Pray First: Miracles

Acts 4:29-32

29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.

I love that in the face of opposition and persecution the response of the early church was to pray together and it seems that they did so loudly and passionately. They prayed specifically for two things; firstly for boldness to continue to declare the message of Jesus and secondly for God to heal and move in power amongst them.

My prayer as we launch our new location in Sheffield and that I would like you to take some time to pray for today, is for the same. I want us to be a community of people who stand together and pray for boldness to declare the message of Jesus to the people of Sheffield. Pray for people you know, who you could invite, and for boldness for you to share your own story of faith with them. I also want us to pray boldly for God to move miraculously amongst us in Sheffield. I don’t know exactly what this will look like, but I want to boldly ask God for people’s lives to be transformed; for people to be healed; for people to choose to follow Jesus; for people to find hope and a purpose; for broken relationships to be restored; for us to be able to influence the city for good; and for his favour to be on everything that we do so that our success can only be attributable to him. I don’t want our prayers to be too small and limit what God can do through us, so pray big prayers!

And finally, when the believers prayed these prayers the Holy Spirit filled them and shook the room they were in. I pray that as we take the time to pray for these things we too are filled with the Holy Spirit and can step into the everything God has for us in Sheffield with a God inspired boldness.

Pray First: Tell Others

2 Timothy 4:2

      "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching".

Whilst writing his letter to Timothy Paul is facing his own death - a very scary thought indeed. His final and rather passionate instruction to tell others about God had such significance then and still does today. 

Paul was concerned for the churches he'd planted and was urging Timothy, his 'pupil', to stay focussed on spreading the gospel. Paul strikes me as a man of great integrity and diligence. He knew his mission and even during his final days, his love for the church and God was the driving force behind his words to Timothy. 

Notice that even in the twilight of his life, Paul is encouraging - "Whether the time is favourable or not". This is something we can certainly echo within our world, remembering that to tell others the good news about Jesus is for every moment, not just in the good times.

The verse talks about "being ready". In all honesty and humanly speaking, perfect timing is sometimes hard to achieve. So how can we be ready and prepared? Pray. We need to ask God to partner with us as well as equip us with everything we need to be ready and prepared.

Pray with me that as we prepare to launch, God will make us ready, give us opportunities to tell others and equip us with what we need to be the encouraging good-news-tellers He has called us to be. 

Pray First: Circles of Prayer

I recently read about the idea of prayer circles in a book written by Mark Batterson I was gifted by a family member. From reading the title I have to admit I was at first a little dubious. However, prayer circles are not some weird ritualistic activity but a practical way of focusing prayer and making regular time for it in our otherwise busy lives.

The idea can be taken literally and the things or names of people you want to pray for written in a circle or otherwise used as a metaphor. Batterson says:

There is nothing magical about physically circling something in prayer,

but there is something biblical about it.

The Israelites circled the city of Jericho

until the wall came down.

By using the prayer circle method you are making a regular commitment to those specific prayers you wish to make and praying with more intensity.

The book shares a great piece of scripture from Isaiah I have included below. The scripture really spoke to me and reminds us that our prayers are not just empty words but have great importance to God. Prayer is an opportunity to declare the things we desire for ourselves and others.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

it will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Launching Christian Life Church Sheffield is such an exciting and fulfilling venture and definitely worthy of a prayer circle. So, THIS IS MY PRAYER...

I pray that Sheffield would flourish and thrive both culturally and economically.

I pray for all the people who Christian Life Church will reach.

I pray that the launch team involved will have both a purpose and passion for the vision we take to Sheffield.

Pray First: Boldness

Boldness

Ephesians 6:19-20

19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Ephesians is perhaps the most encouraging letter written by Paul. It’s full of praise and declares God’s goodness throughout. Perhaps this is because as Paul writes in section of the letter, he is continually praying to God with all sorts of requests and prayers. I passionately believe that prayer should be a normal and everyday conversation that we have with God. We can make prayer something hard that we have to do at 5am or think that we need to say a particular set of words for God to hear us, but this isn’t true. Just talk to God throughout the day, bring your hopes and fears, concern for others and thankfulness continually to God.  

In this verse Paul does ask the church in Ephesus to pray for him, but not that his life would be easier but rather that he continues to declare the message of Jesus, that he has been entrusted with, as boldly as possible. I ask therefore for everyone to pray for the leaders of CLC Sheffield and that we can continually be bold in taking the message of Jesus we also have been entrusted with to the people of Sheffield. Pray against any sense of fear or trepidation but pray that we take bold, faith-filled decisions.

Finally today, my prayer is that we all increase in our boldness. We carry within us a good news message. A message that brings life and hope to everyone who hears and responds. I pray that we don’t let our fears and insecurities get in the way of someone meeting with Jesus.

Pray First: Empower

To see God's power, look at His love

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Do you ever find that it's in times of trouble that you turn to God most? When we are facing a challenge in life, whatever that might be, we often turn to God to ask him to turn our situation around; we want to see His power.

As we launch a new Christian Life Church location in Sheffield and we think about the enormity of what God has called us to do, it's tempting to focus on the obstacles and pray for God's power to help us overcome them. And I think that's okay. If something is a concern to us, it's a concern to God; He cares about all the details of our lives and we should never hesitate to bring all of our worries and burdens to Him.

