We believe in the importance and power of prayer for the life of the church. We value corporate prayer in large settings like a worship service, in our church-wide small groups, when some gather midweek, and at special occasions like our upcoming 12-Hour Prayer Emphasis. Among the many benefits, we believe corporate prayer promotes unity and benefits from our unity.
In a recent adult education class we considered many ways to pray for our church. The list* appears below. What would you add to the list?
- Pray for the regular preaching of God’s Word.
- Pray for our witness of unity in diversity.
Pray for our evangelism and for conversions. - Pray for our daily lives this week at work and at home, that we would do good, honor God, and commend the Gospel.
- Pray that we would see relationships in the local church as part of what it means to be a Christian.
- Pray that we would understand the need to make our relationships here transparent, to tell embarrassing things about ourselves and ask awkward questions.
- Pray that we would expect conversations with other church members often to be deep and often theological in nature.
- Pray that we would think it important to encourage each other with Scripture.
- Pray that we would see part of being a Christian as being a provider and not a consumer.
- Pray that we would not see service in the local church as being primarily about meeting our own felt needs by utilizing our giftedness but about bringing God glory.
- Pray that we would not see it as unusual when our lives become increasingly centered around the local church.
- Pray that we would see it as unusual when a member’s life seems to keep church on the periphery.
- Pray that we would see hospitality as an important part of being a Christian.
As always I welcome your feedback and any ideas you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
* The list above is from Living As a Church, a Core Seminar at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.