Pray Network Forum

We began a prayer movement on may 5, 2011 to reduce child deaths from WAter, Sanitation, and Health by 50% in 5 years.  accordinhg to UNICEF statistics from 2009.

24 of the 25 worst countries percantage wise are in Africa.  we are asking the lord to reduce the DAILY deaths from 25,000 to 12,000 per day by the end of the 5th year.

if you, or anyone you know, would like to devote 2 minutes per day over the next five years to see this happen, we would love to connect with you.

you can contact us through this network or through our new prayer group-WASH-SAVETHECHILDREN

Pastors need the intercessory prayer of their people, perhaps never more strongly than on Saturday night.  I don’t know how it is at your church, but the folks who hear me preach on Sunday mornings, seldom hear a sermon preached on a full night’s sleep. Saturday nights are filled with off-and-on sleep mixed with human anxieties, emotional roller coaster feelings, Satan motivated questions and doubts, worries about physical inadequacies.  For me, sleep only returns as I pray my way through the problems. Then, I am often awakened by another set of concerns.  I’m fortunate if I preach on four or five hours of sleep.  When I was young, I wondered why my pastor-father always took a nap on Sunday afternoons.  Now I know.  A verse that I can quote better than I can live is Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  I am not usually anxious, but I confess that Saturday nights are different, at least for me.  I’m sure there are others, more spiritual ones to be sure, who sleep like a baby on Saturday night, but not me.  Anxiety often rules the night. It is an awesome thing to stand before God’s people (and some who are not yet God’s people) and deliver God’s message.   I have served as Pastor of two churches and Interim Pastor of over twenty churches.  Every church is different and preaching in every church has similarities and differences.  The churches where God seems to bless my preaching the most are the churches where I know some church members are interceding on my behalf – starting on Saturday night. So, check with your Pastor.  You may need to be praying on Saturday night.

6:00 has come and gone, and I'm still here.  Since everyone else seems to be still here as well, I'm not as worried as I might otherwise be.....

In case anyone hasn't heard, today (Saturday, May 21) was supposed to be the Rapture.  Again.  Sadly, many people who bought into this made really bad life decisions.  Many had some hopes dashed, and I wonder what the impact will be on their faith.

All of that said, the coverage given to the whole "end times" mania might actually have some positive effects.  Hopefully some people who weren't thinking about eternity now are thinking about it.

Scripture says that we don't know the day or the hour of Christ's return.  Unfortunately, that seems to translate more often into a sense of distance from that event rather than a sense of urgency.  I wonder how my prayers would be different if I really believed that Christ might return in my lifetime? maybe in the next month?  Would I be praying as much for physical, material needs?  Or would my prayers focus more on preparing spiritually to meet my Lord?  Would my prayers for unsaved friends and family find a sense of urgency that they don't have now?

Dave Butts, in his book Prayer and the End of Days, makes a really good argument here.  The fact that the church today doesn't focus much on the return of Christ may be dulling our sense of urgency.  The early church was mistaken when they believed that Christ would return in their lifetimes - but that thought gave an urgency to their prayers, an urgency to their witnessing and missionary work, that may be missing today. 

I'm not about to go sell my house and quit my job.  God calls us to be wise and Jesus warns us against those who say, "here he is" or "there he is".  But I'm not sad that this non-event occurred.  It has reminded me to pray more fervently, more urgently, and with more of a spiritual focus.

The Urgency of the Hour

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purposes for me” (Psalm 57:1-2).

The hour is urgent. We are more aware of this because of the devastating earthquake and huge tsunami that recently struck Japan. Massive walls of water caused terrified residents to flee the coast as houses and cars were washed away in a moment. Floodwaters shoved floating debris inland hitting highways, bridges, and homes. Heavy trucks were pushed aside by the power of those waves. Air travel and trains were shut down. It was the biggest earthquake in a century, so strong that even buildings in central Tokyo, 230 miles southwest of the quake swayed.

Survivors huddled on the airport roof and a flaming refinery like an inferno sent up huge columns of thick black smoke. Others waved white sheets from the upper floors of buildings. Residents ran into the streets as they attempted to leave the city. Two huge cargo vessels were tipped on their sides in one port. Thousands lost their lives suddenly in this enormous disaster. The hour in Japan is urgent.

