WelshRev: DIY Sunday Service Kit 26/05/24 - Acts 1:1-14

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.