24/7 Prayer – Thy Kingdom Come Come Holy Spirit. Our own deeper relationship with Jesus
It seems that ‘generosity of spirit’ is the order of the day at St John’s as we start this week of prayer - Generously sharing our faith with those we meet daily, no matter who - shining our lights to show the way - Generously sharing our God and our church with others - offering a place of warmth and caring for those out in the cold and the dark - Generously shining to light the way - emphasis on ‘generous’ all the way. We serve a generous God - Ephesians 3:20
Where can we be a witness?
WHERE can we be a witness? Right where we are, in our families, with our friends, neighbours, colleagues, in the interactions we have every day however small with the people we pass, who serve us, who we exchange conversation with. So many opportunities. HOW can we be a witness? By telling of the goodness of God, where have we seen Him in our lives? I saw our church doors, both sets of them, flung wide open to all who wanted to come in - they were generously flung open by those within - and a joyful, festive crowd pouring in through those doors “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5 14-16 Song - Goodness of God (CeCe Winans) Song – Bright as the Sun (Hillsong Worship) Song – Such a thing as glory (Rich Mullins) Song – Give me oil in my lamp (Cedarmont Kids)
Witnessing IN our families and witnessing AS a family
Psalm 103 If we’re singing this song of praise and thanks and demonstrating it with our lives in our family how can we fail to witness through our family. For isn’t this how everyone will know we’re his disciples, when we love each other? Reminded that we can be planters and waterers every day in every little way whether in our own families, our work families or our church families. That God will use our ‘gardening’ however small to grow amazing things I can certainly plant the seeds and water faithfully, but good to remember that only the head gardener can bring an increase ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined’ - Isaiah 9:2 Witnessing shouldn’t be this big extra thing that we do but actually just how we live and love one another. May be a good idea to start to notice how we already witness naturally and ask God is there more from there?! I don’t believe there is any other way to witness than by love - first love of God and then love of others - and it would be with that love which God ‘sheds abroad in our hearts’ in the first place - Romans 5:5 Jesus is patient, He is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. 5 Jesus does not dishonor others, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. 6 He does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Song – Shine Jesus Shine (Graham Kendrick) Song – 10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman)
Witnessing in our community
Proud to belong to a church where the Outreach slice of our Governance Circle is the largest. Praying for this area of our ministry. A Venn diagram came to mind, how as each of us lives and serves and experiences community in slightly different ways (because of where we live/ where we work/who we see each day etc) that we also overlap which makes our community reach bigger and bigger as we all link to each other with Jesus in the centre of each overlap. Amazing things can happen strengthened by the connection to each other through Jesus, can see the Venn diagram multiplying and multiplying till we cover all ground. Thinking and praying about what stops me from witnessing in our community and it mostly comes down to fear. But it also comes back to love and do I love the people in our community enough to step over my fear? 1 John 4.18 ‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..’ Song – I will follow (Chris Tomlin)
Pray for students at Royal Holloway
Thinking about the choices and decisions that these young people (and us) have to make every day. Made me think how we rely on satnav these days and rarely consult maps, rarely stop to consider, so keen are we to get to our destination in the quickest and easiest way possible. What would happen if we stopped to listen and be guided? How can we help to direct others in God’s way? By example? By stopping long enough to hear where God wants us to go? Let’s be good examples to our students and to each other by following the One whose destination will always be the best, even if the road to get there takes more turns and has more bumps in than we would choose ourselves Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Pray for children and youth Praying this over all the children and young people at St John’s, that they would know God’s favour, that they would know his peace and that they would step forward, a new generation of warriors, stepping out in the confidence that they are known and loved by God. Mighty men and women of faith. I can see an army at St John’s led by our children and youth Thinking about the many people who serve in our church family - some for decades. Saints too numerous to name and myriad acts of service. Praying our children and youth will find their place in the body of Christ - now at SJE and in the years to come, wherever God will lead them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all our Teams were multi-generational? Song – The UK Blessing (Churches sing ‘The Blessing’ over the UK)
Come Holy Spirit. Welcome in Pentecost
Praying we would be filled again with the Holy Spirit, as individuals, as a church, a family, a community. Now more than ever before don’t we need those things? Power, Hope, Healing, Freedom, Come Holy Spirit Acts 2:15-17 We celebrate God sending the Holy Spirit onto his Church. We pray that as this image is shared around the world that the Holy Spirit flows with it and empowers and influences. Praying and reading about the first Pentecost and how the people were amazed to hear their own languages being spoken (Acts 2) and wondered what would they be amazed to hear/see in us today? What would speaking their language look like at St John’s? Understanding them? Showing interest in them? Getting to know them? Really listening so that they feel heard? Church accessible to all. Maybe they’re amazed because they walk past and see they can get help with their debt? Maybe they’re amazed because they walk past and see they can bring their little ones and meet other parents. Maybe they’re amazed because they walk past and see they can ‘do church’ in the middle of the week or spend some quiet time during their lunch break, how else can we be speaking their languages? We're not only called to be the 'talkers' we're also called to be the 'listeners' when witnessing. Felt a challenge to be seeking out and listening to the cries and needs of our communities, not just providing what we think people need. Praying that the people we witness to will come to know God not only through what we say but through the way they feel heard and valued when they interact with us. It's not about what we do or how well we pray; the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God is still working through the empty slots and the "didn't get much prayer done" slots. Song – Hosanna (Hillsong) Song – Wildfire (bailey) Song – Spirit Fall (New Wine Worship) Song – More about Jesus (The Blackwood Brothers) Song – Spirit Fall (New Wine Worship)