Quarterly Prayer Service - May 2023
At the beginning of this calendar year, you may recall how of all the different facets of what we are at the church who we are as a church of what it means to be a church community. One of the components, one of the areas that I wanted to focus on was the area prayer, and Did you not intentionally set aside particular explicit time and beginning of the year? I thought this might be a nice practice to try out but to try once a quarter to spend extended amount of time praying before the Lord into the Lord, remember from last week, we just asked you how the Curiosity? How many of y'all remember what I thought was the main point? Is anybody remember that? Not looking at your notes soon as you have notes in your eye. If I remember, it's okay to do and just out of curiosity, see how many of you are at that sharp? That if it wasn't right in front of me? Maybe I want to have remembered either, but last week, the main kind of main point was work hard while you. Wait right, we are longing. We're looking forward to our King, the true king to come back. And in the meantime, God has called us to work hard. And what does that mean? Miss me. Faithful, Steward of what he's giving us be faithful with what? He's entrusted to our care. And I hope, you know that when you come here on Sunday morning, I hope you've not come be entertained because if that was your aim, you should have stayed home and watch Netflix. There's much more entertaining things going to be here in just to stoke up whatever we do here on Sunday Morning by we don't come here to be entertained but in part part of the reason we come here is to work, believe it or not because Christians often times I think the book of Ephesians chapter 6 2nd, Timothy Chapter 2, the Christian life is likened to the life of a soldier. We're called the march on to work hard to look forward in March ahead with the weights, with the strength, with the ammunition, if you will of God's truth of God's word. We haven't come in life to just Coast be comfortable. We've come to charge a to March forward with God's kingdom purposes. Go to work hard while we wait. And you may have heard of Oswald Chambers before, well known for writing that to devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest. And in that book he there's a well-known saying that you may have heard before. And it's prayer does not equip us for Greater Works, but rather prayer is the greater work. Sometimes you think, you know, I just need to go in my knees so that way I can have the strength to do XY and Z. There's nothing wrong with that, but he's reminding us there and it's Jesus. Remind to soften the gospels. The prayer is indeed the greater work. It is the most important work that you and I can do is Christian's if you owner needs before the Lord. E m bounds. Another man, who wrote a wonderful book on prayer. He also said, no man can do a great and enduring work for God. Who is not a man of Prayer? Repeat that again. No man can do a great and enduring work for God. Who is not a man of prayer? And no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying. That's what we do here on Sunday mornings. Of course, we pray every Sunday, but once a quarter, I want to say explicitly spend time in prayer before the Lord. And So to do this, I'm going to be over there kneeling, and if you'd like to kneel at your feet like to kneel up front kneeling at the benches, alongside me, you're welcome to do so. And I'm going to have a few different prayer points that are going to guide us got our time together and then at the end of it, all we will have a combination and celebration of the Lord's table together as we pray together through that as we partake of that. So I'm take a moment to to get prepared as repair, your heart and mind and we'll jump right into it.
Our father, as we enter into the house of prayer and close, behind us the doors to our Earthly task. We will pray for a blessing. And then filling a vice spirit. Enlarge our vision and show us the path of righteousness. We come in penitence, seeking to know what is good. In Christ. Your name we pray. Amen. Will you join me all together as we pray? The Lord's Prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors lead us, not into temptation but Deliver Us from Evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Tells us to be still and know that I am God. To take a couple to Simply Be Still.
To be at the presence of God.
Colossians 3 verses 13 to 14. Tell us the other and forgive one. Another, if any of you has a grievance against someone forgives the Lord, forgave you and over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect. Unity. Do not have just prayed in the Lord's Prayer with knowledge and realize that the Lord has forgiven us with so much.
To take some time now. Asking the spirits for the power to forgive those who sin against you.
The people in your life, who wronged you. Ask the Lord to give you the grace. The release to forgive them. And also pray for that person. But God might save them. I might restore them to themselves. The God would cleanse them.
