We are confessing and contending containers.
What an incredible water baptism service we experienced this past Sunday! The testimonies of people’s journey to faith in Christ were varied, powerful, and astounding. We heard how God is continually reaching out with his incredible unconditional love and compassion for the souls of people. How the Lord uses whatever means possible and necessary to draw people and reveal himself to them to bring them to a confession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Confessing Your Faith
Coming to a place of acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God and the only acceptable sacrifice for our sin is the door and gateway to our salvation. The Bible declares, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10, NKJV). Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will move in such power and anointing that many more people will come to acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Saviour of their soul. Our confession has to expand to all people who are in our circle of influence, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33, NKJV) Pray that believers will boldly declare their faith in Jesus!
Contending For The Faith
We are all called by God to contend for this faith that has been delivered to us. Jude 3 states, Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
God’s Word and the gift of eternal life have infinite value and have been entrusted to Christ’s faithful followers. To contend for our faith means we are willing to defend it. God’s truth must go forth, carried, and defended by those who have committed their lives to God’s Son – Jesus. Let’s pray and be determined to stand firm in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and defend the God’s truth at all costs.
Containers of Faith
Paul the Apostle described us and our faith in Jesus Christ, “But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine within us – is held in perishable containers, that is our weak bodies. So that everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
It says this faith is ‘precious treasure’ and that is held in ‘perishable containers’ or as another translation describes, ‘earthen vessels’ or ‘jars of clay’. Whatever term you might use, we are the embodiment of confessing and contending for our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer For the Persecuted Church and we will be remembering and praying for fellow believers all around the world who are being persecuted in horrendous ways for their faith in Christ. This year’s theme is Not Abandoned based on the Scripture, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NLT).
Let’s pray for all persecuted believers that they would know they will never be abandoned by God nor His people – who will pray. We are also adding a new feature to our days of fasting and prayer --- sharing specific local, national, and global missions prayer requests.
MISSIONS PRAYER REQUESTS
LOCAL MISSIONS:
PPT SOUTH ASIAN FELLOWSHIP
Pray for Pastor Shamoon & Robina and the SAF leadership team as they endeavour to reach people in our city with the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
BRAMPTON OUTREACH MINISTRIES
Pray for Regeneration Ministries as they reach out to our city as an expression of Christian love in action to help restore hope, purpose and dignity to those experiencing homelessness and vulnerability. Thank you for giving to our recent men’s clothing drive at PPT for this cause!
MISSIONS CANADA:
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (ST. GEORGE’S CAMPUS) - ANDREW DHANIPERSAD
They just started a brand-new weekly worship service every Friday from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Pray that those who were invited, and those who come across the information about the service, would come and worship together. Pray for God’s presence and protection from the enemy, and that those who attend would get to know the Lord in a deeper way.
TEEN CHALLENGE – Coming Sun Nov 27, 10:30 pm
Pray for this ministry whose mission is to provide adults and teens with freedom from addictions and other life-controlling issues through Christ-centered solutions. The Men’s Choir will be with us for our service on Sunday, Nov 27. So pray and invite someone to join you to hear their incredible testimonies of finding freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ!
GLOBAL MISSIONS:
350 Global Workers / Living in 60 Countries / Serving in 75 Countries
EURASIA REGION: J in RAN (Restricted Access Nation)
We thank God that J is settling into his field of ministry and has connected with a local body of believers.From J -Please join with me in prayer for an apartment of my own as I am wanting to be intentional with this as my neighbours will be people I can directly influence on a daily basis!
ASIA REGION: BILL & ELVEERA REDWOOD
Bill and Elveera Redwood who just returned from Hyderabad, India where they connected with local pastors and ministries. We thank God for positive reports from the Pastors of all that God is doing in Hyderabad. Please pray for Bill as he is experiencing some medical issues and his back pain has gotten worse during his time in Hyderabad.
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST REGION: DEBORAH SIRJOOSINGH
In July Deborah handed over the operating and managing of the Health Centre in Turkana to the PAG Church. She will stay until the end of the year to assist PAG church and then return to Canada in early 2023. Please pray for Deborah as she transitions back to Canada after almost 40 years of ministry in Kenya. Please also pray for the PAG church as they continue to fulfill the mandate of proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, providing each patient with quality and compassionate care and the Word of God.
Scriptures
Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33; Jude 3 2 Corinthians 4:7-9;
Prayer Points
Thank the Lord for allowing you to participate in this month’s day of fasting and prayer; Praise the Lord.
1 John 1:9 – Confess any known and unknown sins.
Praise the Lord for bringing you and your household through the year to November 2022.
1 Thess 4:17 – Father, I thank You for my future with You in eternity. I thank You for the hope it gives me to live now. (praise Him)
1 Thess 4:17 – Lord, I thank You for all those who were baptized on October 30,2022. I thank You for their future with You in eternity. Let the proclamation of their faith bring them peace and hope in Jesus’ name.
Romans 10:9-10 – Father as I confess, Jesus as Lord, let the Holy Spirit move in such power and anointing such that those that I am connected directly or indirectly will come to the knowledge of Christ. (pray this fervently)
Lord, as PPT and the church worship You, may the Holy Spirit move mightily to bring the knowledge of Christ into our community and the world at large.
2 Cor 2:14 – Elohim, use my life as a perfume diffusing the knowledge of God’s love, grace, mercy, hope, victory and joy to those around me socially.
2 Cor 2:14 – Jehovah use PPT households as a perfume diffusing the knowledge of God’s love, grace, mercy, hope, victory and joy to those around them.
Matt 10:32-33 - Adonai, release a spirit of boldness upon believers at large to declare our faith in Jesus.
Jude 1:3 – Father, I ask in Jesus name that I, PPT and the church will vigorously defend and contend for our faith in this season. (pray this fervently)
2 Cor 4:8 – Father for persecuted church, we ask that You build a garrison around them and let Your assured presence be their portion. May they never feel abandoned by You or rejected by men.
Prayer Declaration
Jehovah Adonai, you are my master and my protector. I thank you for allowing me, my household and PPT to see the month of November 2022. We have experienced your goodness, grace, mercy, love, and providence; and for this we are forever grateful. I affirm that the angel of the Lord, will ascend to heaven on my behalf with thanksgiving, prayers, intercessions, and praise. Hallelujah, the angel of the Lord will descend with answered prayers, signs, wonders, and miracles for me, my household and PPT in this season.
For those who got baptized in October, we declare that the proclamation of their faith will bring them peace and hope in Jesus’ name. Adonai, release a spirit of boldness upon me, PPT households, and the church to vigorously defend and contend for our faith in Jehovah in this season. Like David, I decree that “my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me” and so shall it be.