praying for: Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia

This coming week we will pray every day for a different country, again with overwhelming differences in exposure to the Gospel and Adventist message.

Today – Belgium – a country with small Adventist presence. Mostly urban population. Brussels is the capital of European Union and NATO. The country is in the top 20 developed countries in the world. Yet even here there are ethnic clashes. Walloon-Flemish rivalry and resentments affect the use of language, the economy, politics, religious life and worldviews of both communities. Significant influx of Muslim immigration presents new challenges where 25% of this “Christian Heritage” country is unreached by the Gospel.

Sunday we lift in prayer Belize. A small population, size of London city proper, has over 35,000 Adventists. That’s one in every 9, higher than Jamaica! Yet here too are challenges: the Spanish-speaking immigrants with their superstitions, the Mayans with their underlying paganism and the Garifuna with their black magic all need a culturally relevant and sensitive presentation of the true gospel.

Monday – Benin, a small African country, in the 20 least developed economies. Adventist presence is relatively small. Largest percentage of people following traditional tribal animism. Muslim tribes are also unreached.

Tuesday – the richest Caribbean country – Bermuda. Immigration from poorer Caribbean countries creates disparity. Pray for practical righteousness of believers, where about 6% of population are Adventists.

Wednesday – Bhutan. Known as the land of the Dragon (Druk Yul) it is one of world’s least evangelized nations where a Buddhist monarchy further reinforces the hold of tantric magic, complete with the strong occultic influence of pre-Buddhist Bon animism. Christian believers suffer persecution or social ostracism.

Thursday – Bolivia, where almost 1% of people are Adventists. Their claim to access the ocean through Chile, and the tension between white elite and natives in regions rich with gas create volatile politics. Pray for peace within and around Bolivia.

Friday – Bosnia. A Muslim European country where civil war in the 90s made deep wounds is in the process of recovery. Adventist presence is very small, in percentage similar to Belgium. It is also concentrated among the Serbian minority. Pray for ethnic reconciliation and relational bridges to be open for the Gospel.

All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!

praying for: Bangladesh, Bahrain, Barbados & Belarus

We are continuing to pray today for Bangladesh. (for calendar check the Newsletter*). For a whole week, since past Wednesday we are lifting in prayers this densely populated country where 88% of people groups are unreached by the Gospel. Less than 1% of population are Christian. Majority of people are adherents to Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or animistic tribal worldviews. The economy is underdeveloped, perpetuating poverty cycle through generations. Located in the floodplains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers, with high rainfall it experiences frequent flooding, making the country very vulnerable to climate changes. Adventist presence is less than 1 per 5,000 of population. Our work is emphasizing education and health ministry to people. Pray for the safety of leadership and missionary volunteers in that country.

On Wednesday we will pray for Bahrain, a small island country with 90% urban population of the east coast of Saudi Arabia, where there is virtually no Adventist presence. 22 temporary workers are known to worship in a small church. The country was in the spotlight this year because of pro-democracy unrest, as majority Shii Muslims objected to Sunni monarchy. Right now the outcry goes for the doctors and nurses jailed for treating wounded protesters.

Thursday our prayers go for the island nation of Barbados. Half-size the city of London by population it has about 15,000 adventists. 6% of Barbadians adhere to the Seventh-day Adventist teaching. Since settlement in 1627, Barbados has been Christian. Yet today real commitment to the lordship of Jesus is the exception rather than the rule. Materialism, decreasing church attendance, increased violence and crime are all symptoms of spiritual decline. Pray for the Spirit’s renewal and for the Church in Barbados to reawaken.

On Friday we invite you to pray for Belarus, a former Soviet Republic. It remains a virtual throwback to the Communist era in its politics and operations. The church and ordinary citizens live in fear of persecution, no freedom of speech. The prospects of a grassroots democratic revolution seem very slim. Pray for hope, justice and a brighter future for the people of Belarus. There are about 5,000 Adventists in the country of about 10 million people. Pray for empowerment of believers there.

All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!

praying for: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas & Bangladesh

Last Monday Barry Black gave powerful devotional on the Reviving Power of the Word of God. You could watch the sermon online

http://news.adventist.org/2011/10/ac2011-video-barryblack.html

Biblical illiteracy is worrying as young people do not know Bible stories. His sermon was pointy, sharp, cutting. A few comments he made that stood out in my memory “Primary reason for moral lapse is the neglect of devotional life.” & “Let me see the Bible of a person and I can tell you their spiritual maturity level.” What does your study Bible says about your Bible reading habits? I hope you are reading the Bible daily. For without the Word of God reviving each individual there will be no revival of the church. My appeal to you to READ the ENTIRE BIBLE is an urgent cry for the necessity of spiritual revival among us.

We are also praying, building an awareness for the world in need. Since beginning of October we prayed for 11 countries (for calendar check the Newsletter*).

Today, on Sabbath we pray for Australia, where Adventist population is same as in Argentina (for which we prayed last week) and the USA, the birthplace of Adventism. Australia had produced many leaders for our world-wide church and is leading today in use of technology for Adventist communication. Yet, the secular influence is also growing. The young generation is disconnecting from the heritage of faith. Australia is also similar to Canada by its immigration trends. Growing immigration brings unreached groups of people from Asia. Both Buddhist and Muslim population is growing rapidly. Pray for Christian to share the Gospel with new arrivals.

Sunday we will pray for Austria (these are different countries!!! Even though some folks confuse these names!). Austria is a European country under Catholic influence. The state church still charges “the church tax (1% taxable income)” from people’s salaries. This and prominent sex scandals among the clergy both contribute to breaks from the church. Immigrants from the Middle-East constitute 15% of population currently unreached by the gospel.