And the God will bring about a Reconciliation work. Amongst all people. Take some time to ponder the Forgiveness of God. pray for forgiveness, for those who wronged you
1st Timothy Chapter 2 verses 1 to 6. I urged in first of all, the petitions prayers, intercession and Thanksgiving, be made for all people for kings and all those in Authority that we may live, peaceful, and quiet lives and all godliness and Holiness. This is good and pleases God, our savior. He wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. There is one God, and one mediator between God and Mankind, man, Christ. Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This is now been witness to the proper time.
Takes a moment to pray for. The leaders of our country. Pray for President Biden. Vice president Harris. in state wise Governor Younkin
Before you ever complain about anyone. Pray for person, twice.
Pray for our leaders. It's easy to slander TV to complain. Pray that God will give them wisdom. That they would follow his leading. Pray that they would serve God that they would review him and his words and their words and actions.
They would lead in humility.
That the Lord would cleanse our hearts and bring them to himself.
Take a moment to pray for our leaders.
Prayer from Ephesians chapter 1, verses 17 to 23.
I keep asking that the god of our Lord, Jesus Christ, The Glorious father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and Revelation so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know, the hope to which he has called you the riches of his glorious inheritance in this, holy people, and his incomparable, great power for us to believe that powers the same as the mighty strength. He exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the Heavenly Realms, far above all Rule and Authority, power and dominion, and everything that is invoked. Not only in the present age, but I'll send the one to come. God placed all things under his feet and pointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body fullest of him who fills everything in every way.
Take a moment. Now to pray for Hillsborough, Baptist Church.
Pray that we as a congregation would have Unity amid diversity.
Pray that we as a church would have our ever-growing an ever-increasing hunger for the word of God.
Pray that the spirit would prepare us for persecution.
That we will be reminded. We are called to love and not curse those who persecute us.
Pray that giving and all its forms, financially regarding our time or strength or energy, pray that giving would be faithful. as well as joyful consistent and sacrificial amongst those who come,
Pray that we as a church would be a church that practices hospitality. Both in this building and in our homes.
Pray that we will always be a church that is anchored in the truth of God's word. Did by being anchored in his word, we will not sway The Winds of the culture. Pray that we would be anchored in his word.
Pray 4. Love for the Lost. That we will be intentional and sharing Good Deeds. But those who don't know, Jesus personally. It will also be intentional about verbally sharing the truth is the occasion presents itself.
Pray that a deeper love for the Lost will be grown in this church.
Take some time. Now to pray for our missionary Partners. Can we support?
Pray for Seth and Camilla as they transition to Costa Rica. Pray for Kelsey, who's serving in North Africa. But you'll be able to build community for open doors to share the gospel in that closed region of the world.
Pray for brother, Donald and Becky in Mexico. They would love their kids well and that, they were trained up. Other Leaders with passion and with patients, Pray for a missionary partners.
Leslie concerning Church. Prefer your neighbor is sitting next to you or near you.
Pray that God will bless them, that God will guide them. God will touch them. God would heal them. The Lord will Comfort them.
Pray for the neighbor who's sitting near you.
Prayer of Praise by David from First Chronicles, 29 verses 10 to 13. Praise be to you, Lord, the god of our father Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting. Yours Lord is the greatness and the power, and the glory, and the majesty and Splendor for everything in Heaven and Earth is Yours. Yours Lord is the kingdom. You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you. You were the ruler of all things in. Your hands are strength and power to exhaust and give strength to all. Now our God we give you. Thanks and praise your glorious name.
Jesus asked a couple of his disciples and Mark 10 verse 36. Nephew asked on several occasions. What do you want me to do for you?
Jesus were to ask you that directly, what would you say?
What are you asking? God to do that, only. He can do.
Take a moment to bring your personal request to him. However, small. However insignificant
however, big and great and overwhelming, they might be bring it to God In Prayer.
Psalm 116 verse 12. What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? 1st Thessalonians 5 verses 16 to 18. Rejoice always, pray continually give, thanks in all circumstances for. This is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1st Chronicles, 29 verse 13. Now our God we give you. Thanks and praise your holy name. As we've asked God for a lot today. Take some time now. To Simply say, thanks, For who he is for what he's done. The many blessings he showered upon your life. For the many places from which he's delivered you and carried you through. Take some time to Simply say, thank you to our Lord.
