Becoming a House of Prayer

The book, The Prayer Saturated Church by Cheryl Sacks, provides guidance for starting a prayer ministry that can lead a church to becoming a house of prayer. The author recommends starting with a small prayer group that focuses upon God’s strategic goals for the church by asking God

  • to bring vision to the pastor
  • to appoint leaders to expand the church’s prayer ministry
  • to increase the spiritual apetite of the congregation
  • for a spirit of prayer to saturate the entire congregation
  • to bring others into this small group praying for the church’s prayer ministry

Lord, please grant us the vision to become the church you want us to be.

Help each of us individually and as a congregation to have an increased spiritual appetite.

Allow a spirit of prayer to permeate our church reaching out to the entire congregation.

Amen

Published in: on June 28, 2008 at 8:20 pm Leave a Comment

Am I Committed — Completely Committed to Christ?

Me or Jesus by Perry Noble — June 1, 2008

Matthew 19: 16-30

  • Learn to view life thru the eyes of Christ instead of my own – sometimes I get so focused on my own world and try to get God in on what I want to do instead of getting in on what God wants me to do
  • “Christianity is nothing more than a series of next steps where you and I gradually get closer to Jesus.”
  • Next step is my personal responsibility

Layers of Commitment

1. Interest Level

  • Begin to show interest in Christ
  • Asking questions
  • Can’t figure out what’s missing in life

2. Involvement

  • Volunteer — even for little things
  • Join a church

3. Inspection

  • Self-evaluation
  • Pay attention to God pressing down on an issue in life
  • Ask God, “What do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20)
  • What am I resisting that God wants me to do?
  • What am I holding onto that God wants me to get rid of?

4. Interruption

  • God will totally interrupt life
  • God will ask me to give up things I love more than Him
  • When I get mad, ask is it the whole church getting mad, or is it God convicting me of my fault?
  • What do I still lack? Am I willing to get alone with God and ask this question?
  • How do we stand in the shadow of a blood stained cross and tell Jesus the price is too high.

Jesus gave his best

Can I?

Published in: on June 8, 2008 at 2:09 am Leave a Comment