But too great a focus on the obstacles can be unhealthy; our attention can become fixed on the problem, when the answer is so often found by fixing our attention on God.

I love this passage in Ephesians because it shows us the Apostle Paul's response to a potentially challenging task ahead. Paul was one of the earliest church builders; he lived around about the time of Jesus and God asked him to go and tell the world the Good News about Jesus; the Good News that, because God loved the world so much, He chose not to condemn you and I for all our mistakes, but instead to take all the punishment that justice requires on Himself by coming to Earth as a man, Jesus Christ, and laying down His life for us, on a cross. Three days after Jesus died on that cross, He rose again and now our debt is cancelled and we can life free. Now whoever we are, whatever our past, we can have a personal relationship with God, we can all experience peace, joy and fulfilment in our lives that we just can't find anywhere else.

The 'all this' that Paul refers to in verse 14 is the Good News about Jesus Christ and the fact that God has asked Paul to risk even his own life by sharing that news with the non-Jewish world.

I love Paul's reaction. When he thinks of all that God has done, when he considers how wide, how long, how high and how deep the love of God is, for each and every person, no matter who they are or what they have done wrong, Paul falls to his knees to pray that others will also know that same love. Paul's concern is not for how he will accomplish what God has asked of him, or whether God's power will make it happen, Paul's sole focus is on the love of God.

As we start out on this new path that we believe God has set out for us, as we grow in number, as we share the Good News about Jesus with all who will listen, my hope and my prayer is that day after day, every person on this journey, whether it's the pastor or the passer by, will experience a greater revelation of God's love for them. I pray that we will never stop seeking more and more understanding of that love, since we can never understand it fully.

I believe that if we keep looking at God's love, God will give us the strength and the power that we need to do whatever He has planned for us.

Pray First: Opportunities

Opportunities

Colossians 4:2-4

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Paul wrote the book of Colossians while in prison, but his encouragement for the Christians within Colosse to pray, isn’t focused on his circumstances, rather it’s all about others. His prayer is for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. I hope this is our prayer also as we go into Sheffield. I pray that we get lots of opportunities to meet, chat to and invite people to get to know Jesus. Paul had an opportunity to talk to the jailers and guards as they were chained to him. I pray that we recognise opportunities when they arise.  The circumstances were far from perfect. Why should the guards listen to the message of the prisoner? But Paul had confidence that if he shared what he knew of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit would work within the guards and bring transformation. If Paul waited for a perfect opportunity, then he would have been a far less successful church planter. I pray we take every opportunity presented to us, no matter of when and how they arise.

Paul also prays that he is able to communicate the gospel clearly. I pray for this also. Part of the mission statement of CLC is to build contemporary churches. I pray that we can use the cultural artifacts of the city of Sheffield in 2016, in order to connect with the people who live and work within the city and to make the timeless gospel message clear and understandable to them. The fundamental message never changes, but both Jesus and the Apostles used examples from everyday life in order to make the truth of the gospel clear to all. I pray that we can do the same today, not weakening anything but enabling people to connect with the message no matter what their background.  

Finally, I pray that no matter who we are in conversation with, grace always permeates through our words.  Grace in conversation is tricky to fully describe, but you know when you see and feel it. I pray that we are demonstrating love, forgiveness, encouragement and generosity and that the words we say to others, bring life and goodness.

Pray First: Your Kingdom Come

Pray First

We are just one week away from our launch in Sheffield, and before we do anything we want to Pray First. Focusing our attention on God as we pray aligns our thoughts and actions with Him, and reminds us why do what we do, why we choose to serve.

Choosing to Pray First reminds us that it is only God that can save and rescue people, our calling is to introduce them to Him.

We are asking you to pray/fast with us in the week leading up to our launch night as we believe there is real power in standing together. Below is the first of seven themes that we hope you will join us in exploring as we Pray First.

Your Kingdom Come

Matthew 6:9-13

9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

    may your name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

    as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need,

12 and forgive us our sins,

    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 And don’t let us yield to temptation

but rescue us from the evil one.

These words, taken from The Lord's Prayer are some of the most well-known, and often-spoken in all of history - and for good reason. Jesus teaches us how to pray, how to speak to our Father in heaven.

If you’re anything like me then your prayers typically start with ‘I’ and go on to tell him your problems, or ask for answers/miracles! In this text, the first thing Jesus reminds us of how incredible and awe-inspiring God is, so much so that whenever we pray we should give glory and honour to our Creator.

Next, Jesus prays ‘Your Kingdom Come’, these three words the ultimate vision statement of our mission in life. As Christians (or Christ followers) we want to see God’s Kingdom brought to earth, here and now. Wherever Jesus went, he spread the message of God’s Holiness, Grace, and Love - sometimes through his teachings, more often through his own actions.

As we prepare to launch our new location in Sheffield, I’d love you to join me today in worshipping and praising our Father. We were created to praise God and reflect his glory, set some time aside to do so. Pray with me that His Kingdom come here on earth. Pray that we will have chances to share his good news with people in Sheffield for the first time. Ask God for opportunities to do His will, and invite Him to work through you.