My last blog I talked a little about prayer which is ironic because for this month in Turkey we are working with IST HOP, meaning Istanbul House of Prayer. Every day we spend 4 hours worshiping and praying for Turkey, Laborers (Missionaries), Middle East, Oikos Initiative, the lost, “The Highway”, etc. The HOP also does an English club to bring people in who want to practice their English. They build these relationships with the people and can witness to them. They also bring in poor or homeless people and give them groceries and they also share a message with them and pray for them. It has been awesome to come alongside our brothers and sisters that are called in Turkey to share Jesus with the people. 1st John 5:14,15 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” Also, in Luke 18:7,8 “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily…”.
I wanted to touch on a few things that they pray for, one of which is the Oikos Initiative, which is for every home to be reached by the gospel in 20 years. The local church is responsible for reaching out to their own people. Every Home for Christ is the organization that started the Oikos Initiative and they believe “that the most effective evangelism happens when the lost are able to see Jesus in the eyes and smile of someone from their neighborhood, village, or from the neighboring tribe or state.” So the prayer is to strengthen the local church and to send people out with boldness knowing that the father has gone before them and not to be afraid but to preach with confidence in what God can and will do.
Another thing the pray for is called “The Highway”, which is taken from Isaiah 19:23,24 “In that day their will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth.” So the prayer is that their will be a spiritual highway from Egypt and Assyria and that the Christians in Egypt will go into Assyria and preach the Gospel and worship together. (Assyria is now the Middle East.)
There is so much biblical history in Turkey and yet they are a predominant Muslim country and its time for things to change. I want to encourage you to pray along with Istanbul House of Prayer. When they pray most of the time they pray out of scripture. One verse they pray from is a prayer itself, Ephesians 3:14-19, which I want to pray over you. “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches that He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
If u wish to join in prayer with the church in Turkey their prayer schedule changes but for the most part Monday is The Church in Turkey, the body of believers in turkey, Tuesday is Israel, Wednesday is The Highway and the Middle East, Thursday is the Oikos and the lost, Friday is Laborers, or Missionaries, to encourage the ones sent out and to raise up new ones.
Finally I want to leave you with a song called “When we pray” by Tauren Wells https://youtu.be/9YZZzgJB33E
If you have any prayer request that you would like me and my team to pray for please comment or Email me([email protected]) or message me at Facebook(Jacob Richardson).
