The Community of Prayerful Love

Have been reading Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy for devotion e past couple of months.. here's one recent insight into the nature of the spiritual reality that prayer brings us into.

What happens when we pray for others? As we pray for others, we participate in a spiritual community of love. Instead of relating to each other directly, we go through the mediator Jesus Christ. Instead of simply going on our own wisdom, tell others what's "good" for them, telling them to change this and that, doing things to them "for their good" as we judge it, we come to Christ.

This takes us into the deep nature of life together in the kingdom of God. This life is shown in its horizontal (human) and vertical (divine) dimensions. As we wish for the good of others, we do not simply tell them, criticize them, or help them simply on our own terms. As Dallas Willard puts it:

Among those who live as Jesus' apprentices there are no relationships that omit the presence and action of Jesus. We never go "one on one"; all relationships are mediated through him. I never think simply of what I am going to do with you, to you, or for you. I think of what we, Jesus and I, are going to do with you, to you, and for you. Likewise, I never think of what you are going to do with me, to me, and for me, but of what will be done by you and Jesus with me, to me, and for me.

Thought that was a beautiful way of putting it. As we pray, we walk hand in hand with Jesus for the good of others. We ask Him for others as we intercede. That is the best way to truly help someone. Not on our own unilateral terms, knowing how fallible and oft-mistaken we are.

And as Dietrich Bonhoffer says,

As Christ can speak to me in such a way that I may be saved, so others, too, can be saved only by Christ Himself. This means that I must release the other person from every attempt of mine to regulate, coerce, and dominate him [or her] with my love... Thus this spiritual love will speak to Christ about a brother more than to a brother about Christ. It knows that the most direct way to others is always through prayer to Christ and that love of others is wholly dependent on the truth in Christ.
(Life Together)

Indeed, how often we have the temptation to simply "straighten others out" for their own good. How often have we tried to give them our "pearls of wisdom" without so much as talking to God about it first! And how many times have we been frustrated by our efforts on how people don't seem to change, to break through their problems, even after we have pointed them out. How frequent have we tried to offer "solutions" to people's predicaments without truly understanding their position, empathizing with them as only Jesus, the Great High Priest, can.

Let us not forget that the primary way to help others is to pray for them first. Bring them to the throne of grace, and then together, with Jesus, reach out to them. Not that we don't do anything concrete or say anything edifying to them, but that we do not neglect - as we are so prone to - the quiet but indispensable ministry of prayer. Carry them to Jesus always, presevere in prayer, don't give up, look to God, and see how He works.

Sometimes the effect is almost immediate, sometimes it takes time, at times we find that God brings us into a new understanding of that person's situation; other times we learn that we are the ones who need to change, yet other times we learn to trust that God has better plans of which the present reality is already a part.

Whichever way it is, let us continue to intercede for the good of those around us, and then those who are not so near, but nevertheless are instantly reached by a request to God.

what we can do is pray

Christians in India are facing unprecedented persecution at the moment. We know that underneath the human conflict, is an ongoing spiritual battle for souls, and the only way we can be victorious is through prayer. Let's give time to pray for the missionaries and Christians in India. We know that God has His own people chosen among the Indians, and that He will draw these people to Himself for His glory and their joy.

As Jesus Himself said,“Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Knowing this, let us pray with confidence and faith that nothing can deter God's pleasure in rescuing His own people and giving them strength and grace in this difficult time.

Below is the update from GFA website on the situation:

02/21/2006: Behind the Wave: A Perspective on Persecution
From K. P. Yohanan, President of Gospel for Asia:

In my homeland of India, we are facing more persecution now than at any other time in our history. Our leaders on the mission field tell me that it has become such a regular, daily event that they now report only the worst cases.

In the last six weeks I have sent out numerous reports over email, spoken dozens of times on the radio and been quoted in print and web interviews. My purpose in all this public communication has been to encourage God’s people to pray about this situation. And that is my desire today as well. In providing a larger picture of what is behind this growing wave of persecution, I trust this will further enable the Body of Christ to deal with it prayerfully and powerfully.

Today, a battle for economic power and control rages in India—all under the guise of religion. Hindutva, literally, “Hindu-ness,” is a growing Hindu supremacist ideology that has a purely Hindu nation as its goal. To be Indian is to be Hindu, this dogma declares. Those who hold to this philosophy are part of a small but powerful group of extremists attempting to control the Dalit (“Untouchable”) and low-caste majority for their own gain.

