Yadav (Hindu traditions) in India

Yadav (Hindu traditions) in India The Yadav believe they are the descendants of king Yadu, from whom Krishna descended. Their traditional occupation is animal husbandry. They have expertise in oral traditions like sevagaridi, i.e. group singing in praise of Lord Vishnu. They freely share wells, roads, schools, crematoria, temple, etc. with other villagers. Ministry Obstacles Our natural human pride often prevents us from humbly accepting the free gift offered through faith in Christ. Outreach Ideas Christians need to build bridges of friendship with the Yadav. Their interest in oral traditions suggests an oral approach to the presentation of the Gospel message. Pray for the followers of Christ There are few if any believers among the Yadav today, but pray for the fellowshipping believers that will soon emerge from this community. Pray they will be zealous to know and serve the one who created them and redeemed them. Pray for the entire people group Pray for the Yadav community to have good schools available for their children, and for good employment opportunities. Scripture Focus "And those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3		People Name: Yadav (Hindu traditions) Country: India 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 62,476,000 World Population: 63,730,000 Language: Hindi Primary Religion: Hinduism Bible: Complete Audio NT (FCBH): Yes Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level:

Teli (Hindu traditions) in India

Teli (Hindu traditions) in India "A community which derives its name from the Sanskrit word talika or taila, used for the oil extracted from sesame and mustard, thus alluding to their traditional occupation... Mythological origin of the Teli is traced to Lord Shiva who created them to destroy five demons. However, their legend also says that the first Teli was created by Shiva to rub him with oil." (Singh, K. S., India's Communities, p. 3462) Ministry Obstacles The Teli may have little concept of a loving creator God who has made provision for the forgiveness of sin and for an abundant life. Outreach Ideas Several teams of workers will be needed for this large community that speaks many languages. Pray for workers. Pray for the followers of Christ There are a few followers of Christ among the Teli community, pray they will hunger to learn of Christ, and follow him wholeheartedly. Pray for the entire people group Pray the Teli community will be able to properly provide for their families, and will have good schools available for their children. Pray for their material well-being as well as for their spiritual needs. Scripture Focus "The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory." Isaiah 66:18		People Name: Teli (Hindu traditions) Country: India 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 19,600,000 World Population: 20,105,000 Language: Hindi Primary Religion: Hinduism Bible: Complete Audio NT (FCBH): Yes Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level:

Golden Window of Opportunity Opens in Syria

Golden Window of Opportunity Opens in Syria

November 2, 2017

Syrians displaced by war bring physical and emotional pain to an indigenous ministry's medical clinics.

When a Muslim soldier finally met up with his wife and three children at a camp for people displaced by Syria's civil war, they found there was literally less of him to embrace.

It wasn't just that Sayid* had less muscle mass in his injured arms and less skin on his side, thanks to an Improvised Explosive Device that Islamic State (ISIS) militants had detonated yards away from him. Nor that the blast seemed to have ongoing effects on his lungs and liver.

They noticed that he was moody and had difficulty concentrating. He sometimes seemed confused. Making decisions was difficult, and he had frequent headaches. Sayid couldn't recall things from their shared lives that he normally would. He was not fully the Sayid he was before, and it was unclear if he ever would be.

He had undergone 12 operations to reduce swelling of the brain, get skin grafts and repair internal organs.

Overworked doctors were too hurried to determine whether to attribute his cognitive problems to complications from concussion (purely physical) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (emotional), which delayed treatment options. Sayid was dejected about this and the gruffness of the doctors and other hospital staff members; they seemed to regard him as someone who had brought his injuries on himself, or at the very least as an interruption in their busy schedules.

This did not help in his recovery.

"When they're coming to church and asking us to pray for needs, I can see that God is working in their life," the ministry leader said. "People asking for prayer are Sunni Muslims, extremist Muslims too."

He learned about a three-day medical clinic at the camp for displaced people and decided to see if there was anything they could do for him. Run by an indigenous Christian ministry based in the undisclosed city in Syria, the clinic offered him something the health-care system had not: a listening ear. Every member of the medical team heard some part of his story – from life before civil war broke out, to the atrocities he'd witnessed, to the blast that left him limping both physically and emotionally.

