Tuesday
According to a official survey, only eight percent of the people in China believe the charities of the country are transparent enough. Half of those surveyed said they donated money or materials to charity regularly but ninety percent of them said they never received a response from the organizations. The report showed that people expected to be told how their donations were used. In general Chinese believers have a trust issue with the way their offerings are being used by their churches. We pray for a new beginning, for church leaders to desire to regain the confidence and trust of their members by being more open and transparent with their church finances. We pray, too, that there will be a rebuilding of trust between lay people and their leaders in the church, especially in the area of offerings and the appropriation of funds.
Wednesday
A survey interviewed ninety-nine charitable organizations in China and sixty-four percent of them admitted that they have never published any information about how the donations are distributed. Most said it was due to staff shortages and the fact that there is no legal requirement to do so. In the past year there has been a series of major scandals which have significantly damaged people's confidence in all public charities. Mistrust or a lack of confidence in the way the churches handle finances if one reason that people who work in churches in China are not adequately compensated. We pray that believers will take great pride in treating God's servants properly and well. We also pray that Christians in China will not only trust God but will find a restoration of faith in their church leadership.
Thursday
There are a hundred thousand children in orphanages run by the government in China. Surnames such as Dang (the Party) and Guo (the State or Country) have routinely been given to children who have no parents, thus identifying them as beneficiaries of the Communist Party. These orphanages will no longer be permitted to assign generic surnames that reveal their orphan status to the children there since these names could lead to lifelong discrimination for them. There are many smaller orphanages run by Christians or even by churches that receive no funding from the government. We remember these ministries, their needs and labor in the name of Jesus. May the Lord richly reward them and may the children grow up knowing their Heavenly Father will never abandon them because He loves them very much.
Friday
The government of China does not want orphans to carry labels that imply they are different. In an orphanage in Henan all of the children were given the surname Dang (the Party) which is not even a common Chinese surname. Now all the children in that orphanage have the ubiquitous surname of Zhao.It takes great courage for Christian parents to give their children Bible names or names associated with the Christian faith. We want to lift up all of these children even though they are now teenagers or adults. May their given names remind them of their Christian heritage. May God's presence be with them always and may they be a continual witness for Him.
Saturday
As the churches in China grow, there are more Chinese studying in seminaries in Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, North America, England, and even in Germany. Among them are many who have a burden for missions and are well-trained theologically. They want to reach out to the lost and they could be the future missionaries the churches in China will send out. We pray for the soon arrival of the day the Chinese churches become key missionary sending agents, the day that China has her own missionary training centers that are able to provide and train future gospel workers and even teachers for missionaries who will be sent outside of China.
Sunday
By and large churches in China have a sense of mission but their ideas of how to do it and the actions they need to take for most churches are still on the drawing board. After the devastating earthquake in Wenchuan, churches from Fujian province established a leading role in setting up a unified Christian relief response and organizing the operations. We pray for the Chinese churches to be able to stand firm in that society and become a powerful witness for the Lord. May the Lord give each one of us humility, not just a false humility but one that truly sees others better than we are. May each believer truly live out a spirit of unity in Christ and show His love.
Monday
In 2003, the documentary film "The Cross in China" thrust the churches in Henan into worldwide awareness. However, the growth seen in the Henan churches was a bit short-lived due to the harsh political climate as leaders of the churches failed one after the other or were imprisoned. According to some incomplete statistics, there are 2.4 million believers in the Three Self churches and 15 million more believers in various house churches in Henan province. Having many people attending church is a good thing but they need to be discipled and taught the truth. The churches in Henan grew "old" because all of the young believers left their villages to work in cities and the ministries in the churches came to a standstill. Let us pray for the revival of churches in Henan. We know God can do great miracles there strengthening those pastors who remain so they will not become discouraged and believers will be greatly built up.
星期二
去年因慈善信任風暴,只有8%受訪公眾對中國慈善組織的信息公開狀況表示滿意。約有五成表示他們有固定捐贈,但高達90%民眾對善款透明化介於不滿意和不太滿意之間。一般而言,中國信徒對教會使用奉獻有某種程度的不信任。求神給我們一個新的開始,讓教會領袖在教會財政運作上更公開及透明。讓會友們對教會行政更信任,重建信徒與教會領袖們之間的信任,教會在神的帶領下,在神的事工上更有效運用奉獻的款項。
星期三
每年中國政府對99家慈善組織,有固定的跟踪監測,其中64%的組織宣稱因人手不足,從未公佈如何使用民眾的捐贈;再者政府也沒有要求相關資料透明化。今年官辦慈善機構陸續曝出醜聞,導致民眾對慈善機構全面性的質疑。信徒對教會財務處理缺少信心或不信任,是中國教會傳道人沒得到好供養的一大原因。求神幫助信徒們能善待神的僕人,基督徒們除了信靠上帝外,更應該對教會領袖們有相當的信任與合理的供應。
星期四
目前約有十萬名兒童生活在全國各地九百所孤兒院及兒童福利院中。政府將禁止以“黨”和“國”為孤兒命名,降低因為名字突顯的孤兒身份,導致他們一輩子受到歧視。中國還有許多基督徒或是教會辦的小型孤兒院,沒有政府資助。我們用禱告記念他們的經濟需要,他們為主憑著愛心所做的一切,願天父豐富的報答他們。更保守被照顧的孩子長大後,深知天父永不拋棄他們,神信實的愛永遠伴隨他們。
星期五
河南一所孤兒院孩子都姓「黨」,因政府的關愛讓孩子有所依靠,但後來卻意識到可能會讓孩子終身戴上枷鎖 - 「他們是被父母拋棄、在孤兒院長大的孩子。」現在,一家廣東省孤兒院,所有孩子都姓「趙」。不少基督徒家長,給孩子取聖經人物或基督教有關的名字,在中國這是需要相當勇氣的。我們要為這些孩子、青少年及成人禱告,求主時時提醒他們是有美好的信仰傳承,神永遠與他們同在,他們也是上帝隨時隨地的見證人。
星期六
隨著各地教會不斷成長,一批批大國神學生走進海外的神學院,足跡遍佈於新、馬、韓及北美、英、德等國家,這些神學生不乏熱心宣教的人,經過有系統的神學訓練,加上對失喪靈魂的滿腔熱情、對中國教會的負擔,使他們成為中國教會宣教領域重要的新一代。我們為中國教會能成為宣教隊伍的一員,能建立屬於自己的培訓中心來祈求。求主親自引領, 保守所有培訓的同工及事工,能培養出合神心意的神學教師,及未來忠心的宣教精兵。
星期日
從大體上來說,中國教會已稍具宣教的異象;但具體的觀念、意識與操作,大多數教會還沒真正有宣教覺醒。在汶川大地震之後,福建教會建立了全省統一的宣教行動,不同區域都有專門的負責人,整體工作初具規模。我們為中國教會能在社會中立穩根基,成為神時代的見證來祈求。求恩主賜給我們謙卑的心,看別人比自己強,不空喊屬靈口號,而是在主裡做到真正合一,活出神的愛。
星期一
2003年《十字架在中國》的紀錄片,把河南教會推向了輿論的高峰。然而,隨著政治環境的因素,河南教會的領袖一個個地倒下或被囚。據坊間統計,河南省三自教會有信徒240萬人,家庭教會則有1500萬以上。教會人多是好,但信徒對真理的認識更重要。因為年輕一代進城打工而嚴重使教會老化,事工無法推展。我們為河南教會復興來迫切祈求,願主在當中做奇妙的工作,加添力量給留在鄉村牧養的傳道人,不灰心、失望,也祈求主幫助信徒在靈命上成長。
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