Pray for Montenegro

Week of July 28 - Aug. 3, 2014

So much intercession, evangelism and teaching needs to be done in Montenegro. There are just so few evangelical churches and so few Christians in a country that has complete freedom of religion. There are three evangelical/protestant churches and maybe about 8 to 10 home groups; Less than 200 evangelical Christians in the whole country.


Prayer Points
1)    Let us first pray that the Lord would move the Holy Spirit toward this forsaken land. Let us pray for the compassion of heaven.
2)    Oh, Lord Jesus, send missionaries and raise up Montenegrin Christians that burn for their nation.
3)    Let us pray that the Father would extend mercy toward Montenegro and send out the Holy Spirit to stir the people’s hearts.

Kotor Bay: A Haven for Billionaires’ Yachts

In my research of Montenegro I came across information of foreign investment in the tourist industry. I can’t give the source due to copy-right laws.

There is development aimed at attracting the very wealthy to bring their yachts to Kotor Bay and enjoy the rugged but beautiful Adriatic coast of Montenegro. It is expected to be one of the most ambitious leisure projects along the Mediterranean. Development has already started for two marinas, seven hotels, a golf course and hundreds of villas, town houses and apartments. The unique small church buildings and prayer towers will become picture backdrops for tourist.

Now this is good news for Montenegro’s economy. The question is, what will happen spiritually? What is not said, is the gambling and prostitution that will follow.

4)    Lord, we are happy to see money coming into Montenegro to help the economy. Poverty is vide spread and people are hurting.
5)    Let us pray that Christians would seek out jobs in construction, hotel services and management, that Christians would open shops: coffee shops and other tourist establishments. Lord, send in Your salt. Matthew 5:13a “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?”
6)    Let us pray for mature Christians who are sold out for Jesus, that will not lose their flavor but stand on that land and cry out daily for His presence.
7)    Let us ask the Lord to bring confusion upon the enemy and his plans to use this development for dark purposes.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for Macedonia

Week of July 21-27, 2014

Macedonia needs an outpouring of God’s Spirit. This is a country which has many problems with her neighbors; 1) Bulgaria says Macedonia has distorted the history of Bulgaria’s influence over the area, 2) Greece will not accept the name Macedonia because it has its own Macedonian area in Greece, 3) then there is the Greater Albanian movement demanding that Albanians in Macedonia have autonomy. This leads to the internal ethnic groups demanding special treatment and the government officials trying to balance out the laws to represent their concerns.

Our prayer is that all nations would accept their present borders and work internally to insure full representation of all ethnic groups in all internal institutions. The truth is that this can only happen through an applied Christian worldview.

Prayer Points:
1)    First of all let us pray for peace in Macedonia. As ethnic frustrations come to a head, may men and women of common sense take the leadership to work through to a peaceful solution.
2)    In order for Macedonia to survive there must be solutions to these ethnic problems. Let us pray for a peaceful dialog between all ethnic people groups involved.
3)    The greatest need is for Christians to be positioned by the Lord into the Macedonian spheres of influence. Let us pray for men and women with the spirit of Joseph. Joseph in the Bible never denied his nationality but he served his captors with excellence and devotion.
4)    Also there is the spirit of Daniel in the Bible. He was held captive in Babylon but he faithfully served three kings. Lord, we ask that You raise up Macedonian saints that will be Your representatives in all the spheres of influence in that country.
5)    (Daniel prayed three times a day and he was the adviser to three kings) Lord, we ask for men and women that will pray for Your guidance daily. Macedonia needs these men and women of integrity.
6)    May a respect for others’ reasonable rights be a theme that gains acceptance in Macedonia. Let us stand in prayer against those that cause ethnic strife. May their organizations dry up and their voices lose influence.
7)    Let us pray that the churches would become centers of strategy to reach out to the institutions of Macedonia. Let us ask for Christians that go into the marketplace daily letting Jesus flow through them.
8)    Let us pray for the power of dis-unity to be broken off Macedonia and a spirit of cooperation to take over. Lord, give the intercessors of Macedonia insight and authority to break this present spirit of division.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for Kosovo

Week of July 7-13, 2014

In the News: Trial of suspected Albanian crime boss begins
PRIŠTINA -- A panel of judges at the Basic Court in Priština has begun the trial of Naser Kelmendi, charged by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office.

On May 6, 2013, Kelmendi was arrested by the Kosovo police on an international warrant issued by the Bosniak authorities in Sarajevo and has since been held in custody in Kosovo.

Keljmendi is featured on Interpol’s list of wanted criminals, where he is labeled as one of the most dangerous drug dealers in the Balkans, and has also been added to the United States' "black list" of foreign criminals. Bosnia accuses him of organizing the 2007 Sarajevo murder of Delalic [Bosnian citizen]. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/in_focus.php?id=228 

Prayer Points:
1)    We have been praying over the years for justice in the Balkans and the exposure of mafia type criminals. Thank You Lord for the above report. May the courts fully prosecute Mr. Keljmendi’s case so justice can be seen.
2)    Let us pray for the court system of Kosovo. May men and women of integrity occupy those courts as judges and strive to bring forth justice from the written laws.

