DIY Sunday Service Kit - 09/06/24 - Tell His Story - 2. The Fall, Genesis 3

 

Hello and WELCOME to the DIY Sunday Service Kit.

I've been away for half of this week at the Bala Ministers Conference (see the Word for the Week, below) which has left me really pressed for time ... so let's just get on and pray!

Lord and loving Heavenly Father we thank you from our hearts that you are gracious and merciful and ready to hear us and answer our prayers, even in the midst of the busy times in our lives.

Forgive our failures and faults of this week, renew us through a Spirit-inspired repentance into your close fellowship once more, and equip us anew forth work to which you call us.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Here's the Word for the Week

Looking for an appropriate song to follow the Word for the Week I found this ... I've never seen it before ... but here's a particularly Jewish cultural take from a large group of  Messianic believers on Psalm 133, the psalm at the heart of our Word for the Week.

Here's the seven day prayer calendar for the world, for which we're 

grateful to Justin Long

June

9th. Pray for the church in India in the aftermath of the election, which shocked everyone. The BJP, which had emphasized a nationalistic Hindu approach, had been expected to win big. Instead, they lost dozens of seats and their majority in Parliament. Along with their coalition of partners they have enough seats to maintain leadership, but they don’t control outright and didn’t win the 400 seats required to adjust the Constitution. This is a huge loss that might (a) lead to a moderation in their approach or (b) a “doubling down” and some vengeance-taking. While many Christians in India are breathing a sigh of relief, there is still concern about the immediate future. Pray for peace and moderation in the government to settle in, and for the church to have a renewed freedom to exist and to be a blessing.

10th. Pray for the church in the many places where the BJP won majorities. In many of these provinces, Christians are a significant minority and experience severe persecution. Maharashtra and Odisha (prev. Orissa) are two examples of places where this is the case. Pray for the believers to stand strong and continue to spread the Good News.

11th. Pray for believers laboring in Sudan. A leader in the region recently made the following requests: (1) for life and health circumstances; the outbreak of sickness is terrifying. (2) for the safety and release of believers who have been kidnapped, and whose locations are unknown. (3) for God’s protection over workers and their families who are still in combat zones. (4) for the schools that are open - they are overcrowded with displaced persons from combat zones. Pray for more room to be made, and for workers for the schools. (5) Pray for wisdom, discernment, and insight in these days, and for new generations of believers—especially among women. (6) Pray for fruitful outcome from church planter trainings. (7) Pray especially for work in and around the Darfur region, where so much violence is being suffered.

12th. Pray for expanding openness in Saudi Arabia. A journalist recently spent three weeks exploring Saudi Arabia’s offerings to tourists. This article and its accompanying photos can be used as a prayer journey (as we did in North Korea). Pray for the spiritually hungry pilgrims to be supernaturally touched by the Truth. In deserts, pray for new spiritual roads and waterways to spring up. In the markets, pray for the Gospel to spread through the relationships of people. In the photos of water, let’s pray for God’s glory to cover Saudi Arabia as the waters cover the seas.

13th. Pray for innovative ways to bring the Gospel to Japan. With the falling birth rate, Japan is promoting marriage—but also wanting foreign workers. Over 2 million foreigners are changing the face of Japan—but younger and older Japanese are divided over the rise in foreigners. Let’s pray for workers (esp. foreigners) to find ways to be a blessing and be a good witness for the Gospel in a climate of uncertainty.

14th. Pray for the children in Mozambique and Burkina Faso. They are being targeted and traumatized by war. Pray for workers who will be a blessing to them (especially in the areas of trauma healing and counseling), and for organizations that will seek to rescue and protect them.

15th. Pray for those suffering in the Myanmar war. Most analysts agree that the generals cannot win the war, but the opposition forces will not get to a quick victory either. More months of fighting, violence, and bombardment are likely. Pray for the church to be a blessing in the midst of this continued conflict.

The Deep-Dive this week takes us into an exploration of Genesis 3

                    Audio

                    Video

                    Text

Let's pick up that closing theme in a really new song from 

Sovereign Grace Music

Bidding

Now you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith

and praying in the Holy Spirit, 

keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of 

our Lord Jesus Christ to 

bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; 

save others by snatching them from the fire; 

to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Doxology

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and 

to present you before his glorious presence 

    without fault and 

    with great joy— 

to the only God our Savior 

be glory, majesty, power and authority, 

through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

before all ages, 

now and forevermore! 

