Saturday, April 01, 2006

Opportunities for Prayer and Obedience this Week

(This is the last post until Monday, April 9.) Contents: prayer items and MP3 sermon recommendations.

Pray for:

Bangladesh. 140 million people. One of the world's poorest nations: average income 1% of US. 38% literacy. 86% Muslim, 12% Hindu, 0.7% Christian (mostly nominal). One of the most unreached countries in the world: one missionary for every 300,000 people. Praise God for a growing Church. Need: Church leadership. Pray for: radio, Jesus film, cassette, drama team, Bible distribution ministries.

Belgium. 10 million people. A post-Christian country that is deeply divided due in large part to a history of being fought over by its neighbours. Protestant Church only now recovering from destruction of its 600 congregations by the Spanish Inquisition in the 16th Century. Catholicism is strong but weakening and secularism is taking over. Very few national pastors/leaders. Extremely low giving within the Church. Pray for Christian literature, radio and TV ministries; and praise God that His true Church is growing in Belgium, especially in the Flemish areas.

Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is right in the middle of the 10/40 Window (most unreached part of the world). The following was taken from OM's annual report: "In the midst of oppression there is a spiritual hunger. We train leaders of the growing house church movement. 'Andy' leads 150 believers gathered in 10 villages. He has never been to seminary, supports himself by driving a taxi, and trains new leaders by simply inviting them to follow him around. The gates of hell cannot stop churches like that." Thought: Andy sounds like a good guy to financially support.

Suggestion: listen to MP3 messages
I have really been blessed and changed through the preaching and teaching ministry of many whose messages are available online as MP3s. Click the "MP3 Sermons" in the right column for speakers categorized by Bible Teaching, Missions, Thinking, Practical Living, Evangelism, and Revival & Prayer.

Romans 12:1-2 says,
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God"--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

In order to live for God--to be a "living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--we need to know God's will. To know God's will, we need to be transformed. To be transformed, we need to have our minds renewed. So the renewal of our minds seems to be the first thing that needs to happen. Hence the critical need to spend time in the Word alone (e.g., devotions) and together (e.g., Bible study), to listen to good Bible teaching (e.g., sermons at church, online MP3s), to think (instead of letting others think for us too much: e.g., TV, media, peer pressure), to ask ourselves how much and where our minds have conformed to the world and, through it all, to ask the Holy Spirit to renew our minds in prayer.
ar TORONTO, CANADA | 2023+

APRIL


MAY

27 Sat (1) 11am Commencement speaker at R. University, (2) ~3pm+ time w/ V/AR+
29 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer, (2) 3pm mtg DerCh - Mississauga
30 Tue (1) 10am ph call (AA), (2) 5:30pm video mtg (IsTan), (3) 8pm neighbourhood prayer mtg

JUNE
1 Thu (1) 11:30am Zoom mtg (LM), (2) 4pm mtg (VS,KBr)
2 Fri (1) 10:30am ph call (PVDW; SL w/ boys; ~J working)
3 Sat SL w/ boys and MG
5 Mon (1) 9:30am VT prayer mtg, (2) 2pm Europe call, (3) 5pm mtg/walk (YM)
6 Tue (1) 11:30am lunch (GD) - St. Jacobs, (2) 4pm mtg (AF) - Cambridge, (3) 7:30pm worship night
9 Fri ~J's b'day
10 Sat North Bay trip
13 Tue 11am mtg (DAy) (~J school trip w/ ~Co | text BD)
14 Wed 9:30am time w/ BD
15 Thu 4:30pm video mtg (Paul T.)
16 Fri (1) 9am video med appt, (2) 15-km run (Prayer Journey "warm-up")
17 Sat Prayer Journey (my own: 50km GTA bike-ride; Jessie's: 5KM) and speaking at GTA after-party
23-25 Fri-Sat poss. SL
26 Mon 2pm Europe monthly call
29 ... July 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas

JULY
... 7 Thu-Fri poss. holiday in Arkansas
~8-17 SA+ in Toronto; P/H Bell likely visiting too
15 Sat aft+ baptism (Saj; NaB may be coming)
17-21 Mon-Fri Kids Kapers camp
24 Mon 2:45pm med. appt
26 Wed (1) 11am video mtg (SM), (2) 3pm Zoom mtg (SMa,SB), (3) 7pm ~J speaking at Greenhouse/Zoe - UofT downtown
27 Thu 10am video MVT board mtg
31 Mon 3:05pm med. appt
July/Aug CCWM board mtg / AGM

AUGUST
2 Wed 11am video mtg (SM+)
6-12 Sun-Fri Cottage w/ O/DN+ and UB/AC - Windermere; plus Muskoka
19 Sat poss. ~J fam beach day - Brighton area
25-29 Fri-Tue MoveIn staff retreat - southern Ontario

2023+
Sep 21 Thu - MVT board mtg
Sep 23 Sat poss. date of GV memorial
Sep 24 Sun ~Ch's b'day
Sep ~26-28 Poss. time in Lushnjë, Albania
Sep 29 - Oct 6 MoveIn Europe Conference+ - Durrës, Albania
Oct 21 Sat poss./unlikely date of GV memorial
Oct 21-27 Dollar-a-Day week
Early Nov Poss. fundraising event - Niagara
Nov-Jan Poss. time in India - Goa; Philippines - Manila+; Indonesia - Jakarta/Bali; LA/San Diego