Words and phrases in Scripture often emphasize the unity that the Lord wants His people to share. The following verses are just a few examples. Notice the italicized words.
- “Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. The people came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” 2 Chronicles 20:3-4
- “They all joined together constantly in prayer… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. …” (Acts 1:14, 2:4)
- Pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored. …” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)
Jesus’ own prayers for our unity (John 17) are constantly spread over us. Together let’s humbly pray as Daniel led, “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O God, do no delay, because your city [church] and your people bear your Name.”
Let’s join in praying: Hear our prayers, O Lord, for your church, for those of us called Free Methodist.
Monday, March 14 through Sunday, March 20
The bishops have stated that General Conference 2011 should be “a resourcing event to bring about revival and renewal for the church.” Four plenary sessions at GC11 will revolve around four vital ways we must engage our world in order to seek the Lord for that renewal. The first Group is “Every Person — Empowerment of the Whole Church.” In order to be empowered we must have the Holy Spirit’s presence.
This week we will focus on asking the Holy Spirit to come thoroughly and with power. We will use Scripture to guide our prayers. Next week we will look at the call and continue to pray for this first group’s “task.” As you approach these times of prayer, ask God to:
- Give us hearts that yearn to go beyond salvation to the infilling and empowerment of His Spirit.
- 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 He will ask us to do but trust Him, as children trust a loving father, to give us only what is good.
- Work in us the boldness of His Spirit.
Monday – March 14th Prayer Task: “Need for the Holy Spirit”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” — Matthew 3:11
Focus: It was the Lord’s intention to baptize us with the Holy Spirit – “with fire.”
Gratitude: Thank the Lord that it is not by might nor by power but by (His) Spirit (Zechariah 4:6) that we receive what we need to be what He has called us to be.
Pray: Think about your own needs to be filled. Think about the needs of the church. Ask the Lord to baptize us all with His Holy Spirit and fire, so His will may be accomplished in and through us.
Tuesday – March 15th Prayer Task: “The Infilling of Our Children”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “ … For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” — Luke 1:15
Focus: We sometimes relegate children to play, waiting for them to “grow up” rather than taking seriously that there is a call on their lives from the beginning. The Lord is not a respecter of age. He will work in and through all ages — from beginning to end.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord that Jesus, Himself, said , “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. … And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” — Mark 10:14-16
Pray: Think about the need to pray for our children. Ask the Lord to help us seriously and intentionally pray for our children and anticipate His work through them.
*Action Prayer: How can your church pray for and bless the children? Walk through and pray for each Sunday school room, from infants to high school, asking the Lord to protect them and fill them with His Spirit.
Wednesday – March 16th Prayer Task: “Devoted Waiting”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” — Luke 2:25
Focus: Looking at a scripture briefly before we go to work and praying a five-minute prayer is not what brings about revival. We have to be willing to devote time and attention to seeking the Lord — knowing Him, listening to His Word and voice and being obedient. He will show up in His time in response to our invitation and devotion.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord that people like Simeon obeyed His call to wait and pray, to seek Him “with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.” It is through these devoted ones that the blessing and presence of the Lord is given.
Pray: Think about how devotion to the Lord is expressed. Think about how we, as individuals and as a church, need to deepen in devotion. Ask the Lord to lead, guide and fill us so that we are devoted to Him, not the world.
Thursday – March 17th Prayer Task: “Spirit-filled Witnesses”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8
Focus: One of the main “results” of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the ability, freedom and boldness to share our faith.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord that what He calls us to do He enables us to do through His Spirit’s presence.
Pray: Think about how you tend to react toward sharing your faith. Think about the church and how much fruit has been born through sharing our faith. Ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit so we will have what we need to share the forgiving, healing, equipping message of our Lord Jesus.
Friday – March 18th Prayer Task: “Beyond Salvation”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” — Acts 2:38
Focus: Sharing our faith goes beyond wanting forgiveness of sins for people. That is only the initial step. We are instructed that the infilling of the Spirit is what people need to keep growing in the Lord.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit that fills us, teaches us, assures us and emboldens us. He gives us what we need to live joy-filled, fruitful lives as His disciples.