Final prayer from Ephesians chapter 3. Verses 14 to 21, 4 Reaper. Take of the Lord's Supper.
for this reason, I kneel before the father from whom every family in heaven and on Earth derives its name I pray that out of his glorious riches. He may strengthen you with power, through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ May dwell in your hearts, through faith and I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's, holy people to grasp how wide and long and high. And deep is the love of Christ to know this love that surpasses knowledge. You may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him, who is able to do a measurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, amen.
You heard me say these things before, but I'll say them again, cuz there's truth in them. When we work, we work. When we pray, God works, I want this to be a church where God does. In fact work. Also usually nadege that's reserved for couples or spouses but I do believe it applies here in this context. Church, that prays together stays together. Let's be at church, that's always on our knees together. Let's conclude our time by sharing the Lord's. Supper Jesus instituted, this ordinance for us for our blessing, for our benefit so that we might be reminded of who, he is what he came to do that. We might be reminded of the forgiveness and healing you. And I now have today He also instituted so that way the church could be unified together as we didn't find that right communion is by definition, very communal. It's meant to be shared with God's people. Communion is a time in which we publicly declare to one another, by protecting of the elements. Jesus is my king. He is the Lord of my life. I can call him father because I've been adopted into his family as his child. We declare that publicly by partaking cuz this is a very public event. so today in light of that, If you are not a Believer if you are not a Christian, I ask that you please refrain. You simply observe And I hope, you know, that's what what's more important than simply fitting in by walking up here in just a moment that's far more important that at, is that your soul be restored to God and that your own heartbeat cleans Within. That happens through repentance and through faith. If you have questions about what that means, what it looks like to do that. Please talk to me afterwards and I'll be glad to to share more with you.
But as is customary, I'd like to read the text from 1st Corinthians to situate our hearts and Minds.
1st Corinthians chapter 10 and 11. As I read, invite you to come to the middle. Grab an element and then you can return to your seats. Then we'll proceed from there, as I begin. Reading on B, you to come for those of you confess Christ, as Lord and savior.
It's not the cup of Thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ. And it's not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ. Because there is one loaf we who are many are one body for. We all share the one loaf.
If I receive from the Lord, what I also passed on to you. The Lord Jesus on the night. He was betrayed took bread. And when he to give him things, he broke it. And said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The same way after supper, he took the cup saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim, the Lord's death until he comes. So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord. In an unworthy Manor will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone out to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without Discerning the body of Christ, eat and drink judgement on themselves.
It's not the cup of Thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ and is not the body that we break a participation in the body of Christ. Because there is one loaf we who are many are one body for. We all share the one live. I received from the Lord, what I also passed on to you, the Lord Jesus on the night, he was betrayed took bread. And when he can give him things, he broke it. And said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. The same way after supper, he took the cup saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim, the Lord's death until he comes.
Have a moment of silence to reflect upon Christ.
Then we'll have a communion meditation and then will partake together.
This is the day Most Holy to the hungry soul. It from worldly cares to be freed. This is the day most sacred to those who Worship the Great Jehovah regardless of creed. This is the Lord's Day. This is the house built by sacrificial Gifts of those who yearn for Fellowship. Sweet. This is the house, the sanctuary of the Holy for God has promised his Saints to meet. This is the Lord's House. This is the table about which We Gather to commemorate the world's greatest sacrifice. This is the table bearing. The memorial emblems of him who by his death, paid, the great price. This is the Lord's table. So on this blessed Lord's day, let us come into his house, the sanctuary of our God. And from his table with contrite Hearts, eat and drink at the fountain of his word on the Lord, stay at the Lord's table in the Lord's House.
The body of Christ, which is broken for you.
The blood of Christ poured out for you.
Is Matthew. 26 verse 30 tells us when Jesus first did this with his followers. after they were taken up this meal, they closed out their time together by singing, A Hymn If you will and conclusion. I invite you to stand with me as we sing the doxology together.