Pray WITH Me - Part 2

But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. Luke 22:32 a (NLT)

For almost 80 years, Moses Xie served Jesus in his homeland of China. He became a Christian at age 14 and attended North China Seminary in the 1940s. Soon he became a leader in the Chinese Evangelistic Association and an editor for several Chinese Christian magazines.

However, in 1956, he was imprisoned for his faith. .At one point during his imprisonment, the persecution was so bad, he tried to end his life. But God stopped him, telling him it wasn't his time yet and that His strength was being made perfect in weakness.

For another 23 years, he remained interred at the prison camp, growing in his relationship with God and ministering to all who came to visit him. He often asked his visitors to pray for him because he understood the importance and power of praying with others.

1. Moses Xie knew that when others prayed for him, they were reaping the benefits of prayer in their own lives. As they entered God's presence to pray, they would receive a blessing from that time spent in his presence. In turn, those blessings would encourage deeper personal growth and more time spent in prayer.

2. As people pray for the persecuted church and its members, God is able to speak to them and open doors for them to help in other ways - including through their finances and mission's ministry.

3. As people become dedicated to praying, they become intercessors, willing to do battle together with God to bring about his will in those areas of heavy persecution. They begin to pray WITH those who are being persecuted that God will save their enemies and bring many souls to himself and not just for the safety or personal needs of those being persecuted.

After his release from prison, Pastor Moses Xie continued to preach about Christ, and was arrested several more times. He became a mentor to many young people through his continuing ministry.

He passed away at age 93 on June 30, 2011, leaving a great legacy of faith to the people he served.

Lord may our lives grow strong because of time spent with you - to the point where we are open to your prompting to help others and to pray with them for the salvation of friends and family around them. Amen.