PRAYER: THE CHURCH’S HEARTBEAT
Connect With Church of God Prayer Ministries
By P. DOUGLAS SMALL Fast for 21 Days
TURN PRAYER OUTWARD PRAY FOR THE LOST! ADOPT A HARVEST FIELD, NEAR AND FAR: A PEOPLE GROUP, A SECTION OF THE CITY, A NATION,
A CONDITION IN THE CITY GANGS,
SINGLE MOMS, CRIME, THE SCHOOLS,
GOVERNMENT, ETC..
A million Christians across America now seek God through a period of fasting in the first month of the year. The phe- nomenon is an indication of the growing spiritual hunger in the nation. Merely giving up food is not enough. The power of fasting comes as the time normally used to nourish the flesh is instead used to nurture the spirit. Meal- time becomes prayer time. To stop eating and not start praying misses the point. That is not fasting, but dieting! We fast to feed the spirit man on both the Word and the Spirit. After such a season, our spirit should soar. The early church fasted two days weekly.
In fasting, we give a gift to God, a declaration of the priority of the spiritual. Jesus taught three central disciplines— prayer, fasting, giving (Matt. 6). When we fast, we are to put on a fresh face (vv. 16-17).
A nationwide January emphasis is “21 Days of Prayer and Fasting.” Resources, including a daily “manna mail” note, are available at
www.pray.org.
There are various forms of fasting: • Total fast—no food or water (get medical advice before doing this) • Water fast—no solid food, water only (diabetics should use caution) • Liquid fast—water and juices only • Daniel fast—vegetables only • Partial fast—giving up certain meals
Seek God for the City!
P. DOUGLAS SMALL is president and founder of Alive Ministries: Project Pray.
30 EVANGEL | November 2010
From March 8 until April 17, Church of God congregations are challenged to join tens of thousands of people across the nation in the 40-day prayer initiative “Seek God for the City!” The impressive prayer guide is produced by Waymak- ers. Each day, a fresh model for prayer is offered, suggestions for prayer evange- lism are found in the daily margins, and
certain sectors of the city are listed as a prayer focus. The framework is the prayer- care-share concept: the Great Commit- ment (prayer), the Great Commandment (love and care), and the Great Commis- sion (sharing the gospel).
The specialized Church of God version will feature resources and opportunities for prayer specific to our own movement. Order the Seek God for the City booklet from the Church of God prayer office at 704-938-9111;
www.praycog.org.
Join the Praying Church Network
Join the praying church movement within the Church of God. Here is the criteria:
1. Have an identified prayer leadership team.
2. Encourage and resource at-home daily prayer, the family altar, and the importance of couples praying together. Divorce is rare among couples who pray together.
3. Have a churchwide prayer meet- ing at least once a quarter. Call a “Great Day of Prayer” the first Sunday of each quarter.
4. Identify your intercessors. Encour- age PIT (Personal Intercessory Teams) crews for every ministry in the church. Train and team them, direct and debrief them.
5. Create a prayer room in the church. Resource it. Keep a steady stream of prayer warriors coming to the church to pray daily, if possible.
6. Conduct prayer training. 7. Turn prayer outward—pray for the lost! Adopt a harvest field, near and far: a people group, a section of the city, a nation, a condition in the city (gangs, single moms, crime, the schools, govern- ment, etc.). Go to
www.praycog.org and sign up.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32