The First Few Days
As The Seed Company prayer team — Laura, Mary and I — joined more than 9,000 believers from 60-plus nations at the World Prayer Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia, we didn’t know exactly what to expect.
It was epic!
Delegates Gathered From Around the World To Pray
Members of prayer and mission movements from around the world assembled to pray together and listen to God. There were delegates from all over Africa, from Egypt to South Africa, and from Asia, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, even North Korea. The Chinese delegation, which had been prohibited from attending the 2010 Lausanne Movement in Cape Town, was there en masse. I had wonderful conversations with Chinese brothers and sisters and came away blessed and amazed by their strong faith and Christ-like love. Please join me in praying for their continued impact and influence within the global Church.
Incredible Unity!
Even with a great diversity of leaders from across the globe, we could feel a common bond of unity born out of humility and recognition that we were only interested in God’s agenda. Psalm 133 comes to mind: when brothers dwell together in unity, there the Lord commands the blessing. We saw this in multiple ways. Please pray with me, asking God to continue building this unity through a shared humility.
Factor in the Youth
There was wonderful generational diversity at this event too. The influence of the youth and children was tremendous. Young people even led many activities. One young Indonesian girl approached me during a session and said she felt led to pray for me. Though I couldn’t understand her prayer in Indonesian, I clearly understood her passion for prayer and was amazed by her boldness. Later, we all took part in a “corporate reconciliation” between generations. This session culminated in commissioning the younger generation to go further than their parents in devotion to Jesus and fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Calling All Online Missionaries
Paul Eshleman, founder of The JESUS Film Project, shared mind-boggling stats about the number of people coming to Christ through online evangelism. Go to greatcommission2020.com — you won’t believe it until you see it. Online missions outreach is real and vibrant. Matthew 9 comes to mind here. Jesus told His disciples to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field. The harvest is indeed plentiful — just check the link.
Watch the Ground Swell of 24/7 IHOP Worldwide
We heard from leaders of 24/7 prayer movements in Indonesia, Jerusalem, South Africa and the UK. Did you know there are 24/7 prayer rooms in places like Turkey and Malaysia? And International House of Prayer (IHOP)-style prayer “towers” are being established all across Indonesia, including one in a hotel in central Jakarta. And, one prayer room in Jerusalem has seen groups of Arab-Christian and Jewish-Christian teenagers wash each others’ feet in an expression of reconciliation.
Unified, Organized, Passionate Pastors in SE Asia Press On!
On Wednesday, I joined the Southeast Asia Prayer Council leaders for a luncheon. One leader from Laos shared stories of pastors who endured imprisonment for sharing the Gospel. Undaunted, they continue to evangelize. Please pray for breakthroughs in Southeast Asia. A representative from Vietnam told us there are now 25 houses of prayer in his country, each filling between 2 and 6 hours of prayer daily. God is working in amazing ways! Please pray for a breakthrough in these countries where Christians face tremendous opposition.
As I close, let me share one final highlight. On the final day of the gathering, we met at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta with more than 100,000 believers! Together, we worshipped and prayed as the service was telecast to 373 similar prayer gatherings across Indonesia with a combined audience of 5 million Indonesian intercessors.
This World Prayer Assembly is a reminder of how God is on the move. I’d like to challenge you today to join Him in this prayer movement for the nations by becoming a prayer partner for a specific translation project. There are literally hundreds of language groups who need prayer coverage. You can learn more at theseedcompany.org/prayer.
