About New Years Resolutions. How many of us are resolving to lose weight, go to the gym more, eat organic, etc.? I cant fault anyone for those goals. We all need to take better care of ourselves. HOWEVER, how many have made it a goal (or resolution) to pray more for the persecuted church? I just ran across this brave pastors statement from last May. Since May, the country has been further torn up, the church decimated, multitudes dead, many suffering in refugee camps without basic needs met. My heart broke for this noble pastor. Where is he now? One thing is for sure, God will say, Well done, good and faithful servant. We want to hear those words, too. Its our duty to pray for our brothers and sisters in the suffering church. Make a prayer list, and make sure they are on it. The report: Today, May 11th (2014),(in syria now) spanning the entire country, prayer meetings will be held at churches and in homes including Aleppo, Damascus, Kamishli, Hasakeh, Hama, Homs, Latakia, Swaida, Bloudan, Zabadani, and Katana. This is a huge deal, says a local pastor. It has never happened in Syria before. In Aleppo we will have two prayer meetings back to back, one hosted by the Catholic Church and the other at an Orthodox church. We thank God because the Church is united across the country in prayer praying for the glory of God to dwell in the Church, praying for an end to the bloodshed, praying for peace in the country, praying for keeping the churchs faithful witness, to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness. The pastor adds, We deeply appreciate the prayers of Gods people everywhere; it is a rare time where the Church in Syria is feeling the true oneness of the body of Christ all over the globe. For this, we thank the Lord, for it is a great encouragement to us. Father, thank You for the testimony of the Syrian Church as they minister boldly in the midst of chaos. Along with them, we pray for Your glory to dwell in the church. We pray for an end to the bloodshed and for peace in the country. Continue to strengthen the church to be a faithful witness to the suffering people around them, to share boldly the gospel of Christ in the midst of the darkness. In the name of Jesus whose name we exalt, Amen
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 02:06:00 +0000