Over the past twenty five years there has been a steady growth of evangelical churches in Kosovo. This is great news since Kosovo is estimated to be 80% Muslim.

3)    Let us pray for the Christians in Kosovo. There is much misunderstanding and at times persecution from their Muslim neighbors.
4)    Let us pray for the pastors. May they walk in integrity, and be worthy of honor.
5)    May these pastors have hearts made tender by the Lord’s love flowing through them. Let us pray for unity among the evangelical pastors of Kosovo. We rebuke slander, pride and personal kingdom building.
6)    We pray for unity among the believers. May they abound in love toward one another. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
7)    Lord, help the pastors and church leaders in Kosovo to plan and prepare for the future.
8)    May this year, 2014, be a year of great advancement for the Kosovo churches.
9)    Let us pray for financial miracles for the Christians in Kosovo; job creation, giving hearts, raise in pastor’s salaries.
10)    Let us pray 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.

Thanks for Praying - Please leave a comment or reaction so we will know you prayed.

Pray for Greece

Week of July 7-13, 2014

The Church of Megalochari on Tinos island is one of the most important pilgrimages in Greece. On this holy site, the icon of the Virgin Mary was found, after a vision of the nun Pelagia. Tradition has it that the icon is miraculous and visitors arrive by thousands to pray and ask for help (usually for health issues). The church is located on a hill above Chora and pilgrims go on their knees from the port to the church entrance. Inside the monastery complex lies a great chapel and a lovely fountain with holy water.  http://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/churches/

This is an example of how traditional the Greeks have become toward religion and their churches. They are considered holy sites, the icons have special power, and mother Mary is often given honor above Jesus. The church of Megalochari is such a holy place that visitors crawl on their knees up it’s steps seeking a touch from God.

In doing research on Protestant churches in Greece the only denomination that had a significant number were the Pentecostals with an estimated 12,000 members in about 200 churches. This is very few considering among the 11 million in Greece over 90% give a national allegiance to the Greek Orthodox church. “To be Greek is to be Orthodox” as the saying goes.

A good prayer directive is from Operation World http://www.operationworld.org/gree
Ethnic Greek evangelicals are few. Please pray for:
a) Courage to witness in a society where the extreme majority claim to be Christian yet do not have a living faith and relationship with Jesus. Greek society is not just secular and post-Christian, but is subject to a faith that is syncretistic – the amalgamation of Christianity, inherited superstition, atheism, paganism and such.
b) Wisdom in outreach and witness. Greek Protestants acknowledge that proselytism is unnecessary, but that evangelism is. Greeks are more likely to experience new life in Christ through a revitalization of the Orthodox Church than through Protestants drawing Greeks away from their Orthodox background. Pray for ways that allow evangelicals to urgently communicate the need for salvation while respecting the great legacy and heritage of Orthodoxy.
c) Unity in the Spirit. Unfortunately, divisions still exist even among the various Protestant denominations; division can compromise the message they preach. The Pan-Hellenic Evangelical Alliance works as a mouthpiece for all evangelicals and challenges illegal discrimination. Pray for all believing churches to join together and for the Evangelical Alliance to represent them with wisdom and clarity.

We know the story of the jailer in Acts 16 that had an encounter with Paul and Silas in the jail. He and his whole house joyfully accepted Jesus after seeing God bring about a miraculous deliverance for Paul and Silas through an earthquake. Think of today’s Orthodox priest as jailers holding back the true message of the cross. The message is there but it is locked up.

1)    Let us pray for such a shaking in the Orthodox church that the priest fall on their faces in repentance.
2)    After the earthquake the keys in the jailers hand were of no use anymore; so let us pray that God would miraculously set free the Gospel in Greece.
3)    Let us point our finger at the demon of “religion”, and rebuke his power over the Greek people. Let us ask for the same rage Jesus had when he cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:12
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves.

[A desperate plea comes from a missionary in Greece], “We need missionaries to come long term and just love the Greek people.” With all of the biblical surroundings, “the Greek people are very close to the reality but have little real experience,” according to Creel.
Nearly 2,000 years have passed since Paul made two missionary journeys to this country. The spiritual need is as serious today as it was in the early days of apostolic ministry. Paul considered himself a debtor to the Greeks (Romans 1:14). He fulfilled that debt by preaching the gospel.
This land so abounding with biblical history desperately needs workers — missionaries and Greek nationals — to assume the role of debtor to the Greeks. http://pentecostalevangel.ag.org/Articles2006/4800_Greeks.cfm

4)    Let us pray for missionaries that will truly love the Greek people to be sent to Greece by the Holy Spirit.
5)    May these missionaries boldly go like Paul and Silas willing to suffer for His name in order the see Greeks truly set free.
6)    May the Lord raise up bold Greek believers that will proclaim the Gospel in a way that will shake off the chains of tradition.