Most of us sense in our hearts that we are moving towards an unusual time in all of world history. No longer are days as they were in the past. As I read about this Japan disaster, I thought to myself, "This is what I would read in fiction books." What you read only in fiction books is now happening right before our eyes. We cannot escape it. It's here and only going to increase as time goes on. But we as God's children do not have to live in fear or defeat. Instead we need to move to a higher place in God.

One of the books I am in the process of publishing is called Ascending the Heights in Prayer.  This is exactly what you and I need to do. We need to ascend the heights in prayer and find that place of peace in the center of God. He will fulfill His purpose for us. He is our protection and refuge in the storm. 

We have had a multitude of tornados in America, and I live right on the border of Kansas. This state is situated along “tornado alley” where there are a lot of tornadoes. Of course tornados hit almost anywhere and any time, because the weather patterns are changing everywhere. There seems to be no certainty in anything anywhere, but God is stable and sure. We need not fear. He is our rock, our refuge, and stronghold.

So just as I will run downstairs into our tornado shelter if bad weather approaches, we can run to God when storm clouds threaten our world. Jesus is our safe place. He is stronger than any cement fortress. He wants us to prepare and rise up to live where He lives during the end times. There is no more time to sit on the fence. He wants to shake us out of complacency right where we are. There is always higher ground to ascend to in our prayer life, devotion, and intimacy with God.

As in the Days of Noah

“For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark” (Matthew 24:38).

As in the days of Noah, people are living life as if no tsunami is coming. But look, it is happening before our eyes. Life goes on and so many want to live in denial and pretend that Jesus is not coming soon. They continue to live as if there is no seriousness about the hour in which we live. Eat, drink, and be merry. I remember a drama our evangelistic teams would do overseas many years ago called "Eat - Drink - Sleep". Individuals would take turns visualizing eating, drinking, and sleeping and in the end show the futility of life if that is all there is!

There had to be a purpose to it all.

It's time to build our ark for the storm is already upon us. Intercessors, it's time to rise up and ascend the heights in prayer. God will help you to build your ark (prepare for the future). Others will continue to question and even mock those who are preparing and positioning themselves for the future. Our every step is vitally important to God. Last October one step led me to a might fall down the stairs in my own home which I considered a safe place. We must consider our every step. We must learn to live in the center of God's peace and presence as the storm clouds come.

This is the most fruitful time in all of human history if we would only learn to get onto God's wavelength and agenda. The day of the Lord is at hand. It's a new exciting day if we will only shake off the way of life of the past and live in the now. Regardless of age or nation, we are all called to live in this present season fully and freely for God. This will be the best of this life. As we live for eternity and for God, we will be most joyous and free. As we try to hang onto the past way of life, we will be most afraid. It is a new day.

What Can We Do, and How Can We Live?

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Rather than trying to escape and hide, perhaps there is a better way to live in the end times as the return of the Lord draws near. In October of last year during an ordinary morning, I was upstairs running to answer the door to receive a new computer for writing these articles. I missed the top step of a very steep stairway, hit my heel, and begin to fall. As I tried to regain my composer on the second or third step, I begin to fall forward. I fell the rest of the way down the stairs and landed on my wrist. As I lay at the bottom of the stairs, I looked at my twisted wrist and knew that I couldn't walk or even attempt to stand on my foot. My husband and I went to the emergency room of the hospital and I knew that my life would change. I was in an emergency situation and there was no turning back.

You and I are in a world emergency. The financial crisis in the world alone should make us realize that God wants to get our attention. He is shaking everything that can be shaken. Most of us have been in a personal shaking of God's own design. Falling down the stairs and experiencing a broken right wrist and right heel has given me a more urgent look at life. Hour after hour and day after day I was able to look more seriously at the situation in life. I was helpless, and was able to see my desperate need of God in my most urgent hours. 

God wants us to get into His way of thinking for the very final years of human history before His return. He wants us to prepare spiritually for the days that are upon us. In my own crisis of breaking bones, when I had to sit still I noticed how most people were rushing around. They were running here, there, and everywhere. But to be still and in tune with the living God was not fully practiced. It's time that each one of us stops and listens to the Lord. It doesn't matter where we are or what we do. The Lord wants our attention.

