by Edmund Chan

A widely influential Singaporean pastor and author, in 1995 Edmund launched the Intentional Disciple-Making Church (IDMC) Conference. Started as a seminar with 320 participants, it has become a sold-out conference teaching disciple-making to 2,500 participants from 20 countries.

5. From Superficial Conformity to Value–Change

The focus must shift from looking for change in outward behavior to a fundamental change in one’s core values. Unless the core values are changed, nothing is really changed!

It is so easy for someone to slip back into “life as usual” once a discipling program is finished. It is so easy to stop memorising Scriptures once there is no discipling accountability for it. That’s conformity without value change.

The bane of contemporary discipleship is the superficial conformity to Christian norms rather than inner transformation through a radical value change. The focus must be on the being, not just the doing. A decisive adoption of biblical values, because of a definitive biblical world-view, promotes biblical discipling. This results in a radical discipleship that is counter-cultural!

6. From Theological Content to Theological Contemplation

Most discipleship programs are based primarily on the Know WHAT and the Know HOW. Too few focus on the Know WHY. We need to move from the Know WHAT to the  Know WHY – so that we can meaningfully apply the Know HOW!

Broadly speaking, the Know WHY must be grounded theologically. There is a lack of theological integration in many discipleship programs today. More often than not, theology is dismissed as irrelevant. Or it is taught simply as content – as something to know and believe. There is little effort to teach theological contemplation – to help the disciples sort out their thinking about God. In our post-modern world, there is a need for the emergence of critical thinking. We need to reclaim the intellectual and theological landscape of the Church. There is a critical need to develop thinking Christians!

7. From Ministry Management to Life Management

In twenty-first century discipling, there must be a renewed call from ministry-management to life-management. Urban disciples are busy disciples. They cannot manage their ministry if they have not learnt to manage their time. And they cannot manage their time effectively if they don’t know how to manage their lives. There is a need for the emergence of personal leadership!

Many discipling programs today are merely centred upon ministry-skills and skill-development. The primary focus is on the ministry. Even Bible study skills are taught in order to facilitate ministry as a Bible study leader. But the art of soul care, a vital agenda to modern discipling today, is largely missing!

A major paradigm shift in modern discipling is to focus on life management, not just ministry management. People are to be ministered to and mentored, not just managed. A thinking disciple is one who has been taught to live deliberately. They are tutored to take stock of life, to take charge of their life and to take care of their life!

Conclusion

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive. Nonetheless, it is meant to be provocative. I offer this list of paradigm shifts needed in twenty-first century discipling to stimulate critical thinking, as well as to help us evaluate how we should go about the task of making disciples in the post-modern world we live in.

The principles are the same, but the process must be re-examined and adapted for discipling to be effective. In the words of an old Youth For Christ slogan, we must be “geared to the times, anchored to the rock”. We must adapt for effectiveness.

We must no longer be losing ground. Let’s go make disciples!

By JFK Mensah

JFK is a respected bible teacher and also serves Pioneers Africa doing mobilization while based in Accra, Ghana.

I knew all these, but here I was as a new Christian hopelessly caught in the web of sinful living. I could identify with Paul in Rom. 7:15,22,23.

‘For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do. ..For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.’

I prayed desperately. I fasted often. I wept before God. I devoured my Bible and memorized appropriate verses. I wrestled intensely.

I vowed to God that if I ever fornicated again, He should kill me. I hated the idea of being seen as a hypocrite, yet Christlikeness looked so impossible. My private life was not in sync with my reputation on campus. I read through Gal. 5:16-18 many times:

‘I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.’

Gradually I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If I wanted to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, I had to compete according to the rules, Lk. 9:23.

I began to understand that the war against Satan, the flesh and the world only stops when the child of God falls dead. I needed to practice spiritual disciplines on a constant basis rather than irregular shots.

I needed a transformation through the habitual renewal of my mind. The fruit of the Spirit was character I had to build, not something I was to wait for God to suddenly infuse into my members.

Rom. 8:5-8 began to make sense to me.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Just as the law of aerodynamics is able to carry a plane full of people and cargo over and above the law of gravity to their destination safely, so also the law of walking and living according to spiritual principles is able to carry us above the power of sin in our lives and cause us to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.

God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness so that through His exceeding great and precious promises, we should become partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Pet.1:3-4.

