We found a wonderful testimony on the website of First Baptist Church of Dallas. Read how the Lord answered the fervent prayers of another part of the church of Jesus Christ. The same Lord that answered the prayers of this body is listening as we seek Him for all His fullness. The Holy Spirit is “stirring” His whole church and unifying us in the desire that we would “never be lacking in zeal but keep our spiritual fervor.”
The testimony of First Baptist Church reads:
“Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord,” the congregation of more than 1,500 repeated with enthusiasm as they quoted Romans 12:11 in unison with Jim Cymbala, pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle.
Dr. Jeffress asked Pastor Cymbala to come and lead the service, knowing that the future of the church depended on a fresh movement of God in the hearts of the members.
“The only one that can save us from lackadaisical Christianity is the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Cymbala told the congregation of First Baptist Dallas near the start of his message. After a few short minutes, those in attendance felt the meaning of those words in a powerful way.
“The room was filled with the Holy Spirit,” Brandon Watson, minister to young married adults said. “We were reminded of our purpose in life — that everything we do and everything we give is for the glory of God.”
Following the Spirit’s lead, Pastor Cymbala asked every man in the sanctuary to come down to the front — a powerful and moving sight to see as more than 700 men made their way through the aisles.
He then directed the men to pray one-on-one with someone near them, many men meeting for the first time getting the chance to pray for their brother in Christ that God would continue to renew his spiritual fervor.
With shouts of praise as his background music, Pastor Cymbala ended the evening with a prayer committing the entire campaign for the new campus to the glory of God.
“This church has a great history, God, but You didn’t say ‘from glory to less glory,’ You said from ‘glory to more glory,’” Pastor Cymbala shouted with joy. “The best is yet to come!”
Free Methodists too can say with Pastor Cymbala, “You didn’t say ‘from glory to less glory.’ You said from ‘glory to more glory.’ The best is yet to come!” Lord, may we be continually filled with zeal as we seek You, both individually and as a church.
April 25 – May 1
This week we continue to pray for the Ministry Group #3. Each of the four ministry groups is divided into three teams that will prayerfully consider three affirmations and come back with action proposals. And so we pray for Ministry Group #3’s tasks this week. As you approach these times of prayer ask the Holy Spirit to:
• Help us as a church to have hearts that yearn to use “every means … to accomplish our mission and honor our values.”
• Build faith, belief and desire for the Free Methodist church to be filled and enabled to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors and 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).
• Prompt us to pray like believers in the early church that God would make us bold. (Acts 4:29-31)
Monday – April 25th Prayer Task: “Focus of Ministry Group #3”
This Group’s Focus: “Every Means: Maximized and Legitimized” (Encouraging and promoting all efforts that accomplish our mission and honor our values).
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what means the Lord might use to accomplish His mission. What might He ask that would stretch us? Pray that everyone in the church will be open to “encouraging and promoting all efforts that accomplish our mission and our values.”
Tuesday – April 26th Prayer Task:
The Bishops Declare:
“Popular thought limits the means of church to the weekly corporate worship service, including song, offering, message, and sacrament. The life of Jesus and historical Christianity, however, clearly validate a broader means for making disciples of Jesus and effectively proclaiming that the kingdom of God has drawn near.
“We wish to encourage churches to look for nontraditional methods of organizing and doing the work of the church — efforts that are fruitful, holistic, reproducible, carry the gospel to underserved people, or release new leaders into ministry.”
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what we will need from the Lord as a church to help us be open to non-traditional methods. What will those whom the Lord calls to initiate these methods need from us as a church? Ask the Lord to provide us with what we need to promote creative mission but to encourage those who are called.
Wednesday – April 27th Prayer Task: “Affirmation One: Alternate Forms”
Ministry Group #3a Members: Pray for the team members as they are planning to come and serve. Pray that they would be taking time in prayer and the Word, preparing themselves to hear the Lord’s direction for the church.
Alternate Forms: The church in other parts of the world can show us alternate forms of church that engage their cultures in transforming ways. Some churches in the U.S. are implementing alternate models of what is essential for church.
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what non-traditional methods are being used now. Pray for these efforts and ask the Lord to increase the fruit of our ministry as a church by “any means.”
Thursday – April 28th Prayer Task: “Affirmation Two: Social Ministry Initiatives”
Ministry Group #3b Members: Pray for the team members as they are planning to come and serve. Pray that they would be taking time in prayer and the Word, preparing themselves to hear the Lord’s direction for the church.
Social Ministry Initiatives: Jesus used a full complement of ministry means (“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” Matthew 11:5.). We will identify and highlight social ministry initiatives that lead to authentic church or that provide context for church. Ministry normally flows out of who we are, where we are, and what we have (eg., who? — Moses; where? — the far side of the desert; what he had? — the staff in his hand). But instruments and tools are transformed once they are placed in service. We will lead the church to recognize and place into service that which is in our hands.
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about the varied modes of ministry cited in Matthew 11:5. Ask the Lord to increase our faith as a church so that we can function fully in any means that “leads to authentic church.” As you think and pray, ask the Lord to help us recognize what He has put into our hands and how He would have us use those things to minister.
Friday – April 29th Prayer Task: “Affirmation Three: Just the Right Giftings”
Ministry Group #3c Members: Pray for the team members as they are planning to come and serve. Pray that they would be taking time in prayer and the Word, preparing themselves to hear the Lord’s direction for the church.
Just The Right Giftings: Since the church exists to continue and extend the incarnational work of Christ within the context of a specific community’s needs, the church exists to share and serve appropriately. Wherever our people are there is a kingdom beachhead, a base of witness and service. God prepares the people of the church with just the right giftings for the actual needs of opportune moments, and they become signs for the church’s ministry.
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what specific needs our communities may have that would benefit from the “incarnational work of Christ.” Ask the Spirit to guide your thoughts in what those incarnational works might be. Pray that “just the right giftings” would be given at the actual “opportune moments” and that the church would be bold enough to act on those gifts.
Saturday – April 30th Prayer Task: “Ministry Group #3 Leadership”
Group Leader: Mark Adams
Keynote Speaker: Dwight Mason
Exemplars: Videos of 4-5 (Kathy Gaulton, Natura Wright, Amy Heath, Sab Prospero, Fred Lynch, AGE Sandoval)
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what these leaders will need in order to lead. Pray for their families and for their churches. Pray that they will be taking time in prayer and the Word to prepare themselves for the role they play in guiding the church to discover the Lord’s direction.
* Action Prayer: Go to www.gc11.org. Select “Contact.” Then select “General” from the drop-down menu. Write these leaders a note to tell them that you are praying for them and their ministry group.
Sunday – May 1st Prayer Task: “Ministry Group Assignment”
Ministry Group Assignment: To develop proposals, including action plans, for presentation to the plenary regarding the previous three affirmations described above.
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what kind of preparation and engagement will be needed by those involved in this ministry group. Pray that those things will occur, before and during their meetings.
Giving the Lord More of Your Sabbath: Take time today and go to Ministry Group #3’s page. Prayerfully read through all the questions they are asked to consider.
* “Action Prayer”
On occasion there will be an action cue. This is intended to help, as a church, to incorporate prayer in different ways throughout our day.
No related posts.
The Team 3 members (Every Means Team) is deeply appreciative of the prayers being lifted up by the people called Free Methodists. Blow, Holy Spirit, with a powerful wind that moves the church with purpose and wonder into its next chapter!