Tag: Church

Sunday Morning Prayer Guide

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

I wrote the following guide for a Sunday morning prayer time.  The requests are all about asking God to prepare our hearts to worship Him.  I wonder what might happen in our lives and churches, if we prayed prayers like this each Sunday morning. So here is a prayer guide for your consideration as you prepare to worship the Lord this Sunday, and maybe the Sundays beyond.

Pray through God’s Word
Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
– Psalm 85:6-7

Pray for Myself
• A heart to worship the Lord for his great love and salvation
• God’s Word to convict, challenge, and comfort me this morning
• God’s help to encourage and build up others this morning

Pray for Our Church
• For people to come, and Holy Spirit to work mightily among us
• Growing joy and delight in the Lord, desire and thirst for God
• Deep hunger for the Word, and abundant grace to live it out
• Growing burden to pray – individually and corporately
• Reverent awe of our great and glorious God
• Gripped by the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection
• Personal revivals leading to church revival
• Practical love and care for one another

Wednesday: Pray for the World Church

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Pray for the World Church:

  • Churches to grow, world-wide church revivals
  • Pastors – Biblical training and resources, Biblical faithfulness
  • Church in Nepal, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, India, China, etc.
  • Perseverance and strength for persecuted Christians
  • God’s provision (food, homes, jobs) for Christians
  • Christian refugees – especially from Syria and Iraq – and those ministering to them
  • Bibles, Christian literature, radio, TV, and internet available to encourage, strengthen, and help grow in the Lord
  • Growing freedom to worship the Lord

Tuesday: Pray for the American Church

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Pray for the American Church:

  • Personal revivals leading to church revivals around the 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

Monday: Pray For Your Church

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides1 Comment

Pray for your church:

  • Growing joy and delight in the Lord, desire and thirst for God
  • Deep hunger for the Word, and abundant grace to live it out
  • Growing burden to pray – individually and corporately
  • Reverent awe of our great and glorious God
  • Gripped by the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection
  • Personal revivals leading to church revival
  • Practical love and care for one another
  • Striving for unity and peace in our thoughts, words, & actions

Not Lone Rangers

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

Tabletalk2015-04God saves us as individuals – I cannot count on anyone else’s faith in order to be redeemed. However, the Lord redeems us to put us in community. This happens preeminently in the church, where God provides the fellowship that we need in order to grow and thrive. We cannot be lone rangers and expect that our faith will thrive. Are you seeking to build community in your church? Are you making time regularly to fellowship with the Lord’s servants?

– From the April 2015 issue of Tabletalk

Ministry Collection

On By BrianIn Ministry Moments

Here are some good posts on preaching:

How Long Should A Sermon Be – Brian Biedebach (Preachers & Preaching)
The message must last long enough for the text to be rightly explained and the practical implications properly developed….

Why Sermons Often Bore – Gavin Ortlund (TGC)
…how to preach to the heart, and through the heart to the whole person.

Top 500 Preaching Resources – David Murray
A treasure trove of opportunities to grow in our preaching!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How Do You Know You’re Repentant? – Jared Wilson
We name our sin as sin and do not spin it or excuse it, and further, we demonstrate “godly sorrow,” which is to say, a grief chiefly about the sin itself, not just a grief about being caught or having to deal with the consequences of sin.

3 Reasons Why You Aren’t Allowed To Be Theologically Dumb – Chris Martin (ME)
When you love God with your heart but not your mind, you end up loving the god of your imagination, not the God of the universe.

Theological Black Holes – Tim Challies
And this is one of the reasons God places us in church communities where we are surrounded by people who are that much wiser and that much more mature than we are.

Making the Most of Sunday – Joe Thorn (TCC)
As we look forward to what God will do among us as we gather let’s remember that there are three ways to get the most out of your Sundays with the church: prepare, participate, and reflect….

Hope you make the most of the Lord’s Day this week as you gather with your local church!