Personal Story: In 1985 I visited a couple in Kosovo, John and Maria Angelic, who just moved from Serbia to start a church in Kosovo. It was Easter Sunday and I remember thinking; “In America the churches are filled on this day but here in Kosovo there is not even one Evangelical Church to attend”.
Last week, while in Kosovo, we talked with two local pastors
and they spoke of their advancing congregations. They report that although
there is national dislike and sometimes persecution against the few Orthodox
who remained in the area, the Evangelicals are somewhat respected.
From Operation World: Kosovo’s Albanian population is predominately Muslim. Many
Kosovars are quite nominally Muslim, though extremism is on the rise. Large
financial injections from Saudi Arabia and Iran come with strings attached that
pull Kosovo toward more radical forms of Islam. Reportedly, hundreds of mosques
have been erected using such funds… http://www.operationworld.org/koso
There is no official count of the number of Evangelicals in
Kosovo today but they are growing monthly. Most of the larger cities like
Pristina, Gjakovë, Prizren, etc now have growing churches.
Prayer points:
1. God is good as he took the seed John and
Maria Angelic and missionaries before them planted some 30 years ago and has
allowed it to flourish. Let us now pray
for exponential multiplication.
2. A lot of Muslims seem nominal toward Islam
and with the right approach accessible to the Gospel. Lord, we ask for the
Christians in Kosovo to be trained to reach out to their Muslim friends.
3. Let us pray against these foreign Muslim
influences that are pouring money into Kosovo to “buy” the hearts of Kosovars
and lead them in following the teachings of Islam.
4. Let us pray for strategies from heaven to
be imparted into the leaders that will expedite the growth.
5. May the Christians be motivated to reach
out to their Muslim neighbors and co-workers.
6. Lord, show the
churches how they can serve their city. Give them ideas of kindness toward
their cities so they may have favor in the eyes of the people.
7. Let us pray for a spirit of unity
over the believers in Kosovo. Much like in the rest of the Balkans, disunity
has claimed its victims in Kosovo as well. May the Body for Christ learn to
live in unity, with gladness and simplicity of heart. May the world see that
they are one.
Acts 2: 46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all
the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.
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