Here are some crucial ways to prepare:

1) Prepare in prayer - Prepare your own heart. Give yourself to prayer. Here at the mission's base in Kansas City, there were awakening meetings several nights a week. A couple of months ago, they were stopped in order for the IHOP community to give themselves more fully to prayer in order to prepare for what is coming. Right now I am sitting in the IHOP Global Prayer Room on an ordinary Thursday morning, and hundreds of young people are here praying and seeking God. Give yourself to prayer in a greater way. Worship God. The end times require it.  

2) Get rid of the secondary things in your life - In emergencies, secondary things don't matter. In my own personal crisis, I realized this very quickly. I could do nothing but seek God. I couldn't move, I couldn't cook, and I couldn't walk, or write these letters. I was helpless. Secondary things did not matter. I was present in the emergency, and I was living to survive the hour. God brought me through with a wealth of understanding in my own heart regarding the end times. I am so thankful for my own personal shaking.

3) Begin praying for the emergencies around the world - As the end times unravels before us emergencies will increase. God wants us to pray. Here at IHOP, there was prayer every couple of hours for the crisis in Egypt and Japan. The world is in crisis, and we must learn to pray for the crises around us locally, nationally, and internationally.

4) Live in God's peace - He promises peace in every circumstance. He is our peace. When you feel frantic or uptight about the future, stop and center in on God. He is above and beyond all the tragedies. Your peace is an incredible testimony in hard times and will help those around you to find Him as their Prince of Peace. Jesus is alive! He wants to make Himself known in the midst of the present shaking.

As in the days of Noah, people will say what a fool we are to fast and pray, but when the rain starts falling, it's too late. We must prepare in every way today. We must position ourselves before God daily in prayer and wait upon Him for direction. He will show us how to prepare in every other way - emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. When I fell and was in a helpless state I realized how very dependent I was on God for my very breath. I cannot take anything for granted.

We must check our spirit daily. I had to rest in God's presence in order to not get discouraged when the trial seemed so long and endless. I had to also work physically by doing daily therapy on my wrist and foot as I was in the healing process. It seemed so lengthy and time-consuming but I had to do it. We must prepare physically for the last days. We must get out of debt. I had to position myself relationally. Friends helped me in my time of need. Numerous calls and emails, a word of encouragement at a difficult moment, and an electric blanket gift when I was so cold from lack of movement. This helped me in my moment of need.

Mentally I had to position my mind. This was not going to be a quick fix. It was a long-term trial. I had to say to myself, "Debbie, this will take time. Be patient. God is going to help me through this one day at a time." And He did. We must be alert to God's overall preparation in our lives, not only for ourselves but so that we can help others in the days ahead. 

Listen to this song by Misty Edwards called "As in the Day of Noah":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shi8fPtjFdc&feature=related 

To view this article or send it to your friends - http://ariseintercessors.blogspot.com/

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46).

By Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise

www.intercessorsarise.org

deb@intercessorsarise.org

Whenever she opened the closet door, she imagined stepping into another world. It felt safe there. It was one of the few places that she ever felt safe. To most people this room would have had no appeal. The floor was covered with cracked, dirty linoleum, but she imagined a fine, plush, golden carpet. The air was filled with dust and the smell of moth balls, but she imagined spring flowers and fresh air. The walls were made of a pale, pink plaster which was cracked and peeling. But she imagined that there were no walls. The only companions in this room were the raincoats and the sweaters which were in storage, but she imagined that she was surrounded by God and his angels, and every time she entered this closet, they would be there to meet with her. He would reach down to pick her up and hold her, the way that she saw other kid’s parents pick them up. He would whisper in her ear that He loved her and that it wouldn’t be long before He gave her a new home. He told her that one day she would be free to run and play like the other kids and that she would have a Mom and Dad to love her. She showed Him her scars from her beatings, and imagined that He showed her His.

The paragraph above is a snapshot of my early childhood and of the spiritual formation that was taking place in me, even in the midst of some very traumatic and painful circumstances. God revealed Himself to me at a very young age, even before I had any exposure to church or Sunday School. I knew that God was there with me and I talked to Him often.

