bound by the power of prayer. Please stand strong in prayer. Here is some information about them blessedquietness/journal/housechu/lightning.htm Many people in China have come to Christ in China, but there are not many disciples. Please pray that people would grow up and mature in Christ. The education system is China teaching humanism and evolution. Please pray that this system would be broken. Please also pray for the young people in China, they are bombarded by these things at school and by rampart materialism at school. The government has been seeking to create the economic miracle for all, to fill the God shaped hole in the life of the Chinese people. It is now desperately seeking to cleanse itself of corruption to placate the people. Please pray that the miracle of the good news would sound out throughout China, and that would stop the gospel would be being proclaimed. Please pray for the leaders.. the President and Prime ministers children and many other leading figures Children are studying overseas. The presidents daughter is at Harvard law school.. may she and others be reached with the gospel. Millions of Chinese students are studying overseas.. may they be reached with the gospel. If you have a chance to reach any Chinese students.. then take the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Another major prayer is for deep unity.. the unregistered church is separated from the registered church..there are only 4-10 registered churches in Nanjing. These registered churches are not allowed to preach the gospel, do childrens work and are watched very carefully. Some registered churches seek to get round this and will not bow the knee so to speak. We are in an unregistered church an Helen my wife has had visits by police officers coming to her school to force her to register. Pray that the unregistered church would not compromise. Not only unity between true believers.. but deep passionate love between them.. that the Government and the Chinese people see the deep love these believers have for each other.. they cannot deny two things: The power of Changed lives The power of true of Christian love Both of them drive the devil absolutely barmy.. he hates both of them.. but especially the second. Lets make him even more upset than he already is.. amen. Please pray that the Chinese Church WOULD LOVE GOD WITH ALL ITS HEART LOVE EACH OTHER WITH A PURE HART FERVENTLY LOVE EACH PERSON IN CHINA AS GOD LOVES THEM Thank you for praying.. PLEASE PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY...please share this, as this is an insiders guide to praying.. please share this with your churches, house groups, prayer forums/groups and contacts. Thank you and God bless you Keith Special sermon Please listen to this amazing sermon, by one of my favourite pastors. sermonaudio/playpopup.asp?SID=1119132348431 Guest Website These are wonderful ministries prayforchina/ operationworld.org/country/chna/owtext.html 24-7prayer/content/795 us.worldserve.org/ways-help/pray-pastors-china prayway/nations/China.html joshuaproject.net/assets/prayer/prayer-calendar-china.pdf Guest Poem by Emily Boeve Dear Father in Heaven, Please hear my plight. As I pray for my loved ones... Tonight and every night. I pray for their salvation, Their daily lives, their safety, and their health. For You to guide their life and love... Would be their greatest wealth. Help them realize, in everything they do... Nothing will succeed or be pleasing, Unless, theyve included You! Lead and guide their thoughts and what they say. Father, please draw them close to You And grant them wisdom, to walk Your way. Hold them close in Your loving care. Help them feel Your Presence... That Youre always there! If theyre making choices, that dont reflect You, Please open a different door, for them to walk through. Some are hurting and struggling, with a variety of pain. They need You to show them answers, .... to the problems and strife. So they will be happy again, With You in their life. This is my prayer for my loved ones, Oh Father Devine. I pray for Your answers, to be Your will, not mine! I love You Father.........Really, I do!! Ill say amen now.....and Thank You! (c) (Pending) Emily Boeve Guest Devotion by Watch and Go sent by Alex Smith Dear Saints, True revival is not marked by any kind of signs and wonders at the first-- but as the Scriptures say, signs and wondersfollowing. And of course, true signs and wonders both point toward God, and they are useful and practical, not just odd and sensational. Many people say, O God, let Your Fire fall! Oftentimes, they are conceiving of a fire of some kind of exciting sensation-- but fire in the Bible was always of judgement, purification, refining... and there was a one-time only appearance of cloven tongues like as of fire on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:3, which sat upon each of them...literally, it seemed to gather over and then distribute into individual flames-- but it was a Visual thing, they could actually see it! This never happened before or since in the Biblical record. In Matthew 3:11 when John the Baptist says, He shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit, and with Fire the context of verse 10, verse 11, and verse 12 makes it abundantly clear that he was speaking to the two groups gathered there, the Pharisees, and the Am-ha-Arretz-- the people of the land. John rebuked the Pharisees, who undoubtedly were standing about with crossed arms of sceptism, looking on at the base humility of the unclean, defiled people of the land, confessing their sins and taking the faith-filled, physical step of Baptism: And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees [a feller, or axeman, sizing up where he would be about to chop!] therefore every tree which bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire! Then he continues on, turning to address the people there who are hungry for more of God, and are willing to pay the price of humility [Blessed are the poor in spirit...] to confess and forsake their sins, He shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit --and then turning to the self-righteous Pharisees (whose entire system would shortly be destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.)