Hong Kong: student casualties
07 Nov 2019
Chow, a university student, fell from the third floor of a car park while fleeing tear gas and suffered a significant brain injury as a result. A third-year journalism student, surnamed Tang, was arrested on 2 November when covering protests in Taikoo Shing. His university’s student union said that when he was arrested, he was wearing his press card and journalists’ association membership card, and had not taken part in any of the frontline protest activities. Pray for police to respect the rights of student reporters and ensure their safety when they are performing their duties. Also, the university has asked the police commissioner for full details about a qualified St John Ambulance first aider student who suffered serious burn injuries after being hit by a tear-gas canister while performing his duties. Students and alumni are demanding that the universities condemn police violence as they handle anti-government protests.
Saudi Arabia: punishing cost of change
07 Nov 2019
Human Rights Watch reported on 4 November that important social reforms enacted under Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have been accompanied by deepening repression and abusive practices meant to silence dissidents and critics. The 62-page report documents ongoing arbitrary and abusive practices by Saudi authorities targeting dissidents and activists since mid-2017 and a total lack of accountability for those responsible for abuses. Despite landmark reforms for Saudi women and youth, ongoing abuses demonstrate that the rule of law remains weak and can be undermined at will by political leadership. The authorities have locked away many leading reformist thinkers and activists. HRW said that detaining citizens for peaceful criticism of the government’s policies or human rights advocacy is not new in Saudi Arabia, but what has made the post-2017 arrest waves notable is the sheer number and range of people targeted over a short period, and new repressive practices.
Syriac Christian community
07 Nov 2019
In the northeast of Syria, in a number of cities and their surrounding villages, a renaissance is under way in the area’s beleaguered Syriac Christian community, which is attempting to revive the Syriac language and culture after decades of neglect and oppression. The Christian community as a whole has suffered immensely during the ongoing eight-year conflict, and this minority is no exception. The conflict has, however, also brought about social changes that previously would have been thought impossible, particularly in areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Escalating its threat to invade the area despite the presence of American, British, and French troops, Turkey could reverse these changes and even jeopardise the continued existence of the Christian community there. These Christians have preserved their unique languages and cultures in the face of decades of Arabisation. Syriac Christians will teach their children their ancestral language, derived from Aramaic, the native tongue of Jerusalem, where the church was born.
Horn of Africa: flood devastation
07 Nov 2019
Increased temperatures in the Indian Ocean have caused heavy rainfall and widespread flooding and destruction in different countries. In Kenya 29 people were killed in flash floods, nearly 12,000 have been displaced, and agriculture is hard hit, with 10,000+ livestock animals drowning. Caritas has appealed for food, first aid, and funds to distribute to the needy. In South Sudan, Bishop Majwok has requested the government to declare a state of national disaster as 283,000 square kilometres of his diocese are under water. Rains have devastated the country since July. Wet weather has worsened the humanitarian situation in 32 counties, where over three million people already needed assistance. In Somalia over 182,000 people are homeless due to flooding; most are from the central town of Beledweyne, where the UN reports people drowning. East Africa's rainy season, which runs from October to December, is likely to be unusually wet this year due to a process known as Indian Ocean Dipole (similar to the Pacific El Nino) by which atmospheric humidity is dumped inland as rainfall.
Chile: inequality triggers protests
07 Nov 2019
For decades political leaders have promised that free markets would lead to prosperity, which would take care of other problems. The promises came to nothing, and thousands of protesters are chanting, ‘Chile, wake up’. The middle class struggles with high prices, low wages, a privatised retirement system, and the elderly in bitter poverty. A series of corruption and tax-evasion scandals eroded faith in the political and corporate elite. While protests began peacefully over three weeks ago, now there are images of metro stations destroyed, supermarkets looted, and flaming street barricades. There are accusations of torture and abuse by the 200,000 security forces, who have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators. Social media is reporting many deaths. The UN is investigating human rights abuses. Two centuries after independence from Spain, the Catholic Christian faith of the conquistadors remains the largest in Chile today. Pray for the Church’s voice of peace and justice to be heard.
