UK: 'I Was Born For 24-7 Prayer'! - 4 Jun 2005
It's exciting to see more and more missionaries being sent to the West from revival situations in non-western countries. 
Inter Varsity reports that, 'on a continental level, Europe is seen as mission field number one... having gained over 5,000 missionaries in the last 10 years." These non-western evangelists often arrive carrying a message of unity and a passion for prayer. Akinola and Yetunde Smith arrived in England from Africa in 1993 with a commission from the Lord to pray for revival in the UK, and Europe.
Inter Varsity reports that, 'on a continental level, Europe is seen as mission field number one... having gained over 5,000 missionaries in the last 10 years." These non-western evangelists often arrive carrying a message of unity and a passion for prayer. Akinola and Yetunde Smith arrived in England from Africa in 1993 with a commission from the Lord to pray for revival in the UK, and Europe. "For many reasons," admits Akinola, "I failed to fulfil my commission, but in 1995, I received a picture of a lamp in God's house, with its flame never going out. The flame was revealed to me as worship and intercession.
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Then, in November 2003, some friends who had gone to the Inter-national House of Prayer in Kansas City sent me some CDs by Mike Bickle which blew my mind, and showed me that the vision was possible. Shortly afterwards, the Lord told me that I was to leave my job to concentrate on intercession, and the building of a house of prayer. But I was no Mike Bickle, and still doubted I could run with the vision, though I really wanted to. I knew that this is what I was born to do. |
"This is what I was born to do..." |
Newly inspired yet unclear about the way ahead, Anikola came across Pete Greig's book about 24-7 Prayer: Red Moon Rising. "I found it more encouraging to me than anything else I had come across" he says. "It spoke to me, where I was. I had doubted that even God's mighty grace may not be sufficient to get me to fulfil my calling but RMR reported how ordinary people could say yes to an extraordinary God and be made fit for such a gigantic God-Project like 24-7 Prayer."
"I'm no Mike Bickle and I'm no Pete Greig either (I just do not think you've ever been as messed up as I was). However, in RMR, I received the encouragement I needed, at the right time, that I could actually obey God, and do this crazy thing. Working with my wife, Yetunde, and another couple, we are currently setting up a non-stop prayer and worship ministry called SHILOH in Witney, Oxfordshire (right)."Red Moon Rising is down-to-earth yet spiritually deep; it is for such a time as this. I highly recommend it to all of God's watchmen and intercessors, as they pursue a yet-poorly-understood dream."