I decided to take the promises of God seriously. I memorized and meditated daily on verses that assured me of God dwelling in me, 1 Jn. 4:15; Phil. 2:13; 2 Cor. 6:16; of Christ living in me and strengthening me from within-Gal. 2:20; Col. 1:27; Phil. 4:13; of the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit-1 Cor. 6:19-20; Rom. 8:11; 1 Jn.4:4.

As I continued in this, my confidence and courage to resist sin, Satan and worldly lusts increased. I stopped reading pornography and put away the worldly magazines and seductive TV programs. I avoided the company of unbeliever friends who dragged me into such conversation. Then the victory over impure thoughts came easily. I could testify publicly.

I learnt how to begin each year by taking stock of my moral weaknesses and the flaws in my spiritual life and character. I spend each month tackling either a vice or building a virtue. My daily appointments with God for the Quiet Time became regular. My hunger and thirst for God and the things of the Spirit increased with each conquest.

The years have passed and I can see God giving me more grace to break away from besetting sins like anger, pride and bitterness that looked so formidable previously. It took me years of perseverance to stop biting my finger nails, but I am free now.

I am not yet perfect. I have not arrived as yet. But I agree with Paul that:

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor.3:18

By Andrew Scott

Andrew is the Vice President of Recruiting for Operation Mobilization USA.

‘You cannot be my disciple ….’ Jesus stated to those who gathered to listen. ‘Unless…’ I can imagine that the listeners waited with baited breath. With a readiness. A longing.

This is exactly what they wanted to be. They had followed him for some time now and were totally amazed at what this Rabbi from Nazareth could do. Now he was giving them an opportunity to join him.

An invitation to be part of the revolutionary mob, who would change the Roman dominated world. A ticket for the front row seat to miraculous stuff happening every day. They were ready for what would come after the ‘unless’ because this is what they wanted. Or was it?

Would they want it so bad that no matter what came next they would be willing to do it? Would they be willing to count the cost of obedience to the post ‘unless’ list? As it turns out most wouldn’t. In fact, most left and over the next months many of the rest would fall by the wayside.

What came after ‘unless’ proved too much for the once enthusiastic crowd. Sadly, it seems that it still is too much for most today.

Very few ever make it past the initial enthusiasm of the hand raised at a worship time; the walk up the aisle after the call to missions; the promise made to God after watching the video on suffering in Central Asia; or the commitment made at the last Passion conference.

I have personally attended many missions conferences at colleges, Urbanas and Passions and watched while hundreds stood to their feet in response to the call to join God in missions. I have to ask the question, ‘Why is the number going to give their lives not going through the roof?’

Did these students lie? Did they stand up just to please Louie? Are they ‘commitment less’? I do not believe so. In fact what I have seen and heard from this generation of students is quite the opposite.

What stands in their way in my humble opinion is firstly, the lack of support from Mission agencies (of which I am one) to help coach them through the obstacles.

Secondly, the students lack understanding of what it will take to fulfill what they just committed to. It is not my mandate to address the first one in this article but take my word for it that I am addressing it in my organization.

Let’s look at the second reason then. When the student stood, knelt, lay, whatever the prescribed formula was, they sincerely wanted to follow God. They were as enthusiastic as the crowd listening to Jesus, maybe even more so as Jesus did not have Chris Tomlin to warm them up.

They could begin to imagine themselves, even wish themselves in that village helping the AIDS orphans or in rural India helping to set up a micro business.

A day later they find themselves back at their campus sitting in class with 3 more years of study ahead.

For most the stresses and strains, distractions and attractions, escalating student debt and parental pressure to get a job and pay it off will be enough to make them bury the dream that God birthed in their hearts a few years back in large stadium where His presence and voice felt so real and compelling.

Sadly, most resign themselves to this death as if it is inevitable and even ‘the right and logical thing to do’ in light of their current circumstances. The question then is, ‘Is this disobedience to God?’ I would propose that it is.

Some may argue that this is a bit harsh. After all they have to pay off their debt. Shouldn’t they listen to their parents? Maybe it was not God speaking to them in the first place.

Their girlfriend/boyfriend that is now their fiancée really did not have the same call to missions and so as in any relationship you need to compromise some things.

Hmmh… all of these sound great and all have an element of truth to them. But when Jesus said, ‘You cannot be my disciple unless….’ He was laying out that there was a cost. A price to be paid. A bar to be reached. A standard to be met.

