LIVING ON A PRAYED FOR PLANET
Workshop notes by Phil Miglioratti
George Barna (Post Y2K Research)
“The nation seems mired in spiritual complacency.
America certainly did not experience the spiritual revival that many Christians hoped would emerge as the new millennium began. In fact, Americans seemed to have become inoculated to spiritual events, outreach efforts and the quest for personal spiritual development. Overall, Christian ministry is stuck in a deep rut.
Our research continues to point out the need for more urgent reliance upon God to change people’s lives.
Too many Christians and churches in America have traded in spiritual passion for empty rituals, clever methods and mindless practices.
The challenge to today’s Church is not methodological.
It is the challenge to resuscitate the spiritual passion and fervor of the nation’s Christians.”
WE MUST PRAY WITH URGENCY
1: THEREFORE
--->1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”
1: I URGE
=GK: exhort (para / kalw)
--->1:18: Pastor Timothy is in a spiritual battle
--->1:18: “Keep on fighting the good fight”
# 80% of US churches in decline
20% are growing - But only:
1% of those by conversion growth!
# The United States ... the 4th largest mission field
> A 100 year old denomination has had 81 splits
PRAYER MUST BECOME OUR PRIORITY
1: FIRST OF ALL ... PRAY!
Prayer is often:
Completely missing from church growth books
Focused on sick & sad saints
Absent from our planning process
Missions?
"Did you know that there are still more than 1,700 groups of people in the world who do not have access to the gospel? In fact, there are as many as 3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus." (Howard Foltz: Charisma, 1/99)
Yet...
“Americans are probably more aware of the need for prayer than we have been at any other time in our lives. For the first time I can remember, my kids’ teachers actually told their classes to pray in class following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.”
Tim Elmore, Pivotal Praying
“You have not because you ask not...”
WE MUST LEARN TO PRAY STRATEGICALLY
1: That REQUESTS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSION, THANKSGIVING:
Choose and use all the ‘weapons of warfare’
Ask the Holy Spirit which type of prayer is the best response to a prompting to pray.
There are many types of prayer for many types of people -
1: BE MADE FOR EVERYONE
Everyone means every man, woman, boy, girl...
Every nieghbor and need
Every person, place and thing
Ed Silvoso, Anointed For Business:
“Early Christians made the marketplace the focal point of their ministry because their occupations regularly took them there. As they conducted business, it was natural for them to present the gospel to the people they encountered. Marketplace people played a vital role in the emergence, establishments and expansion of the Early Church - in fact, most of Jesus’ followers remained in full-time business while simultaneously conducting full;-time ministry. This was possible because they saw the marketplace as their parish and their business as their pulpit. To them witnessing was not an activity but a lifestyle.
“To be anointed for business is to be set aside by God for service n the marketplace ... to use our job as a ministry vehicle to transform the marketplace so that the gospel will be preached to, and heard by, every creature in our sphere of influence ... business, education, government.”
SO THAT OUR PRAYERS BLESS OUR COMMUNITY
2: FOR KINGS ... AND ALL IN AUTHORITY
Authority to influence & impact society:
.Government: Mayor
.Schools: Principals
.Police: Chief
.Fire: Captain
.Commerce & Courts
.Military & Media
2: SO THAT WE MAY LIVE PEACEFUL AND QUIET LIVES IN ALL GODLINESS AND HOLINESS
Peace & Quiet:
.No violence
.Strong families
.Honest relationships (ethnicity)
Godliness & Holiness:
Reverence for God & Respect
Produced through prayer...
?-Is the reduction in the crime rate in America and in several American cities due at all to the mounting movement of prayer?
Pray In Church
But Not Only For The Church
Pray For The Community
Wherever You Are In The Community
Prayerwalk Your City Street Prayerwalk Your City Hall
Prayerwalk Every School Prayerwalk Every Store
3: THIS (A Prayed For Nation) IS GOOD AND PLEASES GOD OUR SAVIOR 4 WHO WANTS ALL MEN TO COME TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH
God Is Pleased When Lost People Are Prayed For
Because God Wants Everyone One To Be Saved (Decision)
Howard Foltz (Charisma, 1/99): "Mission statistics indicate that at least half the world's population has yet to hear the gospel in a way they can understand. A recent article by Justin Long of the Global Evangelization Movement underscored this fact, noting that of the 50.5 million people who die each year, 19.4 million are Christians. 'The truly saddening part,' Long wrote, 'is that of the 31.1 million non-Christian deaths, 12.5 million never had any contact with Christians of any tradition.' That's more than a million people each month going into eternity without ever 'rubbing shoulders' with a Christian."
God Is Pleased When Lost People Are Prayed For
Because God Wants Everyone To Come To A Full Knowledge Of The Truth (Discipleship)
Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer: "Our prayers can and do cause the Holy Spirit to move into situations where He then releases His power to bring life. We do have a part in producing the hovering of the Holy Spirit. The power that created the universe through [the Holy Spirit's brooding, birthing, hovering over creation] has been deposited in the Church - while untold millions await their births into the Kingdom of God. Like Elijah, we must take up our position believing that the prayer of mere men can accomplish much. We must release the power of the Holy Spirit through our intercession...bringing forth the fruit of what Christ has already done. We are an integral part of the Father's birthing process into the kingdom of God."
5 FOR THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
1 TImothy 2:
1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.
2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.
3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,
4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.
6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time.
7 And I have been chosen--this is the absolute truth--as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles about faith and truth.
8 So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. 9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance.
Peter Wagner, Praying With Power : "I read three recent influential books by top leaders in evangelical Christianity. The first...101 Ways Your Church Can Change The World - Not one of the 101 ways is prayer! The next...is by the pastor of what is likely regarded as the most influential church in America. He analyzes...6 elements of vision, a 7 step strategy for implementing the vision, 10 values that set the movement apart, and 5 qualities of a true follower of Christ. Interestingly, of the 28 growth dynamics, none is prayer! (Then) the leading figure in the country on megachurches (2,000+)...he lists 20 growth principles, not one of which is prayer! It took my friend Thom Rainer of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to give substance to what I had been expecting. He studied 576 of the most evangelistic churches he could find in America (but) he included prayer on a list of factors he had pastors evaluate. He found that 'nearly 70 percent of the churches rated prayer as a major factor in their evangelistic success'."
“DId you know that on your supermarket shelves in your neighborhood is a magazine with a contract for kids to sell their soul to Satan?
The contract is part of a cartoon strip as that says God is boring, heaven is boring, and only cool kids follow Satan...” Donna Wright, Jesus Video Project
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