Day 7 - Saturday January 14
Prayer Focus: Global Missions
Matthew 24:14 (NIV) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
One way or another, God is going to reach the world with His gospel.
Nations = ethnos, every language group. There are more than 12,000 language groups in the world.
Of the 200 nations where the gospel is being preached, it is growing faster than population growth in 183 of the 200 nations. There are about 17 that are either not growing or in decline and America happens to be in that not growing or declining group.
Revelation 7:9 (NIV)
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
This is a great picture of heaven and thereby the need to reach every nation for Christ.
I did not grow up in a strong mission sending and supporting church. However, the first church I pastored was a church of about 100 people (Lakeview Bible Church, Carter Lake, IA). I was really impressed that back in 1994 they had a $60,000 general budget but also $10,000 additional in mission support.
That’s one of the great things about our church (Better Life Church). It’s very much in the culture of our church. From day 1, the first day of the month we tithe to missions (what we call our Points of Passion). This past year we have sent over $6.000 to various missions (local, national and international).
The best thing we can do is pray what is on God’s heart - which is reaching the lost or those far from God. There are 5 areas that we should pray:
Unreached people groups - groups of people unreached. 12,000 people groups, 2,000 of them have no Bible, no missionary and no one there to reach them. Most of these are in the 10-40 window.
Church Planting - so we are partnered with ARC and planted over 63 churches last year which also translated into 556 salvations.
Leadership Development - We are investing heavily into developing leaders at BLC this year (Men’s, Women’s, Student and Kids).
Scripture engagement - we support World Missions getting the Word of God on audio to many churches in the 10-40 window.
Reaching Jewish people for Jesus.
How to pray?
1.Pray that God would bless our local church.
It takes thriving local churches to give to global missions.
Psalm 67:1-2 (NIV) May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
2.Pray that God would open doors of gospel ministry to the unreached.
Colossians 4:3 (NIV) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
We need to have the favor of God in this.
3. Pray for workers to be called, trained and sent into His harvest field.
Luke 10:2 (NIV) He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
We have a worker problem.
The key word is “called” - train and go to missions but also called to support the points of
passions that we pray over at BLC.
