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Intention

To awaken the Church to share the gospel boldly, putting prayer and fasting into action through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

– Acts 1:8

“‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.’ 

“When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear… They filled both boats so full that they began to sink…

“Jesus told Simon, ‘From now on you will be catching people.’ Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.”

– Luke 5:5–7, 10–11

Reflection

These words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 remind us that the unfinished task of the Church is to evangelise. Encouragingly, the verse contains three promises.

First, Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit as our source of power and anointing for the mission. That mission includes reaching the nation of Australia.

We will never experience lasting success without the Holy Spirit. We can only draw power and God’s favour from the anointing of the Holy Spirit, whom God has already given to us and who is readily available. God is always ready when we are ready.

Second, he has promised to use you and me as his witnesses. Jesus did not task angelic beings to do the work of evangelism. He has appointed you and me to evangelise our nation. He has trusted us to pray, give and go, and to engage in sharing the good news: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:15).

Third, he has promised that we will be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The gospel has spread from Jerusalem to nations across the world, including Australia. Yet the task remains unfinished. We are called to share Christ both in our own communities and among peoples who have not yet heard the good news.

As these 31 days of prayer and fasting draw to a close, how will we put our prayers into action? Perhaps we feel discouraged because we have not yet seen anyone come to Christ. Luke 5 offers us encouragement to trust Jesus and obey his Word.

Simon Peter and his fishing partners had worked all night and caught nothing. Jesus told Peter to sail into deep water and put out the nets. Still disappointed from the night’s work, he obeyed anyway — and was amazed at a catch of fish so large that the boats began to sink.

Peter then receives a new calling: “From now on you will be catching people” (Luke 5:10).

Jesus now commands us to launch out into the deep for a net-breaking, boat-sinking catch.

He can be trusted for a huge haul of fish. He can also be trusted for a great harvest of people.

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Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, reignite the passion for lost souls and fan the flame of revival fire in our hearts.

Help us put our prayer and fasting into deep water, and take the gospel of Jesus Christ to our communities. We thank you for your promises for this mission in our nation of Australia and to the ends of the earth.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Author Bio

Roy is a Solomon Islander and missionary in Australia for 37 years. His late wife Janet was called home to glory in June 2023. He has five children and ten grandchildren. He is currently registering a new mission platform called Australia Pacific Indigenous Mission Inc., establishing Christian communities amongst the seasonal workers of the Pacific and east Timor.

Prayer Points for October 2026

We are praying for the Church to:

1. Awaken to her first love for Jesus (Ephesians 5:14; Revelation 2:4).
2. Awaken to evangelism so that millions will trust in Christ (John 3:16; Proverbs 11:30).
3. Awaken to her prophetic voice to the nation (Isaiah 52:1; Matthew 14:4).

We invite you to support this campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to faith in Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

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