“How are we going to obey Matthew 28:18-20? Because this is for all of us. We must go to Luke 10. So we know to obey these two things. How can we DO Matthew 28? By doing Luke 10! After that, we must go to Acts 2:36-47, and we can learn how to be a house church.”
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
The first of the 5 pillars of Islam is the shahadah. The shahadah is their statement of faith which says "There is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God." Muslims state this declaration of faith 5 times a day during their daily prayer rituals and it is the basis of their beliefs, being monotheistic and following after their prophet's teachings.. There is a high veneration for Muhammad.
ReadIn Islam there are 4 holy books: the Quran, the Tawrat (Pentateuch/Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injil (the Gospels). Though 3 of these books are found in the Bible, most Muslims have never seen or read the Bible.
ReadMost Islamic cultures have authoritarian structures. This means that those with power have a lot of sway over what is acceptable and allowed in their society. Some times this is seen as a hindrance to the gospel but it can also open doors. With the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. following Jesus went from being persecuted by the state to first allowed and eventually accepted as the state religion. This came of course with its own issues but it was this change of heart by the authoritarian system that opened the doors for the gospel to spread like it never had before. Today let’s pray for those in authority, in the government but also for tribal leaders and family elders to have a change of heart. That these leaders would encounter Jesus and doors would open for the gospel in Pakistan and across the Muslim world.
ReadMay each person in Karachi and beyond find the 'straight path', the one who said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
ReadPray today for movements of the gospel to happen among families and especially among the youth. That the new generation would be completely changed by encountering Jesus.
ReadPakistani cultures are classified as honor/shame cultures whereas most Western cultures are considered to be guilt/innocence cultures. This means that importance of how someone is perceived is often more important that what is truth. The Jewish culture that Jesus came into was actually an Eastern one. As such, a King in a manger, on a donkey, washing feet, all are pictures both counter cultural and perceived as weak. Some might even say humiliating. Jesus' life and teaching are a shock to this kind of a society where one honors the great and lifts high those with money, status, or power. Jesus deserves all honor but lowers himself willingly. He does so to lift us up. His actions aren't of shame but rather of lowering Himself to our level. He is most honorable yet humble enough to call us friend. Pray for Muslims in Karachi to wrestle with this contrast of someone so great being willing to be so low that they would grasp the audacity of God to reveal Himself through Jesus.
ReadMuslims believe in the God of Abraham (Ibrahim), Isaac (Ishaq), and Jacob (Yacoob). They know the God who sent a flood but saved Noah (Nuh), saved His people through Moses (Musa), and conquered nations through David (Daoud). However they have a different understanding of who Jesus is. There faith is like the faith of God's people in the Old Testament, having not experienced Jesus in who He is throughout the New Testament. Today we pray for Muslims to encounter Jesus and to really experience Him is that they can decide for themselves who He is.
ReadThe majority of the culture in Pakistan would be viewed as very conservative in the way women are treated. On the one hand there is a culture of protectiveness and honor but often there is a deviation from the intent of culture, and women end up being surpressed instead of protected. Today we pray for both men and women in Karachi to see the value of women who are created by God.
ReadPray for an Acts 19 movement to reach every unreached people and place in Mashhad, Iran and the surrounding regions.
ReadWe wait on you, Lord, to send your Holy Spirit to empower us to fully obey your great mission.
ReadPray for an Acts 19 movement to reach every unreached people and place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and the surrounding regions.
ReadMOVEMENT PRINCIPLE: BE GROUNDED IN THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
ReadPSALMS 46:10; 24:1; 82:8
ReadPray for an Acts 19 movement to reach every unreached people and place in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and the surrounding regions.
Read