Sabbath, January 13, 2018                                                                                 The Meeting Place was Shaken

Powerful Prayer Happens When We Gather Together and Rest in Christ

Scriptures to Consider: Genesis 2:18; Psalm 73:25; Matthew 18:20; Romans 12:4-5;

Hebrews 10:25

There is no doubt in my mind that powerful prayer can happen with individuals because the prayer of a righteous man can avail much. However, when we gather together in one accord with a focus on the will of God towards others with lenses of God’s grace to see how God will respond mighty things can happen.

As you gather in your churches on Sabbath day, you will most certainly be praying. Make these powerful prayer lessons become a lifestyle for your church. Incorporate them into your decision making structures. Use them before your outreach events. Count on God to participate in your gatherings. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide your progress. Focus on one step in God’s mission for your church at a time and watch God be faithful to His promises.

As we rest on the Sabbath from our labors, let us not rest on the work of advancing God’s Kingdom. Likewise, let Sabbath not be the only day that we are advancing God’s Kingdom. Be proactive in your prayer for God’s favor, for God’s will, and for God’s glory to be made real to you and to your congregation.

Christ promises to one day return for all those who belong to Him. The message that we have to share with others is not how much work there is to be done for Him but rather how much work Christ has done for us. He has participated in the creation of all things, invaded history as a man to know what it is like to be us in every way, He lived a perfect life because we could not (and still can not), He died a substitutionary death taking our sins upon Himself incurring God’s full wrath, He was raised from the dead to give us hope, He is interceding on our behalf, and will return so that at the Judgment Day God will see His righteousness instead of ours if we place our faith in Him. Because of this, we can rest from our worry and from our guilt and shame.

Will you and your church become powerful prayer warriors for His glory and for our good? Amen.

Prayer Focus: Be thankful for your church family. Be thankful for those gathered with you today. Be thankful for those who helped in your faith story. Be thankful for those that God will use you and your church to reach. Encourage rest in Christ. Anticipate His return and celebrate. Rejoice in the hope we have in eternal life. Live like you belong to Jesus.  

Pray for Seventh Day Baptists in Africa (South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, & Nigeria).

You can get the booklet in pdf format here: 2018 SDB Week of Prayer Booklet