April Devotion

1 Thessalonians 1:2-5
2 We always thank God for all of you mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power. With the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

Energised
Integral mission is often described as proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel. Saying and doing. We have also increasingly described integral mission as being Christ centred, and out of our walk with Jesus flows our love, evident in our actions. We can thus say that integral mission is being, doing and saying.

Consider:
• Romans 15v13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
• Romans 15vs19: ...by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.

The first church I attended after becoming a Christian taught that gifts of the Holy Spirit (and indeed the manifestation of the Holy Spirit) were no longer available, as they were now fulfilled in our access to the Bible (quoting 1 Corinthians 13:10). I was never satisfied with this conclusion, as the dynamic impact I saw in the testimonies of the early church were undeniably challenging and life giving to the communities they served. This created in me a hunger and a yearning for the presence of God. My first tangible experience of the Holy Spirit came after a tiring shift at the hospital where I worked and I was lying on my bed crying out to God for His presence and for the ability to touch the hurting lives I saw each day on the wards. The immediate evidence of this change and experience was an ability and desire to pray (I just couldn't stop that night!) and in the morning my colleagues and patients knew something was different. There was an energy for serving and a natural over-flowing joy for sharing the Good News. There was a uniting of the being, doing and saying and signs (the manifestation of the presence of God, the Holy Spirit in and through the saying and doing). An expectation that God was touching lives and healing brokenness.

Hunger for God gives rise to prayer. As we pray and cry out to God for His presence, for His Kingdom to come, for His life-giving restoration and redemption in our world, the Holy Spirit awakens and renews in us the ability, capacity and joy for the doing and saying. It is the power for transformation to flow.

Fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit should not be separated as we cannot separate the Holy Spirit from the creative and redemptive work of God in Christ. Integral mission is therefore being, doing, saying and signs. Micah Network’s vision is a global Christian community mobilised for transforming mission through the Gospel. The realisation of this vision will start from a hunger for God, as relief and development responses, church participation and theological knowledge, no matter how important, are not in themselves life-giving.

As we together seek God presence and pray through the issues below, ask for the transforming presence of God to impact ourselves and all whom we serve.

Strategic Framework

Promoting Integral Mission
• Thank God for the Integral Mission Conversation held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 25th and 26th March 2011.

          o Pray that the relationships established would bare fruit
          o That the desire to see reconciliation within the church and within the country be realised.

• The next Integral Mission Conversation is in Indonesia from the 9th to 11th May.

          o Pray for the logistical planning still required for this to be finalised
          o Pray for a good attendance of people whom can really take integral mission forward here.

Enhancing Capacity
• Regional consultations for 2011:

          o Africa: 15th to 19th November in Zambia (Africa Mobilising for Integral Mission): Ben is currently in Zambia with members finalising event location and logistical support for the November meeting. Please cover these negotiations with prayer.
          o Asia: 17th to 21st October in Sri Lanka (Asia Mobilising for Integral Mission): pray for the rapid and effective organisation of this consultation and the response of members to participate.
          o Latin America: Date have as yet not been set as the Latin American Regional Coordination Group wrestle with the issue of limited finances. Please pray for their discernment as they meet this month to decide the way ahead.

• 5th Triennial: 10th to 14th September 2012: please continue pray for us as we finalise the location and title / themes. We need guidance to ensure this is a special platform for members to gather together around.

Networking
• The new web site went live at the start of April. There remains the daunting task of ironing out the glitches and the population of all the resources. Please pray for are IT abilities to grow!! Most of all pray that this platform will be an enriching and linking platform that serves the network globally.

Global Prayer

Côte d’Ivoire: The horrors of the intensified fighting have been on the news. Hundreds killed, basic necessities (water and food) hard to find, destruction and pain everywhere.

• Dr Ravi Jayakaran (MAP International): Dr Julien Ake (our Country Director for MAP International in Cote d’Ivoire) says that that the situation is moving towards chaos in Cote d’Ivoire. The violence in Abidjan has escalated tremendously even around the presidential palace. Some of community volunteers we freshly trained to run our WASH sensitization activities have been killed. Please pray for Julien and his team and all their families. Please also do try and set up little groups who will pray every-day for even a few minutes for Cote d’Ivoire. This is a time to come together in solidarity for our brothers and sisters in Cote d’Ivoire
• Chantal Tehe-Yoha (who was a part of our Africa Regional Coordination Group) lives in Abidjan. We have tried to get hold of her but communication is poor. Please pray for her and her family and friends as they serve those in need I this volatile place.

Japan: the devastation reeked by the earthquake on ongoing tremors, the massive tsunami and now the damaged nuclear reactor in Fukushima leaking radiation.

• Please pray for the consortium of churches as they gather together to respond to the needs of those affected. Pray for their protection and strength to meet the demands around them.
• Let us stand together this week and cry out to God for his mercy and intervention to stop the leaking radiation and cool the reactors. Pray for his supernatural intention on behalf of the Japanese.

Libya: As the civil war intensifies in Libya please pray for wisdom for the decision makers who make choices each day that affect the lives of so many people trapped fight for power.

News Alert!

Ben Akpera was involved in a car accident this week as he made his way from Jos to Abjua to catch his flight to Zambia. Thank God he was not injured. His luggage was strewn over the road and his laptop broken. Please stand with him as he continues his journey to Zambia and seeks to plan the November consultation.

Sundar Daniel is currently away on sick leave. Please stand with him for his health and recovery.

Ruth Alvarado as she meets with the Latin American Regional Coordination Group this month to try and plan the years activities within the limitations of financial constraints.

Finances – the news reports a time of global austerity. The funds we need to cover our Regional Coordinators salaries and expenses are no longer available. We ask you to stand with us as we pray for wisdom on how to proceed.

Pray through the Micah Network work values. This month - Unity

We rejoice in the richness of our diversity. We thank God for the profound joy of fellowship and interdependence in Christ that transcends the divisions of race, culture, gender, economics, geography and history. Such joy is at the heart of Jesus’ vision for his disciples and a profound sign of the character and love of God (John 17.20-32). We acknowledge the seriousness of the call to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Eph 4.2) in our fellowship for the sake of the Gospel.

Have a blessed week!