Opening Prayer Church Meeting
Sometimes it's easy to fall into repeating the same phrases in our prayers over and over again, but when we start praying on auto-pilot, do we really mean it anymore? Church Announces 4 New Missions. For LDS Living. Watch: Missionary Impresses Members with Unbelievable Beatboxing Ability. LDS Living Staff. Opening prayers for worship. Here we are Lord; your people, your Church meeting together in your presence. We welcome each other and we welcome You. Make yourself known to us new ways through our worship, our prayers and our understanding of your Word today.
Leading Your Church in a Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting Just Imagine
On Sunday morning, October 13, 2013, I led our entire Cross Church Family in a prayer meeting. I believed it was time to issue a call to the Cross Church Family for spiritual revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America.
Our Purpose
Why dedicate an entire Sunday morning service to a prayer meeting? I felt God leading me to alert our Cross Church family of the need for spiritual revival and awakening in America. I lead them through a spiritual process that was both personal and sequential, and then sent our church out with a burden for revival and a hope for the future. Revival is the manifestation of the presence of God in our lives. Revival begins with me. Revival begins with you.
A Personal Conviction
I have a personal conviction about why we pray for revival and awakening. Personally, I believe we need to pray for personal revival, revival in the church, and awakening in the nation, so that we can see the Great Commission of Jesus Christ escalated and accelerated to completion in our generation. I am compelled to call the church to revival and the country to be awakened spiritually, so that we can see the completion of the Great Commission in our generation.
Word-Based, Spirit-Led, and Worshipful
We focused solely on praying, and everything we did was based upon the Word of God. I took the Word of God, read it, taught it briefly, and then led our people to respond to God through prayer. Throughout the worship experience of teaching and prayer, we expressed various moments through songs of worship.
Prayer Times Built Upon Biblical Principles
I taught through five specific principles, spending four to six minutes on each.
- A Vision for Revival in the Church and Awakening in the Nation
- The Exceeding Sinfulness of our Sin
- Cleansing and Renewal
- Fully Surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and Experiencing the Fullness of the Holy Spirit
- Advancing the Gospel Everywhere
After each principle was taught from God’s Word, we moved to prayer. We prayed silently, we prayed together, we prayed on our knees, we prayed standing, and we prayed at the altar. My desire was to lead by the Spirit’s direction; built upon the Word of God, responding to God through prayer, and expressed through worship.
It was a Wonderful Experience
Without a doubt, the entire service was a wonderful experience. Lay people and pastors want to pray. Those who do not know how to pray want to learn to pray effectively. As spiritual leaders, we need to create a pathway for them. It was a highly memorable day for many, and life changing for some.
Just Imagine…
Just imagine what would happen in America if every church spent an entire Sunday morning worship service focused on prayer for revival in the church and awakening in America? Just imagine what would happen if each of those services led toward praying about advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ regionally, nationally, and internationally, calling upon the church to rise up and complete the Great Commission in our generation?
I am convinced that every great movement of God is preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people. Now is the time we rise up as the church of Jesus Christ and elevate prayer in our churches. If we are not careful, we will reduce prayer in local church worship services to routine and less important than announcements.
Jonathan Edwards said it This Way
Jonathan Edwards, the man God used as the catalyst for the 1st Great Awakening said,
“So it is God’s will that the prayers of His saints shall be great and the principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s Kingdom in the world. When God has something to accomplish for His church, it is with His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayer of His people.”
Oh friend, just imagine, if every church in America turned just one entire worship service into a prayer service, calling upon the God of Heaven to bring revival into our lives personally, in His church, and awakening in our nation, so that we can see the Great Commission escalated and accelerated to completion in our generation.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Merciful God and Father, you have not only declared that we will always have the poor with us, but have also commanded us to support them in their need. Photoshop cc 2015 free download. You have ordained the service of deacons for your church, in order that the needy members may receive the necessary support. You have called us to the office of deacon in this congregation, and we are now assembled in your name to deal with the matters pertaining to our office. We humbly implore you to dwell among us with the Spirit of discretion. Grant us his help, that we may be able to establish who are the ones that are truly in need. Lead us to them and help us to distribute the offerings that have been collected in a spirit of joy, fidelity, and liberality.
Kindle fervent love for the needy in the hearts of your people, that they may generously contribute to them as your stewards. Grant us sufficient means to bring relief to the needy. May we discharge the duties of our office as Christ’s ministers of mercy.
Give us your grace to relieve needs by means of material gifts and to instill the comfort of your holy Word into the hearts of the afflicted, that they may put their trust in you alone. Bless, we pray, our work of mercy that we all may praise and thank you, while we await the blessed appearance of your Son, Jesus Christ, who became poor for our sakes that he might enrich us with eternal treasures. Free printable verb list.
Opening Prayer Church
In his name we pray. Amen.