Jerusalem, a holy site of pilgrimage for the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is a hotbed for religious and ethnic conflict, as well as geopolitical positioning.
Jews are seen pressing up against the wailing wall in anticipation of the coming Messiah who will rebuild the temple, while Muslims visit the site where they believe Muhammed ascended to heaven and was given requirements for prayer and pilgrimage.
Simultaneously, Christians are found touring the sites of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. There is much that attracts in Jerusalem, and despite an average of over 3 million tourists visiting the city yearly, the region has struggled to attain peace due to deep cultural and political rifts that has divided Israel from their neighboring countries.
Add rich diversity and 39 languages to the mix and the stage is officially set for a movement of God that will not only heal and transform the city, but turn the region on its head.
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
Disciplemaking Principle: Proclaim the Kingdom Effective disciple makers are asking the Holy Spirit to give them words, actions, signs and wonders, to announce the coming of the Kingdom with boldness and power. It is not enough to just walk around being a good person. Lost people will not know about Jesus unless we tell them with words and actions together.
ReadActs 26:18 "I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me."
ReadActs 2:17-19 "'In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants - men and women alike - and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below...'"
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for the city of Jerusalem, Israel today! Jerusalem, a holy site of pilgrimage for the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is a hotbed for religious and ethnic conflict, as well as geopolitical positioning.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. 2 Peter 2:9 "So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgement."
ReadActs 14:3 "But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders."
ReadDisciplemaking Principle: Pray for Signs and Wonders In the book of Acts we see God moving in signs and wonders at the same time he brings salvation to many people. Signs and wonders are one way that God reveals himself to the lost. Many movements are characterized by seeing miracles happen as they enter a new place, people group, or sector of society, which opens the door to invite the lost to experience more of Jesus by joining a discovery bible study with their family and friends.
Read1 John 1:7-9 "But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."
Read2 Corinthians 6:16 "For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: 'I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'"
ReadDaniel 2:47 "The king said to Daniel, 'Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.'" Acts 2:12 "They stood there amazed and perplexed. 'What can this mean?' they asked each other."
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for the city of Cairo, Egypt today! Cairo, which in Arabic translates, “The Victorious”, is the capital of Egypt and the most populated metropolitan area in Africa. Cairo is a sprawling, ancient city that lies along the banks of the Nile, and is the home of many world heritage sites, historic figures, peoples, and languages.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Matthew 10:28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Read2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."
ReadDisciplemaking Principle: Trust God for Resources The bible tells us that God provides for his people, He cares for them more than the birds of the air and the flowers in the fields.
ReadIsaiah 42:16 "I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them."
ReadDuring the month of May let's pray together for the strategic city of Gaziantep in Southeast Türkiye. We encourage you to find out more about Gaziantep and the unique history, culture and people of this beautiful city. All month long we ask that you direct your prayers here.
Read1 Corinthians 1:27 "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful."
ReadActs 2:5-41 (The Holy Spirit Comes) "At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. 'How can this be?'... Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all."
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for Tunis, Tunisia today! Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and the largest city in the country. Tunisia's accessible Mediterranean Sea coastline and strategic location have attracted conquerors and visitors throughout the ages.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Matthew 10:7-8 "Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!"
ReadDisciplemaking Principle: Look for Open Doors Fruitful disciple makers always have their eyes open for opportunties to enter into a new community of people and their ears are always listening for openings in a conversation to insert spiritual topics.
ReadJohn 1:7 "...to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony." Luke 2:32 "'He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!'" 1 John 1:5 "This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all."
ReadPsalm 105:2 "Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds."
ReadActs 2:1-4 "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability."
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for Nouakchott, Mauritania today! Mauritania is a country on the Atlantic coast of Africa. Nouakchott, the nation's capital, was a major refugee center during this challenging time and experienced rapid growth as a result.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Matthew 13:8 "Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted."
ReadJohn 6:44 "For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up."
ReadDisciplemaking Principle: Find People of Peace In Luke 10 we learn that there will be people who welcome disciple makers into their homes and open up their communities to for the disciple maker to share his or her message of the gospel. These people are referred to as People of Peace (POP). Jesus tells his disciples to look for these POPs so that they will be more effective in getting their message to people who are truly interested in hearing their good news.
ReadJohn 8:12 "Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, 'I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.'"
Read1 Corinthians 6:19 "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself..."
ReadActs 2:1 "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place."
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for Muscat, Oman today! Muscat, the capital of Oman, is located on the Gulf of Oman coast. The country’s interior is a sandy, treeless, waterless desert, while the coast remains the center for culture and trade.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Deuteronomy 10:18 "He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing."
ReadActs 10:23-24 "So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa. They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends."
ReadDisciple-making Principle: When Possible Disciple Groups, Not Individuals In scripture we most often see Jesus and his disciples pouring into and sharing with groups of people, not just individuals.
Read2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-6 "If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, 'Let there be light in the darkness,' has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ."
ReadEphesians 2:14 "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us."
ReadActs 1:21-26 "'So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus — from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.' So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed, 'O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.' Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven."
ReadLet's broaden our global perspective and pray for Tripoli, Libya today! Tripoli, Libya’s capital city, is a large metropolitan area on the Mediterranean sea just south of Sicily and north of the Sahara. The country was under foreign rule intermittently for over two thousand years prior to its independence in 1951.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Deuteronomy 16:11 "This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you."
ReadLuke 10:4 "Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road."
ReadDisciplemaking Principle: Travel Light and Avoid Encumbrances Life is busy and full of distractions, disciple makers must stay focused on the task of making disciples at all times.
ReadLuke 24:47 "It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’"
ReadActs 6:2-5 "So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, 'We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.' Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith)."
ReadActs 1:16-17, 20-21 "'Brothers,' he said, 'the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.' Peter continued, 'This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, "Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it." It also says, "Let someone else take his position." So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus — from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.'"
ReadDuring the month of April let's pray together for the strategic city of Antalya. We encourage you to find out more about Antalya and the unique history, culture and people of this beautiful city. All month long we ask that you direct your prayers here.
ReadLet's pray specifically for one of the unreached people groups living in Türkiye today. Psalms 89:11 "The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all."
ReadEphesians 6:12 "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."
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