"The kingdom of France is predestined by God to defend the Church of Christ Our Lord. This kingdom will be great among all the kingdoms of the earth. In as much as it is loyal to its calling, it will be victorious. If it proves unfaithful in this, it will be punished harshly. Nevertheless, it will remain until the end of time."
- St. Remi at King Clovis' baptism in 498.
From its very beginning, God has had a plan and a special calling for France.
We could write volumes about the historical and spiritual significance of France's past or speculate as to what God is doing today, but it really boils down to this:
France is poised for revival
HOW CAN WE SAY THAT?
- Evangelical Christian believers account for only .8% of the population. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (1.5% and .9%) have more Evangelicals per capita.
- Church attendance is one of the lowest in Europe (6-8%, compare that to the USA's 44%).
- 80% of French people have never owned or even seen a Bible.
- There are approximately 50,000 full-time practitioners of occult arts (tarot, fortune telling, psychic healing, etc) who easily outnumber the 35,000 full-time Christian workers in France.
- Muslims make up approximately 10% of France's population (compared to 1.5% in the USA). This is the highest percentage in any European country.
(Source: Operation World)
precisely.
The light that shines where it is the darkest shines the brightest.
But we need prayer to pave the way!
More on France (from the United Prayer for France and FurrsinFrance.com):
France needs re-evangelization
Secularization has become a movement in France of which the sole objective is to confine faith and its expression to the private sphere. Today, barely one percent of the French nation can be counted as Evangelical Christians. We therefore believe it is time for the spiritual children of France to return to the soil of France and re-ignite the hearts of the French with the revival fires that had to leave France 300 years ago. This is not a work that can be accomplished by the ability of man, hence we believe the best way to go about it, is to establish a flood wave of sustainable prayer for France. We have heeded God’s call for the French nation and we invite you to join us in this endeavor.
Since 2001, French Evangelicals have come together during the season of Lent to pray specifically for France. For the 40 days before Easter, they have sought God and pleaded with Him to renew and revive their churches and to move in France. In the 7 years since this prayer effort began, there has been a gradual "opening" of French culture to Evangelicals and Christianity. The riots in the cities of France in the Fall of 2005 further pushed the subject of religion and belief into the public discourse. In fact, Nicholas Sarkozy has said, "Religion's place in France at the beginning of the third millennium is central." This statement, coming from the current French president (before his term) is astounding! France is beginning to re-think it's spiritual heritage. Young people, especially, are turning to the message of Jesus. A new day is dawning.
Watch the video now.
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