Hour of Revival

France Seeing a Major Spiritual Shift | 312 | Report 2

wposter — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:34:02 +0000

David Broussard, president of Impact France, writes in a recent Crosswalk report that despite dire predictions of the death of the evangelical Church in France several years ago, today Protestants account for around 3 percent of the population. The National Council of Evangelicals in France was officially incorporated in 2011 and has united hundreds of thousands of Believers in the vision to have one church for every 10,000 inhabitants.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has even based its entire internet evangelism strategy on the pioneering work of the French website ConnaitreDieu.com and is using their tools to get the job done. Luis Palau held a wildly successful series of evangelistic meetings on a beach in Marseille last year and youth ministries such as Jeunesse Pour Christ (Youth for Christ) are experiencing enthusiasm, growth, and are seeing a real harvest.”

The French are re-thinking how they view Christianity – especially the younger generations. And, for Christians, this new openness is nothing short of a solid and welcome answer to prayer. One roadblock after another is being removed and there are more open doors to have conversations about God, faith, and Jesus than has been seen in a long time. Broussard says that “while this ‘reformation’ of public perception is in no way persuading millions of French people to accept Christ, we see in France today a real shift in the spiritual ‘tectonic plates’… Something has changed. As a French pastor returning from Jordan told me in an interview last year, ‘This is not the France that I left five years ago.’”

Source: Crosswalk.com; PrayforFrance.org

BIBLE STUDY: Jonah 3:1-10

PRAISE: God He is hearing the cries of His people in France. Pray that this secular nation may one day come brokenness to the feet of Jesus

Iranians Pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” | 312 | Report 1

wposter — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:00:24 +0000

Many people in Iran know little about Jesus or what it means to give their lives to him. That’s why The Voice of the Martyrs has been supporting Christian satellite broadcasts into this Islamic stronghold.
After watching one of these broadcasts recently, an Iranian family prayed to ask Christ into their hearts. But they were worried they might not have prayed “correctly.” So they made an audio recording of their prayer and sent it to VOM’s ministry broadcast partner, Iran Alive, to make sure they had done it right. Their prayer was sincere and heartfelt, and Iran Alive wrote the family to tell them their prayer was a wonderful way of entering Christ’s family. The family in Iran then told their Muslim friends about Christ and played the recorded prayer for them. Within a week, 20 more Muslims had come to know Christ!

Source: Voice of the Martyrs; Prayer Alert

BIBLE STUDY: Acts 16:27-34

PRAISE: God that many people in Iran are being moved to faith in the risen Saviour.

Revival Prayer Bulletin 310 (Apr – May ’12)

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:40:13 +0000

For those interested, here is the International Daily Prayer Bulletin Apr/May 2012

Revival Prayer Bulletin 310 (Feb – Mar ’12)

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:37:02 +0000

For those interested, here is the International Daily Prayer Bulletin Feb/Mar 2012

Living the Jesus Way in Barcelona | 311 | Report 1 & 2

wpcontributer — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:31:40 +0000

Spreading Christianity in Spain can be tough since many people have a very negative view of the church. But in Barcelona, missionaries are using the English language and new forms of outreach to reach residents. Spain’s second-largest city is a cultural mecca, drawing students and visitors from all over the world. And what many of them have in common is the English language, and they come together at the International Church of Barcelona.
Americans Brian and Ruthie Gomez are assistant pastors at the church. Congregants have described the atmosphere as a “taste of heaven.” “I feel that way, too. You’re sitting next to someone from Nigeria and on the other side you have someone from New Zealand, or Nepal, or Singapore,” Gomez said. Church members from different nations all describe the same experience – that they feel at home as soon as they walk in.
“I think one of the strengths of our church is we provide a community in Barcelona,” Gomez added. During the Spanish Civil War in the
1930s, Barcelona was a centre for anarchists and communists. The Roman Catholic Church was viewed by the left as a tool of oppression. Clergy were killed and churches destroyed. Some say there is still a spirit of rebellion against Christianity in Barcelona, and there is certainly a mistrust of the church. That means the Gospel must be shared in new ways.
“Because they believe the church is equated with money and power,” Gomez explained. Barcelona missionaries John and Brandi Carrano talked to CBN News about their best strategies. ”Very quickly we learned that we don’t talk about ‘church,’” Brandi said. “We talk about personal and spiritual development. We don’t hide the fact that we’re church-related, but we don’t start off with that.”
Many residents think of the church as outdated and ineffective, and personal evangelism has to address those concerns. “I had a
conversation with a young Catalan couple a few weeks ago, probably in their early twenties. And they said, ‘Our parents have gone to
church their whole lives, they go every week, but they come home and nothing changes,’” John recalled. “So for them, they say, ‘Why would I waste my time in something that makes no difference,’” he continued.
“So for us, one of the main things is we are trying to build a community of faith that actually lives out the way of Jesus.” And the outreach is working. English is bringing Christians from many cultures together in Barcelona.
“You really do feel like you’re worshipping in Heaven,” Gomez said. “Because the Bible says there will be believers from all around the world worshipping God.”
The aim is to bring Barcelona from its history of rebellion against God, into a new relationship with Jesus Christ.