Pray: Think about how we offer salvation to those who don’t know Jesus. Do we stop with salvation? Do we specifically ask the Holy Spirit to fill them? Go to the Lord and ask Him to give us the courage and opportunities to offer the fullness of His salvation, which is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to fill us as a church so that we can offer that fullness to others.
Saturday – March 19th Prayer Task: “Chosen, Spirit-filled Servers”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.” — Acts 6:5
Focus: The early church took every serving position seriously. Those in charge of caring for widows and serving tables had to be Spirit-filled.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord for the Spirit-filled servants that are in your/our church or have been in your life.
Pray: Think about how we fill positions as a church. What needs to be different? Pray that we as a church would have what it takes to fill each position with Spirit-filled servants. Every position in the church, from custodian to pastor, should possess and offer the fullness of Jesus’ salvation.
Sunday – March 20th Prayer Task: “Readiness for the Holy Spirit”
Scripture (Look this up and mark it in your Bible): “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” — Acts 7:51
Focus: There is frustration in this scripture. We get frustrated with our children when they don’t do or desire what we know will bring them blessing. That frustration is communicated by Stephen as he points out the tendency God’s people have to resist the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit desperately.
Gratitude: Thank the Lord for those in the church that are filled and “preach” the filling of the Spirit.
Pray: Think about how we as individuals and the church have resisted the Holy Spirit. Let us ask forgiveness for our resistance and invite the fullness of the Lord into every area of our lives and the church.
Giving the Lord More of Your Sabbath: Today is a very fitting day to spend time reading scriptures about the Holy Spirit. Use a concordance to look up verses that refer to the Holy Spirit. Pray before you read, asking the Lord to instruct, convict and fill you and the church in increasing measure.
* “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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Two young boys from the neighborhood have been showing up at our Sunday morning worship services. They walk to church on their own and attend without other family. One, who is 10 or 11, brings coloring sheets and crayons to try to keep the seven-year-old quietly occupied, but the younger one can’t manage to sit still very long. The pastor “redirects” him gently.
After the service the younger boy gallops off, full of pent-up energy. His big brother chats with me a few minutes. It turns out that the younger boy has an exceptionality, a learning disability, an anomaly, an IEP (individual educational program). His “learning disabled” class is not in our community, so he is bused to another school district 20 miles away. He is not allowed to attend school with neighborhood friends, but is exiled for the crime of differentness. The older boy is protective of the younger, and resents the fact that his little brother can’t attend school here and participate in local school activities. Bullies use the r-word concerning the younger boy; the older boy often fights those who taunt the younger.
For an hour on Sunday morning the younger boy is not just ADHD and other letters and labels, but a child who wants to be with us. We are glad he and his brother know they can come and join in our time together. They pass the offering plates and carry them to the front with dignity approaching reverence. Theirs may be a somewhat irregular worship, but I believe God accepts it; and when the boys pray, however they pray, God hears and understands.
Jesus beckoned children to him, in love and acceptance, and later he died for their age group along with all the others. Even now, in our church, he is showing us an important cohort of the Kingdom of Heaven. May God teach us to be as little children in spontaneous response to him. He has loved us with all our spiritual exceptionalities and learning delays, our anomalies and perceptual handicaps. How could we receive such love and not overflow with love for these boys who have chosen us as their “church home”?
WOW! We never know when we may be entertaining angels…of any size?
Nice post..Beautifully explains prayers for all the day.God really wants that people come together to pray and to seek help from the lord.Prayer is the way which not only connect to the people to the god but also to the each other.The power of prayer will increase in double if we are pray in unity.i visit many christian churches in california during my tour.Some of them organizes such a program that people connect to each other before they connect to the God.I really like the the sentence “Thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit that fills us, teaches us, assures us and emboldens us.”.we really thankful to god for bless us so much.I just wish o my lord please give us the power to love each other forever….
Love,
Emma