GDN Prayer Newsletter - July 2016
Download English pdf here.
Download Korean pdf here.
Prayer requests from Global Diaspora Forum participants
Please continue to pray that Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology will prove to be a valuable resource leading to increased effective engagement with diaspora peoples and issues.
Please pray for God’s protection and provision for GDN leaders, so that their voices may continue to encourage the Church to fulfill God’s mission among the people on the move.
Please pray for the participants of Asia Theological Association’s Triennial General Assembly, which will be held July 25-30 in Seoul, to respond to the urgency and opportunities presented by diaspora missiology. Pray that the theology and missions educators will incorporate diaspora missiology at a deeper level so that future theologians, pastors, and missions workers will be more effectively equipped.
Two other notable upcoming gatherings involving GDN leaders are the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering, scheduled for August 3-10 in Jakarta, and the 9th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization, which will be August 22-26 in Taipei. Please pray that the Lord’s hand will guide and protect the planning and preparations so that these meetings can take place. Pray that His presence will surround the attendees and that together they will clearly hear from the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through GDN leaders to spur more of the Church to respond to the missional opportunities presented by migration and diaspora.
Continue to lift up the planned outreaches in July among Jewish peoples in Budapest and Berlin. Pray for softened hearts and opened eyes among Hebrew, Russian and German speaking Jews. Please come against the plans of the enemy to hinder those who will be sharing the good news.
Pray for Israeli post-army trekkers in northern India to encounter the Living God. Messianic Jews and Indian Christ-followers are partnering together for opportunities to reach out to these young adults from June through August. Pray that there would be many meaningful spiritual conversations. Please also ask the Lord to protect and grant health to those who are working with this ministry.
Ask God for more wisdom in the use of TV/radio/internet programs, apps, and websites in sharing the good news of Christ and discipleship across national boundaries. We thank God for the technology which allows for quick communication over long distances, especially for Christ-followers who are geographically isolated from other members of the Body. Until the Father brings more sons and daughters into their areas, we pray that these “lone” followers will be regularly connected to brothers and sisters in the Lord elsewhere.
Pray for a hedge of protection around travel hubs such as airports, train stations and shipping ports. Please stand in prayer against the plans of the enemy to spread fear and to stifle movement. May the Lord be lifted up in the praise of His people at each of these hubs and all who enter perceive His presence.
In light of growing anti-immigration sentiment in many of the countries with the most immigrants, pray that Christ-followers everywhere will make the most of every opportunity to advance God’s kingdom through diaspora movement.
Some countries have outlawed among citizens and migrants the worship of the Lord Jesus and/or discussing His work with others. However, the earth is the Lord’s and the word of God is not chained. Pray that the Church will be faithful to go and make disciples.
Diaspora People Group in Focus: Yoruba
The Yoruba peoples are one of the four major groups of Nigeria and one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The Yoruba are also indigenous to Togo and Benin. In the past, Yoruba were forcibly displaced through the Atlantic slave trade; their descendants can be found in the Americas and the Caribbean. More recent Yoruba migrants can be found across West Africa, the US, UK and in smaller numbers elsewhere.
Praise God that the good news of His Kingdom has taken root and flourished among the Yoruba in Nigeria. Pray that the Word of God will spread among the Yoruba across national boundaries, continents and oceans. Pray that God’s story – in the Bible and in personal testimonies – will be told and shared in every Yoruba diaspora community. Ask God to make known what steps toward repentance and reconciliation must still take place in order to bring complete healing from the historic slave trade. Traditional religious practices are still common among many Yoruba; pray that Christ-followers will effectively display Christ’s reign over all aspects of life and the spirit realm. Ask God to send forth laborers to work among Yoruba Muslims in Togo and Ghana.
Country of Diaspora: Netherlands - (Prayer video for the Netherlands)
The Netherlands is famous for its permissive, strongly secular society, including being the first to legalize euthanasia. Over 1 in 10 people in this densely populated country are international migrants who come from a wide variety of places around the world. For a glimpse of the diversity, there are significant numbers from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname and Indonesia. Nearly half of those living in the Netherlands do not identify with any religion and many church buildings have either been destroyed or are no longer being used by churches.
Praise God for bringing Christ-followers from around the world to the Netherlands as salt and light. Pray that diaspora churches will continue to grow stronger and that they will walk in greater unity with each other and with Dutch churches. Pray that the Lord will revive His people in the Netherlands and pray that the Church will once again be a clear, prophetic voice in the nation. Ask God to raise up bold leaders to shepherd and teach in all the churches. Pray that many Dutch people will rediscover the Word of God and draw close to the Lord.
Praise God for the many people groups in the Netherlands. Pray that every person in the Netherlands who has not yet heard the good news of Jesus Christ will develop a friendship with someone who loves the Lord. Ask God to pour out His Spirit onto Amsterdam, whose population is around half immigrant; pray that many people will enter His kingdom through dreams, visions, hearing the proclamation of the Word and observing the fruit of the Spirit. Pray for spiritual breakthroughs among Muslims in search of peace and acceptance. May the Lord of the harvest send forth more workers so that there might be witnesses among every diaspora people group in the Netherlands.
(Information gathered from Joshua Project, Operation World, Migration Policy Institute, Wikipedia)