Category Archives: Prayer

The Invitation

15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

2017 Hindu World Prayer Guide Cover Page
Photo credits: Friends Network

YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, will be a bit different in October. Instead of asking you to pray on the second Thursday of the month (or whatever works best for you) we are asking you to pray with us daily from October 8 to October 22 for 15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World.

15 Days is an annual prayer movement that calls Christians and churches worldwide to take these 15 days to learn about and pray for our world’s one billion Hindus. This period encompasses the significant Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali (or Deepawali). During this prayer focus, we invite you to take a posture of blessing toward Hindu peoples worldwide.

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of October to pray for the Hindu world, from October 8 – 22. Informative prayer guide booklets are available on the 15 Days website (www.pray15days.org). To join the YWAM family in prayer in October, take a moment to download or order a booklet. Also, go to the 15 Days Facebook page (via pray15days.org) and like it. The purpose of 15 Days is to call Christians to make an intentional and respectful effort during this period to learn about, pray for and reach out to the Hindu community.

If you are not able to pray every day we invite you to pray during our prayer day, Thursday, October 12.

This is the second anniversary issue of The Invitation and we would like to take a moment to thank the people that have made this possible:

Translation: Yohan An, Seungjun Bahng, Kyoungmi Ko, Eunice Jo, Micaela Oliveira, Jessica Milanez Salve, Adelaide Santos, Isabela Ribeiro, Sharen Song, Renato Wong, French-language translator (name withheld for security reasons), and Yira Patricia Ibarra.

Spiritual Formation/Prepare to Pray: Miranda Heathcote, Tanya Lyons

Social Media: Daniel Norris, Mandy Stephenson, Jeremy Randall

Logistics and Podcast: Bill Hutchison

Manager and Writer: Laura Parli

Ideas: Lynn Green, Lynn Yee

Leadership: Bryan Bishop

Thanks also to YWAM leaders, prayer coordinators and others who have organized The Invitation at their location.

If you have only a few minutes to pray this month, please pray that Hindu people everywhere would be blessed through the Gospel and that God would move them towards Himself.

If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.

Prepare to Pray:

Speaking blessings over people and situations, and doing so in our authority as God’s children, is a powerful way of agreeing with His good purposes. Blessing prayer helps us to align our hearts with God’s good intentions and, as we see in scripture, blessings given by God and His people are powerful and effective.

As your group prepares to pray, stand together in a circle. You can divide into smaller groups if you are praying as a large community, or you can pray individually if you are alone. Take a moment to consider the Hindu World and God’s eternal purpose to reveal His love as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to draw people into relationship with Himself.

When you are ready, go ahead and open in prayer: “Almighty God, as we stand in agreement with your loving purposes towards all people, help us by your Holy Spirit to speak powerful blessings over the Hindu world that will bear good fruit.”

Then go around the circle and allow a brief moment for each person to speak aloud a blessing; these can be very simple. It may help to imagine a particular man, woman, child or family and their need for Jesus. For example, someone might begin with, “I bless Hindu families with visitors who will speak to them of Jesus.” Or, “I bless Hindu communities with portions of scripture they can read aloud together in their language.”

When everyone has taken a turn, pause a moment in silence. Before continuing with your prayer time, allow your hearts to be softened and enlarged with a sense of God’s deep longing to bless Hindu people.

Hindu Prayer Bells and Group
Photo Credits: Friends Network

Pray for The Hindu World:

  • Pray that more disciples of Jesus would learn how to communicate the Good News to Hindus in ways that resonate with their hearts and minds.
  • Pray for bible translation and distribution in the Hindu world and the ending of bible poverty. Many Hindus do not have Scripture available in their language or do not have access to the Bible. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know you are the Holy One of God” (ESV, John 6:68).
  • Pray that movements of Hindus towards Christ will emerge and grow in all types of Hindu communities.
  • Pray for the more than 2,000 YWAM staff who work in South Asia. Many of them work directly with Hindu peoples.

“Through prayer, we engage in an act of love for Hindu people around the world—sharing their burdens, understanding their concerns and petitioning God to reveal Himself to them.”

Friends Network

  • Praise God for the many people movements that have started amongst Hindu people.
  • Pray for the church in South Asia, that it will endure the recent increase in persecution and grow in hope, as the author of Hebrews wrote, “. . . . hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone . . . “ (ESV, Hebrews 6:18 – 20).
  • Pray for the 2,328 Unreached Hindu People groups (https://joshuaproject.net/religions/5) and that they will receive witnesses of Christ and turn to Him as their saviour.