Let’s be reminded of Jesus words – Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Jesus did not leave anything to the imagination or for second guessing. ‘Giving up everything’ has something pretty complete and comprehensive about it.

As a 23 or 24 year old we should listen to our parents advice but if it goes against what we believe God has told us to do – Jesus makes it pretty clear who we should listen to and follow.

When it comes to choosing potential life partners God has given us only one guideline – find an equal yoke. This means someone who shares your life passions and dreams as a Christian – not someone who will pull you from them.

If we allow anyone (even if you scored the homecoming King or Queen) to pull us from the dream that God birthed in our hearts then Jesus says we cannot be His disciple.

When we look further in Luke 14:28-33, Jesus uses a great example of a man wanting to build a tower and a king going to war. My paraphrase is – if these guys want to accomplish their plan/dream then they will sit down and think through what it will take to see that happen. If they don’t, then they are foolish and will fail. The very next verse is,

‘In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.’

In other words, if you are not willing to put steps in place to achieve your dream and then sacrifice everything in order to accomplish the dream then you cannot…….you know the rest and you’re a knuckle head on top of it – OK my paraphrase again.

This is strong stuff. No wonder so many of those listening to Jesus left Him. What about you? Are you ready for what comes after the ‘unless’?

Ready enough to sit down and make some plans to ‘build that tower’ to ‘win that war’? Ready enough to sacrifice everything in order to see the plan through.

To finish college as passionate about God and His call on your life as you were when you stood at that event with open hands saying, ‘Yes Lord, send me’? To graduate and be ready to leave for the ministry God laid on your heart as a Freshman? To have no ‘anchors’, whether debt or unequal relationships, holding you back?

I fully accept that it is very difficult not to accrue debt and to avoid distractions. Actually there is very little that is easy about following Jesus – the ‘taking up your cross’ part sort of gives that away.

It is much easier to live as you wish, do as you want and flow with the crowd – at least for now. But if you are serious about living out what ever Jesus puts after the ‘unless’ then I would like to give you some practical pointers which I have benefited from that will help protect you from some typical downfalls and raise your chances of fulfilling the call at the end of college.

Stay Connected to the source of your life

Take time to read and reflect on John 15. Before you work, the plan you need to understand that ‘apart from (Jesus) you can do nothing’.

So it is vital that you take responsibility for your spiritual growth – persistently pursue maturity in Christ, feed your mind and heart with godly things.

Exhale the world’s junk by breathing in the Word. Understand that unless you are connected to the Source of life you will lose your ability to live the life. A good friend of mine says it this way – we need to stay Constantly Connected, Desperately Dependent.

Address unholiness in your life

We all struggle with sin in some way. It is vital that we wrestle with sin and overcome it by the power of God. So often we settle to live with the guilt which leads to feelings of unworthiness to serve which leads to inactivity.

Instead lets respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when it comes and Recognize when we have done wrong; take Responsibility for it; Repent from it; Renounce Satan and his attempt to sideline you.

Let’s keep short accounts with God on this and live in the fullness of His forgiveness and grace so that we are ready for what ever He calls us to do.

Form Constructive habits

It is so easy to waste time during your college years. Between Internet, Movies, hanging out until the wee hours etc. Nothing wrong with any of these things if done in moderation. Be careful how you spend your time.

Start setting boundaries in your life which allow you to have the time to do the important things first. This does not come easy but if we are not willing to apply self discipline in these areas then we are probably not going to stay the course.

Choose the Simple Lifestyle

Probably the biggest obstacle to students moving out on cross cultural missions after they finish is student debt. It is the greatest vision killer and the vortex into which most get sucked into leading them further and further away from fulfilling their vision.

I have heard frightening numbers. Some are due to the college the person chose and some are due to undisciplined spending for 4 years.

If you are serious about serving in missions then you need to come up with a plan to keep your debt to a minimum if not eradicated completely. It may mean picking a college of less prestige.

It will involve making daily decisions on where you drink coffee and how much, the clothes you buy, frequency you watch movies, housing, transport to name a few. It may also mean finding a job while you study and pay as you go. This may take a year longer to finish college but get you out to the field 5 years earlier.

There are a couple of great courses out there which can help you a lot in setting good financial practices – Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey and Crown Financial Ministries.

