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Prayer United: A Report from the Church Leaders' Prayer Retreat

Prayer United: A Report from the Church Leaders' Prayer Retreat

The 3-Day Fast and Prayer Retreat held at Peacehaven, Genting Highlands from 24 to 26 January 2013

 

A Call To Unity, Holiness and Prayer

1. What happened

  1. It was a defining moment for the nation
    1. We held a 3-day fast and prayer retreat, where 9 major prayer networks came together, with 170 people attending, made up of intercessors and church leaders from both the CCM and NECF-related churches.
    2. It was a very moving time where we saw reconciliation and seeking forgiveness between churches, church ministry organisations and networks.

2. What we discerned

  1. God desires for us to know His heart.

  2. We need grace to accept God's sovereignty over the future of the nation, and the faith to believe that God's way is best.

  3. We are to love the nation as God has placed us here to fulfill His purposes for this country.

  4. God desires His Church - who is His bride - to be holy. He is most concerned with the current condition of the Church, as well as the nation.
    1. Unity - Unity must be based on the right motives, that is, not because of self-preservation, but that we come together because of who we are in Christ.
    2. Humility - We need to serve others as greater than ourselves, as seen by the exemplary act that we saw during the prayer retreat, of seeking forgiveness and reconciliation between churches, church ministry organisations and networks.
    3. Holiness - The holiness of His church is key to transforming the nation. The church has backslidden and is being "built on sand." If we are to seek revival, we must return to holy living in our personal and corporate lives.
    4. Compassion - To seek the prosperity and care for the poor and oppressed. We are to love and embrace neglected groups focusing on breaking down the following walls:
      • Wall of fear
      • Wall of unbelief
      • Wall of racial prejudice
    5. Sacrificial - We are to return to counting the absolute cost of discipleship and be prepared to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
    6. Prayerful - God desires His church to be prayerful if she hopes to see revival. The church is presently suffering from prayerlessness and we need to build up more intensity in prayer.
    7. Loving our neighbours - to intentionally build relationships across cultures and races.

  5. General Elections
    1. God reminds us that He is the chessmaster for the nation. We are to pray for righteous men and women to be voted in to govern the nation, to be protected from evil men plotting mischief, to pray against alliances that promote extremism and oppression, and against any parties capable of causing further polarization.

  6. We affirm today that God is working in His world and in Asia, both in the seen and unseen Church; claiming the verse, John 5:17 - "Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too, am working."

  7. We recognise that the Malaysian Church is two-thirds Bumiputra, and we want to affirm the significance of raising the stature of the indigenous church, and its leadership.

  8. We affirm that the Church is called to dual roles as the prophetic voice and peacemaker in nation building.

  9. We continue to uphold the current generation for strength to continue running the race, setting the pace and leading the way, and to journey together with the next generation to bring His kingdom to come.

3. Action plans

  1. To issue a Prayer Booklet for the General Elections to prepare the church to cover the nation in prayer before, during and after the elections.

  2. To circulate this statement which is to be shared to all churches as an encouragement and a call to unity, holiness and prayer.

 

Issued on behalf of Prayer United,
JOINT SECRETARIES

Chrisanne Chin (CCM)
Rev Andy Chi (NECF)

 

Dated this January 31, 2013

 

Download this Prayer United report.



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