To Operate in the Assemblies of Muslim Believers

Friday, June 14, 2019

At the cross, Jesus triumphed over Satan. Christ died to save us, then rose again and ascended to heaven. From there, he sent the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to his Church (Acts 2). Through the Spirit, Jesus provides us with many gifts (Ephesians 4:8). These are part of the glorious blessings he equips us with to minister, to build up the Church, the body of Christ, to be strong and mature and reach the complete measure of spiritual life he intended for us (Ephesians 4:12-13).

We have faith in God that his Church among Muslims will be the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city on a hill (Matthew 5:13-14). Whether it is a church meeting in secret or in public, whether the assembly has two or three believers or hundreds and thousands, God will equip it with the gifts of the Spirit. And that is our prayer this week (read 1 Corinthians 12-14).

Prayer

Almighty God, draw Muslims to yourself; manifest in them your deep, sacrificial love and mighty power. Help me pray for them according to your will.

Your name is holy. You do great things; your mercy is from generation to generation toward those who fear you. You manifest the strength of your arm…. You fill the hungry with good things (Luke 1:49-53). I pray that you will put in the hearts of millions of Muslims a hunger and a thirst to seek you, to open their souls to Christ the Lord and receive the treasures you have for them. Fill them with your Holy Spirit. Grant them powerful manifestations and workings of the Spirit.

May your great glory be manifested in churches made up of Muslims who have been set free from Islam through the power of Jesus.

Glory, splendor, majesty and power belong to you, dear Father. I ask all this, not in my own authority; I have none. Rather, I come before you in the authority of Jesus, your Son, who gives me access to your throne through his cross. Amen.

Promise

To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7, NIV).

Friday, June 7, 2019

Before Jesus ascended to the Father, he promised to send the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and Guide who would empower us to witness for him. That promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. This weekend we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday to commemorate the gift of God’s Spirit to the Church. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can draw people to Christ and enable believers to achieve great things in everyday life, in evangelism and in missions.

Over the centuries, the Holy Spirit has used miracles, visions, and dreams to reveal Christ to many Muslims in different parts of the world. The great influx of Muslims coming to Christ in Indonesia in the 1960s and 1970s, and presently in some parts of Africa, can be attributed mainly to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

O God the Holy Spirit, come upon Muslim converts to Christ, and fill them with your power and presence. Fulfill to them Jesus’ promise of Pentecost. Holy Spirit, sanctify them, guide them to the truth, and help them lead a victorious Christian life. The environment that surrounds them is very hostile to the Gospel, and they need the fullness of the Spirit to persevere in their commitment to you.

Help them pray for others and intercede for the lost world. Inspire them with zeal and power to witness for Christ, spread the Gospel throughout the whole earth, and demonstrate God’s majesty through signs and wonders.

I pray that the time will come when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord’s glory as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Promise

I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions (Joel 2:28, NLT).

Friday, May 31, 2019

The 27th day of the month of Ramadan in the Muslim calendar is called the “Night of Power.” It commemorates the night Muhammad reportedly received the first revelation of the Quran from the angel Jibril. On this particular night, as Muslims celebrate this event, they feel very expectant. Many take time to recite the Quran and do special prayers. They believe that this night is better than 1000 months of worship. Some report seeing visions and dreams during this time.

In a few days, Muslims will break their month-long fast of Ramadan.

Prayer

O Source of all blessing, mercy and grace, our Father in heaven, we adore and praise you. In Moses’ time, you spoke from heaven and gave your people fair rules and commands and good instructions and teachings (Nehemiah 9:13). And you continued to send them prophets to help and guide them.

Your Word tells us that finally in these last days you have spoken to us through Jesus Christ, your Son (Hebrews 1:2). He is the One who died on Calvary to forgive our sin, adopt us into your family, and open up the way for us to come into your holy presence. Without the cross, we would have no other means to approach you. Thank you.

My Ftaher, I ask you to reveal Christ to my Muslim friends. Visit them in the power of your Holy Spirit. Convict them for their sin of rejecting your Son and putting their faith in someone else. May they realize that Jesus’ claims are true, that he is Lord, Savior and Son of God. May they accept him in their lives and submit to him.

O Lord Jesus, manifest your glory to Muslims at this time when they are expecting dreams and visions. Come to them in a supernatural way and speak to their hearts. Meet their needs and calm their fears. Reveal to them your mighty power, your compassionate love, and your forgiving grace. Change their lives. Give them hope, and fill them with your Spirit. Amen.

Promise

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth (John 16:13, NIV).

Friday, May 24, 2019

Because of wars, violence, famines, and religious and ethnic persecution, more than 65 million people^[1] of diverse nationalities and religions have been displaced. They have been forced out of their homes, towns and countries to become refugees in various places around the world. They are confused, distressed, hungry, sick and homeless. They live in circumstances that are often less than humane. They generally feel betrayed, robbed, violated and excluded.

Oftentimes they face deportation from their country of refuge. While not all current refugees are Muslims, a great percentage of them are. Asia and Africa produce the most refugees in the world.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you know what it means to be a refugee: your family fled to save your life when King Herod wanted to kill you. I bring to you these, our fellow human beings, who have been uprooted and have lost their homes, property and possessions. Lord Jesus, visit them in your compassion. Be their refuge and comfort. Reveal yourself to them as their Savior.

Help us, your followers, to actively seek to improve their physical conditions without neglecting our responsibility to minister to their spiritual needs for their eternal well-being.

Compassionate Lord, remind me of what you said: that you were hungry and thirsty and I gave you food and drink; you were a stranger and I welcomed you; you were naked and I gave you clothes; you were sick and I took care of you; you were in jail and I visited you (Matthew 25:35-36).

Help me personally to be your hand extended to minister to refugees, even if they are in far-off lands. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Promise

The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow (Psalm 146:9, NIV).

Footnotes

^[1] United Nations High Commission for Refugees, http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html (accessed April 27, 2018).

Friday, May 17, 2019

An interesting phenomenon is happening: Muslims who came to Christ a few years ago now have children. Although this is by no means new or unprecedented, it is unique in the fact that there are larger numbers of these children than ever before. Though they are raised in Christian homes, they also live in Muslim societies and deal with Muslim cultures on a regular basis.

In the past, most Muslims who came to Christ were forced to flee for their lives or adopt “Christian” names and “disappear” into non-Muslim societies. Today, more and more of those who have come to the Lord choose to stay put in their original cultural setting, where God first met them in Christ. They establish families, and at great personal risk, continue to follow the Savior.

Prayer

Majestic God, great in splendor and full of mercy, I bring to you the sons and daughters of Muslim converts. Answer their parents’ prayers to save them and bring them into your Kingdom. Grant them eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus the Lord. May none of them cause their parents pain and grief by living a life of rebellion against you. May those godly parents who put their lives on the line for the sake of Christ see their sons and daughters become children of the living God!

We pray also for those children who are already believers. Bless them, Lord. We know that many of them stand up for you in school, at work and in public places. Fill them all with your Holy Spirit and equip them to be ministers of your Word, wherever they are.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Promise

The Lord will bless those who fear him, both high and low. May the Lord give you increase, both you and your children (Psalm 115:13-14, REB).

That Have Come to Christ

Friday, May 10, 2019

It is hard for us to understand the grave and sensitive position of a Muslim family that believes in Christ. One of the issues that face such families is raising their children in the midst of a Muslim society. For example, while most adults have the ability to say the right things at the right time, the same is not true for children. Imagine the dilemma of a Muslim convert who teaches his 3-year-old to sing a song about Jesus at home. When the toddler surprises his family by singing the same song in public, the offended Muslim listeners will demand an explanation. Once when our family was on a long train ride in a Muslim country, our 3 ½-year-old son surprised us by standing in his seat and preaching Christ at the top of his voice to every one that could hear him! That incident did not cost us our lives, since the little fellow was preaching in English and most people did not understand him.

Parents as well as children, whether toddlers or adolescents, encounter difficulties and face challenges in Islamic societies which expect everyone to be Muslim.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank you for bringing whole Muslim families to salvation in Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving them the power to follow you and the boldness to live for you. I pray that your protective hand will be upon them to lead and guide them into all truth.

Give them all, parents and children alike, wisdom, understanding and courage to stand for Christ and for righteous living.

Protect them, Father, from the works of the enemy. Guard them from letting their love for one another cool off. Protect them from divisions and from divorce.

O Lord, I pray that their family life will be a witness to others of what Jesus Christ can and will do when a family makes him their Lord.

For your glory I pray. Amen.

Promise

He lifts the needy out of affliction, and increases their families like flocks. The godly see it and are glad, but the wicked shut their mouths (Psalm 107:41-42, SAB).

Friday, May 3, 2019

During this season, Muslims start the month-long fast called Ramadan. The Muslim calendar is based on the lunar year, which has only 354 days. So each year the month-long fast comes about 11 days earlier than in the previous year.

Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day throughout this month. They abstain from food, drink, smoking, smelling nice aromas, and marital relations. Each day after sunset, they break the fast, usually with a feast. They are allowed to eat until dawn of the following day.

According to Islam, this fast enables people to gain a right standing with God and an entry into paradise.

Some Muslims actually believe that during this month the devil is chained and cannot cause them harm, that the doors of heaven are open and the doors of hell are closed.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus, I pray with love and compassion in my heart for Muslims during this season of fasting.

You know, Lord, that most Muslims are sincere people. They are serious about their religion and beliefs. Help them realize that to approach you they have to go through Jesus and his sacrifice at Calvary. They cannot save themselves from sin by “pulling themselves up by their bootstraps”! They cannot lift themselves up to you by performing rituals and religious duties.

O God, help them discover that we are saved, not through works of righteousness, but only by faith through your undeserved favor.

I pray that you will reveal yourself to Muslims during this month as the Savior who has already accomplished all things. May they know that on the cross “it is finished.” Amen.

Promise

It is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (Galatians 3:11, NLT).