Persecuted congregation we served in 2015 I was ecstatic as I read the ChristianPost's report The good (Christian) news you didn’t hear from India yesterday. It began with the bad news which underscored the fact that India has become the 10th worst country for Christian persecution. The good news came out of Andrah Pradesh! It provides proof that 1Church1Day (One Church One Day) puts history in the hands of a connected praying church (many local congregations praying together).
In 2009 a young pastor found our website and connected with us. I began mentoring him and teaching him about how then Operation Rolling Thunder which became 1Church1Day in 2014 worked. He began to mobilize congregations with one church taking one day to pray 24/7. The last time we visited him in 2017 many of the pastors from the churches brought their watch list showing me the watches their people covered in their day of 24/7 prayer. Now, back to the article. Check this out!
Excerpt with underlines I added from The good (Christian) news you didn’t hear from India... "But there is good news from India as well. Really good news.First, the gospel continues to spread powerfully in that vast nation of more than 1.3 billion souls. As reported by Dr. Ralph Wilson, “the percentage of Christians has increased substantially from 2.5% a decade ago to about 5.8% today. That represents a huge increase in the growth rate. Something is happening!”
And in some states, the growth is much greater, with Christians representing as much as 10-15 percent of the total population.
This is truly unprecedented.
Second, this surge in Christian population was in evidence in the election results in the state of Andhra (that is, Andhra Pradesh, a state I have visited annually since 1993). End of excerpt.
The unprecedented growth began in 2009, the same year the 1Church1Day strategy began to be used to mobilize continual prayer in Andhra Pradesh. Now I am not claiming that these were the only churches praying. I know there were many more. But there are some something distinctive in the testimony that gets me really excited. It has to do with discipling nations and a focus on the 7 spheres or mountains of society.
Discipling Nations & the 7 Spheres
In 2009 a young pastor found our website and connected with us. I began mentoring him and teaching him about how then Operation Rolling Thunder which became 1Church1Day in 2014 worked. He began to mobilize congregations with one church taking one day to pray 24/7. The last time we visited him in 2017 many of the pastors from the churches brought their watch list showing me the watches their people covered in their day of 24/7 prayer. Now, back to the article. Check this out!
Excerpt with underlines I added from The good (Christian) news you didn’t hear from India... "But there is good news from India as well. Really good news.First, the gospel continues to spread powerfully in that vast nation of more than 1.3 billion souls. As reported by Dr. Ralph Wilson, “the percentage of Christians has increased substantially from 2.5% a decade ago to about 5.8% today. That represents a huge increase in the growth rate. Something is happening!”
And in some states, the growth is much greater, with Christians representing as much as 10-15 percent of the total population.
This is truly unprecedented.
Second, this surge in Christian population was in evidence in the election results in the state of Andhra (that is, Andhra Pradesh, a state I have visited annually since 1993). End of excerpt.
The unprecedented growth began in 2009, the same year the 1Church1Day strategy began to be used to mobilize continual prayer in Andhra Pradesh. Now I am not claiming that these were the only churches praying. I know there were many more. But there are some something distinctive in the testimony that gets me really excited. It has to do with discipling nations and a focus on the 7 spheres or mountains of society.
Discipling Nations & the 7 Spheres
Through 1Church1Day we provide leaders a church mobilization strategy that is based upon an ancient pattern King David used in his tabernacle that facilitates 24/7 prayer quickly as one congregation takes one day each month. Cooperating together the Church in a city, region or state can mobilize 24/7 prayer quickly and it is sustainable.
Prayer, praise and worship is the atmosphere of heaven. it makes God welcome here. It invites His abiding presence where He can come and sit as a judge (Psalm 22:3) so we can plead our case. We also recognize we do not know what to pray so we encourage forming councils of kingdom minded leaders from all 7 spheres of society to discover what Jesus would want changed.
It is a way we apply Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says we are to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and then all the things we need personally will be added to us. Therefore, our first thought is not, Lord, what can you do for us but rather, Lord, what can we pray and do for You?
Government is one of the Mountains the Church Should Impact
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. Discipling nations occurs one heart at a time. One of the best ways to tell if a nation is discipled is to look at its laws and policies. Do they reflect righteousness or evil. Do they honor truths in God's word or do they encourage the population to perform acts that invite judgment upon their nation?
This is what this pastor, whom we later commissioned as an apostle, and sent him to mobilize the Church in India, starting in His province. They leagued with us (KLI) to mobilize and connect the Church to pray and act. Their prayer targets and decrees included praying for YSR Congress Party, which won by a landslide. This party is led by a Christian.
Truly, history is in the hands of a praying connected Church. There is tremendous power in agreement. I would also note that faith without works is dead. Prayer must be combined with faith in action. The faith in action occurs outside the 4 walls of the building we call church. So we are thrilled with what Christ is doing in and through the Church in India.
Let's rejoice with them and pray that:
Isaiah 2:2-3
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord's house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Note: The picture in this article was taken in 2015. The pastor shared with us how many times they were stoned on their way to service and that he'd tried for years to get some land to move their congregation out from under this makeshift tent into a building. But, locals refused to sell them land or give them permission to build. We prayed. Within 24 hours he called to tell us that the primary family who opposed them changed their mind and they were able to acquire the land and build. Six months later they sent us pictures of the construction.
Prayer, praise and worship is the atmosphere of heaven. it makes God welcome here. It invites His abiding presence where He can come and sit as a judge (Psalm 22:3) so we can plead our case. We also recognize we do not know what to pray so we encourage forming councils of kingdom minded leaders from all 7 spheres of society to discover what Jesus would want changed.
It is a way we apply Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says we are to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and then all the things we need personally will be added to us. Therefore, our first thought is not, Lord, what can you do for us but rather, Lord, what can we pray and do for You?
Government is one of the Mountains the Church Should Impact
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. Discipling nations occurs one heart at a time. One of the best ways to tell if a nation is discipled is to look at its laws and policies. Do they reflect righteousness or evil. Do they honor truths in God's word or do they encourage the population to perform acts that invite judgment upon their nation?
This is what this pastor, whom we later commissioned as an apostle, and sent him to mobilize the Church in India, starting in His province. They leagued with us (KLI) to mobilize and connect the Church to pray and act. Their prayer targets and decrees included praying for YSR Congress Party, which won by a landslide. This party is led by a Christian.
Truly, history is in the hands of a praying connected Church. There is tremendous power in agreement. I would also note that faith without works is dead. Prayer must be combined with faith in action. The faith in action occurs outside the 4 walls of the building we call church. So we are thrilled with what Christ is doing in and through the Church in India.
Let's rejoice with them and pray that:
- Jesus is glorified and that His kingdom would come and His will be done
- The Church in India is successful in their kingdom assignment to bring many souls to Christ and transform their nation.
- Kingdom League International and 1Church1Day fulfills our God given assignment to serve and help leaders mobilize the Church to pray and act around the world
Isaiah 2:2-3
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord's house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Note: The picture in this article was taken in 2015. The pastor shared with us how many times they were stoned on their way to service and that he'd tried for years to get some land to move their congregation out from under this makeshift tent into a building. But, locals refused to sell them land or give them permission to build. We prayed. Within 24 hours he called to tell us that the primary family who opposed them changed their mind and they were able to acquire the land and build. Six months later they sent us pictures of the construction.
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