Take Action:

  • Look for Hindus in your own community and find ways to engage with them. Eat a meal at an Indian or Nepali restaurant and get to know the wait staff.
  • Attend a YWAM Frontier Missions school or seminar (uofn.edu) or (ywamfm.com) to search for DTSes and secondary schools with a focus on the Hindu world.
  • Visit the International YWAM Frontier Missions website and Facebook (you can find both via ywamfm.com) to learn how to be trained and sent as a cross cultural missionary to the Hindu world.
  • Visit the YWAM Frontier Missions South Asia website and Facebook page to hear encouraging testimonies of what God is doing amongst Hindu peoples there and to learn about training and ministry opportunities (you can find both via www.ywamfrontiermissions.com).
  • Bring yourself and your team to the first Global Hethne (Hindu Ethne) Missions Congress in Thailand, October 12-17, 2020. Find more information at (hethne.org).
  • Consult the Joshua Project site that is dedicated to people groups of South Asia for prayer points (www.southasiapeoples.org).
  • Consult Operation World for more prayer points and to learn about Hindu peoples.
  • Read books to gain a greater understanding of Hindu peoples: Sharing Your Faith with a Hinduby Madasamy Thirumalai; Disciple Making Among Hindus by Timothy Shultz; Sundar Singh: Footprints Over the Mountains by Janet & Geoff Benge (YWAM Publishing) and Footprints of Faith: Stories of YWAM in South Asia by Sonya Svoboda.
  • Watch short promotional video from the 15 Days website (pray15days.org).

Photo credits: Friends Network

How We Prayed

September 2017 – DTS, Disciple-making

  • Friends Network – “The Invitation has been a great blessing to our mission, the Father’s heart and I am sure for those whom we have prayed.”
  • Several posted on Facebook that they prayed including one who prayed for the current DTS to be a blessing to many and that God would use all participants to bring revival and awakening of the Holy Spirt.

Future Topics:

  • November 9, 2017 Partner Churches
  • December 14, 2017 Pyongyang

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

Related posts:

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The Invitation

DTS, Disciple-making

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Photo credits: YWAM San Diego

“The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is the foundational building block in Youth With A Mission, the cornerstone of the mission” says YWAM founder Loren Cunningham. Not only is our DTS foundational for YWAM, according to Elena Ciobo, a DTS coordinator, “It is the one part of our YWAM family that holds us together in unity amongst our great diversity.” Unique to YWAM is not only the diversity of our staff and students, but diversity of DTS programs focused on anything from motorcycles to surfers, starting in any month of the year, in locations from Alberta to Zimbabwe with over 65 different languages spoken. This is YWAM’s model for disciple-making.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. . . “

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of September to pray for our DTS programs and the process of disciple-making. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, Thursday, September 14.

If you have only a few minutes to pray, please pray for our current DTS students that they would be discipled well to be effective witnesses for Christ.

If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.

Prepare to Pray:

Before your prayer time, you are invited to participate in a reflection process using clay or play dough. The purpose of this time is to be reminded that our formation process does not end after DTS! All of us, including those staffing and supporting the DTS, continue to be in a process of becoming more like Jesus. This meditation – which might take about 20-30 minutes, including the time of feedback – can help us to posture ourselves as fellow learners, part of a discipling community whose teacher is God.

In order for everyone to take part, you will need to provide everyone with a small quantity of clay or play dough that is readily available from craft or toy stores, or easy to make using a recipe you can find online.

Take some time for everyone to begin working with the clay. Become familiar with its feel in your hands. Notice its texture and the way it both resists and yields to your touch.

You can then use this script to lead the group:

“Call to mind the creation story, where God shapes the human from clay, gently molding and shaping each fold and indentation. Take a few minutes to experience yourself as being molded by God.”

[Pause for a few minutes]

“Hold this image in your heart as you continue to mold the clay. Notice how it feels in your hands. Notice the feelings and/or images that emerge for you. As you handle the clay, feel free to form it into a particular shape if one comes to mind.”

[Pause for a few minutes]

“Reflect on how you experience God shaping and forming you. Where are the places in your life that feel resistant and where are you malleable? Work with the clay for a while, engage in the process and pay attention to what comes to you, without censoring yourself.”

