The Arabian Peninsula Partnership
The Gospel for every person and a church for every people in the Arabian Peninsula amongst indigenous peoples
December 22, 2009
Take hold of Jesus.
Praise
Thank the Lord for families that are coming to faith. Remember, especially, one family in which the mother, her son and his wife believe. They have been very vocal to their extended family. Ask that all will believe, grow in faith and witness to others.
Prayer
Pray for the many Filipino, Indian and South African Christians who work in healthcare here. Pray for the true message of Christmas to be talked about and shared with local co-workers. Pray that God would use these Christians to further His truth and His kingdom here.
Followers of Christ from an Islamic in our country are struggling to find their role in ministering to one another. In particular, pray that none will assume leadership in such a way as to lord it over the others. Pray for humility among all.
I was visiting a neighbor and asked if they had slaughtered a sheep for the Eid al Adha celebration. She told me they could not afford it because it was so expensive. Just for that occasion, they raise the prices of sheep to earn a lot of money. I told her that I thought that was bad to use religious-obligations as a business. I told her that Jesus had gone into the temple to drive out the animal-sellers because it should be a house of prayer. She didn't respond much. Pray for her, that she will be disappointed in Islam and interested to hear more about Jesus.
Pray for 'Peter', the emerging leader of the gathering of the believers in one of our neighboring countries. He has been under intense persecution because of his faith. During his court hearing on November 4th, all charges against him because of his faith were dropped. However, recently, he was arrested again on another charge.
Pray for God's grace towards the very small number of local believers - for opportunities to discreetly enter into Christmas celebrations and that God would seal in their hearts the true message of Christmas. Pray that they would be encouraged in their faith.
Testimony
Over the last year, one of the Arab believers, 'Emma', has been trying to make sense of following Jesus. Her journey has had its ups and downs with challenging family situations, relationship difficulties, and increased work responsibilities. However, in the last few weeks, I have been encouraged by her increased spiritual hunger.
One of the reasons for this transformation is due to a number of divine appointments with believers. It seems that God is graciously putting believers from all around the world in her life. She has run into them in restaurants, at work, and in the course of everyday life. It is thrilling to watch the international body of Christ working together to impact the Arab world. Please pray for Emma to take hold of Jesus as He takes hold of her.