Amen.

DIY Sunday Service kit 02/06/24 - Tell His Story - 1. Creation

 

Welcome to the DIY Sunday Service Kit for 2nd. June 2024.

Today we begin a summer series that should see us through to about the end of October!

But all will be explained later.

Let's pray

Lord, Father, Creator of all things, we come today to give you thanks for our Creation, preservation and redemption in this world.

Focus our hearts and minds we pray on the splendour of all that you have done, and stimulate our hearts to sincerely sing your praise and Glory.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

1 Pray for the workers laboring to be a blessing to Somalia, and for the many believers. The land is still in a severe drought, and over 3 million are internally displaced. “We left in search of water,” says one refugee: “It’s a daily struggle finding enough just to survive.” Working in Somalia has been difficult for decades, but Somalis—especially those in other places—are spiritually hungry and responsive.

2 Pray for ministries working amongst the refugees in Uganda. The numbers of refugees arriving, especially from the war in Sudan, have increased this to an average of 2,500 per week. At the same time there have been funding shortfalls. Uganda has had an open door policy, but funding shortfalls are pressuring its abilty to help them. Health issues are widespread, and there are not enough educational resources for the children of the refugees. (See this UNHCR briefing for more details.)

3 Pray for the spiritually hungry among the Hausas, and those laboring among them. “Following Jesus is a life-or-death matter” for Hausas (Evangelical Focus): “If you accept Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior, you believe your faith is worth dying for. You expect to die for it.” Hausas are both hungry and responsive and choosing to follow Jesus: “How can I become a Christian? The teachings are so real. I see truth and hope in this way of life.” Local Christian leaders believe the number of Hausa Christians today is significantly undercounted: one local leader estimates they make up a third of the Hausas. (I hypothesize this is high, but the actual number is probably closer to the high number than the low.)

4 Pray for the believers and workers in Bangladesh, which has recently suffered from the landfall of a cyclone (NYT). The number of people known killed was fairly low, but millions (almost 10% of Bangladesh) have been left without any power and tens of thousands of homes have been severely damaged or destroyed. Field reports I’ve received have indicated significant damage in 19 districts, including homes and crops in fields.

5 Pray for the church in Central Asia. Worship services are being raided and fined (Evangelical Focus). One source reports over 200 people were accused in 2023; most were punished with large fines.

6 Pray for the believers in China, who are enduring in their faith in the midst of a significant surge in surveillance and government control over the general population (NYT). The surveillance increased markedly during the Covid pandemic, and has continued to ramp up since then. Beijing wants government that is “more visible, more invasive, and always on the lookout for real or perceived threats… The goal is to embed the party so deeply in daily life that no trouble… can even arise.” The government has used protests against the surveillance to identify agitators; now, they are recruiting as many as 15 million “grid monitors” as local government informants. 

7 Pray for those working with immigrants in a largely hostile situation in the USA. 

A recent article highlights the very large number of children (1 million) among their numbers (WSJ). Many of these aren’t proficient in languages used in school, and many have suffered and are dealing with deep trauma. (Although Haitians are primarily highlighted in this article, many other unreached peoples are represented among the immigrants, as are more-reached but still largely non-Christian groups like the Chinese.) Pray for believers to work with these in ways that will be a blessing.

Our Bible ministry is available today in audio, video and text format

                    Audio

                    Video

                        Text

Next week we hope to look at what went wrong for people who had been provided with Paradise.

If you would like to join us this week in worshipping by giving please click the link in the picture below, and until next time ... have a great week!

DIY Sunday Service Kit 26/05/24 - Acts 1:1-14 - Hurry up and ... WAIT!

 

Welcome back to the DIY Sunday service Kit after a week off!

This is the edition for 26th. May 2024, the Sunday after Pentecost.

The Deep-Dive this week was recorded at a church in the Western Balkans where I was preaching last week and comes with spontaneous translation into the local language.

Change is a challenge, but when we rise to the challenge of the inter-cultural purpose of the King over the Kingdom of God, THAT is when the good stuff happens!

You'll notice that there could be no direct filming inside the place of worship, but I've done my best to make up for that as you'll see if you click the video button.

Let's start today with prayer.

