People Group Prayer Guides
Pray for the Muslims in Russia
October 2007
—Even though Sonya was a Tatar Muslim, alcohol was her true god. Vodka ruled her life. Sonya had heard the Gospel from her brother in-law and sister who had given her life to the Lord. A little more than a year ago, Sonya decided to try to stop drinking vodka and read the New Testament that her sister had given her. She came to realize that Jesus was the only one who could deliver her. Sonya believed and was saved. Her husband had said that "if she ever stops drinking that I will become a believer in Jesus." He has not lived up to his word but he was present at Sonya's baptism two weeks ago in a nearby river. Please continue to pray for Sonya and her family.
—A Lezgi man who has gone back and forth in his interest in being a believer visited a Christian last month. This man’s life is taking a downward spiral (no job, no money, wife left him, military is trying to draft him late in life, and his house is dilapidated). He shared his struggles with sin and reluctantly confessed that he was a believer. The Christian told him then he needed to act like one, and the first step was for him to repent of sin and start going to church. Pray for this Lezgi man to start showing fruit in his life as he submits to the will of Christ.
—Anzor, an Adyge man with a genuine spiritual interest, recently read John chapter 4. Anzor still doesn’t believe that Jesus is the only way to God, but he calls him Jesus the Messiah. He enjoys studying the Scripture and is encouraged and challenged by what he reads. Pray that the Holy Spirit convicts him of his sin and his need to repent and trust in Jesus. Pray him into the Kingdom!
September 2007
—Due to restrictions by the Russian government on Western evangelicals working among Muslims, workers here often say, “It is hard to get here and harder to stay.” One very effective missionary was just blacklisted by the Russian government simply because he became too high profile. In another location, the tax police have targeted one business for similar reasons. Please pray that all these attempts to silence witness among Muslims in Russia would backfire and that the Gospel of Jesus being the only way to God would spread widely and wildly.
—Recently, a short term team met Susan, an Adyg woman, outside a mosque. She was covered with a scarf and was trying to convince a local Russian man that the Qur’an – the Islamic holy book - was right. Nervous but trusting in the Holy Spirit, the volunteer women befriended Susan. Shortly afterward Susan accepted a Bible from them. She promised to read it. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would help Susan be drawn to the Scriptures and that she would accept Jesus as her Messiah.
—A small church in Moscow has started printing material to distribute among Muslims in Moscow. Pray that God continue to build His team in reaching out to these easy-to-overlook people that make up 20% or more of the population of Moscow. There are four couples or singles praying about moving to Moscow to help in church planting among Muslims. Pray that God would give them clear direction to say “Yes!” to this move.
June 2007
—Anzor and met with a Christian to talk about Jesus two weeks ago. Anzor likes to think that sin and good works can cancel each other out. Yet he listened carefully as the Christian explained that any sin is immeasurably heavy compared to good deeds. God removes the weight of sin only through Jesus, not through what we do. Pray for Anzor as he wants to look at Ephesians 2 it clearly states that we are all sinners who can only be saved through God’s grace. Pray that Anzor, and many other Muslims here, would have the faith from God to respond to that truth by trusting in Jesus as Messiah.
—This month, spurred on by a Believer in a neighboring town, members of the Lezgi church have taken several opportunities to share Jesus with non-believers in this new area. Praise God for the growth of the Lezgi believers. Pray that God would encourage them by letting see people respond in faith. Pray as well that the Lezgi believers would take this strengthened zeal for evangelism back to their hometown and be bold witnesses there.
—Reports have just come in of a group of Muslims in Moscow coming to faith through a contextualized radio program especially adapted for them. 15 Muslims – Turkmen, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Kazakhs have become Believers in Jesus and are meeting regularly in a house church and they are freely sharing the Good News! Pray for this to happen all over Moscow! Pray that God would continue to fan a flame for long-term workers to move to Moscow to focus on planting churches among the millions of overlooked and often-despised Muslims in that city.
