France Friday, 3-30-12

“The best praying man or woman is the man or woman who is most believingly familiar with the promises of God.  After all, prayer is nothing but taking God’s promises to Him and saying, “Do as You have said.”  Prayer is the promise utilized.  Prayer not based on a promise has no true foundation.”    

                                                                         -Charles Spurgeon

      Thank you for joining us in prayer today, equipped with the promises of God!  Here's one of my favorite promises about prayer:  

"14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."     

                                                           -1 John 5:14-15

     God has made it clear that his desire and mission (his will) is to see disciples from every nation (or peoples), so we can go to the throne with confidence that He hears us as we pray for France.  

•    Pray for God to provide as we strive to reach 25% of our pledged monthly support we'll need in France by May.
•    As we've mentioned previously, our friend David Lohnes, World Team missionary in France for over 25 years, is making a special trip to Memphis in a couple of weeks for 9 days to speak on our behalf and to share the need in France.  Pray for opportunities that will make the most of his time here.   
• Pray for the churches and missionaries in the towns of Meru and Gisors as they seek to use the "Alpha Course" to introduce the French to the gospel.  It's about a 12-week study and they are finishing up the course in Meru and making preparations to begin the course in Gisors.  Pray that God will open up their eyes to the good news of the gospel! 

  

 

"All About France" Friday!

36 "Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

                                                                                                                                  -Matt. 9:36-38

Did you know...

• In the area of France where we will be serving there is approximately ONE evangelical church for every 80,000 people. If you live here in the southern US, you, like us, will pass two to three churches on the way to your own.
• 51% of the French population describe themselves as Catholic, but only half of those believe in the existence of God.
• 31% of the French are professing atheists.
• The Muslim population in France is at 7% and growing.
• Evangelical Christians make up less than 1% of the French population.

When I read the passage above, and then look at these stats about the spiritual condition in France, I can't help but picture Jesus looking down on the French people with compassion for His "lost sheep."  Verse 38 gives one of the few times that Jesus tells us what to pray for: pray for God to send out workers to His harvest fields!  Thanks for praying that God would send us (among others) to reach the French people.  

• Pray that God would provide as we strive to reach 25% of our pledged monthly support by May.  
• Pray for me (Brandon) as I go to Blue Mountain College this Sat. morning to participate in their ministry conference and share about our calling to France.   
• Pray that God would bring about a time of harvest in France which has been so spiritually dry. 

Wanna find out more about the need in France?  Check out this short video.