Azerbaijan is a former Soviet Republic with rich ancient history and heritage. Currently the country is mostly Muslim and people groups are unreached by the Gospel. Adventist presence is very small, less than 1 in 12,000. The church had suffered persecution even recently. Pray for liberty for the Gospel sake.

One of the countries to pray for this week is Christian and well saturated by Adventist presence. Bahamas has 5% of population attending churches on Sabbath. However in the economy stimulated mostly by tourism, materialism deeply affects all levels of society. The staggering wealth of foreign residents and tax shelters display a different world from the average Bahamian, not to mention the even poorer Haitian immigrants. Pray for social righteousness.

On Wednesday we will begin to pray for Bangladesh for 7 days. The country is half size of Michigan state with population of 165 million! A home to Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu tribes 88% of people groups are unreached by the Gospel! Christians constitute less than 1% of population. Adventist church is growing rapidly, and now 1 out of 5,000 is worshipping on Sabbath. Yet it is a challenging field for mission outreach. Pray for mission pioneers.

All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!

praying for: Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia and Aruba

I hope you started reading the Bible daily. One of our practical steps toward revival of the church is through reading the entire Bible by every one. Another important step is to build awareness through prayer of the needs in the world. Last week five countries had been prayed for, four of which have minimal or not at all Adventist presence. And this week we will pray for six countries (for calendar check the Newsletter*).

Today, on Sabbath we pray for Angola, where 2% of population are Adventists. The church is reaching 400,000 mark and is very active in this country recovering from the Communist influence, civil war, and displacement of people as refugees. One in 350 Angolans is a victim of landmines. The six million landmines are being cleared – but over 80,000 people have already been crippled by them. 70% of the population live in poverty, and the length of roads destroyed or damaged amounts to nearly twice the circumference of the planet. Forgiveness and reconciliation is the greatest need of this country rich in diamonds and other natural resources.

This week we will also pray for 4 Caribbean islands, which are also different in cultural dynamics. On Sunday we will pray for Anguilla, most northerly of the Leeward Islands, where 1 out of 20 is an Adventist, similar to many other Caribbean communities.

Antigua and Barbuda, to be prayed for on Monday, have the least Adventist presence in the Caribbean, similar to Aruba, less than 1%. With total Evangelical presence of about 20% churches are complacent, and strongholds of sin remain entrenched – money laundering, drug dealing, violence, gambling. Pray for the Holy Spirit revival and change in families of believers, for community transformation by the Gospel truths.

For two days, Tuesday & Wednesday we will pray for Argentina, the second largest Latin American country with population over 40 million. Even though the Adventist Church is sizeable, over 100,000 greater than in Canada for comparison, and has a University, few colleges, strong educational system, the impact on society is very small. After recent economic crisis resulted in a much wider gap between rich and poor, the church needs to be more inclusive of all segments of society. The two “pillars” of Argentina, its strong middle class and education system, are under threat, also affecting the church structure.

On Thursday remember Armenia in prayer. This ancient country, home to the mount Ararat and unceasing search for Noah’s ark, is dominated by the Orthodox Christianity and is not welcoming to the new Evangelical churches. Adventist presence is very small with only 16 churches. Centuries of bitter conflict, oppression and massacres left hatred and mistrust between Christians and Muslims. From 1915-17, the Turks killed up to 1.5 million Armenians in genocide. Recent ethnic conflict with Azerbaijani population of Karabakh is too fresh and re-emerges frequently.

All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!

We are praying for: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra

This week we begin our One Year Experiment by praying for nations of the world. A comprehensive monthly calendar is published in the Newsletter (back page).

The second challenge – start daily reading of the Bible, plan to complete the Book from cover to cover in one year.

This week two of the countries on the list have no Adventist presence at all – Afghanistan and Andorra. These had been listed in the Adventist world directory as “families yet to gather.” One is a large country of about 30 million, the least developed, thorn by civil war and terror of Taliban for past three decades, under influence of radical Islam. This strategic land has been fought over by rival foreign empires for nearly three thousand years. 93% of people living there have not been exposed to the Gospel of Christ. Today & Sunday we will pray that the conflict would stop and people would grow to seek truth and spirituality.

Another is a small county in the heart of the Pyrenean mountains between France and Spain, with population size of Sarnia, under Catholic influence. Formerly a smugglers’ refuge, Andorra now attracts well-heeled tourists, financiers and those taking advantage of duty-free goods. Empty materialism is the norm, spirituality is thin on the ground, and the Church is on the defensive. Many consult mediums, seers and astrologers for guidance and advice, usually at a significant financial cost. Next Friday, the 7^th we will pray that the Holy Spirit would touch hearts of people, expose and disarm the power of the occult.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we will be praying for Algeria, which is also almost unentered by Adventist message. A single church with about 200 believers consists of immigrant workers in this predominantly Muslim country of about 36 million people. Berber tribes used to know Christian message two millennia ago, yet today their closed boundaries make it difficult to communicate and teach them about Jesus.

Monday our prayer will uplift Albania, a small mountainous Balkan state on the Adriatic Sea, it only recently gained freedom from Communist oppression. The Adventist church is very small there, only 3 congregations exist. Over 60% of population is Muslim. Others are secular. The corruption in the emerging economy is rampant and past war crimes are fresh in need of reconciliation.

Finally, on Thursday we also will pray for the American Samoa, an archipelago where indigenous people had been more open to evangelical influence. 4% of population are Adventists. (given such proportions we should have about 18,000 Adventists here in London!)

As we begin this prayer experience, you see the diversity of spiritual experiences among countries. All these are God’s harvest field, for which the labourers are needed. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!