In this prayer closet, I learned to believe in what I could not see; to listen for His voice, no matter how quiet or still; to sing to Him with the voice my heart gives; to receive comfort & hope from His presence, and to allow Him to heal my heart. I asked Him to remove me from this home and He did. Two days before my seventh birthday,my prayers were answered and He rescued me from years of abuse and neglect. The years that followed were not easy, but God’s presence and protection remained with me, and though I never returned to this prayer closet, I discovered my own “Portable Sanctuary of the Heart” (Reference from Celebration of Discipline—Richard Foster).

“Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”    Psalm 22:9-10

It Seems To Me . . .

. . we need 36 plus 1!

Like many of you, I receive dozens of e-newsletters. Not because I like to brag about how many emails I get in a day, but in order to keep current with the fresh thought and best practices of Christian leadership. E-newsletters from prayer leaders (of course), vision-casters, leadership-trainers, writers, thinkers, and doers . . . revealing how the Holy Spirit continues to inspire and instruct and even redirect the Body of Christ toward biblically founded and culturally relevant pursuits of the Great commandment and Great Commission.

Those who produce these newsletters (and I am one of them!) know how few recipients actually read their email newsletters when it arrives. "Opens" is often in the single digits. So, when I noticed a recent headline, designed to entice my further interest, I became a statistic; I opened and took a look.

Thirty-six reasons or questions or insights about vision. I was hooked. We all know the power of vision and three dozen ways to capture it is too good to pass up.

But you know where I am heading.

The word p-r-a-y was no where to be found. I skimmed and scanned and even used the search function. Process. Engagement, Integrate. Rollout. Of course, missional. All good and useful concepts. Necessary for strategic leadership. But how useful and strategic can they be if seeking-the-mind-of-Christ-prayer is not included in the process? How beneficial is it to engage one another's thoughts without first engaging the leading of the Spirit? Do we remain ignorant of the power of integrating prayer in planning? Are we not yet tired of rolling out new programs and events that are insufficiently prayer-powered? Dare we embark on a missional adventure without the compass of prayer?

Here I go again. Long-time members of the Church Prayer Leaders Network have heard this rant of mine more than once. It would be a joy to know we no longer need to remind ourselves to breathe while exercising or to take a gulp of air while swimming against the currents of a changing culture. Prayer may be our area of interest but it is never only that. It is the fuel that empowers every function and action of the Body of Christ. And, not-for-leaders-only.

Vision-casting, strategic-planning, action-steps, all need to be:

• Prayer-birthed. Prayer allows the Holy Spirit to plant the seed of a new idea within us. Ideas for ministry need to come through or be affirmed by our listening conversations with the Lord. If prayer starts with God (and it does), then seeking vision, setting plans, taking action all need to be ignited and illuminated directly by our Lord and Leader. Studying His word is essential but prayerful dialog in that study is required in order for us to hear a fresh word from his word. I write this on the eve of a Leadership Consultation that will devote the opening plenary session to prayer so that the 110 table groups and 27 affinity consultations that follow will produce dialog birthed in the heart of God.
• Prayer-based. Prayer is more than a polite God-greeting. We need to remember the Holy Spirit has provided more than the compass of God's word; He provides Himself as the guide who carries that compass for us on the journey. Our rollouts of programs, activities, events, service projects--everything we do as an expression of ministry--must be based, yes on biblical truth, but also upon prayer. A based-in-prayer vision constantly returns to the Lord who revealed that vision to assess our faithfulness in implementation. Plans birthed in prayer must be regularly resubmitted to the One for whom we are ultimately planning. Action steps need to be reevaluated. Prayer enables us to receive the evaluation of our Lord and Leader so that we may continue on or make adjustments.
• Prayer-bathed. The prayers of those participating must be augmented by the prayers of intercessors. Prayer not just before we act but as we act, produces authentic prayer-based ministry. When pastoring, I often told my congregation, "While there are only a dozen going on this mission trip this week, everyone is going . . . by means of prayer." Inviting everyone and making special efforts to engage committed-to-prayer members allows for congregation-wide ownership while producing more prayer, more often.

So, it seems to me . . . while we need 36 steps and strategies, we really need that 36 plus 1!

Pastor Phil

Originally published in Prayer Leader Online (Church Prayer Leaders Network)

may NOT BE racism, sexism, denominational-ism, doctrinal differences, and etc. It may be the division between the "watchmen" and "gatekeepers."

