The Value of Praying Together

I have always believed that relationships are defined in moments.  A simple action or a conversation that takes place often chisels a relationship's boundaries without us even noticing.  Over the past few weeks one of these moments has constantly come to my attention.  I was serving a church in Florida and had begun to change the Sunday evening format from nothing to a prayer meeting.  I met with one of the leaders of the church and in the midst of the conversation he looked at me and asked if we were going to just pray on Sunday nights.  When I affirmed that was the plan he made a statement that defined our relationship from that point forward.  He said, "I just don't think I will drive all the way from the house just to come up here and pray.  If you were leading a Bible study then I probably would, but not just to pray."

I fear that attitude has permeated our churches.  For this man prayer was a private thing that he could do at home.  Prayer was not something that he needed to do in the community of faith.  To him, praying together was a waste of time if it was not coupled with something else.  While he would never say such things out loud, his feelings toward prayer meeting clearly illustrated his feelings on the value of praying together.  Though many of us may not be willing to say those same things out loud either, most of us likely have similar feelings.

However, I would contend that the value of praying together is much greater than the worth we often ascribe to it.  When Jesus leads his followers through the Model Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 he assumes the corporate nature of prayer.  The words "Our", "Us", and "We" all indicate the communal nature of prayer.  In other words, when Jesus taught his disciples how they should pray one of the key elements of that instruction was that they should be praying together.

Within the church the value of praying together goes simply beyond the sharing of a prayer request.  A church is a community and through praying together these communities are truly built.  In these times of prayer the congregational heart for missions can be built, the evangelistic fires can be stoked, burdens can be shared, relationships can be forged, and the foundations for lasting fellowship can be laid. 

 When we follow the instructions that Christ laid out for his disciples and begin to pray with one another we will see God move in mighty ways through his people.  In Acts 4:23-41 in the face of oppression the church prayed together for boldness and the Holy Spirit empowered them so strongly that the house shook and the entire congregation spoke the message with power.  In Acts 12:5-19, we find Peter arrested and the church praying.  The result was a miraculous escape.  In Acts 13:1-3, we see the church praying and God calling out Paul and Barnabas to the Gentile mission.  Do you realize that you are most likely sitting here today as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of that time of corporate prayer?  

If we are truly going to reach the world for Christ, if we are truly going to build a Christ-centered community within the church, if we are truly going to make disciples, and if we are truly going to develop fellowship with each other then we are going to have to spend time in prayer together.  At United Baptist Church we have marked this time to pray together on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM.  For our membership this is an essential time for building community around Christ.  If you are a part of United Baptist Church, then I cannot encourage you enough to leave behind the trappings of life, to put aside your flawed thinking on prayer meeting's value, and to follow Christ's instructions to pray together.  If you are a part of another church, then I cannot encourage you enough to invest yourself in a time to gather with other members of your church and pray with one another.  If you are the pastor of another church, then I cannot encourage you enough to mark out time for prayer with your people.  No matter who you are or what you station in ministry may be, the value of praying together cannot be estimated and the wonder of God's response to our faithfulness cannot be described.  Will you not join me in investing in praying together?

God Bless

Forgiveness as Preparation for Revival

Revival is a time that is set aside for special devotion to the Word and work of God.  This is a time for us to focus ourselves upon our dependence upon God in a special way and a time of expectation for a move of God among his people.  Once again we are focusing upon God's love for the lost within our lives and within our community.  We are seeking a move of God among those who do not know him and are praying for the salvation of those he has placed around our lives who are separated from the love and grace of our Lord.

Last year as we sought the Lord and prepared our hearts, the Lord began to move among us drawing 13 souls to faith in Christ over the last year.  We celebrate this move of God among our hearts, our homes, and our community.  As we approach revival this year, we must renew our desire to reach those who do not know Christ.

However, if we are going to see God move in the lives of those who do not know him then we must first experience a move of God in our own lives.  In the model prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray for God to forgive us of our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12).  If we are going to see God call the lost to accept his gracious gift of forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must also be willing to offer this gift to those who have sinned against us. 

I am asking you to seek the Lord for his forgiveness and to confess your unforgiveness to him.  If you are holding on to a grudge, a trespass, an offense, or an issue then I am asking you to turn that over to God and to make things right with those who have offended you.  If you know that you have offended someone else, then I am asking you to go and make that right with them.  Do not wait for them to come to you, but rather, whether you are the offended or the offender, go to them and settle this matter (Matthew 5:23, Matthew 18:15).

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are one body in 1 Corinthians 12.  As a result, any matter of division hurts us all.  Unforgiveness, division, gossip, slander, criticisms, and apathy bring harm to each and every member of the body.  As we prepare for a time of revival in the presence of the Lord, I am asking you to settle your accounts with each other under the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to forgive the debts we are holding against one another clearing the path for a mighty move of God among our church and our community (Isaiah 52:1-2, Acts 3:19).

God Bless

Prayer as Preparation for Revival

We are a month away from this year's Revival event with James Scott.  November 8th-11th will serve as the harvesting event for United Baptist Church this fall.  As we approach these dates, we must begin making preparations for the work that is ahead.  The work of soul-winning is a spiritual work and the preparation for a spiritual work is prayer.

The first step in this preparation is your own personal spiritual preparation.  We must begin with the confession of our sins to God and a mending of our broken relationships with each other.  Let us lay aside our pride and our selfishness and let us seek reconciliation with our savior and with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we prepare for these coming days.

