NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE week beginning Sunday June 1st 2008
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
It’s some time since we began with our customary time of resisting the devil. This week we will do so by lifting up the cross against him. We will take time to think and pray about some of the depths of what this means. It coincides with part of an initiative to lift up the cross by prophetic action in significant sites around the UK. At the same time we will apply the cross to other needy situations facing Europe at this time.
If you know of anyone who would also like to receive this night watch prayer bulletin each week, they can subscribe by going to www.passion.org.uk/announcemail and submitting their details on the web form. Alternatively they can email us at admin@passion.org.uk
IF YOU ARE A REGULAR YOU CAN SKIP THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS
If you are receiving this material unexpectedly it is because someone has suggested that you may be interested to join in. If you do not want to keep receiving it please inform us immediately and we will stop sending it to you. We want to let those of you who are newcomers know that we are very pleased to have your partnership in this watch. We are simply asking for a commitment of an hour a week some time between 9pm and 6am whatever time zone you are in.
We will send you a brief outline for prayer each week according to the prophetic direction coming from the contemporary prophetic movement in Europe. You will not always agree with everything in the watch material. Go with what you can and trust the Lord to help you with the rest. This Nightwatch began in November 2003 and we are looking to carry on until the end of September 2008 after which there will be a transition into a different form of intercessory support. If you have to miss an occasional watch it’s OK as the rest of us will carry it. A three month commitment is probably a good place to start.
THE CONTENT OF THE WATCH FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SUNDAY 1st JUNE 2008
1. LET’S LIFT UP THE CROSS AGAINST THE DEVIL (20 minutes)
"All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father." (John 10:8-11, 14-18)
a) Notice the contrast between the good shepherd and the devil, who is a thief a robber and who comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Remember that Jesus confronted and resisted the devil and gave us greater power than his (Lk4:4,8,12; Lk10:19; see also1Jn4:4). Take time to declare that the devil is a thief and a robber who only comes to steal kill and destroy the destiny of our continent. Declare that we will not listen to his voice but to the voice of the good shepherd (5 minutes).
b) Notice what distinguishes the Lord from the devil “He lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus states this five times in these few verses. Let’s declare it five times. This is the difference between Jesus’ power and Satan’s power, this is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness; he lays down his life for the sheep. Resist the devil away from your family, town, region, nation, your own life and the body of Christ and your relationships with it. Declare that with the Holy Spirit’s help we will lay down our lives for the sheep like he did (5 minutes)
c) Notice that this way of life is the way of life in the trinity. “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life…” This is the way of life he created us for. This is how life in the whole of creation is meant to work. It is made for poured out love that issues in resurrection. We chose the way of the thief and the robber that brings death and destruction. But God chose to go on laying his life down, to have the creation subject to our sin, for sacrifices to prepare and demonstrate the way. And death could not hold him, it all pointed forward to resurrection, to the impact of his laid down life. Let’s say it over and over again, because he laid his life down resurrection is coming. Because we’ve given our lives away to him his life is in us, as we lay our lives down in every daily task we undertake, resurrection is coming to our continent. Satan will not win (5 minutes).
d) Notice that Jesus laid his life down on his own initiative, by his own authority. This is what we humans gave away when we first chose to exert our own life and authority over others, over God and our neighbour from the fall onwards. We joined forces with the devil and his power. When we repent of our sin this is what we are saying sorry for.
But Jesus shares a totally different kind of authority with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is the authority of life laid down. When we repent and give our lives to him, it is this kind of life and authority he gives us. Pray for grace for us to use our new authority against the devil by spiritual warfare in prayer, but also now, in this transition of intercessors into the world, by the way we live our lives (5 minutes)
2. PRAY FOR THE INITIATIVE TO LIFT UP THE CROSS AT ANCIENT DRUIDIC SITES IN THE UK THIS WEEK (10 minutes)
These ancient sites are places where human sacrifice was made to appease the gods in hope of bringing fertility and prosperity to the people. This was the life of others sacrificed to appease selfish gods to get their blessing. Pray that as our friends lift up the cross in the spirit of Jesus’ selfless life laid down a great reversal will come to the selfish economics of Europe that still flow with the same ancient spirit. Thank God for the prophetic acts of repentance done at the war memorials for the sacrifice of the sons of Europe made by our leaders in the great wars of empire in the twentieth century. Thank God for the similar work done at the ancient sites of Roman Empire in Trier, Brussels and Aachen over the last two years. Pray for a colossal new revelation of the cross to come to the church and nations of Europe.
3. FALLING EUROPEAN AID FOR POORER NATIONS MEANS THAT THE EU WILL FAIL TO REACH ITS AGREED TARGETS (10 minutes)
The European Union is risking embarrassment on the global stage for falling 75 billion Euros short of its promised target to help the poorest nations by the end of this decade, according to a report by a coalition of anti-poverty groups. The study was presented on Thursday (22 May) by leading aid NGOs, such as Oxfam International, ActionAid and CARE International (see the full report in this week’s UK Prayer Alert from andy@prayer-alert.ccsend.com).
It’s a terrible fact that economic cutbacks, rising fuel prices and the credit crunch reveal the true values of our continent. We immediately cut back on our own promises to give, and reveal the kingdom of the thief and the robber that rules by means putting our own life and needs first. Of course this will never bring prosperity to Europe, because the divine economics is based on the laid down life, “give and it will be given to you.” Pray for the people of God to give a lead and show the way. Pray for initiatives like the Europe/Africa reconciliation process meeting in Kinshasa from June 18th- 21st to bring shifts at a political level. Pray for more and more political leaders to embrace Jesus’ kind of power. Pray for doors of influence for the coalition of anti-poverty groups mentioned in the report.
4. PRAY AGAIN FOR SERBIA (10 minutes)
The Alliance for a European Serbia won a substantial majority over the other parties despite the very real disappointment over the EU’s support for the newly independent Kosovo. Clearly many Serbians still want to be part of the EU despite it. This is a crucial time for Serbia. Pray for sons and daughters of peace in Serbia, like the ones Jesus speaks of in Luke 10:6, to have great favour and power. Pray for like minded leaders within the EU to come to increasing influence without losing their humility and desire for Jesus’ kind of power and authority. Pray also for the small group of pastors from Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia who have been coming together for reconciliation. Thank God that the impact is being felt as they connect heaven and earth through the cross.
5. NIGHTWATCH TRANSITION EVENT (10 minutes)
Thank you to all those of you have responded to our requests for input over the nature and location of this event to mark the end of the current watch. Please pray into the following feedback:
From France: “I think that a sort of "commissioning" might be in order, where we commission the actions of the Church intervening into the world and we commission the "prayer" intercession (perhaps as in contrast to the action intercession?) that needs to go specifically alongside those actions. We really get into those questions of what IS intercession when contemplating this!”
From Sweden: “What about coming to Sweden for the Nightwatch event???”
From Scotland: “As I read the last bit of this email the words 'the heart land' came to mind but geographically I have no idea of where this is.”
So far we have had the most feedback on Brussels as a possible location, although we have had strong suggestions for “somewhere further east” and Munich. So please continue to pray and feedback to us urgently, as we need to make a definite decision over the next week or two.
MANY, MANY THANKS FOR BEING CO-WORKERS IN THIS WATCH,