Bottom line is that the simple lifestyle is a daily choice which is not easy now but will lead to a faster track in achieving your God given vision.

Form Kingdom Building Relationships

Dating – Be very careful who you date. Remember God has only one standard for your partner. It involves their standing with Him and their standing with you. If they do not measure up on any one of them, get out of there. Do not ask someone to walk through this stage of life with you who is not ready to carry the yoke of service to God with you.

Friends – Among the many friends you no doubt will have during college make sure you prioritize finding and building deep friendships with those who share your burden for the lost. It is they who will encourage you when you start to lose the vision.

Ministry partners – Get connected to a church local to your college. Build relationships with the leaders and members. Keep connected to the church you grew up in by visiting when you go back and communicating with them while at college.

You will be laying the foundation for your financial and prayer support for when you are ready to leave. Too many college students disengage from home churches and never connect strongly with a church near their college. They end up with no support base to stand with them in their vision.

Engage with the world and what God is doing in it Continuing to inform your mind and engaging your heart in the big issues around the world is critical to keeping the flame alive.

Sign up for mission news letters covering the issues and /or regions you are interested in. Start a monthly prayer group and engage others in these issues through prayer. Visit the region at least once during your time in college to gain greater understanding and deeper engagement in the culture and issues. Start to contact mission agencies inquiring about the key needs in these regions. Begin exploring where you can fit.

Bring others with you

Walking a path is much easier if you have friends to walk it with. Share your passion and vision with others and invite them to join you on the journey. Bring them with you on your STM trips, to the prayer gatherings. Be infectious. It helps you stay contagious.

Conclusion

Remember Jesus said to those looking on ‘You cannot be my disciple unless….’ Are you ready to do whatever comes after the ‘unless’? No matter how painful. Inconvenient. Uncomfortable. Un-cool.

If you are then get ready for the ride of your life because Jesus also said to His disciples ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.’

By David Smithers

David is an author and teacher of historic revival and carries a powerful passion for revival in this generation.

“And when they had crucified Him… Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” – Mark 15:24-38

The sacrifice of Christ has made it possible for all men to have a passionate relationship with God. Jesus died on the cross so that we might walk and talk with our God and Father…Jesus suffered on the cross so that you can passionately pray!

What a privilege and yet so many of us fail to use it. When we neglect prayer, we do far more than merely neglect some religious exercise, we are neglecting the very presence and person of Jesus Christ Himself. A lack of prayer communicates that we are not interested in coming close to God’s heart!

Some sadly assume that the only reason Jesus died on the cross was to deliver them from the torments of HELL! The cross of Christ does much more than that; it removes the stain and filth of our sins that prevent us from enjoying the presence of a holy God.

The cross secures for us a private audience with the King of Kings here on Earth. What Adam and Eve forfeited through willful disobedience – the privilege of unlimited access to God – has been restored to all those who put their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sin.

Are you taking full advantage of the privilege of prayer? Do you daily or even hourly use the access you have been freely given to enter into the Father’s presence? The veil has been rent and God’s door is standing wide open. What are you waiting for?

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” -James 4:8.

Neglecting the privilege of prayer trivializes the presence of God and disregards the cross of Christ’s love, but it also reveals our lack of true concern and compassion for those who are in eternal danger!

Such unlimited access to God’s heart through prayer affirms the fact that as born again Christians we have an incredible amount of influence with God. Think of it, we can go to God anytime we want and ask Him for anything on behalf of ourselves or even others.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” – I John 5:14.

With such assured access and influence in prayer comes a GREAT amount of responsibility. Are you using your blood bought influence with God to rescue the lost and hurting souls who are headed for Hell?

As incredible as it may seem, God has sovereignly chosen to deliver the perishing through our frail prayers.

“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” – Ps 2:8.

In times of great need, men naturally seek the surest and quickest path to victory. For the Church, that path is still Christ-centered, faith-filled prayer! God has placed before us an open door of limitless power and potential through the means of intercessory prayer.

That is, IF we grasp by faith what the Lord has already promised and placed in our hands. Regardless of your age, education, race or gender, God is eagerly waiting to use your prayer life to change the world!

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of NEED.” -Heb 4:16

By Steven Haack

Steve is a student leader at Hope College.