Old Testament walled cities had massive gates, with gatekeepers; and watchtowers on either side of the gates, with watchmen. The purpose of the watchmen, not surprisingly, was to watch. The purpose of the gatekeepers, was to open and close the gate. The problem? The gatekeeper couldn't see over the wall and the watchmen couldn't open and close the gate. They were co-dependent on each other. Not only that, but the entire city was at the mercy of their partnership.

What has that to do with us?

In our book, "Intercessors & Pastors: The Emerging Partnership of Watchmen & Gatekeepers," we liken the intercessor (Christian whose primary mission is prayer) to the OT watchman; and pastors to the OT gatekeeper. It may surprise you to know that there tends to be a division between these two roles around the world. Of course, there are a small percentage of pastors who are intercessors. And it's true, to one degree or another, they appreciate each other's roles, but rarely do they operate in a strategic partnership. Why is that?

Eighty-five percent of the adult members of the last church we served as pastors were intercessors. Prayer was our primary purpose. Prayer meetings were our most exciting events. People, even pastors, from other churches attended our church's prayer meetings. One pastor said, "I come because when you people pray, things change in our city." We understand the significance of this partnership.

The first assumption is that the separation between intercessors and pastors it's because they are so different. After all, there are more female intercessors and more male pastors. True, perhaps, but that isn't the primary reason. Think about it. Opposites would attract, wouldn't they? Remarkably, the primary reason for this division is because they are so similar! Intercessors are actually quite pastoral. Who knew!? <smile>

Example:  Intercessors care for people. Why else would they commit so much time praying for them?

So then, what's the problem?

Intercessors tend seek information. They often ask their pastors about the direction of the church and needs of certain people and circumstances. Their pastor may think they are nosey, when the truth is, INFORMATION is the FUEL for INTERCESSION. Pastors need to know how to inform their intercessors properly. They need an effective communication system.

Intercessors may appear to be "independent." That's true of some. Some have never learned the interdependent nature of the church. There are immature intercessors just as there are immature pastors. They must be "pastored" (equipped for their ministry.) Pastors should know that intercessors are not only pastoral, they tend to be visionaries. They need focus. If their pastor fails to clearly communicate the vision of the church, they will be drawn to their own focus, or to someone else's.

These are just a couple of many issues that we discuss in our strategically important book, "Intercessors & Pastors."

• What do intercessors need from their pastors?
• What do pastors need from their intercessors?
• What does the partnership look like?
• Why is it critical to the mission of the church?
• What is the kingdom dimension?
• What does the future hold?
• How does this partnership relate to end times?

Don't miss this book! This is the fourth updated version and the first time we've produced it also as an ebook. Order the ebook version and read it mere minutes from now! Get yours here:

eBook $14.99 USD:

http://www.prayerbookstore.com/Intercessors-Pastors-eBook-Version-IPeBook.htm

pBook $14.99 USD:
http://www.prayerbookstore.com/Intercessors-Pastors-Intercessors-Pastors.htm

How can a pastor "do what he (she) sees the Father doing?" (John 5:19) For one thing, Jesus said that the Father rewards openly those who pray to Him in secret! Most pastors know their elders and their deacons. They know their home-group pastors, Bible teachers and others. Sadly, too few can even name their intercessors, let alone are they rewarding them openly, as the Father does. Get the book! Your church, your city and the Kingdom depend on this partnership.

Recently I was visiting a Bible Study and the topic for the evening was prayer.  As participants were discussing prayer, success stories of answered prayers, hindrances to a more effective prayer life I became increasingly disturbed and saddened. 

I was disturbed because of the realization that you could have cut and pasted the words  “texting” or “toasters” for the word prayer in the discussion and it would have made perfect sense.  “Texting” is an inanimate activity we engage in to communicate with in cyberspace.  A “toaster” is an inanimate object that most use from time to time and with varying degrees of success in accomplishing our obvious objective. 

I was saddened because the very best part of “prayer” is interacting with the one I a praying to – The Lord.  He is my inheritance, He is my hope, He is my Shepherd, my refuge, my strength, my Bridegroom, my protector, my joy, my promise maker and promise keeper and soul-satisfier.  Intimacy with THE LORD GOD is the very best that it can get. 

