January 2003
Why aren't we Great Commission people?
or several years that question has burdened my soul.
In prayerfully seeking God's answer, I was led to
Matthew 22.
There, in response to a lawyer's question regarding
the Great Commandment, Jesus answers: "You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind." When we discover that we
don't love the lost of our world enough to share the good
news with them, we are really discovering that we don't
love the Lord. If we're not Great Commission people, it's
because we're not Great Commandment people.
On a Sunday afternoon in January last year, my wife
and I were leading a prayerwalk practicum at a local
church. After the training, we divided into teams and
prayerwalked all the local schools. She and I prayer-
walked the church's day-care school. Walking down
one of the halls, we discovered a wall of prayer. Sixth-
graders had written prayers to God. As we read some of
them, the ending of one little girl's caught our eye.
"I love you so much, Lord. I know I tell you that a
lot but it's true."
Here was a Great Commandment little lady. May
her words become ours in this new year. And as they
do, may 2003 be a year of Great Commission praying
and obeying like no other.
So let it be,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
TURKS OF TURKEY. Please pray for the people
of Turkey. Even though Turkey is considered to be the
largest unevangelized country in the world, the light of the
gospel is beginning to shine. Many are coming to faith as
they see that it is possible to be a Turk and a Christian.
Also, as the new congregations live out the Christian life
before their friends and neighbors, the love and truth of
Jesus are demonstrated and made known. Please pray that
the new believers will continue to reach their friends and
neighbors and that new churches can be formed.
2TSWANA OF BOTSWANA AND SOUTH
AFRICA (t'SWAN-ah). Pray for the work God is
doing in a small village of Molapowabojang (moh-lop-oh-
WAH-boh-jang) in southern Botswana. Local missionaries
have long prayed for this village, with hopes for a church
start. Recently, God began to answer those prayers in
mighty ways. Using a simple gospel tract and a national
believer, God demonstrated how He was calling people to
Himself. God has raised up a faithful group of about 20
Christians who desire to live their lives for God. He has
also led a national couple to move to that village to shep¬
herd that fellowship of believers. Pray that this couple
would cling to the calling that God has given them to shep¬
herd this flock. Pray that these new Christians would grow
in their faith and be a light to others in this small village.
BASQUE OF SPAIN AND FRANCE
(bahsk). Workers write: "The Basque have been in¬
volved in home Bible study groups. Just recently, we have
become acquainted with a Basque believer who is interested
in beginning a Bible study in his home. We thank the Lord
for the desire that J has to evangelize his people through
the Word. J, a mature Christian in the faith, speaks Basque,
Spanish and French and expresses a deep desire to contin¬
ue to grow in the Lord and is willing to share his faith with
others who do not yet know Him. Please pray for J as he is
trained to lead a group and pray that as people are invited
to study the Word, they will attend and will understand as
the Word is shared."
4 CHINA (eastern and central Asia). Anew
Christian worker led five Chinese people to the Lord
during her first month in China! Another new worker
returned from an evening meeting to tell his wife that four
new brothers and sisters had entered the kingdom that
evening! A young wife and mom took an opportunity in
her home to lead a new acquaintance to the Lord on their
first encounter! Constantly the story is being told, and
heard, and received in places all over China. Pray today
that every Chinese man, woman and child will have an
opportunity to hear of the Savior's love.
ARGENTINA (southern South America).
Pray for a national couple from Parana, Entre Rios,
Argentina. They are responding to God's call to missions
and are planning to work in Spain with the national church
to reach out to Spain's large Arab population. Pray that
God will provide for them through Argentine believers,
and ask God to work in their language acquisition and cul¬
tural adaptation.
BIHARI MUSLIMS OF INDIA. Please pray
for those listening to Christian programming in the
