“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). In this declaration from God we are reminded that the work of God’s mission doesn’t take place through our personal efforts, but through being empowered and equipped by the Spirit of God. In moving toward our purpose of Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage we recognise that this is a task that we are unable to do in our own strength. We have been led to this task by God and we are reliant upon his Holy Spirit to continue to shape our congregation as a place where disciples our grown.
In thinking about how we organise ourselves best for the ministry of God, the Elders have identified the need to have prayer teams to support each of the aspects of our purpose. One of our Core Values is Fervent Prayer where we say that we value praying together and individually, recognising prayer as essential to life and our relationship with God. A fervent belief and practice in a life of prayer releases the power of God within us and the congregation as a whole.
I’m therefore asking for people who are willing to be part of one of five prayer networks that we are going to establish. The prayer networks will cover the areas of Exalt (worship), Explore (small groups), Embody (service), Engage (evangelism) and property and finance. Those who are part of a prayer network will be asked to commit to pray regularly for the movement and power of God’s Spirit to work in that area. They will pray for the people and activities involved and for the potential of what can happen in the lives of individuals and the congregation. They will also pray against those things that hamper our mission. At different times the Team Leader for an area will distribute specific prayer points.
In addition to personal times of prayer, some of the prayer networks may choose to combine to offer prayer. This may include coming together physically to pray together or it may involve committing to pray at the same time from different physical locations. This can be discussed and arranged within the prayer network.
The funny thing that I find about prayer is that it is one of the easiest things that we can do in our discipleship and yet it is the single most effective thing that we can do. But it is often the thing that we overlook in our rush to achieve outcomes that appeal to our sense of accomplishment. Our Church Council commits time at each meeting to stopping our discussions and sharing together in prayer. Each second month the Elders meet only for prayer. Prayer requests that are offered on the Care Cards are prayed over by the Elders and others. During this year we have had opportunities each month to specifically pray for the people and activities of our congregation. Each week in the notice sheet we are encouraged to pray for the people and mission of Emmanuel. Most of us have our own times of prayer and prayer is an essential feature of our worship services. Prayer is part of our life as disciples of Jesus.
Please consider being part of a prayer network and add this to your prayer routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment