Dear prayer partners,
I wanted to send you a brief update on a situation here on PB land ground zero.
Recently I have shared about how "intentional" our brothers and sisters in Christ have been in sharing their faith about Jesus Christ with those around them. We even shared the joyful news of all the new brothers and sisters in Christ that we have from this past year.
One thing we should be sure of: God will receive ALL glory and honor from this. And the other thing to be sure of: Satan ABSOLUTELY hates that God is being made known throughout the world and that God is receiving EVEN MORE glory and honor. Praise the Lord, right?
So I am writing to you tonight asking you to pray because there is a battle going on here. Three of our main Gospel sharers are being questioned by police, written about in newspapers, and their lives being questioned and threatened. Even today, all three men were questioned and ridiculed for their belief in Jesus Christ.
This SHOULD be no surprise to us. I mean this is told to us by Jesus in Luke 21:10-19. The truth is there. The example already presented. The guideline already presented for us to follow. Bear with me as I write it for you from the ESV (English Standard Version).
10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise again nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors form my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By you endurance you will gain your lives."
And again in John 15:18
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."
I am asking you to pray for these three men right now: B-, J-, and S-
(B- as he continues to be bullied by police and J- and S- as a recent newspaper printed an article of their name and location and that they were forcing people to be followers of Christ - which possibly could be NOT received well from the surrounding Muslim community.)
- Praise the Lord with us for their faith in an AMAZING God during these difficult situations. Pray that it would continue to GROW.
- Pray that in the face of persecution, the Gospel of Jesus CHRIST will SPREAD like FIRE through this PB land.
-Pray that they will respond as is the example in Luke 21:14-15 above.
- Pray for their families, as these trials can and does bring stress to their families
Also, in this newspaper article, it detailed names and locations of Muslims who have came to faith in Jesus Christ in the last few years. Some of these new followers live in strict Muslim communities where very few people know of their faith in Jesus Christ. This has thrown them right into the news.
-Please pray for these believers as some of them seem to be still very young in their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that God will use this time to grow their faith in Jesus Christ significantly.
Our farm was headlined as well. We will wait to see what type of backlash (if any) there will be from this article.
I will share more as I hear news. For now, please pray for these requests.
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36
Psalm 65:4-5 "Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas..."
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
PR - January 17, 2012
Dear prayer partners,
Here are requests from the past week from the national and international PB team.
Limbox Religious Leader
This past week we heard the story of a religious leader who was teaching in the mosque. He had recently studied the Gospel and the life of Jesus. He was excited about it and told the attendees that they too should study the life of Jesus. In the meantime, as he was teaching these things, another religious leader was in attendance listening to this Islamic leader talk about Jesus. The second leader, the one listening to the teachings about Jesus, was less excited to hear about this first religious leaders new excitement about the life of Jesus. The teacher was threatened and told to stop studying about the life of Jesus. PRAY that God would continue to give this teacher great desires to learn about Jesus. Pray that God will save him and use him to boldly share the Gospel with those in the mosque.
Mrs. Siree
This is a woman who has been a friend of a PB member for several years. Yet sometimes they meet up in town and sometimes don't. Only recently, the two women met again in town to find out that they are practically neighbors. Mrs. Siree is a Muslim. God has given PB team member a burden and desire to share with Mrs. Siree. Please pray for this sharing time. Please pray that God will prepare Mrs. Siree and open her heart to His Gospel.
Bible School students
Please pray for 19 Bible School students that are studying what God's heart for the nations looks like and how they can be involved in sharing the Gospel. These Bible students live right here in the heart of PB land. Pray for them as they study God's Word and as they share the Gospel with those PB peoples they encounter. Pray for the Bible teacher that God will speak through him, guide him, and use him to challenge and shape these 19 students.
Mrs. Are
Please pray for Mrs. Are. She is a humble, hard working woman that the Lord has grown so much over the past two years. Please pray for Mrs. Are as she is being discipled. Please pray for her as she is ACTIVELY sharing her faith in Jesus Christ with MANY people that she meets.
and lastly I wanted to just share a praise with you...
Praise the Lord, along with your brothers and sisters on the PB team, that we have 45 new believers in our PB land due to God's hand at work using our national brothers and sisters here in PB land. Praise God that He is bringing salvation to PB peoples. Please pray that He would open the flood gates and the hundreds and thousands and millions of our PB peoples will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and no longer be slaves to Satan and blinded by his evil ways.
Praise the Lord.
Here are requests from the past week from the national and international PB team.
Limbox Religious Leader
This past week we heard the story of a religious leader who was teaching in the mosque. He had recently studied the Gospel and the life of Jesus. He was excited about it and told the attendees that they too should study the life of Jesus. In the meantime, as he was teaching these things, another religious leader was in attendance listening to this Islamic leader talk about Jesus. The second leader, the one listening to the teachings about Jesus, was less excited to hear about this first religious leaders new excitement about the life of Jesus. The teacher was threatened and told to stop studying about the life of Jesus. PRAY that God would continue to give this teacher great desires to learn about Jesus. Pray that God will save him and use him to boldly share the Gospel with those in the mosque.