We do the people of God a disservice when teach and preach about “prayer” disconnected to Holy One we are praying to.  Many believers struggle in prayer because they have somehow lost focus of the one whom they are to pray to. 

Show me someone who struggles to pray out loud in a small group or large group, and I will show you someone who is more aware of their human “audience” than their divine “audience.”  Our divine audience isn’t concerned with flowery words or our use of “thee” and “thous.”    What impresses God is a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

Prayer is not some inanimate noun, it is a divine verb.  Prayer is the activity of talking with and listening to our Heavenly Daddy.

What made me thirsty 35 years ago to turn to God was a conversation I overheard from some very ordinary teenagers.  I overheard them talking about how the God of the universe was involved in their day to day lives.  I concluded that evening that if having a relationship with God was possible, I wanted some of that for myself.  The activity of prayer facilitates  my interaction with that God.

Tonight at dinner at the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference (Eldridge, Iowa), I heard a neat idea for church or group prayer that I think both honors the God who knows our hearts and also encourages people to pray who would normally not participate in any group or public prayer setting.

The church we were discussing had a practice, during their weekly worship service, of having a time for prayer in which they invited the congregation to come forward and simply name someone for whom they were praying.  The church lifted that person up in prayer simply by repeating their name together, trusting that God knew all the details He needed and that agreeing together for His best for that person.

The person relaying this story to me was impressed by how many people participated in this prayer time, and we discussed together how this type of prayer might encourage participation from those who are too shy to try to construct prayers in a group setting.  We all know that can be an intimidating setting, especially when people don't pray effectively as a group (praying way too long, using flowery language, trying to impress others with their knowledge of Scripture, etc.).  I fell in love with this idea instantly and can't wait to try it when I get back home.

Obviously, this type of prayer isn't the only way we should be praying togehter, but I'm intrigued by the potential for inviting more participation by creating a less threatening environment for prayer.  I also like the idea of taking ourselves and our preconceived notions out of the mix and inviting more of God in, simply trusting Him to do what He knows is needed in a given situation.  So often we try to prescribe for God how He should respond to a situation or how He should meet a particular need in a person's life.  I like this idea as a way to give over total control to Him.

It Seems To Me . . .

. . . pastors need to rediscover Acts 6:4.

Not too long ago, a national prayer leader sent out an email asking other prayer leaders for feedback. He was preparing to speak at a church staff retreat, a strategic opportunity to advance the cause of prayer in a congregation already having an impact. When my colleague and I connected by phone, he explained how he saw this as a challenge to cast a vision that went beyond the traditional understanding of prayer and the typical style of praying.

While I enjoy speaking with this friend for any reason, I was especially enthused on this occasion knowing the leadership team recognized they could incorporate more prayer into the life of the congregation. Certainly, my colleague's teaching would challenge them to integrate prayer into every ministry and activity. When the pastor and core leaders become champions of prayer, it is not long until the culture of small groups and committee meetings and corporate gatherings is transformed.

As we talked, I remembered a statement I first head many years ago at a prayer conference in San Antonio (I remember the event but cannot remember the preacher's name!). Obviously, the preacher's message was on prayer but he spoke one line that immediately became etched in my memory: "Every church prays, but not every church is a praying church."

Now a common statement among prayer leaders, back then the Holy Spirit used it as a paradigm shift that gave me a passion to help leaders understand the difference and to pursue it undeterred..

Throughout our conversation, my prayer leader friend and I discussed several implications and applications that could create a new set of expectations for this pastor and his staff. When the leadership of a congregation or ministry become seriously devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:2):

• Staff meetings change . . . Planning meetings change . . . Church calendars change because the Holy Spirit has greater access to leading the leaders
• Prayer permeates Sunday services (not just in the 90 second Pastoral Prayer, if there is one)
• Prayer is integrated into every ministry (not merely the prayer ministry), thereby touching the 80% of the members who never set foot in a prayer meeting
• Sunday school classes refocus to pray for the lost, fellowship groups for members' spiritual formation, and activity groups onto community impacting  ministry
• Outward focused prayer gets people out of their seats and into the streets (prayerwalking) to pray for, care about, and share Christ with their neighbors
• Outward focused prayer begins to follow an Acts 1:8 model: neighbors, community/city, Samaria (unloved people groups), the world
• Serious prayer develops the character of God in members and the church culture: humility, grace, mercy, passion for the Son of God, burden for the nations of the world.

Unless you are brand new to the ministry of prayer, this is familiar territory.  The question we must ask though is how to make this familiar territory for pastors . . . most of whom are already juggling too many priorities (should priority even have a plural form?).

About the same time as that phone conversation, I began working on a new website for pastors,The 6:4 Fellowship, led  by Jim Cymbala and Daniel Henderson. It is designed to serve pastors around the world to catch the vision for prayer. Based on Acts 6:4, the objective is to make clear the close relation between preaching and prayer. When the apostles declared to the early Church their need to "continue to devote ourselves steadfastly" to prayer and the ministry of the word, they were also making it clear to future leaders that we too must be equally committed to both. Not one or the other. Is it possible the Spirit placed prayer first is because so many of us who teach and preach tend to forget or minimize prayer?

Not every pastor is skilled or comfortable leading corporate prayer. Few seminaries offer a class or training for pastors. While church planters are encouraged to enlist prayer supporters, do they receive instruction in how to build a culture of prayer as they birth a church? With so much emphasis on leadership, how many pastors have a book about prayer high on their reading list?

Where am I going with this?

A simple idea--let's do all we can to, lovingly, bring Acts 6:4 to our leaders' attention . . . may we pray for them by name that they will devote themselves steadfastly to both prayer and the ministry of the word . . . affirm our leaders whenever they bring prayer into the life of the church.  Because, it seems to me, pastors need to rediscover Acts 6:4.

Phil Miglioratti

[This originally appeared on the Church Leaders Prayer Network]

I am writing you today to invite and urge your partnership for Orlando 2011: A Leadership Consultation to Revitalize & Reshape Evangelism and Missions in the U.S..  Pastor Phil Miglioratti, Coordinator of the National Pastors Prayer Network (NPPN) is providing significant leadership for Orlando 2011.

Orlando 2011 will take place April 4-6, 2011, in Orlando, FL.  See more at http://www.missionamerica.org/Brix?pageID=23811. 

Internationally respected prayer leader Steve Hawthorne from Waymakers (http://waymakers.org/) and myself are serving Orlando 2011 by planning and leading the prayer "consultation" team as we review and identify strategies for mobilizing prayer that will influence prayer evangelism for the next decade.

Here's how you can help:

1.  Serve on the Prayer planning team to help finalize plans for the Prayer consultation sessions.

2.  Attend Orlando 2011 and lend your expertise to the Prayer consultation sessions.  See more information at http://www.missionamerica.org/Brix?pageID=23810

3.  Pray for Orlando 2011.

4.  Share this invitation with others with a passion and interest in prayer.

Andrew Murray said, "The man who mobilizes the church to pray will have the greatest impact on world evangelization than anyone in history."  Together, we can make a tremendous impact for good in our nation.

Please reply today to let me know how you will partner with us in seeing our nation turn back to God.

See more current information on Orlando 2011 and what God is doing across the nation below.  Contact me with questions at tbush@visionsd.org.  Blessings, Thomas

Thomas Bush| Prayer Coordinator San Diego SBA and San Diego Regional Prayer Network
   4608 Gardena Avenue, San Diego, CA 92110

    Cell: (619) 742-8694
    Office  619.275.2550

Join me if you would like in praying this prayer during Lent: 

Covenant    Prayer

From   John   Wesley's   Covenant   Service ,  1780 

I  am  no  longer  my  own,  but  thine. 

Put  me  to  what  thou  wilt,  rank  me  with  whom  thou  wilt. 

Put  me  to  doing,  put  me  to  suffering. 

Let  me  be  employed  by  thee  or  laid  aside  for  thee, 

exalted  for  thee  or  brought  low  for  thee. 

Let  me  be  full,  let  me  be  empty. 

Let  me  have  all  things,  let  me  have  nothing. 

I  freely  and  heartily  yield  all  things to  thy  pleasure  and  disposal. 

And  now,  O  glorious  and  blessed  God, 

Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit, 

thou  art  mine,  and  I  am  thine.  So  be  it. 

And  the  covenant  which  I  have  made  on  earth, 

let  it  be  ratified  in  heaven.  Amen.