Let's pray

Father as we come to you today to confess our sin, hear about your goodness and grace and by faith come close to you again by the power of your Cross, inspire us afresh we pray with the Glory of your purpose to build one new people under God from every tribe, language, people and nation, to stand finally praising you before your Heavenly throne in Glory.

And help us to pursue that vision of your plan for human history in the here and now of our daily lives.

We ask for Jesus' sake,

AMEN.

1 We pray for Haiti, where Kenyan forces have arrived and the gangs are largely in control. A conflict seems to be brewing. In the gang violence, two American missionaries were murdered on Thursday—and while this is the first such report I’ve seen, I’m sure it’s not the first instance of missionaries or Haitian workers dying in the context of ministry work. We pray that Haiti will return to a justice and free government, and the rule of law will provide a stability and peace. In the meanwhile, we pray that the Gospel will spread in this land—although over 90% would claim Christianity, there is much syncretism and the influence of Voodoo is growing.

A US missionary couple were among three people killed in Haiti as widespread gang violence continues to plague the country. 

Natalie Lloyd, 21, her 23-year-old husband David, and Jude Montis, a 20-year-old Haitian, were ambushed by gunmen as they left a church. 

The couple's deaths were confirmed on Facebook by Natalie's father, Missouri State Senator Ben Baker. 

"They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed," he wrote. "They went to heaven together." 

The couple were married in 2022.

Their organisation, Missions in Haiti, confirmed to US media that Mr Montis was the third victim.

In an earlier Facebook post, the organisation said that the three were attacked by two separate armed groups, beginning with an attack by gunmen in three vehicles.

After another group arrived and a gang member was shot dead, the three missionaries were trapped in a house while the gang went "into full attack mode", the post added. 

"They are holed up in there, the gangs have shot all the windows out of the house and continued to shoot," the post said.

Missions in Haiti confirmed that all three were dead three hours later.

Let's pray for Haiti. Let's pray for the work among young people being done by Missions in Haiti. And let's pray for the grieving families of this committed young Christian couple (aged 23 and 21) who have so sadly lost their lives, as well as the family of the third missionary killed (Joe Montis, who reportedly leaves a wife and two small children).

2 Pray for the hearts of “kings” (rulers, world leaders) and merchants to be turned to seek peace in Sudan. Many governments and arms traffickers are dealing with both the SAF and RSF, obtaining Sudan’s resources (gold, oil, livestock, gum arabic) in trade for money and weapons. These are continuing to fuel the ongoing conflict. Pray for leaders who will boldly and courageously seek to use their power and influence to bring the war to an end.

3 Thank God for the amounts of aid that are moving into Gaza. Pray for the over 800,000 Palestinians who have been displaced and have fled their homes, fearing for their lives. We pray for an end to the war, but also for ministries that will need to help the hurt and traumatized in the years to come.

4 We pray for the women of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, whose horrific stories of kidnapping and abuse are the stuff of nightmares. We pray for the rescue of the kidnapped, an end to the fighting, and justice to be done on their behalf. Most of all we pray that these women will meet the true Prince of Peace, who can be their Gentle Healer.

5 We pray for the church in Iran in the midst of the uncertainty amplified by the recent death of President Raisi. Pray for the continued rapid spread of the Gospel, and that more Iranians would be drawn to Jesus through spiritual hunger and widespread dreams and visions.

6 We pray for the many workers from North Korea who are laboring in other countries—some in conditions of near slavery, and some even as cybercriminals. We pray that they will encounter a witness to Jesus in these places, and come to know the true King of Kings. We pray that many new North Korean followers will be able to bring the Gospel back into their homeland. We are thankful for the many reports of the widespread church even in the Hermit Kingdom.

7 We pray for the many “Nones” in the United Kingdom who would answer the question 'what is your religion' with the word "None'. We are grateful for a new report that suggests the growth in the nonreligious has hit a ceiling. We know many of the “Nones” believe in God and are spiritual seekers, but they have been deeply hurt by the church around them. We pray for these to come to truly know the One who is the Truth, and they will be drawn inexorably to Jesus who loves them deeply.

Click the pic for the Bible Reading

Our Deep-Dive today was recorded in an Evangelical church in the Balkans and considers the challenge of waiting

           Audio

          Video

           Text

Let's Pray

We thank you Lord that you trust us with the more exciting experiences of the Christian life.

