Morning Focus: Church Health and Unity
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit...But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, pall rejoice together.
- 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 25-26
• Pray for unity across social, economic, or ethnic barriers • Pray for the evident presence of God’s Spirit at work in our midst • Pray that we would see an unusual amount of conversions • Pray that our pastors and deacons, their spouses and families to not to grow weary • Pray for the each ministry of the church and those who labor in them • Pray for the godliness of our church and all of its members • Pray for God to make us a praying church • Pray that each member would sacrificially use their gifts for the building up of the church
Prayer: I bless you for the gifts with which you have enriched me, and which I do not deserve. But my soul is in shambles before you when I consider how little I have put them to good use. Compared to what you might reasonably have expected, what have I done with all the gifts you bestowed the abilities, time, talents, possessions, and influence?
Through my own negligence and foolishness, I see a barren wilderness where I might have seen a fruitful field and abundant harvest! I deserve to be stripped of everything and brought to immediate account condemned for unfaithfulness to you, to the world, and to my own soul.
But you, Lord, have freely forgiven the dreadful debt of ten thousand talents. I adore you for this! Accept my renewed surrender, Lord. I again submit myself and all that I have to serve you. In Jesus name, Amen.
– Phillip Doddridge, Piercing Heaven, Prayers of the Puritans
Afternoon Focus: Care for One Another
• Pray for our discipleship groups to reflect a rigorous spiritual care for one-another • Pray that we would not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, Heb. 10:24-25
• Pray that we would exhort one another daily so that we do not fall into sin, Heb 3:13
• Pray that God would use our care for one another to keep us from falling away • Pray that we would take this commitment to one-another as serious as possible
Hymn:
How sweet and awesome is this place With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores!
While all our hearts and all our songs Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest?
"Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather starve than come?"
'Twas the same love that spread the feast That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.
Pity the nations, O our God! Constrain the earth to come; Send Thy victorious Word abroad, And bring the strangers home.
We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May with one voice, and heart and soul, Sing Thy redeeming grace.
- Isaac Watts 1707
Evening Focus: Spiritual Maturity
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. –Ephesians 4:11-16
• Pray for Unity, Psalm 133 • Pray for Love, John 13:35 • Pray for a deeper knowledge of God, Ephesians 1:15-18
• Pray for Humility, Isaiah 66:2 • Pray for Hunger, Matthew 5:6 • Pray for Evangelistic Boldness, Acts 4:29-30 • Pray for Peace, Romans 14:19
Prayer: Gracious God, we praise you with our whole hearts for the wondrous revelation of your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. We do pray this with our whole hearts; assist us we pray most blessed Redeemer to show forth your praises in our lives. Sanctify us in our households. May we go in and out before you showing the name and nature of Christ. Strengthen us in secret, that we may be mighty in prayer. Guard us in public, that neither an act nor word may we slip away from you. Above all, cast the chords of love around our hearts. O, hold us savior, never let us go!
May those dear wounds of his have more sway over us than any treasure ever had over earthly kings. May we feel that if he drank for us the vinegar and gall, whatever cup he sets before us we will cheerfully drink. Rule us, Savior, rule us we beseech you. O Jesus, let us love you so intensely, that whatever else there may be of other relationships, may our love for you cover and swallow them all. O to be wholly Christ’s.
Bless at this time very graciously the church to which we belong. Let us know the power of prayer today and tomorrow: especially pour out upon the members of this church and intense spirit of supplication. May we agonize for the glory of God, and let it not depart from us as long as we live. Send us, Lord, a mighty groundswell of intense desire for the glory of God.
Lord, convert our friends that still remain unsaved. Oh mighty power of God, let none come into this house even accidentally and casually without receiving some devout impression. Let the nations melt into one glorious empire beneath the sway of Jesus the Son of God in whose name we pray. Amen.
– Charles Spurgeon, Pastoral Prayer November 4, 1877