-- and with FIRE! Whose fan is in His hand [winnowing fan, used on the threshing floor, to blow away the Chaff, that is the light, floofely grain husks which are of no use, no nutrition, and of little weight or account, the very meaning of the word vanity ] and He will thoroughly purge His floor [the threshing floor, usually a flat stone floor under a roof with no walls, on the edge of a field near the barns and garners] and gather His wheat into the garner [the grain-storage facility of the day-- wheat representing the highest quality grain of nutritive value-- representing those who the Lord will gather into the safety of His heavenly realm] : but He will burn up the Chaff with unquenchable fire! We should soberly note that of the two kinds of fire, that of purification and refinement [as in the heat of the smiths forge or furnace to melt and refine a noble metal such as Gold or Silver] or the fire of Judgement-- the fire of purification is ultimately preferable! And, throughout the Holy Writ, we are enjoined to purify ourselves and to judge ourselves and to humble ourselves before God, and He will lift us up. There is a co-working together with God, wherein we submit ourselves unto Him for His refinement-- we do our part, He does His part. Without this key to revival, people will despite touches from God remain unconverted. Jesus told Peter, who had followed Him for three and a half years already, taken part in the incredible Vision of the Glorified Son of Man on the Mount of Transfiguration [a pre-view into Jesus return in Glory, John detailed more of it in the opening chapter of The Revelation] When you are converted, you shall strengthen your brethren. (Luke 22:32) This was both a call to, and a prophecy of Peters repentance after having had denied the Lord. In John 21:15-19 Jesus outlines to Peter the steps of maturing in Self-Sacrificial Love that would have its end result when Peter was an old man... The fire of purification always begins with prayer, deep heart-felt repentance, and confession. Someone is our time is quoted as saying, The Church used to confess its sins: now, it only confesses its rights. A street-preacher friend of mine said, Am I a living sacrifice or am I a living compromise? Take heed, my friends, and seek only the fire that is from God. The following is a good example. Love in Christ Jesus our Saviour L. Alex Smith JONATHAN GOFORTH - Revivalist in China! by David Smithers You must go forward on your knees, was the advice Hudson Taylor gave to a young Canadian missionary named Jonathan Goforth. Mr. Goforth faithfully and fervently followed this advice throughout all has missionary endeavors in China. Yet, after thirteen years of faithful praying and preaching, and what most would consider a very successful ministry, Goforth became restless and dissatisfied. It was at this time an unknown party from England began sending pamphlets on the Welsh revival of 1904. Goforth was deeply stirred as he read these accounts. A new thought, a new conception seemed to come to him of the Holy Spirit... He then gave himself to much more prayer and Bible study. Goforth now found himself being driven by a fresh vision, a vision for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Soon he began to meet daily with other missionaries to pray for revival. These men vowed to God and to one another that they would pray until revival came to China. In 1908 Jonathan Goforths prayers and dreams began to be realized. Goforth began going to different missionary stations and simply led his fellow missionaries in prayer. Then suddenly earnest prayer gave way to the open confession of sin. It was when the Christians came clean, confessed and forsook their secret sin, that the Holy Spirit rushed in like a mighty wind. Truly it was this open and honest confession of sin that was the most striking feature of the revival. Everywhere Mr. Goforth went revival would spread, and almost always in the same way. First prayer was encourage among the Christians, which then spontaneously led to heart- breaking confessions of sin. And then like a flood, the lost were brought into the kingdom by the thousands. Men were searched as with fire. One after another broken-hearted believers emptied themselves through the uncovering of all secret sin. Mr. Goforth clearly identified unconfessed sin among Christians as a major hindrance to God-sent revival. Walter Phillips describes for us one of Mr. Goforths revival meetings: At once, on entering the church one was conscious of something unusual. The place was crowded to the door and tense, reverent attention sat on every face. The people knelt for prayer, silent at first, but soon one here and another there began to pray aloud. The voices grew and gathered volume and blended into a great wave of united supplication that swelled until it was almost a roar. Now I understood why the floor was so wet - the very air was electric and strange thrills coarsed up and down ones body. When Mr. Goforth preached, The Cross burned like a living fire in the heart of every address. It was the person of Jesus Christ who was exalted throughout the entire revival as a King and Saviour who must be reckoned with. In the midst of this great revival, Jonathan Goforth clearly saw that all of his previous sweating and striving had reaped only frustration. He came to the firm conviction that revival is only born through humility, faith, prayer, and the power of the Holy Ghost. Goforth writes, If revival is being withheld from us it is because some idol remains still enthroned; because we still insist in placing our reliance in human schemes; because we still refuse to face the unchangeable truth that: It is not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6) -Source: watchword.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25
Posted on: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 05:47:01 +0000
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