Web France 2001 Prayer Guide

To download a copy of this prayer guide as a tri-fold brochure in Adobe Acrobat format,
click on the file name below:
WebFrance2001.pdf (370 kb)
The Acrobat reader is available free from Adobe.

FRANCE 2001

Redeeming The Dreams

Join with Hundreds of Thousands
from many nations
to pray and fast
for France

40 days of prayer
7th March - 15th April 2001

The first week of the new millennium saw an unprecedented move of prayer in France, as over 500 churches, from many different denominations, embarked on 40 days of prayer and fasting for their nation. This prayer will be repeated in 2001, with even more churches taking part.

We are calling for believers from many nations to stand with their French brothers and sisters in prayer for God to bring a significant change to the nation of France.

A Glorious History

In the first centuries of the Christian era, the church in Gaul was one of the strongest in the world. Birthed in �Book of Acts� - style signs and wonders, it had many great leaders. Irenaeus, the church father and bishop of Lyon, played a significant role in defending the world-wide church against heresy. Martin of Tours established one of the first centres of missionary training in the western world. In the following years France sent out many missionaries to evangelise the surrounding nations. Germanus, a renowned healing evangelist, went to Britain. Patrick, who evangelised the Irish, was trained there.

At the height of the Reformation, 20-50% of France was protestant, depending on the region. The Bible was translated into French for the first time, and many new churches and schools were established. Calvin, the great French reformer, had a profound influence on Christian thought in Europe and beyond.

The principles behind the French Revolution, of equality, liberty, and fraternity, culminated in the formation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789, and have had a profound influence on the formation of modern democracy.

�There is no corner of the earth where, at any given time, men do not look to us and ask what France has to say� (Charles de Gaulle)

A Great Destiny

Bitter Roots,
Shattered Dreams

10 million young men died in France during the First World War. This was preceded by one of the greatest outpourings of the Spirit in history. In 1904 the Welsh revival swept thousands into God�s kingdom. Azusa Street, USA in 1906, saw the Pentecostal movement rise up with many thousands saved in America, Europe and beyond. This led to the first World Missionary Conference, in Edinburgh, 1910, where 1000 delegates, representing many countries, agreed that global evangelisation was achievable if the church united and focused on this goal. In the following decade, the war brought converts from these great revivals onto opposing sides of the battle, as the world�s three greatest missionary sending nations, Germany, Great Britain and the USA, fought and killed each other on French soil.

Believers in France have been martyred and persecuted for 1800 years. Before the 20th Century there had been more martyrs in France than in any other country of the World, an estimated half a million believers died for their faith. In addition a further half a million were forced to flee into surrounding lands for safety or were exiled. The very existence of the Evangelical Church in France has been threatened through continual suppression and persecution.

Waiting To

Oppression of the Jewish people runs through the history of France. The religious fervour of the Crusades (which started in France) caused Christians in France and beyond to become intolerant of all other religions. This gave birth to what was called �The First Holocaust�, as thousands of French Jews were forced into exile. Three hundred years later Jewish history in France virtually ended until the late 18th century, as King Charles VI of France expelled all Jews from his kingdom. In the Second World War, the French government at Vichy started to deport the Jews even before the Nazis requested them to do so.
France�s colonial rule has left a legacy of bitterness. The unequal trade and white domination has led to resentment among the indigenous people. France also played a significant role in the slave trade, making much profit from their transportation.

France has found inadequate, human solutions to its spiritual problems. French philosophers like Voltaire, Descartes, and Sartre became the fathers of Rationalistic philosophy. Their ideas steered the western, secular-humanistic world view to the belief that the answers to the world's problems can be found through human reason, thus denying the need for religion or faith. Many have sought to fill the void thus created, not by reason, but by fulfilling human emotions and desires.

Be Redeemed

Visit our Web-site - www.france2001.org

Prayer Guides Home

Revised: January 11, 2001.