Secret Church

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An Intriguing Observation About Past SC Prayer Focuses… Posted: 19 Feb 2014 10:01 PM PST Our prayer focus for Secret Church 14 is Turkey–specifically the Turks and Kurds. Leading up the Secret Church on April 18, we'll be sharing information about the Turks and Kurds of Turkey, including their religious beliefs, their lifestyles, and their culture. Our hope is that as we learn more about who these people are, our burden to pray for them will increase, and that by the time May rolls around (a month we're challenging people to devote to prayer for the Turks and Kurds), we'll be so acquainted with them that all we'll have to do is continue praying for the people we've grown to love – people who desperately need to know the love of Jesus. Find out more at HopeforTurkey.com. The Hui The Horn of Africa Egypt Other than the fact that they were all Secret Church prayer focuses, what do the groups of people represented above have in common? As some of you have taken note, all of the most recent prayer focuses have been areas heavily influenced by Islam, if not dominated by it. And now we are focusing on Turkey—a country in which over 96.5% of the population claims Islam as their religion. Are we focusing on Muslims too much? These sobering observations lead us to believe that we aren’t: Islam is the second largest religion in the world. With adherents across the globe, the chances that believers encounter Muslims in missions high. Islamic extremists from groups such as al Qaeda, al Shabaab, and Boko Haram are some of the most outspoken and active when it comes to violence against Christians. Many of the countries in which Christians are most persecuted are majority Muslim, Muslim-governed, or both. Over 2,000 unreached people groups (comprised of over 1.6 billion people) are Muslim. Taking these facts into consideration make it apparent that highlighting heavily-Muslim areas is not only easy, but natural. This is especially true since we desire to pray both for peoples who are lost in hostility to the gospel and for Christians who live and work among these peoples—often bearing the brunt of their hostility. If you were wary of our potential over-emphasis on Muslims, please know that we do not wish to neglect any area of need—neither that of the lost nor the persecuted church. Muslim areas have simply been consistently placed before us as areas of urgent need. However, there are billions of other people in hundreds of other countries who also need prayer. Here are a few: People from 138 unreached people groups live in Laos, a country that is largely Buddhist in which believers face governmental opposition as well as hostility from Buddhist religious leaders. 24,790,000 Chosun people are currently suffering in North Korea, the vast majority of whom are atheists. The Arakh people of India, of whom less than 2% follow Jesus, number 889,000 and are almost entirely Hindu. All unreached areas need prayer—for both the lost and the believers seeking to proclaim Christ among them. So pray for these areas, no matter what religion predominates. Then join us this Secret Church as we lift up the Turks and Kurds of Turkey, a predominantly-Muslim country. And a country that desperately needs the grace of Christ.

Announcing the SC14 Prayer Focus: Turks and Kurds Posted: 19 Feb 2014 10:05 AM PST We are excited to announce that this year, our Secret Church prayer focus will be the Turks and Kurds of Turkey. We’re excited to learn about these people groups with you over the coming months so that we can pray for them and the believers who live and work among them. Here’s how it will work… Last year, a team of people were able to go to Turkey to learn about the Turks and Kurds. Angelia, Eric, Callie, Chris, Jonathan, and Jonathan W. gathered stories from believers there and asked them how we can effectively pray for these peoples. Over the coming weeks and months, they will be sharing what they’ve learned here on the Secret Church blog and at the prayer focus website, HopeForTurkey.com. This all leads up to the Secret Church simulcast on April 18, where we’ll hear more in depth and pray together for the Turks and Kurds. Then, most importantly, we’re asking you to commit to pray for the Turks and Kurds throughout the month of May as we post additional information and requests daily. So don’t wait to start educating yourself, and begin praying now. The Turks and Kurds need the light of Jesus to shine brightly in Turkey, and the Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to be a part.

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