Footage from Desert Storm and the Afghan war have
shown us the devastating power of smart bombs
and guided missiles. But attacks in New York City
and Jerusalem have also shown us that you don't
need to be high-tech to be highly effective.
Airplanes flown by suicidal pilots can become
deadly guided missiles, and men and women, dressed
in explosives and filled with hopeless rage, are just as
accurate (and bloody) as pinpoint bombs.
Where is the church of Jesus in this? Is it even possi¬
ble that we, as followers of the Prince of Peace, might be
peacemakers? The answer is, "Yes." It has to be, "Yes."
Years ago, an Israeli leader said that the strife with
the Palestinians would not end until, "They love their
children more than they hate us." From having walked
and prayed many times through Israel, Gaza and the
West Bank, I would say that that is only half-correct.
The Israelis must also come to love their children more
than they hate the Palestinians.
There is plenty of hatred on both sides, and hatred is
always futile. We ourselves once knew only hatred and en¬
mity, but by the power of divine love, we were reconciled
to God. He, then, gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Last week, a man told me he had been "blown
back" by the Word of God spoken in the power of the
Spirit in a service.
When we live and speak the Word of Truth in the
power of the Spirit, it will blow away justifications and
completely change people and situations. And when we
intercede in the Spirit, our prayers are divinely guided
missiles that find their mark and do their (His) work.
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
1TUMBUKA OF MALAWI AND ZAMBIA
I (toom-BOO-kah) . In the far-eastern province of Zam¬
bia, missionary Chuck Barbour is working with four small
churches to teach them how to reach out to their neighbors,
family and friends in the name of Jesus. Please pray that the
members of these churches would fall in love with Jesus so
much that they would naturally want to tell others about the
hope they have found in Christ. Pray that nonchurch mem¬
bers would see a difference in the lives of the church members
and would be desirous of a drink of the living Water.
2 ISRAELI JEWS OF ISRAEL. Pray for the 80
Messianic congregations and home groups in Israel
who have taken on the task of making the JESUS film video,
based on the book of Luke, available to every home through¬
out the land. They have already succeeded in covering some
of the major cities with the offer of the video. For most
Israeli Jews who view the film, it is the first time they have
been confronted with the claims of Jesus as Messiah. Pray
that God will grant understanding and faith to the viewers,
and that He will provide sufficient people to do film distri¬
bution, follow-up visits and discipleship of new believers.
3WA OF CHINA AND MYANMAR (wah).
The Wa team writes: "Praise the Lord! We have an
English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) representative mov¬
ing into a prime area soon. She will need a partner to move
with her. This is a considerable distance from the capital
and the rest of the team (a short plane ride and long bus
ride). Ask God to provide a partner for her and to guide
her move onto the field."
4 NORTHERN CHILENOS OF CHILE (chee-
LAY-noh). Missionaries Jerry and Kathleen Coy
from the Andean River Valley team ask you to pray for a
couple, highly motivated business people, who have
recently accepted Christ and are both diligently growing
and taking discipleship courses. Pray that the Holy Spirit
will transform their past and heal them as they overcome
the marital problems they have experienced in their lives.
5 LAST FRONTIER. Only a small portion of the New
Testament has been translated into a major language of
a highland area. A few translators are working on bringing
the Word of God into this language, as well as other pre¬
dominantly spoken languages. The translators, working
outside of this closed area, have run into many obstacles.
Pray that God would enable the translators, remove obstacles
and make His Word available to the people of that place.
6 SWAZI OF SWAZILAND AND SOUTH
AFRICA (SWAH -zee). The Mpumalanga
/
Swazi¬
land team has been working on an HIV
/
AIDS coloring
book in the siSwati language to be used in teaching chil¬
dren about the causes and effects of AIDS before they be¬
come sexually active. Team members write: "We praise the
Lord that the coloring book is completed and at the print¬
ers! Pray that with this coloring book we will be able to
reach children, teaching them the causes and effects of AIDS.
Also, pray that with this information we will be able to save
lives and many will come to know Jesus as their Savior."