God was moving in awesome ways at the Abandoned Devotion Gathering at Hope College on Friday, November 12. After pressing into God for almost six hours, people were wondering how the time had gone so quickly!

Spirit-led prayer on many different topics highlighted the evening. The prayer times were well balanced with sets of worship songs, inspirational video clips, and convicting messages from Ryan and Kelly Shaw as well as Hope College students.

By the end of the evening, there were 7 people that signed the Message Bearer commitment card, and almost 40 others interested in further exploring the SVM2 vision and how it might pertain to their lives individually and as a community.

A few students in particular shared testimonies during open mic time of how God spoke to them right then and there about their future in cross-cultural ministry. Besides these people, it was evident that the Lord was moving in many other hearts as well.

Conversation afterwards indicated a desire to seek God more intimately and passionately than ever before. It would not be surprising to see more gatherings like this at Hope in the future with a continued growing interest in what God is doing on a global scale. There is hope at Hope.

By Evan Burns

Evan is a graduate student at Wheaton College and the Chicagoland Coordinator for SVM2.

Persevering prayer is key to overcoming the hard-hearted resistance of the lost. Immediately following the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:5-9, Jesus taught a critical lesson about the role of perseverance in prayer.

To teach us persevering prayer, Jesus uses a strange parable about a man who persistently asks for bread from a friend. The friend gives the man the bread, not on the basis of their friendship, but because of his persistence.

“I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs” (Luke 11:8).

If an earthly friend can be moved by persistence, imagine how much more it will accomplish with our heavenly Friend.

There are a few fundamental lessons on prayer in this parable. First of all, notice what Jesus says about their relationship: Even though they are friends, the one friend will not get up and get a loaf.

So, that implies that it is not our relationship with God that finally determines whether or not we get what we ask. Granted, our relationship with God is the reason He hears our prayers at all, but that is not always the final reason for why He answers them.

Often, God will answer our prayers based on our persistence. Our perseverance and ceaselessness in prayer proves our faith. “When faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live” (EM Bounds).

Our faith is tested by the resolve of our perseverance. In prayer, faith does not necessarily determine how soon our answers will come; rather, faith determines how long we will persevere until those answers come. Faith and perseverance are inseparable.

It is interesting to read the rest of the passage in light of the surrounding, immediate context. In verse 8, Jesus just finished emphasizing that persistence in prayer is what often determines the outcome.

And then in the following verse, Jesus continues with statement, So I say to you, ask [a??te´?], and it will be given to you; seek [??te´?], and you will find; knock [????´?], and it will be opened to you. Each of the Greek verbs (ask, seek, knock) are in the “present active indicative” tense.

The nuance of this tense can imply continuous action. Since the surrounding context clearly emphasizes persistence in prayer, which is continuous prayer, it would make sense to translate the verbs in verse 9 as such: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.

This continuous nuance emphasizes the idea of persistence in prayer that Christ is stressing so heavily.

Persevering prayer is essential for overcoming the resistance of lost peoples. We must keep banging on the door of heaven, hounding God to blow apart the daunting resistance of the hostile peoples.

We must not tire; we must not relent; we must continually fight on our knees. We ought to focus on God’s power to soften their hearts. Resistance of the heart must be confronted head-on with resistance in prayer to never give up.

Editor’s Note – The two writings above were not intended to both be about prayer but it is the way that the Holy Spirit led each of the writers. I think that through this He is trying to communicate something to us that I don’t want us to gloss over quickly.

There is a cry in the heart of God for an increase in all out devotion to prayer in this generation. Let us respond to Him in this moment by consecrating ourselves afresh as prayer warriors who take this calling of global prayer and intercession seriously.

By Eunice Danielson

Eunice has been involved in church planting movements in China and Central Asia and currently lives among the unreached.

Close your eyes and picture a pitch-black room. Now allow yourself to visualize a tiny spark of fire igniting one lone candle, then another and another and another. Until the darkness in the room recedes into shadows and light begins to overtake the darkness.

This is a picture of what can happen when we pray. There are many places in the earth that are very dark, there is not even a small light—no witness of the truth, very few believers, no church.

Our enemy is holding these regions, cities, countries or perhaps people groups with an iron grip under his control through false ideologies and generational or cultural sin. Satan has lied to whole nations and blinded their eyes so that they do not recognize Jesus— Son of God—Light of the World.

