This week I've felt some leading in how to better pray for my area and my city.
1.) The front line = praise & worship
In Old Testament times the musicians would go out in the front lines of the army, offering praise and worship to the Lord. Paul and Silas were miraculously released from jail while singing praises to our our king. We must not underestimate the power and importance of praise.
Praise helps to cut through the darkness and establish God's authority, preparing the way for strongholds to be broken down. Think about how the trumpets sounded and the walls of Jericho fell down.
2.) The spirit of religion/legalism
People have the worldview that they can be saved through religion or through a legalistic system of following rules and "doing good." They have no assurance of salvation but they think that if they just do enough they will be saved. This exists both inside and outside the official church.
3.) Worship of false gods
The city itself was named after a god and the patron saint of the city is worshipped at two very large shrines. One Hindu temple (unsurprisingly the one dedicated to Krishna, the "highest" god) also remains in the city. Aside from that, in reality people are worshiping a book, a black box, and the name of a prophet written in fancy calligraphy.
4.) Occult Practices
There are two basic categories I have seenof these practices. One depends on "pirs" or priests who work within the name of religion. They generally tell people that "black magic" has been done and give them ways to combat (or counter attack) these spells. The second category are astrologers, palmists and the like. These are extremely popular and even have offices at shopping malls. Within five minutes of meeting any woman I will be asked what my sign is. I thought this was only a bad pickup line, but here everyone is concerned with their horoscopes. One popular movie I watched recently had a storyline where a father broke off his son's marriage because of the girl's astrological sign. The girl's father assured the boy's father that she was actually born at a different time (thus changing the sign) and the wedding went on. On the wedding night the girl found out her father had lied and that it was "against the stars" for her to marry her love. She attempted suicide and then decided to go back to the family and tell the truth. The boy's father disowned her for having the wrong sign and was certain that his son was going to die if he married her. More powerful astrologers tend to attach themselves to rich and famous people, thus increasing their sphere of influence.
Please pray with me that the Lord would break down these strongholds and open people's minds to the truth of the gospel, for it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that they will be saved. The focus of realizing these strongholds is that we may be able to pray more specifically and open up the doors for effective evangelism and church planting.
29 October 2006
28 October 2006
Gen 2:24 Counter Culture?
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
I’ve been praying for some sisters in the Lord who are having trouble in their marriages and I wanted to know what you guys think about Gen 2:24.
Here the most typical living situation is a joint family system as opposed to the nuclear family (husband, wife, kids) prevalent in much of the West (for lack of a better term). Joint family doesn’t just mean families living together, as some in the West do for reasons of finances or convenience. It means your every moment of every day life is combined with your extended family. All decisions are made as an extended group and there are complex dimensions of family politics constantly at play.
When a girl gets married, first of all it is traditionally arranged by her family. More liberal families allow the daughter to decide if she wants to accept or decline proposals, and some very liberal families allow their children to choose their own partners. This is rare and happens only in the upper classes. It is still not the norm to have an un-arranged marriage. Even many “love marriages” consist of a boy seeing a girl in the street and having his family find out who she is and propose to her. I’d like them to distinguish between love marriages, where you actually know the person, and “lust marriages” but that wouldn’t make it seem so dignified.
Even last week one of my friends was asking me to “find a girl” for her nephew to marry. She told me to bring his picture to the US and see if anyone was interested. I told her that in the US people tend to like to meet the person and know them for a while before they decide to get married. She said ok, “We can send him for a few weeks and he can find a girl at your marriage.” I had to tell her that a few weeks just wasn’t enough time, and that personally I had known my fiancé for about four years before deciding to get married. Even then we had only dated for a few months before getting engaged, so compared to American culture we were taking it quite fast! My friend finally started to realize that I couldn’t help with her matchmaking, and then went on to encourage her nephew to put in more effort at finding a nice girl.
When a girl gets married she usually moves in with her husband’s family. It’s more like she is marrying THEM, not just HIM. Husbands are completely subject to the whim of their parents, and usually dependent on them in the early years of marriage. A man will consider his closest bonds to be with his mother and his sisters, not with his wife. If a man’s sister or mother severely dislike his wife, he is likely to divorce her on these grounds. I’ve even been told that the closest relationship a man can have with a woman is with her sister, and his relationship with his wife is no where near as close.
Upon moving into the husband’ house the new wife immediately becomes subject to the in-laws. She must please them in everything. Her life becomes so intertwined with theirs that it is hard to say she and her husband have an independent relationship. Many times the only alone time the husband and wife is for sex (in which his pleasure is the goal, she is not supposed to enjoy it because it is an impure thing, she should not move or make any expressions), and otherwise there is no emotional or intellectual intimacy. Husbands use the wives as public showpieces of purity and prosperity, while they find their fulfillment in other ways such as pornography, keeping mistresses, or going to prostitutes.
