The Final Command (Matthew 28:19-20) was for followers of Jesus to be on mission with Him. To be on mission is a declaration of war. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. Prayer is the best measure of our dependence on Him. Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence.
“We cannot know what prayer is for until we know that life is war. Life is war. That's not all it is. But it is certainly that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. — John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad, p. 41
The PrayOhio! initiative has available for you Praying with Jesus: 40-Day Prayer Guide. The guide is to help the church pray together, in concert, for the church. The guide is designed with daily scriptures and prayer prompts to guide each member seven days a week for 40 days. Then the body gathers weekly to pray together, spending time together seeking His face and His grace for His church.
Chuck Lawless writes, “It isn’t hard to measure to what degree we are trying to lead in our own strength. Just pay attention to what point in the process your prayers become desperate.”
We must not fail to pray together. In Acts, the early church gathered 26 times in 28 chapters to pray together; their story was one of prayerful dependence, and it must be ours too. The great prayer encouragements in Scripture are full of plural pronouns — John 15 we are to abide together and Ephesians 6 we fight the spiritual battle together.
“The greatest workings of God come by corporate prayer, and we will not see the power of God in sufficient measure to transform the world around us until we pray together. As a leader, you must make praying together on the same priority level as preaching/teaching.” — John Franklin, And the Place Was Shaken, p. 4
The Praying with Jesus: 40-Day Prayer Guide is available in print and pdf formats. Please order print copies below, your Cooperative Program giving covers the cost. You can also download the pdf see bottom of the page.
40 Day Prayer Guide Request
Also, pastors, there is a companion sermon series guide to go along with the 40-Day Prayer Guide! Seven sermon outlines by Jamie Work, the author of the prayer guide, available in pdf. You can provide a church-wide prayer emphasis, resources provided by CP giving!
“By New Testament measurements, we are anemic and shallow. We certainly are distracted. Could it be that we are powerless at the very moment when our society needs to experience the reality of faith that rests on the power of God and not the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 2:5)?” — Daniel Henderson, Old Paths, New Power, p. 36
"Rather than a religiously tame ritual, prayer is actually the most important and strategic work of kingdom advancement. It might be the least tame thing we ever do!" — Gary Mayes, DNA of a Revolution, p.189
“Prayer is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do.” — Mark Batterson, Whisper, p. 18)
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