December 3: A PRAYER CHALLENGE FOR YOU

If you read the front page of the November 5 edition of The Free Lance Star (our daily newspaper) you could not miss the report of the persecution of Christians in Iraq. The article was an interview with two local members of the Religious Freedom Coalition who had just returned from a fact-finding trip to the Middle East. They affirmed what many of us know about the daily murdering of Christians and the burning of churches around the world.
The problem is this: The last thing that Jesus said to His followers as He was leaving the earth was “preach the Good News to every person.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Christians feel they must obey. They can’t keep quiet about Jesus. And that’s what gets them hurt and killed. I agree with them and I want to tell people about Jesus, too.
There are four groups of people I pray for daily because they are on the front lines in the battle against spiritual ignorance about Jesus.
First of all, I pray for the persecuted church. The Bible commands me in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those in prison for the Gospel as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering.”
Secondly, I pray for the missionaries who are spread out around the world. They have realized that the comforts of home are secondary and that the opportunity to tell people who have never heard about Jesus the Christ is the primary call of life.
Thirdly, I pray for the Metropolitan Community Church congregations as they extend the Gospel to everyone, especially to gays and lesbians, a large group of people who are not welcomed in most churches.
Lastly, I pray for the military chaplains, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. They carry no weapons when they go into combat with the troops. They offer the “good news” to those living in “bad news”.
I would like to invite you to join me daily in this part of my prayer life. “Call on me and I will answer you”, God says in Jeremiah 33:3. Your intercession can make a difference.

“Obviously, Father, we have a long way to go before every person has
heard about the Good News. Strengthen us not to quit! Amen”