The problem is that Christian marriages in this country are just like those described above. Born again husbands may not involve themselves in sexual immorality (they may), but this is certainly a poor picture to paint of what should be the relationship between Christ and the church. There are a lot of factors at play here, but I am starting to wonder if Gen 2:24 has something to do with it.
Since the husband-wife bond is not allowed to be so strong (cultural misconceptions about sexual intimacy, family power structures) it can never be in the way that God intended it to be. Instead of the husband and wife becoming one it is as if the wife is an appendage to her husband’s family. She is joined with them and not really with him, and besides that she is always treated as an outsider, a foreigner to their family. Unless she’s a cousin (cousin marriage is very popular), then maybe bridging this gap may not be as difficult. She is still treated as subordinate to the family, and even the husband is subordinate to the family.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t respect and honor our parents, but living under their complete dominance is another thing. I was wondering if it was just my Western upbringing that makes me cringe when I see joint family structures, or if it is something deeper. Now I am wondering if such a deeply imbedded joint family system can coincide with living as an example of Christ.
My Christian women friends long so much for intimacy with their husbands. They want time with them and they want to know them in a deeper way. Instead they are left at home with in laws and children and left to cry out to God for something more. Men here in the church (in general, there are a few exceptions I have met) also don’t see the woman as someone who should be spiritual first. I got criticized when teaching for a local women’s ministry that I didn’t make the messages “women focused.” They suggested I talk to the women about how to raise their kids and how to treat their husbands rather than on prayer, studying the Word and worshiping God.
If something is cultural, and not a hindrance to the gospel, I am completely ready to accept it. As Paul said, “I have become all things to all men.” Women here cover their heads when they pray, I do it. They are very careful not to leave their Bibles on the floor, this one is hard for me because I’m used to praying with my Bible on the floor, but when I’m with other believers I do it. They wear a scarf and conservative clothes, so do I. They communicate mostly with women at social gatherings, I do the same. They don’t eat pig and they don’t drink because these things are looked down upon by the whole society. While I’m with them neither do I, but I’m starting to think that the joint family thing is much deeper than not eating ham or covering the head. I am not sure that the husband and wife can be a model of Christ and the church within this cultural system.
Any insight?
I’ve been praying for some sisters in the Lord who are having trouble in their marriages and I wanted to know what you guys think about Gen 2:24.
Here the most typical living situation is a joint family system as opposed to the nuclear family (husband, wife, kids) prevalent in much of the West (for lack of a better term). Joint family doesn’t just mean families living together, as some in the West do for reasons of finances or convenience. It means your every moment of every day life is combined with your extended family. All decisions are made as an extended group and there are complex dimensions of family politics constantly at play.
When a girl gets married, first of all it is traditionally arranged by her family. More liberal families allow the daughter to decide if she wants to accept or decline proposals, and some very liberal families allow their children to choose their own partners. This is rare and happens only in the upper classes. It is still not the norm to have an un-arranged marriage. Even many “love marriages” consist of a boy seeing a girl in the street and having his family find out who she is and propose to her. I’d like them to distinguish between love marriages, where you actually know the person, and “lust marriages” but that wouldn’t make it seem so dignified.
Even last week one of my friends was asking me to “find a girl” for her nephew to marry. She told me to bring his picture to the US and see if anyone was interested. I told her that in the US people tend to like to meet the person and know them for a while before they decide to get married. She said ok, “We can send him for a few weeks and he can find a girl at your marriage.” I had to tell her that a few weeks just wasn’t enough time, and that personally I had known my fiancé for about four years before deciding to get married. Even then we had only dated for a few months before getting engaged, so compared to American culture we were taking it quite fast! My friend finally started to realize that I couldn’t help with her matchmaking, and then went on to encourage her nephew to put in more effort at finding a nice girl.
When a girl gets married she usually moves in with her husband’s family. It’s more like she is marrying THEM, not just HIM. Husbands are completely subject to the whim of their parents, and usually dependent on them in the early years of marriage. A man will consider his closest bonds to be with his mother and his sisters, not with his wife. If a man’s sister or mother severely dislike his wife, he is likely to divorce her on these grounds. I’ve even been told that the closest relationship a man can have with a woman is with her sister, and his relationship with his wife is no where near as close.
Upon moving into the husband’ house the new wife immediately becomes subject to the in-laws. She must please them in everything. Her life becomes so intertwined with theirs that it is hard to say she and her husband have an independent relationship. Many times the only alone time the husband and wife is for sex (in which his pleasure is the goal, she is not supposed to enjoy it because it is an impure thing, she should not move or make any expressions), and otherwise there is no emotional or intellectual intimacy. Husbands use the wives as public showpieces of purity and prosperity, while they find their fulfillment in other ways such as pornography, keeping mistresses, or going to prostitutes.
The problem is that Christian marriages in this country are just like those described above. Born again husbands may not involve themselves in sexual immorality (they may), but this is certainly a poor picture to paint of what should be the relationship between Christ and the church. There are a lot of factors at play here, but I am starting to wonder if Gen 2:24 has something to do with it.
Since the husband-wife bond is not allowed to be so strong (cultural misconceptions about sexual intimacy, family power structures) it can never be in the way that God intended it to be. Instead of the husband and wife becoming one it is as if the wife is an appendage to her husband’s family. She is joined with them and not really with him, and besides that she is always treated as an outsider, a foreigner to their family. Unless she’s a cousin (cousin marriage is very popular), then maybe bridging this gap may not be as difficult. She is still treated as subordinate to the family, and even the husband is subordinate to the family.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t respect and honor our parents, but living under their complete dominance is another thing. I was wondering if it was just my Western upbringing that makes me cringe when I see joint family structures, or if it is something deeper. Now I am wondering if such a deeply imbedded joint family system can coincide with living as an example of Christ.
My Christian women friends long so much for intimacy with their husbands. They want time with them and they want to know them in a deeper way. Instead they are left at home with in laws and children and left to cry out to God for something more. Men here in the church (in general, there are a few exceptions I have met) also don’t see the woman as someone who should be spiritual first. I got criticized when teaching for a local women’s ministry that I didn’t make the messages “women focused.” They suggested I talk to the women about how to raise their kids and how to treat their husbands rather than on prayer, studying the Word and worshiping God.
If something is cultural, and not a hindrance to the gospel, I am completely ready to accept it. As Paul said, “I have become all things to all men.” Women here cover their heads when they pray, I do it. They are very careful not to leave their Bibles on the floor, this one is hard for me because I’m used to praying with my Bible on the floor, but when I’m with other believers I do it. They wear a scarf and conservative clothes, so do I. They communicate mostly with women at social gatherings, I do the same. They don’t eat pig and they don’t drink because these things are looked down upon by the whole society. While I’m with them neither do I, but I’m starting to think that the joint family thing is much deeper than not eating ham or covering the head. I am not sure that the husband and wife can be a model of Christ and the church within this cultural system.
Any insight?
20 October 2006
Study the Enemy - Build up a Wall of Intercession
On praying into Eph 6 I was getting the following –
Study the enemy. Be a spy in the enemy camp, a secret operative in enemy territory. Fear not for I am with you. I will send my angels to protect you and guide you. I will give you insight. You must study the enemy. Study their strategies. Know what and who you’re up against so you can make a strategy. Be fully dressed in your armor. The shield of faith will go before you. I will go before you.
Study the enemy in the Word. May the demons know your name.
L may be a walled city but there are no defenses. Who will stand in the gap? It may be surrounded by armies an cantonments, but the enemy easily passes through unnoticed. Be a wall. Be a watchmen. L is overtaken by the enemy and she doesn’t even know. She invites him in. She sits, “I am the jewel of the orient. No one can touch me.” Yet she doesn’t know good and evil. Let us sing for her. Let us climb the mountain. There the lions and the leopards roam, but we can walk straight into the advancing army, for the shield of faith distinguishes their arrows.
Someone must sound the alarm. How can they escape if they don’t know they are in the midst of the flames? Let us realize that our defenses are down and the enemy is steadily advancing What are we gonna do about it? Oh God put up a wall. May we stand in the gap. May we form a wall around this city in the heavenly realm.
Study the enemy. Be a spy in the enemy camp, a secret operative in enemy territory. Fear not for I am with you. I will send my angels to protect you and guide you. I will give you insight. You must study the enemy. Study their strategies. Know what and who you’re up against so you can make a strategy. Be fully dressed in your armor. The shield of faith will go before you. I will go before you.
Study the enemy in the Word. May the demons know your name.
L may be a walled city but there are no defenses. Who will stand in the gap? It may be surrounded by armies an cantonments, but the enemy easily passes through unnoticed. Be a wall. Be a watchmen. L is overtaken by the enemy and she doesn’t even know. She invites him in. She sits, “I am the jewel of the orient. No one can touch me.” Yet she doesn’t know good and evil. Let us sing for her. Let us climb the mountain. There the lions and the leopards roam, but we can walk straight into the advancing army, for the shield of faith distinguishes their arrows.