[Pause for a few minutes]

“Continue to hold the questions in your heart of how God is shaping and forming you. When you have come to a sense of rest with the clay process, take a few moments to gaze at the object you have formed. What has this process revealed to you? How have you felt God moving in you during this time?”

Allow a time of silence for reflection or journalling. Then give the opportunity for people to share with a partner the ways God spoke to them during this time. After a few minutes of sharing in pairs, give an opportunity for feedback in the larger group. You might like to close with some prayers inviting the Spirit of God to continue forming and shaping you, as individuals and as a community.

(This exercise was drawn from the work of Christine Valters Paintner and Betsey Beckman, in their book ‘Awakening the Creative Spirit.’)

From left to right: DTS Leader; Darlene Cunningham Teaching Belief Tree to a DTS. Photo Credits: YWAM Vancouver and YWAM Kona

Pray for DTS, Disciple-making:

  • Praise God for our diversity of students and staff and for the diverse DTS programs we are able to offer.
  • Pray for DTS students to be challenged to embrace their true identity in Christ.
  • Pray for DTS students to obtain clarity regarding their holy calling.
  • Pray for strength of character for DTS students.
  • Pray for students to obtain a greater understanding of God and of His Word.
  • Pray for potential students to find a good match for a DTS program.
  • Pray for overall health of YWAM’s DTS program so that the strength and future of YWAM is solid.

“As the DTS goes, so goes the mission.”

Darlene Cunningham, YWAM Co-founder

  • Pray for our DTS leaders and staff around the world that they would increasingly be trained and equipped in their roles in order to effectively disciple and train others.
  • Pray for the International DTS Centre personnel that they would find relational favor within the YWAM family as they continue to serve, support and strengthen our DTS.
  • Pray that each of the 100s of DTSes that we offer would stay true to the YWAM vision, values and ethos.
  • Pray for biblical discernment in disciple-making within YWAM.
  • Pray that YWAMers would be fruitful in making disciples.
DTS Outreach Phase; Photo credits: YWAM Perth

Take Action:

  • Share the YWAM primary website regarding DTS with a young person who has never done a DTS. Challenge them to take this step. Pray for them. ywam.org/dts
  • During the next DTS at your location find a new DTS student and sit down with them and pray for them.
  • Reach out to a YWAM location with whom you have little or no contact and ask them how you can pray for their current or next DTS.
  • For more information contact YWAM International DTS Centre www.ywamdtscentre.com
  • Review material about DTS and disciple-making at other YWAM locations. Identify three things you could to do improve the DTS at your location.
  • Spend a season with another location to experience their DTS program.
Left to right: Ready for outreach phase in the Cook Islands, and on outreach from YWAM Blantyre, Malawi
Photo Credits: YWAM Cooks and YWAM Blantyre

How We Prayed

August 2017 – Families, Singles and Marriages

  • 190 people reacted to The Invitation on Facebook. It was shared 39 times. One person in particular noted the importance of praying for singles.
  • YWAM Canberra also shared a photo of their prayer time over on Instagram using the hashtag #praywithywam.
Intercession morning! Discussing and praying for one another and all the diverse people in YWAM

Future Topics:

  • October 12, 2017 The Hindu World (The Invitation’s Second Anniversary issue)
  • November 9, 2017 Partner Churches
  • December 14, 2017 Pyongyang

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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The Invitation

Family, Singles, Marriages

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Left to right; top to bottom: 1) Quote from Marian Jordan Ellis, 2) Celebrating the marriage of two YWAMers. 3) YWAM Family Ministries Forum in Asia, Photo credits: YWAM Family Ministries; Andrea Howey (Flickr); YWAM South Sudan.

God speaks to all of us through the Bible and other means in all stages of life and gives instructions for how to live in different stages: as singles, as married couples, as part of a family. God gives each of us, no matter our status, a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9). The Bible is full of stories about people who are single, married spouses, and families and how He used them for His good purpose.

But how does this fit in with our work on the mission field? How do YWAMers in different stages and statuses of life, with different needs, come together to fulfill God’s purposes? How do we minister to non-believers who are in a different stage than we are?

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. . .

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of August to pray for family, singles and marriages. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, August 10.

If you have only a few minutes to pray, please lift up all YWAMers regarding their stage in life. Pray for contentment regarding stage of life; unity regarding differences; wisdom and provision. Pray for God to strengthen YWAM ministries through a greater understanding of the needs of people in different stages of life.

If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.

