OUTREACH (3)

PTAP has been asked and is pleased to pray for our colleagues who are currently getting ready for outreach projects in Europe this summer.  Believers will be reaching out to the many Gulf Arabs who vacation in Europe every summer.  Please pray with us as the projects are currently being organized.

Pre-project Prayer Requests:
 
There are a number of European cities this summer that will see tens of thousands of visitors, nationals from the Arabian Gulf.  While in these cities, they allow themselves to see and experience things they might shy away from in their home cities.  There will be close to 100 volunteers who will take the Gospel to these visitors.  

Please pray:
 
Laborers.  For the Lord of the Harvest to call out the trainable, moldable volunteers to come to these cities to share the Gospel.  This summer, some new concepts will be introduced to the volunteers, who in turn, will go out on the streets and share the Gospel with lost Arabs.
 
Follow-up.  A new follow-up stream was launched last summer.  The summer ended with more than two dozen people to follow-up.  About five of those people are still in touch today.   Right now, apps are being programmed and the system is being modified to be more effective.  Pray that the apps will be put into the Apple App Store and Google Play Store with little challenge.  Pray for the developer to have wisdom as the system is further developed.  Pray for the volunteers to embrace the new technology.
 
Reception of a New Concept.   We want to move into 'multiplication' mode where the Gospel flows into and THROUGH families to their extended families and tribes.  This will require a different approach by the volunteers as well as a different level of receptivity by the hearers.  Pray for God to make volunteers super sensitive to identifying Persons of Peace who will be conduits of the Gospel.  Pray now for God to prepare the 'soil' to be receptive and productive.
 
Ask the Heavenly Father for fruit that lasts, that is, individuals who will receive the Gospel and share Christ with their families and for multiplying groups of followers to form.
 
Pray for the Father to prepare the hearts (and bodies) of the leadership who will have eight very challenging weeks of preparation and work.
Read more…

PTAP: God is Building His Church.

Praise God for the handfuls of known believers in this country. Every person who is given faith is a miracle of God's washing and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5)! Praise him for his grace that has appeared, bringing salvation for all people (Titus 2:11).
Pray for these believers, that they would renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age as they wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11). Praise Jesus that he will continue to purify a people for himself for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:13-14). So pray that these believers would continue to grow in their knowledge of God and who they are in Christ and as a result, be very zealous to do good works, to practice love, and to meet the needs of others before their own (Phil 2:1-11).
Pray for unity among the believers. The evil one plants distrust and fear among them and it is difficult at times to be united as one community for Christ. Pray that they know how much God loves them so that love would reign among them so that fear is cast out (1 John 4:18, 19). Pray for unity (Psalm 133, 1 Cor 12:12-26). Pray that they would attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13).
Pray for a zeal for outreach as well. Part of growing in the knowledge of the Son of God is to reach out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Pray that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and thus be bold in their witness (Acts 4:29-31).
Most of the believers come from the same areas of the country. The other regions are totally unreached. Pray that God would bring in his sheep from these unengaged regions, that they would hear the Shepherd's voice, and that they would unite with other members of Christ's body here so that there will be one flock under one Shepherd (John 10:16).
Pray for the people of this country who study abroad as international students and become believers there. Praise God that this is happening. Pray for continued outreach to all people from the Middle East who study abroad and who are exposed to the knowledge of the Son of God for the first time in their lives. Pray that God would continue to build his church among "aliens", "immigrants", and "sojourners" because He loves them as He loves orphans and widows (Deut 10:18-19).
Read more…

The Test of Love

9651020097?profile=original

Despite all of our divisions and denominations, the great test for every Christian is the test of love. Can we love without judging, when our brother believes differently than we do? Can we rejoice in the preaching of the gospel by those "less qualified" than ourselves? Can we allow for differences of opinion and interpretation while still agreeing on the essentials of the faith? 

This is the great test for every Christian: not simply to preach the gospel ourself, but to allow others to preach Christ in the knowledge they have attained, however limited. Paul recognized this in his letter to the Philippians. Instead of being upset by those who preached Christ out of "selfish ambition" or even contention, he rejoiced that the gospel was being preached at all! (SeePhilippians 1:15-18). Sometimes, even those who attack our faith end up drawing more attention to it, instead of causing its demise.

Click here to continue article:

the-test-of-love

Read more…