LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, July 2, 2024

In a previous ministry I organized a Foundation Team. This team of three men was responsible for keeping the spiritual foundation of our church focused on the non-negotiables so that any future decisions about ministry expansion would be in keeping with God’s purpose for the church. At one of our annual events this team gave a challenge to the congregation. They reminded us that we are all a royal priesthood, and we have all been called to be a part of the spiritual foundation of this ministry. We are a team, with Jesus Christ as the Head Coach, and the only way we will work together to accomplish the goals of the Coach is to be in communication with the Coach. We need to pray.

The one consistent theme of the REAL church in the book of Acts is prayer.

Acts 1:12-14  “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walkfrom the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying…They all joined together constantly in prayer…”

Acts 2:42  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Acts 4:24  “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.”

Acts 4:31  “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

Acts 6:3-4  “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

There are 29 more references to prayer in the book of Acts that show us the importance of it as a foundation to the spiritual vitality of a church. Stephen prayed while he was being stoned. Paul and Silas prayed while in prison. Peter prayed and was directed to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. The church earnestly prayed while Peter was in prison, and he was set free. The church prayed about sending out missionaries. Paul and Barnabas knew that prayer had to be the foundational activity of every church they planted.  

It is essential that prayer be the primary activity that captivates our involvement.  Here is my challenge to you:

1.      Choose a minimum of five minutes every day that you will commit to pray for the ministry of your church.

2.       Every day at that time, pray for the following things:

a.       That God would be glorified in everything we do and it would be consistently grounded on the truth of Scrpture.

b.       That every person who attends the church would be living out the Great Commandment in every part of their lives, loving God above all else, and loving each other with His love.

c.      That every person who attends the church would in some way fulfill the Great Commission by being a Holy Spirit empowered witness of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

d.       That every ministry of the church would accomplish two purposes: equipping each person to fulfill the first three objectives and providing an entrance point for unsaved people to meet Jesus.

Are you ready? I am! In prayer we surrender to the purpose of God, we are strengthened by the power of God, and we are supplied with the provision of God. The Holy Spirit has been given the church as His temple of residence, and when the foundation of our ministry is to fulfill that spiritual purpose, then God will provide all the rest that we need to do His work.

Come on; join the team. What time of the day will you choose to pray?

Pastor John