Prayer to Unify
“Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. …
“Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his angel.’
“But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison” (Acts 12:5–17).
The church was praying — earnestly. The results were amazing and unbelievable — even to them!
As we pray and ask the Lord to do more than we can ask or imagine concerning General Conference 2011, let’s remember this account from Acts. The Lord hears His church as we earnestly pray.
Let’s not give up but continue in earnest prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit over the Free Methodist church and the 2011 General Conference.
April 18 – April 24
We continue to pray for Ministry Group #3 and its focus given by the bishops — Every Means: Maximized and Legitimized (encouraging and promoting all efforts that accomplish our mission and honor our values). This week we will aim our prayers once again at the church’s mission with concern that in the midst of mission we always honor our values.
As you approach these times of prayer ask the Holy Spirit to:
- Help us have hearts that look to the Lord for His desires and ways, not letting tradition limit our willingness to hear what “all efforts” might include.
- Shape our hearts to be courageous in staying true to the biblical values that have shaped us as a church.
- Build faith, belief and desire for the Free Methodist church to be filled and enabled to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors — to go outside our comfort zones under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
- Help us not fear what the Lord asks of His church but “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
- Ask as the first believers asked and experienced that He would work His boldness in us.
Monday – April 18th Prayer Task: “Be Disciples, Make Disciples”
According to the Great Commission, a true disciple makes other disciples. But what kind will he or she make? One that “obeys everything” Jesus commanded? (Matthew 18:20) What about the commands of the first great commission that Jesus was referring to?
Read the First Commission: Matthew 10:5-8
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider what it will take to make true disciples and pray for those things to come true in our church.
Tuesday – April 19th Prayer Task: “A Reproducing Church”
This “expected outcome” implies that we don’t consider our work done until it results in people and churches that produce other believers and churches. However, do we try to accomplish this with human strategies? Read how “much fruit” happens (John 15:5-8) in God’s methodology.
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider what “abiding” means as it pertains to strategic thinking for growth. Pray for this to come true in our church.
Wednesday – April 20th Prayer Task: BOA — “Followers of Christ”
Our Book of Discipline states that Board of Administration members “should be widely known as followers of Christ in word, attitude and deed … and have a strong ability to engage in dialog and listen reflectively.”
Read: 1 Peter 4:10-11; Proverbs 12:18; Psalm 37:30
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider what this means and how to have local and denominational BOA members who are “followers of Christ.” Pray for those things to come true at all levels of our denomination.
Thursday – April 21st Prayer Task: “Courage to Discipline”
What good is a membership covenant if no one is held accountable? Ours says we should submit ourselves to mutual accountability. Are we afraid to exercise church discipline for fear we will lose people to other churches?
Read: 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider how people can be held accountable in love and pray for those things to come true in our churches.
Friday – April 22nd Prayer Task: “Promote Social Justice”
By accurately combining our Articles of Religion, it becomes powerfully clear that our gospel mandate requires tireless efforts to confront and correct evil socio-economic systems and structures. We are to save not just people but whole societies.
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider what our people can do to stand against oppressive systems. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Saturday – April 23rd Prayer Task: “Structures Serving Mission”
(Bishops’ Designated Day for the Church to Fast)
This “expected outcome” implies that we must be willing to look honestly at all our church programs and traditions and eliminate those that no longer succeed in advancing our God-given mission. Fasting as we consider this topic helps us to say: Lord, nothing is more important than for the church to be all that You want it to be. Help us to put aside our own concepts of church so that we can seek and “own” only Yours.
Read: Matthew 9:16-17
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider the issues related to eliminating old wineskins and developing new wineskins. Pray for these transitions to come true in our churches.
Sunday – April 24th Prayer Task: “Freedom for the Oppressed”
Easter
Our historic FM concern for the oppressed led us into courageous advocacy for the needs of anyone facing bondage or discrimination.
Read: Luke 4:4-19; James 1:27
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you consider the oppressed in today’s world and where and how we can make our voices heard for their sakes. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Giving the Lord More of Your Sabbath: Read Isaiah 58. Take this scripture with you as you go to a part of your town, city or community where there is oppression (where the poor and disenfranchised live). Then pray that the Holy Spirit would bless this area with a church community that would do “work” through prayer and presence to “set the oppressed free.”
* PLEASE NOTE: “Action Prayer”
On occasion there will be an action cue. This is intended to help us as a church to incorporate prayer in different ways throughout our day.
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