Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God. This month we will be joining in the 15 Days of Prayer for the Buddhist World.
Photo credit: worldprayerguides.com
Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world according to Wikipedia and accounts for 6.9 percent of the world’s population. The annual Buddhist World Prayer Focus is calling Christians and churches worldwide to take 15 days, January 28 – February 11, to learn about and pray for our world’s Buddhist friends.
For many Christians who seek to understand Buddhism, it is an extraordinarily complex and often confusing worldview. As Christians, we long that all the world’s people will have an opportunity to freely see, hear and understand the grace of God incarnated in Jesus Christ.
Please join us for YWAM’s prayer day on January 14 called The Invitation as we pray for the 15 Days of Prayer for the Buddhist World movement and for Buddhist people. If you only have a few moments to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Kingdom of God in the lives of Buddhists around the world. You may also join in the 15-day global annual Buddhist World Prayer Focus January 28 – February 11, 2021 (https://worldprayerguides.org/buddhist-prayer-guides/ ) which is just before the start of the Chinese New Year on February 12.
Photo credit: thegreatcourses.com
Prepare to Pray:
In most nations where there is a Buddhist majority there is, at best, a very small Christian presence. An estimated 86 percent of Buddhists have never spoken with a Christian (https://www.prayercast.com/buddhism.html). However, Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that, “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”
As you pray during The Invitation, you are adding your seed of faith to that of Christian workers and local fellowships around the world who are bringing the light of Christ to their Buddhist neighbours.
* Ponder Matthew 17:20.
* Spend time with the Lord reinforcing this promise in your heart and in your mind.
* Commit your seed of faith to the work around the world of witnessing Christ to Buddhists.
Begin to pray by watching this video from https://www.prayercast.com/buddhism.html. Join with this prayer.
https://youtu.be/csGuDfUexww
Pray for the Buddhist World
* As you pray, keep in mind some of the ways Buddhist cultures understand spirituality.
* Buddhists do not believe in a creator God but do believe in various spirits and gods. They do venerate bodhisattvas or spiritual teachers who are worthy of respect.
* Folk Buddhists believe there are good and evil spirits, including spirits of dead ancestors, but all these spiritual beings are caught up in the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
* Buddhism is not about belief alone but about doing. Achieving merit through almsgiving to monks and donations to temples is an important, traditional Buddhist practice.
* Buddhists are not seeking eternal life – they already believe they exist in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. They desire liberation from endless life and suffering.
* Many Buddhists are more likely to be impacted by the stories of Jesus’ supernatural power and His free offer of salvation.