Then we must prepare the field for harvest.  This year I am encouraging all of us to identify 3-5 people that we can invite to join us in these revival services.  Ideally these will be people who either have never professed faith in Jesus Christ as their savior or they are people who are not involved in the ministry of a local church.  Then over the next 31 days, I would invite you to pray for those people and for the work that God can do in their lives.

The following is from an article I received from our state prayer coordinator and it offers some direction for praying in preparation for this year's revival.  Let us take these suggestions and put them into practice as we seek a move of God within our community.

How To Pray For The Lost

Only God can save a soul and each person must decide individually if he or she will believe in

Jesus and accept the free gift of salvation. Prayer is an important part of the process. Here are a

few suggested ways to pray.

1.  Claim the person you are praying for as God’s purchased possession in the name of Jesus and on

the basis of His shed blood. “In Him we have redemption through His blood” (Eph. 1:7, NASB).

2.  Ask God to tear down the works of Satan, like false doctrine, unbelief, or other teaching that the

enemy may have built up in a person’s life. Pray for his thoughts to be taken “captive to the

obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5, NASB).

3.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict him of his sin and his need for a Savior. “The kindness of

God leads you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4, NASB).

4.  Pray that the person will hear, receive, or read God’s Word and that God’s will and purposes

may be accomplished through Scripture. “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire” (Isa. 55:11, NASB).

5.  Pray that the person’s eyes will be opened and ears unstopped so that the truth is heard. “And

even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this

world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel

of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:3‐4, NASB).

6.  Pray with consistency and perseverance, not to persuade God but because of the resistance of

the enemy. Read Daniel 10:12‐13. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1

Cor. 15:58, NASB).

6.  Thank God for making us more than conquerors. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly

conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, NASB). “Thanks be to God, who gives us the

victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57, NASB).

The HEART acrostic is taken from Praying Your Friends to Christ.

The key is for the lost person’s heart to be changed by the saving power of Christ. The

acrostic HEART will help one remember what to pray.

     A. Pray for receptive HEARTS (see Luke 8:5,12).

     B. Pray for their spiritual EYES to be open (see Matt. 13:15; 2 Cor. 4:3‐4).

     C. Pray for God’s ATTITUDE toward sin (see John 16:8).

     D. Pray the person to be RELEASED to believe (see 2 Cor.10:3‐4; 2 Tim. 2:25‐26).

     E. Pray for a TRANSFORMING life (see Rom. 12:1‐2).

The Sufficiency of Christ

I am often perplexed by my inability to believe the Bible.  Oh I am not talking about believing in the Creation account, Jonah being swallowed by a whale, the virgin birth, the exclusivity of Christ, the resurrection, or the return of the Lord Jesus.  I am talking about believing the express statements of the Scripture that, while giving mental assent, often fail to be lived out in my attitudes and actions.  One verse of Scripture stands out in the myriad of verses I struggle over and that is Philippians 4:19.  In this verse the Apostle Paul states, "My God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

I read this and I am dumbfounded at my lack of faith in this passage.  When I read this it makes sense.  That all of my needs will be supplied by God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  I can understand that and yet I struggle to live with this understanding.  Many times I wrestle with decision making, financial pressures, relational discord, and many other issues as though I am the source of their supply.  I seek to determine what is best for me or what will cause the least amount of damage to myself.  However, what I really should be doing is trusting that the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of my supply.

In those times of indecision I can trust Christ to be faithful in guiding my decisions if I am submitted and trusting in him.  In those times of financial pressure, I can trust that the instructions of Christ regarding money are faithful for my life.  In those times of relational difficulty I can trust that Christ is sufficient to bring me through.  No matter what we face, where we are lacking, and how overwhelming the need may be the promise of the Scripture remains that God will supply through Christ Jesus.

So what am I to do; trust Jesus.  We can believe this promise and as we face the circumstances of every day we can trust Jesus.

An Opportunity to Make a Difference

I know that I have not posted anything new in a long time, but I wanted to take a moment to encourage your support for the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions. Through the North American Mission Board's efforts, we are a partner in an evangelistic effort of mammoth size and scope. 100% of your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Offering go directly to the field of work for the purpose of bringing those who have not yet been reconciled by God to himself. While we are all personally limited in our ability to go everywhere, through this offering your support assist missionaries that literally are everywhere.

Today we live in a time that many thought we would never see. We see an almost militaristic advance of sin against the standards and civilities of society. Wrong is the new right. What is right is seen as the new wrong. Many look to Washington or their state capitals for help in this matter. However, the only true hope that we have is the Gospel. The Apostle Paul never led a political campaign to stop the actions of sinful man. Peter never contributed to the campaign of a political representative (and yes they did have them) to sway the vote on morality legislation. Instead, they faithfully worked to share and spread the Gospel, to make disciples, and to lead the church to minister to each other.

Their work illustrates what we claim to believe. The Gospel changes lives. The reality is that it does not matter what laws are on the books or what the militaristic actions of others are. If we are striving to share the Gospel and make disciples, then lives will be changed by the only one who can truly change lives. This is the hope of the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. That as we unite our giving for North American Missions, we will see hearts and lives changed by the power of the Gospel and we will see the kingdom expanding into places it has never expanded before.

This year I am asking you to dig a little deeper. Take time and ask the Lord what he would have you to give to spread the Gospel to North America as you faithfully continue your support of your local church family in spreading the Gospel to the local community God has planted you within. Then as the Lord leads, I encourage you to be faithful and trust the Lord in your giving through Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missionsl as we witness the work of God displayed as a result of our cooperation.

God bless