When we look at the history of the human race, we see this is not an uncommon occurrence. The Crusaders who attempted to control the Holy Land by means of violence did not represent Christianity as a whole nor the teachings of Christ. Before and during World War II, a relatively small group of fascist leaders following Hitler—not the vast majority of the German population—were responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews. In countries ruled by Communist governments, it is not the masses but the minority that holds to a totalitarian ideology

You see, without Christ, the human heart never changes—it is always hungry for power. The Taliban used force to exert five years of stringent control over the entire nation of Afghanistan. And that is exactly what is happening in India—a radical minority is attempting to Hinduize a nation of over a billion people. This kind of thinking ultimately leads to ethnic cleansing, such as we have seen in Rwanda and Bosnia—and also in a mild form in the Indian state of Gujarat, where thousands of Muslims were massacred in 1992 and again in 2002.

These are the opposers and persecutors of Christians reaching out to the nearly 300 million Dalit and 400 million lower caste population. They accuse Christian workers of forced conversion and cultural destruction. Yet they are the wealthy landlords who oppose the establishing of educational centers for the children of these oppressed peoples.

Why persecute Christians? Because, just like in England and America in centuries past, believers in Jesus are the ones today working and praying toward the liberation of millions of “slaves” on the Indian subcontinent.

These slaves—the Dalits and other lower castes—make up the vast majority of the Indian population. Yet they are the ones harassed, abused, denied the right to worship, forced to live on the outskirts of villages, maltreated and even murdered—simply because of their social position. And today their desire for freedom is being threatened by the greed of a powerful minority . . . all for economic gain.

Indian newspapers repeatedly confirm this. The country’s national newspaper The Hindu printed an account of three Dalit college students who were beaten up simply because of their social status. According to The Telegraph, a Dalit woman was stripped and beaten to death by two men whose path she mistakenly crossed. A Dalit man was killed after attempting to pray at a local temple, said The Times of India.

It is a relatively common fact in India that some politicians who espouse Hindutva are agnostics and atheists. These are the same men who speak out against education in English—saying it destroys Indian culture—while enrolling their children in colleges and universities in Europe and North America.

So you see, the issue is not a primarily religious one, although proponents of Hindutva would lead the public to believe so. No, the issue here is much more sinister; it exposes the dark side of human nature. And while there are many other issues and variables involved in the struggle for spiritual freedom, this is a significant one that deserves much attention and prayer.

Today, India is at a crossroads. And we as believers in Jesus have the opportunity to help make an impact on this nation that will last for eternity.

Let us not forget that Indians are perhaps some of the most religious and sincere people in the world. They seek peace and the way of God—but without the knowledge of Christ there exists a huge vacuum in the land. These are people made in the image of God, people He loves just as much as He loves you or me.

“Other sheep I have which are not of this fold,” Jesus said, “them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

Let us pray with compassion, love and faith for these millions to understand Christ and His love. And let us pray that the Church in India will demonstrate the love of Jesus in such a way that they will want to know the Jesus of the New Testament.

When Gladys Staines extended forgiveness to the men who burned alive her husband and two sons, her action captured the hearts of millions—and many turned to the Lord as a result. In my experience people often reject Jesus because of what they encounter in Christians, not because of what they encounter in the Word of God. If the Church in India authentically represents Jesus Christ, I believe the whole nation will follow Him.

As we grow in our understanding of the issues behind this persecution, we must also understand our responsibility in this situation as Christians. We must be willing to give of ourselves through prayer and fasting until we see a breakthrough. We must be willing to “dig in our heels” and not give up.


And through our sacrifice and willingness to identify with our suffering and oppressed brothers and sisters in Asia, I am convinced we will someday have the joyful privilege to welcome millions of men, women and children into heaven. The blessings we will experience then will be far greater than any discomfort or inconvenience now.

Missionary Kidnapped - Do pray...