We ask for your help to persevere in faith through those experiences where your will is most clearly for us to wait.

Build faith, patience and perseverance in us through the times when the pace seems steady ...

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

DIY Sunday Service Kit 05/05/24 - Introducing the Son to secularity in Wales 1 Corinthians 8:4- & Galatians 4:8

Welcome to the DIY Sunday Service Kit for May 5th. 2024.

 We begin our worship this week with verses on Psalm 90

Let's focus our thoughts and prayers using the Seven Day Prayer calendar, from Justin Long

Day 1 

We pray for an end to the war in Gaza, the release of the remaining hostages, and for justice and peace to be achieved. We are thankful for the aid that is even now flowing into Gaza and pray for the protection of Kingdom workers in the area. As with natural disasters, there will be a time after the war when the situation must be stabilized, and then a longer term reconstruction in the area. One new report estimates it will take 80 years (e.g. into 2100 and beyond) to fully rebuild what has been destroyed. 

Day 2 

We pray for the believers in the Israel-Palestine area, many of whom are Palestinians. They live in a difficult context: a tangled web of nationalism, religious fundamentalism, inter-Palestinian violence, and the like. We pray for the Kingdom to expand amongst both Palestinians and Israelis in the midst of this ongoing work (Romans 8:28, “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him…”)

Day 3 

We pray once again for the end of the war in Sudan. We pray especially for the delivrance of the millions who live in Darfur, who are at risk of genocide if the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) takes control. We pray for the many young, inexperienced doctors, some of whom are learning war medicine via smart phones. We pray for the miracle of favor for humanitarian aid organizations to be able to enter and help suffering people. We pray for the protection of Kingdom work in the area, and for the many who are laboring to be a blessing to the refugees from the war.

Day 4

We pray for the daughters of poor families in Niger, many of whom in the present crisis are being married off as children. In Niger, two-thirds of girls are married before age 18, and 28% before age 15 (some are around age 10). We pray for kingdom workers who can bring development projects that will help families out of such poverty-stricken situations. (Honestly, it’s hard for me to know what sort of prayer to write here. Niger is caught in a complex situation of poverty, poor governance, and local insurgent violence that entraps many families with little way out and no short-term solutions in sight. Yet as a father, my heart breaks when reading this particular story. So we beseech the Lord who said “Let the little children come to me” and “defend the vulnerable”  for his compassion, justice and deliverance for these precious souls.)

Day 5 

We pray for Christians who are moving with migration flows, some as part of a particular ministry plan. Walls are going up in some places (ex. Iran vs Afghanistan, and India vs Myanmar). In other places, governments are asking for migrants to come (Afghanistan and Japan, for example, both want tourists). We pray for those training migrant workers to be disciplemakers in new locations (Isaiah 52:7). And we pray for favor for migrant workers who might bring the Gospel in (Psalm 24:7).

Day 6 

We pray for the Somali people who are suffering from the effects of ongoing conflict, famine, and drought. We ask God to use the church to bring provision, healing and comfort, especially to the Somali refugees. (Psalm 107:20-21, “he rescued them from the grave; let them give thanks to the Lord”)

Day 7

 Pray for an end to the war in Myanmar, which continues in a semi-stalemate state. The government is now banning men going abroad as migrant workers, to try to crack down on draft-dodgers. Pray for the kingdom workers who are laboring in Myanmar in the midst of this, to find ways to be a blessing to the people in the midst of the instability and violence.

Here's our Bible reading for this week in Galatians 3-4

The Deep-Dive this week takes us back to 1 Corinthians to look at who Jesus is ...

                Video

                Audio

                Transcript

For more on reaching primal religion cultures click HERE

Let's pray

We thank you Lord and Father for the clarity of understanding you give us through your Word to interpret ad understand the things we see of your world.

Give us eyes that are opened and minds that are enlightened by your Holy Spirit as we read about or God in your Word.

And as we understand you ad your plans for you better, may we love you with hearts that are more loyal and more faithful to the One Who has made us, and loved us, and saved us for His Glory.

We ask for your Name's sake.

Amen.

DIY Sunday Service Kit - Introducing the Father to Secularity in rural Wales - Ecclesiastes 3:11 and 1 Corinthians 8

 

Welcome to the DIY Sunday Service Kit

for 28th. April 2024

We begin here today with a Psalm ... Psalm 100

Let's pray

Lord and loving Heavenly Father we thank you for every opportunity to quieten our minds and hearts and focus our thoughts on you.