May 2007
—The Lezghi church continues to experience expansion “challenges”. The two men who appeared ready for baptism are now wavering. Please pray that they would grow in their faith and be in passionate pursuit of Christ. Pray that the existing Lezghi church leaders would desire holiness and resist the Evil One. Please pray for God to raise up more spiritually sensitive men who thirst to know God. In addition, a nearby ministry has been unjustly targeted by the tax authorities. Please pray for justice to be done and that this ministry’s effectiveness would be increased through this corrupt attempt to shut them down.
—This last month “M” was stripped of his license as a Muslim leader after the police and leading Muslim authorities in his region questioned him on his new faith in Christ. Please pray that M would be able to stay in his village and that God would use his position there to influence the entire community to follow Christ. Prior to these interrogations, there were five men in his hometown ready to be baptized. Two men remain committed to their decision to be baptized. Please pray that these men do not waver, but that God uses this opposition to produce new, unexpected, growth of His Kingdom.
—Anzor is a rare Adyg man. He is rare because he is hungry after the things of God. Most Adyg men are nominal Muslims who have no interest to press hard after God. After recently meeting a Christian, Anzor wrote, “I thank the Creator because He gave me a brother, a true spiritual brother!” Please pray that Anzor would be convicted by the Holy Spirit of his sin, Jesus’ righteousness, and the coming judgment. Please pray that Anzor would soon declare that Jesus is much more than a prophet, that He is the Promised Messiah!
April 2007
—Last month you prayed for the Lezghi church to start a new fellowship. Two new believers are getting ready for baptism. The new believers seem to be growing in their faith and zeal. The new fellowship will include these men and a more mature man who has consistently shown the fruits of the Spirit. This is a significant step! Please continue to pray for these young men, the core of the new church, for them to be seeking only God’s glory for themselves and those around them.
—Here is a recent update on the Mosque leaders who are following Jesus. One has left the mosque but continues to lead two house churches in different languages. In just a few short months, he already has six men who are ready for baptism as a testimony of their faith in Jesus as Messiah. The other Mosque leader continues to share about Jesus in a small group that he gathers, but it is not clear whether he is entirely in the Kingdom of God yet. Pray for both of these men to be consumed with zeal for Jesus and that they would be faithful in sharing Jesus in their communities.
—The number of Muslims in Moscow continues to grow. And there are almost no workers there. We cancelled a distribution team that was due to come in June because of a lack of personnel on the ground. Moscow is one of the easiest places to reach Muslims in Russia who are from all over the former Soviet Union, yet we have not seen God raise up laborers for the Muslims in that city yet. Pray that churches from the US would respond to a challenge to send out long-term teams to go to Russia. And pray for experienced workers from Central Asia would be led by God to relocate to Moscow.
March 2007
—Two months ago we asked you to pray for ”Azemat”, a young Muslim from the Shapsug people group. He is also a member of a political organization that petitions for rights defending his people group. This organization is seen as opposing the local authorities. Recently, there was a street protest against gambling businesses and several gambling organizations were ransacked. The local authorities quickly seized the opportunity to blame this on Azemat’s organization. Pray that God would work through this situation so that Azemat realizes that only the Gospel of Jesus can provide him perfect peace. Pray that Azemat’s zeal for his people will be turned into zeal for Jesus.
—The Lezghi church is lethargic, powerless, and has been characterized by sin that the Believers have been unwilling to root out. However, there appears to be a growing awareness of this among the Believers themselves, as the Lezghi church has decided to plant a new church. This desire for evangelism is exciting as it has been lacking for a long time. Pray that the Lezghi Believers would hunger and thirst for God, pursue holiness, and share the Gospel with power and confidence in this new church plant.
—In October and November, you prayed for two Muslim mosque leaders who have been seeking Jesus. One remains wholeheartedly committed to Jesus. He continues to preach Jesus in the mosque and from his home. The other leader is not as far as long but continues to seek Truth. Pray for both of these men that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit everyday, be completely satisfied by Jesus, boldly proclaim salvation through Jesus alone, and have increasing circles of influence.