From Gospel for Asia:

Dear Friend in Christ,

It is my sad duty to share with you the news that one of our Gospel for Asia native missionaries has been kidnapped by terrorists in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

Pastor Subhash, a young single missionary who has already started five mission stations with 28 believers, was returning home in a taxi with five other people--but they never reached their destination.Yesterday, Subhash's parents received a letter that said he had been kidnapped by an extremist Marxist group known as the Naxalites. The letter did not mention any ransom or other demand, but did ask that Subhash's parents "help in order to secure his safe release."

This latest incident comes in a week in which we have received reports of more than two dozen of our native missionaries and Bible college students being badly beaten in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. It also comes as hundreds of thousands of Hindus are planning to swarm into a tribal area of Gujarat in order to persecute the Christians living there.

Please pray for Subhash's safe release. Pray also for his parents, that God will be with them through this ordeal.

And please join me and the rest of the GFA family in praying for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters across South Asia who are suffering at the hands of anti-Christian elements.

Yours for the lost of Asia,
K.P. Yohannan
Gospel for Asia

take time and pray...

01/09/2006: Bangladesh Missionary Brutally Murdered

Gospel for Asia leaders in Bangladesh report that native missionary Laxman Das, 25, was murdered last Friday, January 6. He was found on the side of a highway near the town of Dangil, approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) outside of the capital city of Dhaka. Police took his body to a hospital, where an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a severe blow to the head.

Laxman is survived by his young wife and five-month-old child. He graduated from a GFA Bible college in 2001 and was working full-time as a missionary. He had already established a church in his village located in the northern part of Bangladesh. Laxman was returning home by bus on Friday when it was stopped. He was apparently singled out and forced off the bus, then killed. GFA leaders are still waiting for more details from the police investigation.

"This is the time of the Eid festival [when Muslims celebrate what they believe to be Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael]," one GFA leader commented. "There is no law and order in some places, and usually many incidents like this happen." The nation of Bangladesh is primarily Muslim, with more than 85 percent professing Islam. Less than one percent of the population is Christian.

Gospel for Asia is currently training 77 students in two Bible colleges in the country. GFA also has 98 full-time native missionaries in Bangladesh who have planted 75 churches and 100 mission stations. "This is not the first time we have faced such opposition to the work of the Gospel in Bangladesh," commented GFA President K.P. Yohannan. "As the Body of Christ, we must stand together in prayer for our brothers and sisters in this nation."

Please pray for Laxman's family and co-workers to know the Lord's comfort and strength as they grieve his death, and pray that much fruit will come from this "grain of wheat" that has fallen.

take time and pray

The Indian Supreme Court's decision on the fate of the Dalit Christians is pending... Do pray.

Excerpts from letters from Gospel for Asia's founder and president, K. P. Yohannan:

The Indian Supreme Court has once again delayed its decision on the Dalit civil rights case, and again it is time for me to ask you to please pray without ceasing on behalf of our Dalit Christian brothers and sisters.

This delay until November is a positive development because it means that the Court is not rushing to judgment, and is taking seriously this case of discrimination against Dalit Christians.

It also means that Christians like you and me have more time to intercede with prayer, asking God to guide the thoughts and decisions of the judges. And this is especially important, because behind this case lies a Himalaya-sized spiritual battle!

Jesus tells us that this kind of battle can only be won through prayer and fasting. So I implore you to take this call to prayer very seriously. And much is at stake.

As you know, under the current law, Dalits lose some of their basic constitutional rights when they becomes Christians; they are no longer eligible for affirmative action placements in education, employment, government and many other areas--rights granted to Dalits who are Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist.

According to a government census, some 20 million Dalits have become
Christians, and it is on their behalf that we pray for a just ruling. Equally important, there are many Dalits whose only hesitation to becoming Christians is fear of this legalized discrimination. Just think of what a difference this court decision could make for them! No wonder Satan is
opposing it.

So again, please continue to fast and pray that the Supreme Court of India will correct these injustices. Please faithfully intercede and pray with a broken heart for the sake of these millions of men, women and children who suffer so much.

Thank you so much for your prayer support--you are a true "prayer warrior" in this battle.

(According to the government census some 20 million Dalits have become Christians. These precious people's rights are violated: Their women and children are raped, they are not allowed to draw water from wells in many communities, and so many more accounts of cruelty. Some of the communities, like the Banjara with 61 million people, live with 90 percent illiteracy and
horrible poverty.)