“Even though I’m illiterate, in my younger days I used to follow pastors around and help out in their church-planting work. I don’t know much about methods or strategies but what I do know is that I just had so much joy seeing God’s kingdom expand. I wish that God would even now continue to use me to share the good news with others. However, my heath issue has been a problem. There would be days when my legs and back would hurt so much that I could hardly get out of bed. I have already visited so many doctors in the city. Despite all the money spent, none was able to tell me conclusively what’s wrong and what I need to do for the condition to improve. I don’t know what else to do. I’m trusting God now for my healing. Will you pray for my healing so that I can have a strong body to continue in his work?”
This is the story of a Christian lady in her 60s. Her passion is typical of the many older Christian folks in the city. It is a joy to meet these pioneer generation and to see that their zeal for the gospel had not relented despite having gone through persecution. Many are illiterate and have come to believe after some miracles took place in their lives. Some of them also testify of how God had miraculously enabled them to read and understand his word after they gave their life to Christ. Hence, many of these older Christian folks are strong in their faith and are great intercessors. On the flip side, because not many of them can read but depended on preachers or recorded testimonies for their spiritual intake, many of them are not able to present the gospel fully and clearly despite their fervor to do so. Based mainly on their personal conversion experience, their presentation of the gospel would be something like “Believe! It’s good for you.” or “Believe! And you can receive healing or a good future or help in your marriage relationship.” The resulting conversions from such sharing are often based on the gifts/blessings rather than on the heart of the giver. In turn, this poses an uphill task when it comes to follow-up and discipleship.
Prayer Pointers
- Pray for the pastors of these older Christians – that they will be given wisdom to equip them in the Lord’s work.
- Ask that this older generation will be trained in God’s Word (audio copies of the bible is available), so that they will bear a more complete and effective testimony of the good news. Ask that just as they have faith in God for miracles, they will also have the faith to believe that the Holy Spirit will help them understand the Word as they dwell on it.
- It is God’s delight to bring glory to Himself in and through them. Ask that these older Christians will continue to bear much fruit amongst the nation’s growing aging population.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