Mrs. Siree
This is a woman who has been a friend of a PB member for several years. Yet sometimes they meet up in town and sometimes don't. Only recently, the two women met again in town to find out that they are practically neighbors. Mrs. Siree is a Muslim. God has given PB team member a burden and desire to share with Mrs. Siree. Please pray for this sharing time. Please pray that God will prepare Mrs. Siree and open her heart to His Gospel.
Bible School students
Please pray for 19 Bible School students that are studying what God's heart for the nations looks like and how they can be involved in sharing the Gospel. These Bible students live right here in the heart of PB land. Pray for them as they study God's Word and as they share the Gospel with those PB peoples they encounter. Pray for the Bible teacher that God will speak through him, guide him, and use him to challenge and shape these 19 students.
Mrs. Are
Please pray for Mrs. Are. She is a humble, hard working woman that the Lord has grown so much over the past two years. Please pray for Mrs. Are as she is being discipled. Please pray for her as she is ACTIVELY sharing her faith in Jesus Christ with MANY people that she meets.
and lastly I wanted to just share a praise with you...
Praise the Lord, along with your brothers and sisters on the PB team, that we have 45 new believers in our PB land due to God's hand at work using our national brothers and sisters here in PB land. Praise God that He is bringing salvation to PB peoples. Please pray that He would open the flood gates and the hundreds and thousands and millions of our PB peoples will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and no longer be slaves to Satan and blinded by his evil ways.
Praise the Lord.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
PR - January 15, 2012
Dear brothers and sisters,
I just want to take a moment and share a brief look back at the past few years. In the last two years, the PB international and national team has gone from sporadically sharing, loose accountability, a vision that looked good on paper but actively held and lived out - not so much, and etc etc to now January 2012, I think a good word to describe our present day situation is intentionality. Intentional sharing, intentional discipleship, intentional accountability, and the same vision BUT being lived out. There are new team players, new followers of Jesus, existing churches and followers of Christ being disicpled and challenged, and much excitement. Are we "there" yet? Obviously not, for the PB peoples are not yet reached. Are we "getting there"? Only God knows. Are we trying to be obedient to Scriptures and make Him known among PB peoples? YES!
Why do I share these things with you? YOU are our rope holders, our prayer supporters, and encouragement. We want and need YOU to continue pleading before our Great God for the salvation of the PB peoples. If you are checking this blog, and praying with us for the PB peoples then YOU are a part of the PB team. I want you to know the reality and growth of things on the ground here. It has been a growing process, still in that growing process, and we are excited at what God is doing with the PB team and peoples in this process.
So keep praying! Keep believing God's promises! Keep knocking on His door on behalf of the salvation of the PB peoples. Be as the persistent woman seeking help from the ruthless judge (Luke 18:1-8)... knocking on the door relentlessly.... pleading for the salvation of the PB peoples.
"8 For by grace you have saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
Praying with you that this "gift of God" comes to the PB people, and that God receives ALL glory and honor.
May God bless you.
I will be updating you with prayer requests over the next few days.
I just want to take a moment and share a brief look back at the past few years. In the last two years, the PB international and national team has gone from sporadically sharing, loose accountability, a vision that looked good on paper but actively held and lived out - not so much, and etc etc to now January 2012, I think a good word to describe our present day situation is intentionality. Intentional sharing, intentional discipleship, intentional accountability, and the same vision BUT being lived out. There are new team players, new followers of Jesus, existing churches and followers of Christ being disicpled and challenged, and much excitement. Are we "there" yet? Obviously not, for the PB peoples are not yet reached. Are we "getting there"? Only God knows. Are we trying to be obedient to Scriptures and make Him known among PB peoples? YES!
Why do I share these things with you? YOU are our rope holders, our prayer supporters, and encouragement. We want and need YOU to continue pleading before our Great God for the salvation of the PB peoples. If you are checking this blog, and praying with us for the PB peoples then YOU are a part of the PB team. I want you to know the reality and growth of things on the ground here. It has been a growing process, still in that growing process, and we are excited at what God is doing with the PB team and peoples in this process.
So keep praying! Keep believing God's promises! Keep knocking on His door on behalf of the salvation of the PB peoples. Be as the persistent woman seeking help from the ruthless judge (Luke 18:1-8)... knocking on the door relentlessly.... pleading for the salvation of the PB peoples.
"8 For by grace you have saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
Praying with you that this "gift of God" comes to the PB people, and that God receives ALL glory and honor.
May God bless you.
I will be updating you with prayer requests over the next few days.
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