BalticHope.org: January 2006 Prayer Calendar

January 2006

PRAYER CALENDAR
BALTIC RUSSIAN LANGUAGE TEAM

Jan 1: "On this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Matthew 16:18. Pray that Jesus will build His church His way and in His timing. Ask God to protect us as we seek to bring people out of Satan's kingdom by giving them the Word of God.

Jan 2: "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:18. Pray for Gary as he oversees the work at Central Baptist Church. Pray that he will be diligent, wise, and discerning in all matters. Pray that He will stay close to Jesus through prayer and the study of God's Word.

Jan 3: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38. Pray for Sasha and his wife Luda. They are Ukrainians who have completed Christian university and desire to come to Latvia and work alongside of us in Daugavpils as missionaries. Ask God, if this is His will, to provide all that is necessary for them to join us.

Jan 4: "And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." Mark 10:16. Pray for us as we begin a children's Sunday School. Pray specifically that God will call workers to come alongside of us to train and then take over this work. Pray that they will have a heart for children and will lead the children into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jan 5: "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." 1 Corinthians 14:26. Pray for each Christian in our fellowship at Central Baptist Church, that each will participate in the body as we worship together. Pray that we won't have any benchwarmers and that all will see participation as the normal way a church functions.

Jan 6: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Pray that God will give us wisdom on how best to give out His Word to nonbelievers, through relationships, tracts, the Christian library, advertisements for Bible studies, Christian films, etc. Pray that all we do will focus on the essentials.

Jan 7: "Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16. Pray for each Christian at Central Baptist Church to be intentional with our interactions with non-Christians. Pray that we will build relationships with others around us and that these relationships will serve to draw them to the Source of our hope.

Jan 8: "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:17. Pray that in all we do, God's plan will be the only plan. Ask the Holy Spirit to open our minds to understand God's will as we wait on Him in prayer. Pray that we will correctly measure success as God measures success, by our obedience to His Word and revealed will.

Jan 9: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." Ephesians 5:19. Pray for Zhenya and Inese as they lead the music on Sunday mornings. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them in the selection of the songs, will fill them for this service, and enable them to lead the rest in worship directed to God.

Jan 10: "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle of any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Ephesians 5:25-27. Pray for the various weekday and evening Bible studies that our core group leads each week. Ask the Holy Spirit to draw people to these studies and use His Word to make them His children. Pray that they will be obedient to becoming a part of the church, Christ's body.

Jan 11: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Ephesians 1:17. Pray for the spiritual maturity of those who come to Central Baptist Church regularly. Ask the Holy Spirit to so work in our lives that we will live out the life of Christ, reflecting Jesus in all that we think, say, and do.

Jan 12: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:17-18. Pray that we may understand the incredible inheritance and power that God has already given us, not for our glory but for Christ's. Pray that we will think and act like children of the King.

Jan 13: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10. Pray for the evangelism projects that we plan, that the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom to know what to do and how. In January we would like to hand out Bibles and invitations to those who work in the large dental clinic across from our rented space. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the door for us to be able to do this.

Jan 14: "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:22. Pray for the Spirit to take the various people who come to church and unite us to become one. Pray that whatever differences we have in age, culture, or whatever, will not divide us.

Jan 15: "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27. Pray for our work among students at the university (the university is directly across from our rented room). Three of our group have student ministry as their primary focus. Ask the Holy to reveal to them those whose hearts He has prepared and who are seeking Him. Pray that we will all be effective in the way that we work with these students, drawing them into a relationship with Christ.

Jan 16: "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27. Pray that those who are in our beginning group and those whom God adds will be so changed by the gospel that we will live lives that clearly reflect this relationship with Christ. Pray that we will be obedient to God as He reveals more and more of His standards and holiness to us.

Jan 17: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6. Pray for our regular Tuesday evening prayer meetings. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead our times of prayer together. Pray that we will see the answers God gives to our prayers and increase our boldness in asking and our faith in believing. Pray that as new people are added to the group they will also want to come and pray with us.

Jan 18: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. Pray for Gary and Cathy as we help lead the service and various Bible studies in Russian. Although we've studied Russian at the university and have lived with it all around us for these years, it can still be difficult to use it to teach deep concepts. Pray that the Holy Spirit will fully equip up and give us courage.

Jan 19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19. We praise God that He has provided all that we need in materials and resources for this new church start. Pray that God will continue to make us dependent upon Him for these needs and that as we ask in His will, He will provide.

Jan 20: "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:28-29. Pray for the evangelistic Bible studies that we are currently leading, that God will continue to bring new people and expand these groups. Pray that He will also enable us to start new groups. Pray that we will be aware of others that He would use to lead these groups and that we'll be intentional in training them to take over.

Jan 21: "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4:5. The neighborhood where the rented space is located is called the Centrs. It is the retail district, and many people also live there in apartments. Pray that God will show us how to effectively sow seeds among these. Pray for us as we plan work this summer with a volunteer team, that God will show us how to use this team most effectively among those who live in the Centrs district.

Jan 22: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14. Pray for our Sunday school which we hope to start this month. Ask God to bring children and enable us to lead them into a relationship with Jesus. Pray that He will give us the language skills and all that is needed for effective work.

Jan 23: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." John 6:44. Pray that we will know how to effectively advertise and use the Christian library. Ask the Father to draw people there whose hearts He has prepared. Pray that as they come in, we will be wise in the way that we interact with them and that the materials they borrow will draw them to Christ.

Jan 24: "But just as you excel in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us -- see that you also excel in this grace of giving." 2 Corinthians 8:7. Pray that each of our body will be obedient in the area of giving, giving of their time and money as God would have them.

Jan 25: "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.'" Acts 2:38. Pray for those who accept Jesus as Savior, that they will choose to be obedient in following Him in baptism. This is often a very difficult step in this culture as it sets them apart. People often think they have joined a cult. Also, many of them were baptized as a child and consider that enough. Pray for their obedience.

Jan 26: "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness." Acts 4:29. Pray for the neighborhood of Griva that is located on the other side of the river and within walking distance of our rented space. Ask God to give us contacts there, wisdom, and enable us to effectively evangelize. Pray for us to know how to effectively use the volunteer team that will come in summer to work alongside of us in this neighborhood. Pray for great boldness.

Jan 27: "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." Acts 5:42. Pray for the neighborhood of Esplanade that is within walking distance of our rented room. Ask the Spirit to give us wisdom, boldness, contacts, and all that is necessary to spread the gospel to this area.

Jan 28: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." 1 Peter 4:7. Pray that each of our members will be clear-minded and self-controlled, asking God to reveal His priorities. Pray that we will effectively use our time and increase the amount of time we spend in prayer.

Jan 29: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10. Pray that each of us that God adds to the body will have the freedom to use our gifts and that we will be obedient in using them. Ask the Spirit to work within us so that the purpose and only purpose we use our gifts for is the glory of God through serving others.

Jan 30: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9. Pray that we will be aware of Satan's schemes in our personal lives and as a body to thwart all that we do. Ask the Holy Spirit to work perseverance in us and cause us to stand firm.

Jan 31: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21. Pray for the glory of Christ to be made known through all that we do. Pray that we will never try to take a tithe of His glory for ourselves, but will give all glory to Him. Ask the Father to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine in the building of His church.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

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