The Foundation of Prayer

Posted on: 23 September 2013
By: ION Gatekeeper

Our prayer teams have come a long way from the original prayer conference call as our only tangible way to serve in prayer with ION. When Avery Willis asked our teams to come alongside him in prayer we really had no idea where it would take us. What a journey our teams have been on!

When we began, we were meeting to pray for the work going on in Executive Board Meetings with the Great Commission Partner Groups that eventually led us to covering and being involved in prayer with ION. For our team, this past conference in St. Louis marks the beginning of our 8th year of conferences and the beginning of the 10th year praying for the work behind the scenes. God is on the move in an even greater way as we are linking in so many new ways to the finishing of the Great Commission.

One of the priorities of our team has been to raise the level of awareness for praying for UUPGs. If you have not already done so, may we ask you to pray about adopting a UUPG in prayer. You can do that at the Finishing the Task website where we help to share the need for many intercessors to pray in the harvest of the Lord.

Prayer for UUPGs - Unengaged Unreached People Groups

Commit to Pray

You and your church can commit to pray for one of these Unengaged, Unreached People Groups. To commit to pray click here. If you would like to place a link from your web site to the commit to pray tool, you may find instructions for doing so here.

THE CHALLENGE OF “FINISHING THE TASK”

We usually say,
“I’ve got to see it to believe it.”

We need to say,
“I’ve got to believe it to see it.”

There are only 4 UUPGs left to be adopted from that original 639 List, but the work of prayer is far from finished.

Many more need to be involved in prayer involving the current list of targeted UUPGs.

Another way to be involved in prayer is to join the Praying for the Unreached People of the Day through the Joshua Project website- you will see they many times that they focus on UUPG - Unengaged Unreached People Groups and adding a widgit to your blog or website from http://www.joshuaproject.net/upgotdfeed.php

Mandaean of Iran

The Mandaeans are descendants of Jewish-Christian Gnostics (AD 150), and may be the only sect from late antiquity to identify themselves as Gnostics. Sometimes Mandaeans are called Christians of Saint John. Until recently, Mandaeans lived mainly in Iraq and Iran, but many have now fled Iraq and settled in other countries. "A very strange and singular people, in terms of their rituals, lives in the desert near Baghdad....they are a very simple people and they claim to possess a secret law of God, which they preserve in beautiful books." Ricoldo da Montecroce, c 1290. Mandaeism is based more on a common heritage than on any set of religious creeds and doctrines. They venerate John the Baptist, and baptism is their central sacrament.

Ministry Obstacles
After centuries of isolation the Mandaeans are quite insular and protective of their society and their religion. Christian resources are limited in their mother tongue.

Outreach Ideas
Mandaens now reside in some western countries, and access is easier than in the past. Christians should reach out to befriend these people, and find out more about their culture, their religion, and their world view. There are likely bridges to this people given their ancient roots in Christianity.

Pray for the followers of Christ
There likely are no Christian believers among the Mandaeans, but pray those who will soon find Christ will be able to clearly understand the Good News of Christ, especially the grace He offers.

Pray for the entire people group
Pray the Mandaen diaspora peoples will be able to integrate into the cultures and societies where they now reside, and will be open to new world views.

Scripture Focus
"How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" Romans 10:14-15