And yet there is hope! Light can begin to shine in these dark areas of the world. God wants to use your prayers, like a match, lighting that candle—perhaps a tiny spark at first, but igniting with the prayers of others into a mighty fire that has the potential to change nations!

You might ask the question, “Can my prayers really make a difference?” or “Why does an All-Sovereign God need me to pray?” but the fact is that even though God can do anything He wants, He has chosen to work through humans to enforce His will on the earth.

Matthew 16:18-19 tells us that God has given us keys—to bind and to loose, to lock and unlock—things in the earth. Wow! Where ever I am in my secret place of prayer, I have an enormous key in my hand that has the potential to open ancient gates that have held people in bondage for thousands of years!

People that live in these very dark lands; under the power and control of the enemy can be set free through MY prayers! God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel and said,

“I sought for a man …to stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30-31 NKJV)

How sad!  He is still searching for that man (or woman) today! He wants you and me to stand in the gap for the darkest places of the earth so that they will not be destroyed but will be illuminated by His Great Light! I don’t profess to be an expert on this subject but I have learned a few things over the years.

More than twenty years ago I moved to North-west China to live and work amongst an unreached Muslim Turkic people group. At that time, the number of believers in this people group could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

With the joint chains of Islam and Communism binding this ethnic people group, compounded by spiritual strongholds of hopelessness, division and strife, this truly was a dark land. If I had only known then, some of the principals I am sharing with you now, I could have been much more effective in my prayers!

The fact is that inadvertently I would come under the canopy of darkness covering these people and I would personally be influenced by these spiritual forces. For example, I would fight depression and hopelessness, having no idea of the reason for these thoughts.

I would try to pray and intercede for the people but it was like I was shooting arrows at the ceiling and my prayers had no power to penetrate the darkness. I have since learned that I have a position of authority in Jesus—I am seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

This means that I am not fighting from a position of defeat “under” that spiritual canopy of darkness, but I am “above” the darkness and my prayers are have the authority to punch holes in that dark canopy, allowing God’s light to shine through the darkness and illuminate the people.

Since that time, I have lived in Central Asia and have worked with many Turkic and Persian people groups.

I have had the privilege to witness how in keeping with the above illustration, Christians all around the world have prayed and light has begun to crack open the darkness which covers these people groups and this part of the world.

Literally thousands have come to Christ, hundreds of churches have been planted, national leaders raised up and they are now sending missionaries to other surrounding nations. How does this work practically? Let me give you some keys to help you understand how to pray effectively for these dark places and peoples of the earth.

1. Discern the forces of darkness or “spiritual strongholds” keeping the people in chains

In the same way that the devil gains access to our personal lives through an “open door”, an area of sin in our lives or through the power he gains when we believe his lies, the enemy also gains access to a city, people group or nation through areas of sin in their history or the lies that the people believe.

We need to pray and also do historical research, asking God to show us specifically what “open doors” exist in the nation or geographical area for which we are praying. What lies do the people believe about themselves?

What are key areas of sin that were committed in previous generations and are now prevalent in the lives of people today? I mentioned above that the people group I worked with in China was under the control of hopelessness, division and strife”. When these strongholds are identified then we know what we are fighting in prayer. We can then move onto the next step…

2. Recognize your position of authority

As I mentioned above, we are to pray with an understanding of our position of authority in Christ Jesus. When God created Adam and Eve, he gave them authority to “rule” on the earth. (Genesis 1:26) Picture God coming to Adam and Eve with a big set of keys, handing them the keys and saying, “Here—these keys represent the authority that I am giving you to rule on the earth.”

However, then the devil comes along in the form of a snake and Adam and Eve unwittingly are deceived into handing the keys over to him. BUT the good news is…Jesus came, he died on the cross and rose from the dead, winning over the devil.

In my mind’s eye, I can just picture Him marching up to the gates of hell, holding out His hand and demanding, “Devil, you are defeated! Give me back the keys!” Satan had no choice but to place the keys of authority to the earth back in His hands.

But He did not keep the keys to Himself. Matthew 16:18-19 tells us that Jesus gave the keys to us—the Church—now we have the authority to enforce God’s will on the earth through our prayers!

3. Persist in prayer—never give up!

This is one of the most important points I have to make in this article. I think if we understand this and nothing else, we have won more than half of the battle. It’s easy to get excited about praying for the darkest places and most unreached peoples of the earth.