Help us to live consciously in your presence, beholding our God with ever-increasing awe and wonder, and draw us daily closer to your hearts we progress towards your Kingdom in Glory.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Here's this week's Prayer Calendar from Justin Long

 On behalf of all Sudan, we pray to the Prince of Peace, “Please, Lord, make it stop.” The conflict is being fueled by surrounding powers and international arms providers. (AP). More and more weapons are pouring in, while millions are pouring out and are on the verge of starvation. This week, more conflict broke out in North Darfur, leading to 40,000 expelled from their homes and whole communities burned to the ground. There are reports of genocide against “non-Arab groups” in Darfur (Middle East Eye). Believers are boldly trying to spread the kingdom, yet much suffering is being endured. It seems impossible that it will end any time soon, absent a miracle—and so it is for the miraculous that we pray. At the same time, we pray for the believers and the kingdom workers: for the Lord to be their Good Shepherd, guiding them through the dark valleys of this time and providing the table they need.

2 We pray for the suffering, distressed and hungry in Tigray. Hunger and insecurity continues to spread. New clashes at the border of Tigray and Amhara have caused 50,000 to be displaced (News24). Many in the region face acute malnutrition. We pray for the Kingdom workers in the region who are trying to be of help.

3 We pray for the more than 1 million displaced in northern Nigeria as a result of the violence in that region. The government has decided that since the IDP camps are rife with problems, it is best to close the camps (NewHum)—but where will the refugees go? Few feel like they can safely return home, so they find themselves fleeing once again. Pray for kingdom workers who are laboring in the region, despite the significant dangers entailed.

4 We pray for the women of Iran. The government has rolled out a new, severe enforcement of the hijab rules (Guardian). The stories of women arrested, beaten, abused, threatened, jailed are heartbreaking. A substantial percentage of the population have grown very disillusioned with the Iranian government and the version of Islam it promotes, and have turned away from Islam. Pray that even more find Jesus. We are thankful that the church is growing in Iran—one of the fastest growth rates in the world!—and yet so many more need to hear. Pray for the kingdom workers laboring boldly to reach Persians with the good news of Christ’s love. One interesting item: due to the rapprochement, over 90,000 Iranian pilgrims will likely participate in the hajj this year. Pray these spiritually hungry people will find Jesus during this time, whether through dreams & visions or encounters with believers along the way (Middle East Monitor)

5 Pray for the believers and kingdom workers in India, who labor even in the midst of a massive rise in Hindu nationalism there. A new article talks about the “messianic spell” of Modi’s cult of personality, which “enables the BJP to project him as one beyond scrutiny” (Guardian). Pray for the current election behind held in India, and pray especially for the protection and wisdom of workers laboring amongst Muslims in India. Pray for the continued spread of Kingdom disciples especially in the north, where “graveyards have become vineyards.”

6 Pray for those who are reaching out to Chinese diaspora around the world. Nearly 40,000 came to the USA alone in 2023 (NBC). Many thousands of Chinese are going to other places as well. Many of these are seeking a life outside of the control of China and its ideology, and are open to spiritual conversations. Pray for believers to welcome, befriend, be a blessing to, and have conversations with these families.

7 Pray for an end to the war in Myanmar. The “devastating, yearslong civil war is heating up, though it isn’t attracting international notice… but it threatens to break apart the country of 55 million people” (NYT). Many young men are doing whatever they can to avoid the draft. Many refugees are spilling over into Thailand, and the Thai government is taking a strong stance against Myanmar. Pray for the kingdom workers who are laboring in Myanmar in the midst of this, to find ways to be a blessing to the people in the midst of the instability and violence.

Click the link below for this week's Bible reading

Our Bible ministry is available in video, audio and print format. Please click the appropriate links below

                    Video

                    Audio

                    Blog

Let's pray

Father please refresh our vision of the One True Living God this week as we walk with you.

Embolden us to stand for you and to communicate the truth about the God Who has revealed all we need to know to bring us to life and to form us in godliness.

We thank you that you haven't abandoned us to the impossible task of working out life for ourselves. Draw us close to you in understanding, and lead us forward in the light of your Word.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

Amen.