North Korea / USA / Iran: nuclear programmes
07 Nov 2019
South Korea’s national intelligence service told a closed-door parliamentary audit session that it expected working-level denuclearisation talks between Kim and Trump to resume by early December. As recently as 31 October Kim test-fired two short-range missiles that traveled 350 to 400 kilometres. The tests were believed to be the nuclear-armed country’s 19th and 20th launches since May. Japan’s prime minister condemned the launches as an act threatening the peace and safety of his country as North Korea was refining weapons capable of reaching it. Meanwhile, Iran announced launching a new batch of advanced centrifuges to accelerate uranium enrichment on the 40th anniversary of the start of its Islamic Revolution. However, Tehran has left room for diplomacy by saying that talks are possible if Washington lifts all the sanctions and returns to the nuclear deal. See
The ‘Fanning the Flames’ report published on 31 October said that corporations with global reach in the tech, finance, and media sectors have resourced anti-Muslim individuals and groups both domestically and internationally to create the infrastructure for biased messages and bigotry to spread and thrive. It added that Google, Amazon and Fidelity will promote white supremacy and anti-Muslim bigotry as long as they can make money out of it. Researchers found tech platforms have provided a space for unsafe actors, and their search and recommendation algorithms enabled white supremacist and bigoted propaganda to spread further. The report said, ‘It is concerning that these tech platforms have not created strategies to eliminate anti-Muslim bigotry from their sites.’ Also, Wall Street businesses have provided financial infrastructure and political cover to organisations promoting anti-Muslim prejudice, and financial institutions are investing hundreds of millions in gun manufacturers.
DR ALISTAIR PETRIE IS AN INTERNATIONAL MINISTER AND TEACHER ON THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF TRANSFORMING REVIVAL. ALISTAIR PETRIE SHARES SOME INSIGHTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE PRAYING FOR REVIVAL IN THEIR NATIONS.
He suggests that though there is a place for persevering prayer and heartfelt repentance, Scripture suggests seven different heart characteristics that God is looking for when determining where and when to pour out His Spirit. As we pray individually and corporately for our nations, these attributes of righteousness are keys to unlocking our breakthrough.
Petrie challenges us to consider these seven qualifiers if we want to “attract” God’s heart and prepare a holy place for Him to dwell. It always starts with us individually assessing our own heart condition. Then, as each individual gets aligned with God’s heart and purpose, the corporate testimony will be impacted and our joint intercession will have power and authority.
Here are the seven characteristics in order of progression, starting personally, then overflowing to the corporate:
1.HUMILITY – Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10)
This is the starting place for all prayer. We must surrender our own agenda to His and submit to His methods and timing, taking a posture of serving and not striving.
2.HOLINESS – Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)
We must walk in the fear of the Lord and esteem holiness and righteousness as the foundation of His throne, not allowing any compromise or double-standard to weaken our authority.
3.RELATIONAL UNITY – I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Our unity is based on the work of the cross and our corporate commission to declare the Kingdom of God in our midst.
4.INTEGRITY – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3)
We must become trustworthy stewards who are shown to be people of His Word, able to guard, keep, and occupy what He wants to give us.
5.TRANSPARENCY – For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. (2 Corinthians 8:21)
We must admit when we are wrong and be authentic in our journey of sanctification.
6.BEING VERTICALLY INFORMED AND HORIZONTALLY ACCOUNTABLE – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
We are stronger together than we are apart. Our mutual accountability has great impact as each part does its work.
7.GIVEN TO CORPORATE PRAYER (leading to tangible results) – All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 1:14, 2:1-2)
If we want to see a corporate shift, it requires corporate agreement. Heaven listens for the unified voice of the Church and will respond to our corporate cry for His presence.
Prayerfully consider these seven qualifiers and share them with those you pray with. Assess your heart condition, both personally and corporately. Are you seeing these characteristics displayed in your corporate testimony? If not, address the adjustments needed and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you in preparing a place for Him to come and pour out a greater measure of His Spirit and His glory.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1-3)
Rev. Dr. Alistair P. Petrie
Executive Director
www.partnershipministries.org