When we begin to pray it feels like an adventure—we are going out to battle—to win and to conquer lost peoples of the earth! However, after praying for some time and perhaps not seeing immediate answers to our prayers, we begin to feel discouraged.

The task seems insurmountable and our passion wanes. This is NOT the time to give up! This is the time to keep on pressing through in our prayers!

Daniel is a good example. In Daniel chapter 10, he had to pray for 21 days until the angel appeared to him. In verse 12, we find that Daniel’s prayers were heard on the first day, but that there was a battle going on in the heavenlies and it took 21 days for the breakthrough!

In Daniel 9:23, we also read,

“At the beginning of your prayers, the word went forth…”

God hears our prayers right from the beginning and many times He sends out the answer. His light begins to shine but darkness opposes the light.

There is an unseen battle raging in an invisible sphere and only our persistent prayers will help win that battle. What if Daniel had stopped praying on the 15th day or the 19th day or even on the morning of the 21st day? He may have never received his answer.

How many times do we quit right before the light is about to burst through the darkness—right before our answer comes? Remember, the answer’s on the way! Don’t give up!

4. Fasting and Prayer

Once when Jesus’ disciples did not have the power to cast a demon out of a boy with epilepsy, they came to Jesus and asked Him why they did not receive the answer to their prayers. His reply was,

“This kind does not go out except by fasting and prayer.”

There are times when we face deep demonic darkness and it is vital for us to add fasting to our prayers. Isaiah 58:6 describes the results of fasting.

“To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and break every enslaving yoke.”

Fasting looses the ropes of sin that are wrapped around people and keeping them in bondage. It lifts the blinders from their eyes so that they can see the light and understand the truth. In the early days of our church planting effort amongst the Turkic people group I referred to earlier, my team and I dedicated extended seasons to fasting and prayer.

I am convinced that the breakthrough we experienced with miracles, healings, and scores of people, including whole extended families, coming into the Kingdom of God was directly related to our times of fasting and prayer.

There are many ways of fasting; water only, juice fasts, “Daniel” fasts with vegetables only, or giving up certain types of foods or entertainment that you enjoy.

Whatever the type of fast, I believe that if we want to see God’s light shine in these very dark regions of the earth, we must hear these words of Jesus, “This kind (of breakthrough) does not come except by fasting and prayer”!

So, if prayer is so powerful, if God has given us power and authority in our prayers to see amazing things happen in our world today, if through our prayers we can see God’s light shine through the darkness in the blackest corners of the earth, why don’t we pray?

There are many things that keep all of us from praying like we know we should—apathy, selfishness and busyness, just to name a few.

I am pretty sure, however, that Satan, our enemy, who is holding all of these millions of people in darkness, understands the potential in our prayers even more than we do!

He will use any means possible to keep us from praying! Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, faced the greatest battle of all time and He needed to break through in prayer. His disciples had the opportunity to join Him in this head-on challenge with the powers of darkness.

But where do we find them? Sleeping! We think this is unimaginable! How could they? And yet we stand on the brink of the last frontier of missions. Never before in the history of the world have the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14 been as possible as they are today!

“This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to ALL nations and then shall the end come.”

We are called to take part in this final battle of the ages and where are we often found? Sleeping! Or on the internet or watching TV or playing video games! What about the nations?

What about all of those people who are dying every day of hunger or in suicide bomb or terrorist attacks before they have a chance to hear about Jesus? The darkness in their world is overwhelming. They are waiting for the light to shine.

You have a match in your hand to light a candle, to ignite a flame that will begin to illuminate the darkness in these black corners of the earth. Will you take up the challenge? Will you get on your knees and pray?!

By David Smithers

David is the Prayer Track Director for SVM2 and currently lives in Oklahoma.

Some have said that persistence is the best proof of sincerity. If that is so, than blind Bartimaeus has given us one of the best examples of sincerity in all of the Scriptures.

In Mark 10:46-52 Bartimaeus demonstrates this relentless sincerity by his willingness to apply the Kingdom principles of humble vulnerability, forgiveness and Christian unity. These spiritual qualities are absolutely essential to seeking, receiving and advancing the Kingdom of God on Earth.

Need puts us in the Path of God

Mark 10:46 says “Now they came to Jericho. As He (Jesus) went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.” The first thing that we notice about Bartimaeus is that he is a blind beggar.