Source: CBN News

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 49:8-9

Day 1 – PRAISE: God that the people of Barcelona are seeing a community living the way of Christ.
Day 2 – PRAY: That doors may be opened to the life-changing Gospel of Jesus all over Spain.

Imprisoned Iranian’s Stand for Christ | 310 | Report 31

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:36:23 +0000

Iranian Christian Shahla Rahmati, the director of “a successful electronics company”, has been released on December 20th following 287 days behind bars in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison where her health deteriorated as her blood pressure dropped to very low levels following alleged mistreatment. She had been sentenced to at least two and a half years on charges such as “membership of an illegal group.” In a statement, released by Elam Ministries, her family said they “thank all Christians for their faithful intercession for her release” but concerns remained over two other Christian women – Maryam Jalili and Mitra Zahmati.

Source: Worthy News

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 147:10-20

PRAISE: God for Shahla’s release. Pray for the Iranian Church, especially those still in prison.

Rwandans Find Peace in the Gospel | 310 | Report 30

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:34:17 +0000

Before the genocide, Rwanda was considered the most Roman Catholic country in Africa, with a population of 8 million, according to Anne Kubai, former head of religious studies at the Kigali Institute of Education. In the 18 years since the genocide, Rwanda has seen the most significant rise in Protestant faith in Africa, according to a new Pew Foundation report. Andrew Rusatsi, a seminary professor in Nyakibanda, Rwanda, said many Rwandans felt betrayed by the Catholic Church’s involvement. “They embraced other churches - Protestant, Pentecostal, and Restoration churches, which have been proliferating like mushrooms.” Recovery from trauma is a central feature of these new fellowships.

Source:Christianity Today

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 147:1-9

PRAISE: God that many Rwandans have found peace and love through fellowship in the Gospel.

Bible is Norway’s 2011 Best Seller | 310 | Report 29

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:31:54 +0000

The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years has topped the country’s book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. “We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it’s just incredible,” said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.

Source:The Guardian

BIBLE STUDY: John 5:24-30

PRAISE: God that there is still hunger for His Word. Pray that it’s truths may spread in Norway.

“At Times of Crisis, Revival is Near” | 310 | Report 28

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:02:14 +0000

“Undoubtedly, this is a time of ‘crisis’ for Europe – both within the church and outside it – but as Europe’s history has often shown, at times of crisis, ‘revival is very near.’” These were the words of Niek Tramper, General Secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance, speaking to young Christians at Mission Net on December 29th, 2011.

On the one hand some European churches appear to be in almost terminal decline, whereas others are seeing extraordinary growth. He highlights the spread of churches established by
immigrants from former mission fields (especially Africa), and also the church planting movement, and signs of new growth in established churches.

“But,” he continued, “real, genuine love … love cannot be replaced with activities. You share the love of Christ in your day to day living… Faith is not about convictions or feelings, but we have to live it and be sure about it, not hesitating with this truth about what God has done.”

Source: Christian Today

BIBLE STUDY: John 5:16-23

PRAISE: God that He intervenes when we have nothing more to rely on. Pray for revival in Europe.

An Appeal for Full Time Missionaries | 310 | Report 27

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:58:13 +0000

George Verwer’s heartfelt appeal to young Christians from the four corners of Europe on January 1st was “go”. The OM founder was addressing thousands of European Christians on the final night of the Mission-Net Congress in Erfurt, Germany.

“If people like you don’t go, who will?” he said, dressed in his trademark ‘world map’ jacket. In an impassioned plea with the participants, Verwer said he was praying to God every day for
workers to go out to the world’s “forgotten places”. “The word of God is clear,” he said. “Don’t be hearers of the word, be doers.”

Verwer said the estimated two billion unreached people of the world would never be reached without Christians who dedicate themselves to mission full-time. Those unable to do so, he said, should get hold of a copy of Operation World and start praying regularly for the nations.

“We need Christians in every area of society but if we are serious about global missions, we need to include mission work as a legitimate career for this generation,” he said. “I appeal to you to
go into short-term missions this year or in the next two years, or at least start moving in faith towards long-term mission work.”

Around 2,500 young Christians from 40 nations in Europe attended the weeklong Congress in Erfurt, the city where Martin Luther spent 10 years. Mission Net is held every two years and is an initiative of the European Evangelical Mission Association and the European Evangelical Alliance.

Source: Christian Today

BIBLE STUDY: John 5:1-15

PRAY: To the Lord of the harvest that He may send labourers into the harvest. Pray for our needy world!