“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’
“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.
“They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:2-6 NIV).
Many times when we pray for the Lord to guide us in how to serve we think that only the “large” calls of being a missionary, an inner-city worker, a church planter, etc., are the ones that count.
However, let us remember this scripture as we pray to make an impact on our communities. We should send into roles of service people who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Why? Scripture reveals how these Spirit-filled servants in Acts 6 were able to heal and do the miraculous in the midst of the task of waiting on tables.
Our prayers must not overlook anyone whom God calls into service in all spheres of ministry. God’s callings cannot be categorized into great or small. Let us pray that all our people in any ministry venue will be “full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Then see how our world will be transformed by the presence of the living God.
May 2 – May 8
The bishops have stated that General Conference should be “a resourcing event to bring about revival and renewal for the church.” Plenary sessions and ministry groups focus on four goals to help the church reach forward with the Lord’s guidance. We have prayed for three of those goals. This week we focus on the fourth: Every Place: Engaging Community and World (Impacting “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth”). To support this fourth ministry group and its focus for the church, we will pray about some aspects of our mission and values.
As you approach these times of prayer ask the Holy Spirit to:
- 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” (Phil. 1:6).
- Work His boldness in us. (Acts 4:29-31)
Monday – May 2nd Prayer Task: “An Outreach Church”
An Outreach Church: This “expected outcome” implies that a good portion of our people’s time and energy must not be consumed by church programs. They must be free to enter and engage with their community and be taught to serve redemptively.
Read: Luke 10:30-37
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about how people can be set free with time and training to reach out. Pray for those things to come true in our churches.
Tuesday – May 3rd Prayer Task: “A World Missions Church”
A World Missions Church: This “expected outcome” implies that our people must be given opportunities to know our missionaries, discover our mission fields, and experience a mission project first hand.
Read: Matthew 10:1-10
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what it takes to acquaint people with a total picture of world missions. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Wednesday – May 4th Prayer Task: “All People Everywhere”
All People Everywhere: Our Free Methodist mission statement says that we will “make known to all people everywhere God’s call to wholeness …”.
Read: Acts 2:17; Gal. 6:10; 2 Peter 3:9
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what “all people” and “everywhere” means. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Thursday – May 5th Prayer Task: “Indigenous Leadership”
Indigenous Leadership: The goal of any responsible mission effort is to raise up godly, competent leadership from among the native (indigenous) people.
Read: Titus 1:4-9
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what it will take for FM missions to raise up indigenous leaders. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Friday – May 6th Prayer Task: “World Conference”
World Conference: The worldwide FM church is growing strong and mature with gifted leaders. We should look to our overseas brothers and sisters for counsel, insight and vision. We may need them more than they need us.
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about how we need the help of the overseas church. Pray for our churches to be eager for its influence.
Saturday – May 7th Prayer Task: Prayer Task: “Global-minded Churches”
Global-minded Churches: Every local church needs to have its vision raised above and beyond its local congregation and community, giving generously and sending people regularly into mission efforts.
Read: Acts 1:8; Acts 13:1-3
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about how local churches become global-minded. Pray for those things to come true in our church.
Sunday – May 8th Prayer Task: “Real Harvest Workers”
Real Harvest Workers: When Jesus tells us to pray for workers, that implies that we must pray for “workers” who have the skills of harvesting. Read whom Jesus sent out immediately after this command and the skills he gave them. (Matthew 9:37-10:1)
Pray: Ask the Spirit to guide you in thinking about what it will take to find real harvest workers and pray for this to come true in our churches.
Giving the Lord More of Your Sabbath: Take time today and pray also for those serving in special ministries in your community and our nation as well as those missionaries sponsored by your conference.
* PLEASE NOTE: “Action Prayer”
On occasion there will be an action cue. This is intended to help us, as a church, incorporate prayer in different ways throughout our day.
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