He couldn't remember every detail, but family members remarked that he was summoning more from his memory banks than at any time since the blast. They also noted that he had been listening to the medical workers talk about Christ as the Son of God.

"I am very happy with their Jesus," Sayid told them. "What they are doing is Jesus through them."

Having learned about Christ's love, he saw it expressed through the medical workers. He was happy to tell the ministry director about what he had found there.

"He shared about feeling the love and presence of Jesus here, and he said, 'This is the first time ever I feel like a human with medical workers,'" the director said. "He said he wished all the medical people in the country could come and learn about Jesus so they would treat people well."

Yet to make a formal decision to follow Christ, Sayid is learning about Him and, more importantly, is experiencing God directly. Having tasted of the Lord, the goodness of the Word and the powers of the age to come, he is well on the path to eternal life, the director said.

The clinic gave him medicines as part of his follow-up treatment, and they left him with something far greater.

"At the end he said, 'I don't need any medicine or any treatment, because I am filled up with joy and satisfied,' even though he did need medicine," the director said.

Golden Opportunity

Christian literature is available to children at congregations that have formed among displaced people.

The ministry has shown Christ's love in other ways this year, including distribution of food, water and blankets – and Christian literature – to people displaced by war. Through partnership with another organization, the aid arrived in a shipping container that brought 270,000 food bags, each bag feeding two people.

From these distributions more than 500 people put their faith in Christ, forming dozens of house churches, the director said.

"There's even more than 500, probably – there could be thousands, but personally I've seen hundreds," he said.

Many more are, like Sayid, experiencing Christ in prayer and church attendance while not having yet made a decisive commitment, he said.

"When they're coming to church and asking us to pray for one need or another, I can see that God is working in their life," the director said. "People asking for prayer are Sunni Muslims, extremist Muslims too. It's more than preparing the soil, we're already putting down the seeds.

With rare, official permission, the ministry has an unprecedented opportunity to distribute aid in more areas of the country as ISIS militants have been driven from cities they had seized. Syria's civil war involves a complex set of factions, however, and the opportunity to provide aid and gospel literature may not last long, the director said.

"We have to take this opportunity now, because things could change – ISIS is not totally gone," he said. "It's more than a golden opportunity to move more deeply – we have access everywhere, anywhere."

The Arabic-language, "Life of Jesus" books distributed with relief items cost $110 for each 100 sent. Relief items have been donated, but the director appealed to Christian Aid Mission donors to provide assistance to buy Christian literature to bring eternal life to displaced people suffering in Syria.

*Name changed for security reasons

Home Fires

Photo of the Week

Home Fires   A family returned to their village in Iraq and found what remained of their home after coalition forces drove out Islamic State militants. An indigenous ministry team visited the village several times, and the predominantly Shiite Muslim community began to feel their love and concern. "Jesus was presented here, and we told them that this is what makes us care about you," the ministry leader said. The mayor of the village welcomed them and Jesus, he said. "He asked us to come for weekly meetings to talk about Christ in his home, and he invited all the people of the village to also come," the ministry leader said. "In a matter of days, all the people of the village were given Bibles, both children and adults, and everyone came to hear the message of Christ. Many of them asked the Lord to come into their hearts and save them." Please consider a gift to help Iraqi Christian workers bring the Word of God to their people.

How to Grow in Your Prayer Life

By

 Michael Guyer

 -

November 2, 2017

I can’t think of a year that I haven’t desired to grow more in my prayer life. This year is no different. As I listen to others, it seems this is a shared desire among many in the church. For some it is a lack of consistency. For others it is a lack of desire. Still others feel overwhelmed and distracted when they pray. What is it for you?

I was recently reminded of a sermon my pastor preached a few years ago on prayer. He gave this encouragement: Pray until you pray. Huh? That was my first reaction. What exactly does that mean?