“Please don’t wait for marriage” blog. Photo credit: YWAM Montana Lakeside

Prepare to Pray:

If you are praying with others, consider taking some time to discuss these questions before you pray. If you are praying alone, you could journal your own responses to the questions:

  • What are some things that make you personally grateful to be single, or married, or a family in mission?
  • What are some of the challenges of being single, or married, or a family in mission?
  • What have you learned as you have related to those who are single, if you are married; or married, if you are single; or from those who have kids if you don’t? Feel free to be specific with the people in your prayer group.
  • In what ways do you experience the diversity of people in your teams (singles, couples, families) as something that strengthens the ways you can reach out to others? Give thanks for that diversity.

Pray for Family, Singles and Marriages:

  • Praise God for this stage of your life (family, single, married) and reflect on the ways that your ministry is enhanced due to your current status.
  • Pray for those at your location who have a different status than you currently do. Reflect on what their challenges might be.
  • Pray for guidance on how to include and take care of everyone – couples, singes, young people, old people, and children in a way that lives out the Gospel.
  • Pray for wisdom, resources and adequate training for those within YWAM who provide member care to others.
  • Pray for recognition by YWAM leaders of the needs and challenges facing each group of YWAMers and for recognition of differences from area to area. Pray for fairness and equity for housing, leadership positions, ministry opportunities among all regardless of current status.

Singles

  • Pray for singles in YWAM and that they would stand firm against Satan regarding purity.
  • Pray for balance between ministry and social life. Pray for staff and leaders to not make decisions just because someone is single. (For example, assuming it is easier for them to travel.)
  • Pray for our singles to not feel lonely and isolated.
  • Pray for provision (financial and other) for our singles. Expenses for singles can be close to that needed by married couples and they may not have as many contacts.

 Marriages

  • Pray for YWAM couples to be anchored in the Lord as individuals.
  • Praise God for the ways He unites cross-cultural couples. Pray for wisdom regarding differences.
  • Pray for YWAM couples who have or are experiencing difficulties regarding fertility, pregnancies and post-pregnancies.
  • Pray for sexual purity for our YWAM marriages.
  • Pray for unity of married couples in purpose and vision for ministry and family matters.
  • Pray for wisdom in handling time away from one another due to travel, leadership responsibilities, etc.

Family

  • Pray for all YWAMers to sense they are part of “the family” at all YWAM locations.
  • Pray for security and peace for YWAMers who are away from their primary or extended families frequently or for extended periods of time.
  • Pray for resources and guidance for YWAMers in educating and caring for their children.
  • Pray that the children of our staff would receive clarity regarding ministry.
  • Pray for grace to set our priorities right. (Investing into our own marriage, investing in our children, being a family in missions, investing in others, etc.)
  • Pray for balance between discipline and love where there are challenging family issues including adoption, health concerns, behavioral concerns and others.
YWAM Family Encounter Day. Photo credit: YWAM Family Encounters.

Take Action:

Families in Ministry book is now available in multiple languages.
Photo credit: Angela Zeidler-Fresz, YWAM Family Ministries International
  • Research ministry opportunities for singles.
  • Attend a marriage weekend. See YWAM St. Croix for an example: https://www.ywamstcroix.org/marriage-ministry
  • Teach a marriage class to the current DTS students at your location.
  • Seek a mentor-type relationship with another married couple.
  • Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
  • Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

How We Prayed

July 2017 – Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support

  • There was enthusiastic support for this topic on Facebook. One individual exclaimed: “YWAM is a step ahead, well done!”

Future Topics:

  • September 14, 2017 DTS, Disciple Making
  • October 12, 2017 The Hindu World (The Invitation’s Second Anniversary issue)
  • November 9, 2017 Partner Churches

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast by clicking on the player at the bottom of this email. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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The Invitation

Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Indonesian YWAMer sharing her vision. Photo credit: Terry Sherman

Today in modern missions many people who live in what was considered the mission field have now become a significant part of the mission force. A large portion of YWAM missionaries now come from countries like South Korea, Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

Along with these changes come great challenges as norms change. One such challenge is raising support for those working in or sent from the Two-Thirds-World. We want to pray for those workers and their financial challenge during The Invitation this month.

As we prepared the prayer information, we surveyed several YWAMers with ministries on different continents to get their input on current challenges and lessons learned regarding financial support. Of those surveyed, only a very small percentage of them receive support from their local church. Some noted that they receive support from Christians and non-Christians  and most of them noted that friends (many of them friends made during YWAM training programs) and family members provide support. Some of them reported that they take on small jobs for money and one even said that only 10% of her support is consistent from month to month but that God always provides what is needed.

A Vietnamese YWAMer. Photo credit: Terry Sherman

Many of the challenges reported relate to misperceptions on the part of local churches, people who are asked to provide support, and YWAMers themselves. The misperceptions revolve around people not having a solid biblical understanding of money and cultural differences. Lessons that have been learned by YWAMers surveyed include: trust in God, pray, follow up on all requests, meet in person with people, and develop a biblical understanding of money. All of those surveyed report that they have seen God’s work in providing partners who stand beside them financially.

Terry Sherman, who provides training to YWAMers regarding support raising, states that those from the Two-Thirds-World “will encounter spiritual opposition the same as those who have gone before from the One-Third-World.  So the same lessons apply: we all need to find freedom to form partnerships. Our own ways of thinking and cultural taboos about money are our biggest enemies.”

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of July to pray for financial support for Two-Thirds-World workers. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, July 13.

If you have only a few minutes to pray, please lift up our YWAM workers from the Two-Thirds-World. Pray that they would increase their financial support and their biblical understanding of how to raise finances. Pray also for churches and individuals in the Two-Thirds-World to take on a greater role of sending missionaries by giving and praying generously. Please put a coin in your pocket to remind you to pray this month.

If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.

Indians doing Bible study on fundraising. Photo credit: Terry Sherman

Prepare to Pray:

  • Consider keeping a coin in your pocket (purse, car, etc.) to remind you to prayerfully hold this matter before God. Each time your fingers touch the coin (or you see the coin), take a moment to ask God for a release of finances for YWAM staff and students from Two-Thirds-World nations. In particular, be sensitive to the ways the Holy Spirit may be inviting you to show generosity to a Two-Thirds-World missionary you know.
  • Ask others that you will be praying with to bring a coin to a time of prayer.
YWAM Jocum Marromeu, Mozambique recently thanked supporters and celebrated the opening of a primary health care school. Photo credit: YWAM Marromeu, Mozambique

Pray:

  • Pray for local churches in the Two-Thirds-World to understand their role in the Great Commission as senders. Pray for pastors and teachers to effectively teach these concepts.
  • Pray for biblical understanding of forming kingdom partnerships throughout YWAM. Pray for YWAMers to learn practical ways for increasing their support. Pray for God to change hearts and minds so that misperceptions about support raising are minimized.
  • Pray for the economies of developing nations.
  • Pray for a spirit of provision and abundance, as opposed to a spirit of greed and limitations.
  • Pray for YWAMers to trust in God’s provision first, rather than to trust in man.
  • Pray for the relationships of YWAMers to be built on solid friendships as opposed to relationships/perceptions that it is all about the support.

All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal.

Jonathan Goforth

  • Pray for Two-Thirds-World workers that they would obey God’s call to send and to go. Pray for effective ministries and clarity of calling. Pray also that they would perform God’s work with integrity and faithfulness.
  • Pray for God to raise up more Christian and non-Christian people as supporters, and generous givers from the Two-Thirds-World.
  • Pray for our Two-Thirds-World workers to find favor with governments.
  • Pray for wisdom for YWAM’s Terry Sherman and her entire team to arrange more seminars on support raising.
  • Pray for YWAMers to be thankful and grateful for the provision that God gives them.
YWAM Ships thanks governor Muthuvel of West New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, for his support. Photo credit: YWAM Ships.

Take Action:

Newly-married YWAMers in Blantyre, Malawi. Photo credit: Sunganani Naziyaya

How We Prayed

June 2017 – Back to Jerusalem Movement

  • YWAM North Africa reported that they had a great time praying as a group for God to send more workers for this movement.
  • YWAM Perth, Australia prayed and received a picture of the base of a fence showing God’s promise that the Chinese Church will be unshaken.
  • YWAM Auckland, New Zealand interceded and gave thanks for those who have gone before the current generation in this movement, laying the foundation for the younger generation to rise up and be equipped.
  • YWAM Sarasota, Florida prayed for the Back to Jerusalem Movement and for the 10/40 Window and sent the drawing inserted below.
The roots of the Church in China go very deep. Photo credit: YWAM Sarasota, Florida

May 2017 – Spiritual Formation

  • Create International, Taiwan reported that they, as artists, found the topic of “silence” to be quite fascinating and that God spoke to them in very personal and powerful ways.

Future Topics:

  • August 10, 2017 Marriages and Singles
  • September 14, 2017 Disciple Training Schools (DTS)
  • October 12, 2017 Hindu World

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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The Invitation

Back to Jerusalem

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Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

Photos from: Back To Jerusalem Website and Facebook Page

The Back to Jerusalem movement began in the 1920s when the Chinese church received a vision from God to take the Gospel to all unreached people groups between China and Jerusalem. Chinese Christians understood that the spread of Christianity had generally taken a westward path and had reached as far as China. Their mindset was that a Back To Jerusalem effort from China westward would complete the circle around the entire globe, ending where it all began, in Jerusalem.

Through decades of persecution, where the primary work being conducted was often underground, this movement has continued. The contemporary Back To Jerusalem movement started in 1983 when Simon Zhao was released from prison. Simon had been one of the leaders of this movement in the 1940s and 50s. During his time in prison he prayed daily “God, the vision that you’ve given us has perished, but I pray you’ll raise up a new generation of Chinese believers to fulfill this vision.”

The world can do nothing to a Christian who has no fear of man.

Brother Yun, The Heavenly Man

The current movement has a goal to have 100,000 missionaries sent out across the globe, primarily in the nations between China and Jerusalem. Many of these nations are within the 10/40 window and are primarily Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. There are approximately 5,100 unreached people groups and tribes in these nations. The Back to Jerusalem movement helps the Chinese church train and send Chinese missionaries into unreached areas of the globe.

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of June to pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, June 8.

Prepare to Pray:

  • Watch this short video about the Back to Jerusalem movement:

  • Ask God to reveal a key prayer request to you that He wants you to pray over and over. Pray this prayer as a breath prayer holding this topic before God throughout the day. Write out a short phrase to repeat in pace with your in and out breath, to pray whenever it comes to mind throughout the day. For example, as you breathe in, you pray: “Merciful and gracious God,” and as you breathe out, you pray: “Have your way in China and westward toward Jerusalem” (or whatever key prayer request the Lord gives to you).
From Back to Jerusalem Facebook Page

Pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement:

  • Pray for continued growth and strength of the Chinese house-church networks so they can train and send 100,000 missionaries to the 10/40 Window and across the globe.
  • Praise God for the growth of the Chinese church. Praise Him also for the Chinese Christians that willingly go, knowing that they may give their life so that the lost can hear the good news.
  • Pray that the Back to Jerusalem movement will be protected from people who would want to organize and control it.
  • Pray for the Chinese government, who have good historical reasons for being suspicious of Christianity because it was often intertwined with foreign governments and their political and military ambitions.
  • Pray for the government to recognize that Biblical Christians are trustworthy citizens. Many Christians go out to other nations or to minority tribes within China in the course of their work or as a result of government initiatives.
  • Pray for these workers to understand how to be an ambassador for Jesus. Also pray for the many who are wanting to start businesses or engage with other economic activities as part of their missions calling.
  • Pray for excellent training to help Chinese missionaries with cross-cultural sensitivities, language learning etc.

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

  • Pray for financial and prayer supporters to partner with the Back to Jerusalem movement. Pray for the provision of Bibles and of supplies so that Back To Jerusalem can provide for people when disaster strikes and people have the greatest needs.
  • Pray for social change in the 10/40 Window through the impact of the gospel.
From Back to Jerusalem Website and Facebook Page

Take Action:

How We Prayed

May 2017 – Spiritual Formation

  • YWAM Champagne, France reported that they were very grateful for the proposal for a time of silence.

April 2017 – Growth – Persecution

  • YWAM Cape Verde prayed and reported that they are grateful to receive The Invitation in Portuguese.
  • Several YWAM locations shared that they utilize The Invitation to share information about YWAM with the students and staff at their location.
  • Multiple locations reported praying for the YWAM worker kidnapped last year.
  • YWAM Central African Republic reported that receiving The Invitation stimulates them to pray for matters beyond their area.
  • A YWAMer from Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa was inspired by 1 Corinthians6:19-20 and asked herself “Am I willing to give it all and give up myself?”
  • The Indonesian translator for The Invitation was moved by the response of love the people of Indonesia showed to a Christian governor who lost an election. (Shortly after this outpouring of love he was imprisoned.)

Future Topics:

  • July 13, 2017 Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support
  • August 10, 2017 Family, Singles, Marriages

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hash tag #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us:prayer@ywam.org.

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