Category: PASSION Resources

Prayer for the American People

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides2 Comments

Last Thursday was the National Day of Prayer.  It would I suppose be easy to move on to the next thing, but certainly we need to continue to pray for our nation.  Below is part of the prayer guide my church used for its prayer service last week.  Each point is taken from Isaiah (which we have been studying) where there are obvious similarities between Israel and our own country.

Sin, Corruption, and Turning from God – Isaiah 1:4, 3:8-9
Pray for repentance and lives transformed by Jesus

Idolatry – Isaiah 2:8, 18
Pray for a recognition and rejection of idols, and a turning to the one true God

Injustice – Isaiah 3:14-15, 5:8, 5:23, 10:1-2
Pray for justice for the weak, poor, unborn, victims of crime
Pray for the economy, businesses, jobs, and struggling families

Proud Self-Centeredness – Isaiah 3:16, 5:21, 9:9-10, 2:17
Pray for a growing humility and love for others
Pray for leaders/stars in sports, music, movies, etc.

Drunkenness – Isaiah 5:11-12, 5:22
Pray for those caught in addictions to find freedom in Jesus

Twisting Morality – Isaiah 5:20
Pray for those caught in the lies of our culture – to be set free by the truth

Fear and dis-ease– Isaiah 7:2
Pray for those caught in fear, worry, and stress – to find rest in the Lord

Division, Hatred, and Violence – Isaiah 9:18-20
Pray for civility in politics and commitment to common good
Pray for love for others regardless of race, etc.
Pray for our police and court systems
Pray for strong families, and the casualties of broken families

Prayer Guide for the National Day of Prayer

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides2 Comments

Below is the prayer guide my church is using for the National Day of Prayer this Thursday.  May all of God’s people commit to cry out to God for our country!

Prayer Guide for National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 1, 2014

Please spend some focused time praying for our nation.
If you are able to, you might consider fasting as well.

Breakfast/Morning – American Leaders/Government
• President Obama and his Cabinet – wisdom, strength, protection
• Congress – wisdom, ability to work together, civility, protection
• Supreme Court/Courts – wisdom, follow truth, protection
• Domestic Policies – social/family, economic, education, health, etc.
• Foreign Policies – Russia/Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Israel, etc.
• Military – Protection/safety, leadership, training, wisdom
• State – Governor, Legislature, Judicial – wisdom

Lunch/Noon – American People/Culture
• Growing recognition of the hollowness of the idols of our age: money, material things, sex, homosexuality, technology, social media, fame, power, alcohol, drugs, entertainment, government
• Growing openness and response to the hope of the gospel
• Many people in our community to come to Christ
• Families – strong marriages, children, finances/work
• Economy – national/state growth, job growth, local businesses
• Education – federal/state policies, curriculum, teachers, safety, local schools, public schools, private schools, home-school freedom
• Entertainment/Media – Christian influence, positive impact

Supper/Evening – American Churches/Revival
• Personal revival leading to church revival leading to another great awakening in our country
• Growing commitment to worship, prayer, discipleship, fellowship
• Growing commitment to evangelism and missions
• Growing love for God, his people, and the lost
• Courageous fidelity to Biblical truth in a culture of compromise
• Wisdom for pastors and other church leaders
• Wisdom for leaders of Christian ministries, schools, missions
• Christians living with Biblical integrity in the workplace, school, neighborhood, and community

 

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Points

Here are some good Passion Week related posts for your weekend reading:

How To Handle Your Sin – Kevin DeYoung
Run to the cross. There you will find salvation for your sin sick self.

God Wants You To Know How Much He Loves You – Jon Bloom (DG)
That’s what Passion Week is for; that you might remember and more deeply know how much God has loved you — so much that he gave his only Son for you
Includes a link to a Desiring God booklet with daily readings for the coming week.

The Passion Week – Infographic – Josh Byers
This week’s infographic, The Passion Week, is a chronological timeline of the major events that happened during Jesus’ last week before he died and rose again.

Some Easter Posts – Three Passions
This is a collection of Easter posts I put together last year, including another Easter week timeline and a short video you should watch every year.

The Thief and Us – Three Passions
Another post from last year worth pondering again.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day and coming week reflecting on our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection!

Reflections on Church History

On By BrianIn Biography/History

My youth/adult Sunday School class recently finished a 20 week study of church history. Looking back, here are a few thoughts:

  • The giants of church history were yet sinners saved by grace. Time and again as we looked at various heroes of the church, we saw not only great godly achievements, but also sinful failure. How could such a great man or woman of God do that? But God uses sinful people to accomplish his purposes so that we might glory not in the people but in their God. All have sinned and need a Savior.
  • God is still at work in his world. God wasn’t just active in Bible times, as it is easy to conclude when we ignore the last 2000 years. He has been at work in his church and world during the last two millennium, and he is still at work today.
  • The church today needs to study church history. It is important for us to know where we came from. It is essential for us to understand how the church came to understand Biblical truths so we can better discern truth from error today. It is helpful for us to look at life through the eyes of those who have gone before so that we might overcome some of the blind spots of our times. And it is a great benefit for us to learn from and be encouraged by the lives and writings of those who have gone before us.

If you have never studied church history, I encourage you to jump in!