Renewal (3)

PTAP: God is Building His Church.

Praise God for the handfuls of known believers in this country. Every person who is given faith is a miracle of God's washing and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5)! Praise him for his grace that has appeared, bringing salvation for all people (Titus 2:11).
Pray for these believers, that they would renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age as they wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11). Praise Jesus that he will continue to purify a people for himself for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:13-14). So pray that these believers would continue to grow in their knowledge of God and who they are in Christ and as a result, be very zealous to do good works, to practice love, and to meet the needs of others before their own (Phil 2:1-11).
Pray for unity among the believers. The evil one plants distrust and fear among them and it is difficult at times to be united as one community for Christ. Pray that they know how much God loves them so that love would reign among them so that fear is cast out (1 John 4:18, 19). Pray for unity (Psalm 133, 1 Cor 12:12-26). Pray that they would attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13).
Pray for a zeal for outreach as well. Part of growing in the knowledge of the Son of God is to reach out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Pray that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and thus be bold in their witness (Acts 4:29-31).
Most of the believers come from the same areas of the country. The other regions are totally unreached. Pray that God would bring in his sheep from these unengaged regions, that they would hear the Shepherd's voice, and that they would unite with other members of Christ's body here so that there will be one flock under one Shepherd (John 10:16).
Pray for the people of this country who study abroad as international students and become believers there. Praise God that this is happening. Pray for continued outreach to all people from the Middle East who study abroad and who are exposed to the knowledge of the Son of God for the first time in their lives. Pray that God would continue to build his church among "aliens", "immigrants", and "sojourners" because He loves them as He loves orphans and widows (Deut 10:18-19).
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The Power of Dis-Engagement

One of the top concepts in the corporate world these days is “the power of full engagement.” It’s a paradigm for managing your personal or organizational energy, and I think you would find it very helpful.

But recently I’ve been learning about the flipside of that concept: the power of full DISENGAGEMENT.

Let me explain why this is so important…

My baby blue 1976 Fiat was the favorite car I’ve ever owned. With 5-speed manual transmission and a responsive engine, it was a complete blast to drive.

But sometimes my Fiat was so much fun that I forgot to press the clutch before changing gears. The result was a horrible grinding sound, not to mention considerable embarrassment on my part. And occasionally my failure to press the clutch even resulted in the engine stalling.

Lately I’ve realized that God is getting me ready for a new season in my life, and I’ve thought about the lesson I learned years ago with that old Fiat: If you’re going to make a smooth transition from one gear (or season) to the next, you’d better press the clutch first.

In many ways, this seems a great paradox. In order to be fully engaged with the next gear, you must first take time to be fully disengaged from your present gear. Shortcuts simply don’t work. In fact, shortcuts will eventually cause permanent damage to the gears.

No one modeled the power of disengagement better than Jesus. When He saw that His disciples were facing burnout because of never-ending activity, He instructed them to “come apart” to a quiet place and get some rest (Mark 6:31 KJV). Then and now, those who don’t intentionally disengage from their daily grind on a regular basis will eventually “come apart” (i.e., fall apart) in unpleasant, unintentional ways.

Jesus realized the POWER in disengagement, especially when we use that time to better engage with our Heavenly Father. We repeatedly see Him disengaging from the crowds, and even from His disciples, to go pray in the wilderness or on top of a mountain. What was the result of such times? Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14).

Isn’t that beautiful? After Jesus purposefully disengaged for a while, He was able to reengage with new strength and power.

Today, do you find yourself anticipating a new season in your life, but unsure how to get there? Or perhaps you feel stuck in “second gear,” unable to move on. Or maybe you keep hearing a loud screeching sound every time you try to move from one gear to the next.

If you can relate to any of these symptoms, I encourage you to discover—or rediscover, like I have—the power of full disengagement. Leave your friends and family for a few days. Disconnect from your work responsibilities, your smart phone, and your social media. Find a place to quiet your heart and rest.

As you take time to disengage and be still, you’ll experience the powerful message of Psalm 46:10: He is God—and you’re not! That is really, really good news, isn’t it?

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Join us February 17-19 in the Tampa Bay area for a national gathering of pastors and leaders as we collectively seek God and His blessing on our lives and churches.

This corporate, multiple-day experience of unscripted prayer, worship and Scripture will be conducted in the Prayer Summit format. Our time will be led by Daniel Henderson (National Director ofThe 6:4 Fellowship) and Dennis Fuqua (Director of International Renewal Ministries). Daniel and Dennis have collectively led hundreds of Prayer Summit experiences for leadership teams, pastors' fellowships, and entire congregations.

MAXIMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE BY BRINGING A TEAM FROM YOUR STAFF OR CONGREGATION!

JOIN US AND YOU WILL RECEIVE:

- Encouragement and fellowship with like-minded pastors

- Refreshment in God's presence through prayer

- Equipping in prayer leadership that you can take back to your church

- Discounts for 6:4 Fellowship members and spouses!

Visit www.64fellowship.com/prayersummit for more details and schedule.

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