This is a person who has honestly come to grips with his own frailty and neediness and understands apart from some outside intervention he is totally hopeless and helpless.

He is convinced that without an outside gift of mercy and grace he will starve, therefore he purposefully puts himself in the pathway of Christ…he makes himself available to be touched by the grace of God.

The Needy Learn how to Pray

Verse 47 reminds us that prayer is the language of the poor and needy. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus convinced of his own need, hearing that Jesus is passing by, begins to desperately pray and cry out for mercy. Remember our prayers being heard and answered are not earned by our own spiritual efforts or merit but are a gift of God’s mercy!

Needing God’s Approval more than Man’s

Surely Christ and his disciples would quickly turn aside and respond to such a needy and sincere cry for mercy, and yet it seems Jesus’ own disciples were actually irritated by his loud cries for help.

Mark 10: 48 -“Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Certainly Bartimaeus must have been tempted to be discouraged or even intimidated in his faith, as those who should have helped him into the presence of Christ actually rebuked and hindered him.

Bartimaeus is definitely needy, but in spite of his desperate situation he needs God’s touch more than he needs the approval and acceptance of men. So he boldly persists to cry out even more for the mercy of Jesus, even if it means the rest of the church people don’t quite understand.

Mark 10: 49 says “So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.” This kind of unrelenting faith and boldness always gets God’s merciful attention. Humble and persistent prayer releases God’s life changing power and provision.

The Needy must Learn how to Forgive & Yield

“Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” Who are these new joyful encouragers of blind Bartimaeus? Ironically, these are none other than his old critics and opposers.

Yes, the very ones who once rebuked him and told him to sit down and be quiet are now ready to encourage and help him into the presence of Jesus. No doubt Bartimaeus was tested again, but this time he is tempted to harden his heart against the very disciples of Christ.

How dare they try to help him now after all they had done! Bartimaeus is faced with a choice, to either humbly forgive and receive assistance from these fickle and offensive disciples or refuse their help and possibly miss his only chance at connecting with Jesus.

The same persistent and humble faith that initially helped Bartimaeus receive Christ’s tender mercy and notice, are again needed in order for him to forgive and receive help from the disciples.

Bartimaeus accepts this fact by esteeming his body’s need for Christ’s healing touch to be greater than his ego’s need to be vindicated in the eyes of others. He values his need for Jesus as greater than his need to be esteemed by others!

This path we are on in our pursuit of Jesus Christ is crowded with a variety of other disciples. Many of us on this path are unique and very different in our gifts and Kingdom purposes.

Therefore, if we are easily offended, unforgiving and quick to distance ourselves from others that are different from us, we will consequently find ourselves frustrating the cause of Jesus Christ. We can not casually distance ourselves from other believers without also distancing ourselves from the person of Jesus Himself!

The Needy Exercise Humility toward God & Man

James 4:6 says that, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The heart attitude of humility and tender vulnerability releases God’s mercy and miracle working grace. Humility sustains our prayer life and relationship with God, but it is also builds trust and open, healthy relationships with others.

Genuine humility affirms the fact that we need God in our lives but also affirms that we need the gifts and contributions of other parts of the body of Christ.

Humility makes all our relationships easier and more grace-filled, whereas stubborn pride makes God and men withdraw the hand of blessing and mercy from us. Humility invites grace and stubborn pride builds walls!

4 Lessons from a Beggars Cup

We are all blind and filthy beggars apart from God’s mercy and grace. We must humbly embrace our own spiritual poverty and insufficiency if we are to move forward in the all-sufficient power of Christ.

We must allow this revelation of our own spiritual poverty to drive us out of our hiding places and comfortable corners into the vulnerable pathway of humility and unrelenting prayer.

We must also affirm our need for God to be grater than our need for the approval and acceptance of men…even the acceptance that comes from good and godly people in the church. And finally we must learn how to forgive and affirm that our need for God’s grace demands that we exercise humility toward God and our fellow believers.

We must learn how to cooperate and partner with a broader expression of the Body of Christ in establishing the Kingdom of God.

The generation that learns and applies these simple but elusive spiritual lessons will usher in the Kingdom of Christ throughout the World.

They will humbly and affectionately embrace God, the diversity of the Body of Christ and ultimately a lost and dying world, all for the pleasure and glory of Jesus Christ.