Someone must sound the alarm. How can they escape if they don’t know they are in the midst of the flames? Let us realize that our defenses are down and the enemy is steadily advancing What are we gonna do about it? Oh God put up a wall. May we stand in the gap. May we form a wall around this city in the heavenly realm.
Spiritual Warfare
A few weeks ago my fiancé was praying for me and received a word of encouragement for me. “In Amherst God used you to lead others in prayer, now He is placing you in a position to lead the angels. You must understand the spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6. This is warfare.” As he shared this message with me I was overcome by the Holy Spirit and started weeping. I felt so ashamed at failing in prayer and yet so amazed at God’s mercy. Why would God use me? Why would God place me in such a position when I am such a pathetic and ill-equipped warrior?
Since then I’ve been praying through Ephesians 6. As I was praying in the spirit I saw a picture of an angel wielding a sword. He was fighting hard against an invisible enemy over the map of P. It was then that I realized this battle is so much more serious than I had imagined. I feel the Lord encouraging me to learn as much as I can about spiritual warfare and the powers that we’re up against here.
During the past weekend I visited with the believers in S, three hours from my city.
G has been speaking the same thing to them about how they have neglected the battle and need to not only engage in spiritual warfare when on the defensive, but to constantly be on the offensive against our enemy. They have had numerous sightings and impressions of demons (even one man has physically wrestled one), occult magic at work, and accusations on the legal level against the ch*rch.
Two of the M women I’ve become close to have admitted to me that they’ve visited “pirs” (priests, involved in black magic) and the city where I live is filled with shrines. This morning at 4:00am as I lay in bed I heard the call to prayer coming from hundreds of different buildings. I felt that this was the voice of the demons who reign over this city and that the battle for L (my city) and for P is one that requires a serious strategy.
Since then I’ve been praying through Ephesians 6. As I was praying in the spirit I saw a picture of an angel wielding a sword. He was fighting hard against an invisible enemy over the map of P. It was then that I realized this battle is so much more serious than I had imagined. I feel the Lord encouraging me to learn as much as I can about spiritual warfare and the powers that we’re up against here.
During the past weekend I visited with the believers in S, three hours from my city.
G has been speaking the same thing to them about how they have neglected the battle and need to not only engage in spiritual warfare when on the defensive, but to constantly be on the offensive against our enemy. They have had numerous sightings and impressions of demons (even one man has physically wrestled one), occult magic at work, and accusations on the legal level against the ch*rch.
Two of the M women I’ve become close to have admitted to me that they’ve visited “pirs” (priests, involved in black magic) and the city where I live is filled with shrines. This morning at 4:00am as I lay in bed I heard the call to prayer coming from hundreds of different buildings. I felt that this was the voice of the demons who reign over this city and that the battle for L (my city) and for P is one that requires a serious strategy.
17 October 2006
Persecution reports not only in VOM but in NYT
I've been happy to see several stories dealing with persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ coming into the mainline news during the past few years. If anything, hopefully this will give the lukewarm church in the West a wake up call about what our brothers and sisters are going through every day for the sake of following Jesus. Let us be united with them in prayer and any other kind of support the Lord calls us to give. May we be united with them.
Indonesia: Christian Pastor Shot to Death
By REUTERS
Published: October 17, 2006
A masked gunman killed a Protestant pastor on the island of Sulawesi and sped off on a motorbike. The pastor, the Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, chairman of the synod of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church, was shot in the head in Palu, the provincial capital. Sulawesi was the scene of wide-scale fighting between Muslims and Christians several years ago, and tensions have risen since the Sept. 22 executions of three men convicted of leading a Christian militia. There have been several bomb blasts and attacks in recent weeks, with at least two people killed. The provincial governor, Bandjela Paliudju, said the pastor had led Christian protests against the executions.
Indonesia: Christian Pastor Shot to Death
By REUTERS
Published: October 17, 2006
A masked gunman killed a Protestant pastor on the island of Sulawesi and sped off on a motorbike. The pastor, the Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, chairman of the synod of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church, was shot in the head in Palu, the provincial capital. Sulawesi was the scene of wide-scale fighting between Muslims and Christians several years ago, and tensions have risen since the Sept. 22 executions of three men convicted of leading a Christian militia. There have been several bomb blasts and attacks in recent weeks, with at least two people killed. The provincial governor, Bandjela Paliudju, said the pastor had led Christian protests against the executions.
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