Harvest Church RDU

Worship Jesus. Love the Church. Reach the World.

missions

30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (May 27th – June 25th)

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Today, more than ever before in world history,
God is moving within the Muslim world.

Since Islam began in the 7th century, history tells us of 83 Muslim movements* to Christ. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the first known voluntary movement took place. Before the turn of the millennium, there had still only been a total of 13 movements of Muslims turning to Jesus. For everyone doing the math in their heads, these are indeed exciting times. Since the year 2000, there have been 70 known Muslim movements to Christ! These movements stretch across nearly 30 different countries within the Islamic world. God is indeed drawing Muslim families to Himself now more than ever.

But why now? We believe God began to move across the Muslim world when the Church began to pray. 25 years ago, a prayer movement emerged (30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World) in which Christians all around the globe began to pray for Muslims daily during the month of Ramadan. It is no mere coincidence that within the last 3 decades more Muslims have turned to Jesus than ever before!

Last year alone, it is estimated that over 1 million believers committed to praying daily for Muslims during Ramadan. Will you join us this Ramadan season in interceding for our Muslims friends?

*A Muslim movement to Christ is defined by at least 100 new church starts or 1,000 baptisms that occur over a two-decade period.

Join us in prayer: This Sunday, Harvest will have prayer booklets available for all who want to join us in praying daily May 27th-June 25th. If you would like to buy a digital copy, click here.

For more information, visit http://www.30daysPrayer.com/

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Ramadan Is Approaching

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What is Ramadan?

From May 27th until June 25th, Muslims worldwide will be participating in their most sacred month of the year: Ramadan. Ramadan is a time where devout Muslims fast. They daily give up food, liquid, tobacco, and sexual intimacy from sunrise to sunset. The fast is broken after each sunset with iftar. Iftar is a celebratory feast in which Muslims share large meals with family and friends.

This culturally rich season in the Muslim world has deep spiritual significance. Ramadan is considered to be the month of the Qur’an. It is believed that during this time, Allah began to reveal this holy book to the Prophet Muhammad. During this “sacred” month, Muslims believe that the rewards for good deeds are multiplied by a thousand. One Muslim scholar remarks, “One Ramadan may enable [Muslims] to gain 80 years’ worth of reward…” On top of a focus on good deeds, Ramadan is also set aside as a time to control the “carnal self”. One Muslim friend of ours once shared, “When we fast, we do so in order to tame the animal within.” Ramadan is believed to be a time to control the carnal desires, rather than be victims to them.

Pray Alongside Our Muslim Friends This Ramadan

  1. Pray that God would show our Muslim friends how futile the attempts are in trying to conquer the desires of the flesh in our own strength- “These [religious regulations] have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col 2:23).
  2. Pray that our Muslim friends would come to realize that only by placing faith in Jesus can we truly conquer the deeds of the flesh as we share in Christ’s perfect life. “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19–20).

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Pray for Muslims | Ramadan 2016

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Today is the beginning of the largest religious festival in the world: Ramadan.
Ramadan is a month long fast in the religion of Islam. Every adult man and woman is expected to practice daily fasting (sawm) which ends every evening with a special meal (iftar). Muslims all over the world celebrate this festival in order to fulfill one of the 5 pillars of Islam.

Please take time this month to pray for the Muslims in your community.

For more resources, please visit Pray Iran Now

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Interview with Scott Garrison

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On Sunday, April 24th, we had the privilege to hear from Scott Garrison. Scott and Laura are church planters of Redeemer Church in Indianapolis. We are really excited to join them on mission in this summer! If you missed the interview, listen here!

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Interview with Aaron Boswell

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On Sunday, May 1st we had the privilege of video chatting with Aaron Boswell. He and his wife are church planters of Renaissance Montreal. We are so excited to be going to Montreal this summer to join them on God’s mission in Little Burgundy!
If you missed it, listen to the audio here.

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How Harvest Church Can Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

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Mark Kelly’s Full Post Originally Posted at this address.

A mind-boggling 10.8 million Syrians have been driven from their homes by violence in their towns. War widows are trying to care for their families. Husbands despair of feeding their children because they can’t find work. Children lose hope for the future because they can’t attend school. Infants and the elderly are at risk in bitter winter temperatures. Aid agencies don’t have the resources to provide adequate food, water and medical care.

Precious lives and eternal destinies are at stake.

What can be done?

Every member of Harvest Church can be involved in ministering to Syrian refugees through praying, giving, and going!

Ready to jump in?

PRAY
• Pray for the salvation of the displaced refugees; pray for their needs to be met and their hearts to be turned to the only true hope of the gospel.
• Despite the terrible things that are happening, God is faithfully bringing many Syrians to himself in many places through these horrific events. Praise God today for his faithfulness in these cases!
• For more prayer resources for Syrian refugees and to join a prayer conversation with thousands of others at thesyriancircle.com/pray.
• Feel free to post below or respond to this email with a prayer as we lift our requests to God together!

GIVE
• …through Baptist Global Response to support other Christian partners on the ground in Syria and neighboring countries.
• …through Global Hunger Relief. You can simply text “refugee” to 80888 to donate $10 for Syrian refugees.

GO
• Locally: Global migration has brought many Syrians to the United States. You can share God’s love with them as they make new lives here. If you have Syrian neighbors, this is a great time to reach out and open your home to them! Join the conversation and get involved at ethnecity.com, with World Relief, or with wewelcomerefugees.com.
Globally: On the ground volunteers are helping in the crisis through hosting medical clinics, registering refugees, delivering food boxes, and teaching various short-term classes such as ESL, art, music, sewing, home health care, micro-business, etc. If you are interested in organizing a trip with your friends or small group, contact info@harvestchurchcary.com and we’ll be glad to help!

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