Monday, December 03, 2012

Pray for Roma People

Week of Dec. 3 - 9, 2012


Evangelical fervor has swept through the one-million-strong gypsy population in Spain at the speed of a Mediterranean brush fire. According to the Spanish Association of Gypsy Presence, about 30 per cent of gypsies in Spain are Alleluyas. The Church of Philadelphia itself says it has 90,000 officially baptized members and about 500 churches across Spain. There are now 70 churches in Madrid alone; ten years ago there was only one. 

The Catholic Church has been taken completely by surprise by this sudden upsurge in religious activity. Its priests say they are too overstretched to meet the needs of the gypsies and some are even critical of the cult for being too spiritual.
  1. “Too spiritual,” Oh yes, Praise the Lord! The Lord has not forgotten the Roma people. He said He would pour out Holy Spirit on all flesh. Lord, thank You for what You are doing in Spain and we believe for an out pouring in the Balkans.
  2. Actually it is happening in the Balkans with reports of Roma revival in Serbia, Macedonia, etc. Lord, You are seeking out the despised and pouring out a blessing.
The Roma are a distinct people group with a common language and history. Often referred to as Gypsies, the Roma are the largest minority group in Europe, with a population of 7-15 million. Numbers are difficult to determine because the Roma are not usually counted in census statistics since their nomadic history and wartime persecution forced them to move without many of their documents.

The Romanians and the citizens of Rome complain about the word Roma being used but the term "Rom" means "people" in Romani, the mother language of the Roma.

Although the Roma never claimed to be Egyptians, the term "gypsy", which stems from "Egyptian", was given to the Roma by Europeans who incorrectly thought that they originated from Egypt. (It is well established now that they originated in India.)
  1. Lord we thank You for bringing many Roma to salvation. Truly Lord, You desire that none perish. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (New International Version)
  2. Lord, we ask for your direction for the Roma people. Do they become part of established churches or do they gravitate to their own culturally distinct churches. Let us pray that above all they will be cared for by loving pastors.
  3. Let us rejoice in the beneficial things built into their culture that can be of redemptive value. Tight family units, tribal, honor given to patriarchal leadership, and culturally connected throughout every country.
  4. Lord, let not materialism and individualism pull families apart. May they stay true to their family connections.
  5. Tribal can be good because if one gets saved many times others easily follow. Lord, we ask for deep and true conversions and not just religious acts to satisfy others.
  6. Lord, we ask that You speak directly to family and tribal patriarchs. Because of the respect afforded the elder male, many in the family will come to faith in You. Lord, send your word from family to family and from nation to nation. Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, Your God reigns!
  7. With many gypsies coming to know Jesus in the past few years, and many churches springing up, there is a need for scriptural teaching and the operation of the five-fold ministry. Lord raise up more Bible schools throughout the Balkans to train those that are called to evangelize, pastor, and teach the Roma people. May the present Bible schools embrace the Roma in their countries.
  8. There are many Gypsy churches outside of the Balkans that are mature in the faith; May they be senders of missionaries to the struggling Balkan churches.
  9. Lord, we ask that You release finances for ministry to and through the Roma people.
"And I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'" Hosea 2:23 (NIV)

Norway's biggest church, the (Lutheran) Church of Norway, has apologized to the nation's Romanies—once known as gypsies—for its ill treatment of their people in the past. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/decemberweb-only/56.0.html

Personal Note: The more I pray for these people the more my heart is broken for them. I can’t wait to visit many Roma’s homes in January 2013.

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