January 1997
From a recent trip to Asia the image is still distinct and dis¬
turbing: beautiful and needy people, greatly beloved by their
Creator, bowed down before idols seeking relief, hope, satis¬
faction, joy. Their gain? At best, fleeting glimpses of those pos¬
sibilities that were then, too quickly, replaced by the heavy reality
of unchanged, and seemingly unchangeable, circumstances.
The Old Testament made it clear that the people were to wor¬
ship neither other gods nor images of the One True God. We un¬
derstand this and basically, though not exclusively, avoid it in
American Christianity. Yesterday, though, a penned note in my
Bible caught my eye: “Idol — anything substituted into the place
of God.”
This brief reminder echoes the fuller New Testament por¬
trait of idolatry. Anything — property, pleasure, position, to name
a few — that we allow to become the focus of our desires and
attention or that we turn to for relief displaces God from His
rightful ruling place in our lives just as surely as does bowing
down before a hand-fashioned figurine in a distant land.
When Elijah despaired over the sad state of Jehovah wor¬
ship in the land, God reminded him that there were, in fact, thou¬
sands “who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” May the begin¬
ning of this new year find us as kingdom intercessors making
two fresh commitments: to bow the knee to no Baal and to daily
bow the knee before our great Savior and Provider.
May it be so,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
1 SPAIN (southwestern Europe). Baptist representatives Tom
and Phyllis Baker ask you to continue praying for follow up
to an evangelistic campaign which involved their church in Alcala
de Henares. They write: “The work has just begun. The seed of
the gospel message has been sown in hundreds of hungry hearts.
Humanly speaking, in the hands of our small group of believers,
the task of following up is impossible. But, we know that He who
brought the throngs each night to see the films will be faithful in
causing the seed that was sown last week to sprout and grow.”
GUYANA (northern South America). Missionary Garey
Scott will lead a preaching/film crusade at Goshen Baptist
Mission. This mission is located up one of the larger rivers of
Guyana. Pray that God will work in the hearts of those attending.
REUNION, INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS (island in west¬
ern Indian Ocean). Pray for missionaries Steve and Tara
Smith as they transition from continental Africa to this island
nation. Pray that work permits will soon be granted and that they
will find a secure place for ministry in this new culture.
MIDDLE EAST. Experiencing God has been translated into
Arabic and will be released to stores on Nov. 1 . At the same time,
the six-month broadcast of Experiencing God will be aired on
radio stations. Ask God to work with great power through this proj¬
ect to draw all men to His Son.
3 YEMEN (southern Arabian Peninsula). Pray that workers
at Jibla Baptist Hospital will have hearts and spirits ready to
accept God’s purposes and trust in Him.
GUYANA (northern South America). Approximately 1,700
decisions for Christ were recorded in 15 churches which partici¬
pated in the “Jesus is the Solution” crusade in August. Rejoice in
God’s answer to your prayers. Pray that those who believed will
be discipled and become effective ministers of God’s Word to
those around them.
4 LAOS (south of China and VietNam). A newspaper re¬
cently carried a negative article about Christian workers in
this country. Pray that God will intervene on behalf of believers
and all those Christian workers providing human needs ministries
in Laos. Also pray for a specific church that was named in the arti¬
cle and its influence for the gospel in this Buddhist society.
BURUNDI (east central Africa). Burundi citizens continue
to suffer from massacres, intensified fighting and a trade embargo.
Pray for spiritual, emotional and physical strengthening for Chris¬
tians living in this turmoil. Ask God to encourage these national
Baptist pastors: John in Musema, Joseph in Kirundo, Julien in
Rubura and Joe, a seminary student now in Tanzania.
5 TAIWAN (east Asian coast). Missionary Greg Robinson
has been asking God for an open door to the campus in Dah
Jrh, and God is at work. The girl God provided to watch the chil¬
dren has a brother who started college this year at that school. He
became a Christian in February but is a secret believer because his
parents would strongly object. Pray that God would continue to
use these young believers, and that He would provide the way for
ministry on this campus.
MALI (western Africa). Pray for Yaya Doumbia, who will
be baptized in the village of Dara. He will be the first Christian to
be baptized on site in his village. Pray that this will be a powerful
witness to the people of his village.
SOUTHERN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. This fall, the
Southern Asia and the Pacific Itinerant Mission will be hold¬
ing training seminars with several new groups of pastors and
church leaders in various countries in southern Asia. Most of those
attending have had little or no opportunity for training in the past.
Pray for clear, Spirit-empowered communication. Pray that these
leaders will be encouraged, built up in the faith and equipped to be
more effective church leaders.