In A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D.A. Carson explains:

Pray until you pray. That is Puritan advice. It is does not simply mean that persistence should mark much of our praying—though admittedly that is a point the Scriptures repeatedly make. … What they meant is that Christians should pray long enough and honestly enough, at a single session, to get past the feeling of formalism and unreality that attends not a little praying. We are especially prone to such feelings when we pray for only a few minutes, rushing to be done with a mere duty. … If we ‘pray until we pray,’ eventually we come to delight in God’s presence, to rest in His love, to cherish His will. … Such advice is not to become an excuse for a new legalism: there are startling examples of very short, rapid prayers in the Bible (e.g., Neh. 2:4). But in the Western world we urgently need this advice, for many of us in our praying are like nasty little boys who ring front door bells and run away before anyone answers. Pray until you pray.

This is how I will pursue growing in my prayer life this year. I want to slow down a bit, focus my mind on the Lord, and pray a little longer. I want to pray until I pray.

Pray until the pretense fades.

Pray until sin loses its appeal.

Pray until the burden is lifted.

Pray until I delight in God’s presence.

Pray until I’m seeking first the kingdom.

Pray until my heart is ready to sing His praise.

Pray until I’m emboldened to share.

Pray until I’m eager to love.

Pray until I’m resolved to do His will.

Pray until I’m at rest in his sovereign grace.

I’m not sure how you’re planning on growing in prayer, but I hope you’ll join me in praying until you pray.

This article originally appeared here.

Jat unspecified (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan

Jat unspecified (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan All theories of origin for the Jat communities are speculative, but the Jat have been in Pakistan for many hundreds of years. Most likely the word jat is derived from jatta, a generic term for cattle-grazers and camel-breeders. Current research suggests that the Jat migrated from Central Asia. They were speakers of the languages of the Indo-Aryan language family. The Jat are a landowning community. In the latter half of the 19th century the Jats substantially benefited from the canal-irrigation system both in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Ministry Obstacles The Muslim Jat speak more than 30 languages. Evangelistic and church planting projects need to accommodate the language subdivisions. Outreach Ideas Much focused, sustained prayer is needed to prepare Muslim hearts to come to believe that Jesus is deity, the Son of God, and that his sacrificial death on the cross is offered to the Muslim. Pray for the followers of Christ There are few if any followers of Jesus among the large Muslim Jat community. Pray for these few, and for the many additional individuals that will soon join their numbers. Pray they will become quickly and firmly settled on Christ and His finished work on the cross. Pray they will clearly understand the Gospel of grace, and also understand the need to be obedient to Christ in order to become his disciples. Pray for the entire people group Pray for peace throughout Pakistan. Pray all Muslim communities will be drawn to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Scripture Focus "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38		People Name: Jat unspecified (Muslim traditions) Country: Pakistan 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 29,065,000 World Population: 29,604,000 Language: Punjabi, Western Primary Religion: Islam Bible: New Testament Audio NT (FCBH): No Jesus Film: Yes Audio Recordings: Yes Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level:

Nisu, Xinping in China

Nisu, Xinping in China This people group lives in southwest China, in Yunnan province. Roosters are held in great reverence and are even worshiped by the Xinping Nisu. They also believe the spirits of dragons and the ox can protect them. A study done in 1989 indicates there are a few hundred Christians among them. Ministry Obstacles The Xinping community worship created things rather than the creator God. Outreach Ideas Focused prayer is needed to help the Xinping learn of the creator God who loves them, and to come to the place of placing their faith in His provision. Pray for the followers of Christ Pray for the followers of Christ among the Xinping, that they will grow into the likeness of Christ, living consistently in the power of His Spirit. Pray for the entire people group Pray the Lord will cause the Xinping community to become increasingly aware of their need for a Savior, and that workers will be sent to tell them that Jesus has come to be their Deliverer. Scripture Focus "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations." Mark 13:10		People Name: Nisu, Xinping Country: China 10/40 Window: Yes Population: 252,000 World Population: 252,000 Language: Nisu, Northern Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions Bible: None Audio NT (FCBH): No Jesus Film: No Audio Recordings: No Christ Followers: Few, less than 2% Status: Unreached Progress Level: