Serving the Nations As One Church
n 18 August 2018, the nations will come together in
Palembang and Jakarta for a special occasion: the Asian Games. With over 10,000 athletes from 45 countries, it is the second largest international sports celebration after the Olympics.
During a prayer time for the Asian Games two years ago, a group of YWAMers caught a glimpse of the Father’ s heart. We heard Him say,“ When the nations gather, I want to bring revival. When they turn to me, I will give them life.”
“ Just like Pentecost!” We were filled with excitement. Almost two thousand years ago, when nations and tribes gathered to celebrate the Jewish feast of Pentecost( Acts 2), God showed up in the power of His Holy Spirit and thousands were saved.
Sports is a powerful universal language. It transcends cultural, political and religious differences, and unites players, teams, coaches, volunteers, and spectators. Now, seen in the light of Pentecost, the Asian Games is a unique opportunity for yet another powerful move of God!
As we continued to pray, the Lord led us to focus on the second part of the Great Commandment: Love our neighbours as ourselves( Matt 22:39). From a national perspective, Indonesia is our neighbour. We felt the Lord“ gift” us, YWAM Singapore, the city of Palembang( one of the two hosting cities for the Games), to focus our‘ neighbourly love’ on. How do we love a city with a population of 1.56 million, hosting 3,000 athletes and officials from 45 nations?
Amazingly, the local government has given each major religion a platform within the Games Village to conduct their religious activities. In other words, the local church will be allowed to have open worship and prayer meetings for the duration of the Games from 18 August to 2 September.
One of the ways we show love and support for our Indonesian brothers and sisters would be to join them in prayer and worship, and build relationships with sportsmen, officials and spectators from the nations represented, as well as the locals in the city.
Churches and missions agencies come together and bring different expressions of ministry. Imagine all of us worshipping together in unity and going out to meet individuals and families on the streets, befriending young and old through special encounters at the Games, over meals, in the malls, while riding the public transport, ready to share about the God we know and impart His Word.
An international sports event such as the Asian Games is an incredible occasion to celebrate the beauty and richness of cultures. We trust God to open doors to bring creative arts and performances to the Games. We believe that presentations of songs and dances, of diverse languages and cultures express God’ s heart for unity.
Let us“ Go as one!” and reveal the Father’ s love and truth. God is ready to move at the Asian Games! Come and be part of what He will do!
Pray for the city of Palembang as she hosts the Asian Games.
About Palembang:
• Capital city of Southern Sumatra( 9th largest city of Indonesia)
• Population of 1.56 million
• Oldest city in Indonesia, capital city of the Malay Kingdom of Srivijaya in the 7th century
• Pray for the local election to be held on 27 June in Palembang and other cities in Indonesia
About Asian Games: When: 18 August – 2 September 2018 Where: Jakarta and Palembang
Who: 10,000 from 45 countries( 7,000 in Jakarta, 3,000 in Palembang)
What: 40 sports and 430 events
How You Can Be Involved: Contact us at go. ag. now @ gmail. com, if you’ d like to:
• Find out more about the Asian Games outreach
• Join us on outreach for any length of time during the Asian Games
• Invite us to share about the Asian Games outreach with your church, youth or cell group
• Recommend ideas or suggestions for creative outreach
If you are interested, we want to hear from you, before 30 April 2018.
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