Our final prayer and fasting guide covers the next week and two days, bringing us to the end of August. For a more in depth study regarding corporate prayer, please also consider this article from 9Marks, A Biblical Theology of Corporate Prayer.
Worshiping the Lord and Fasting
(Acts 13:2)
For the entire month of August, we, as a church family, will be before the Lord in a special time of worship. We have called for a corporate commitment to fast and pray, as each is able in an effort to not only recover a neglected spiritual discipline but to position ourselves to see God work in amazing ways in and through us as a church family. While the focus is primarily on church planting, as you will see we are not limited to that topic. The elders will publish a daily schedule each week so that we can be together as we move through the month. This is only a guide so feel free to move beyond what is suggested. We hope you find the guide helpful. If you have any questions, please contact your elder.
Day 23
Target the Heart: Love
What do you love? Jesus tells us that we prove that we love him when we obey him. Our obedience is not out of obligation, though we are obligated, but because God has given us a new heart. We want to do what we ought to do. As we become convinced that church planting and all that it entails is something that we ought to do, let us pray that it is first something that we love to do. It is a way in which we as a church can love God and our neighbors.
Target the Word: 1 Corinthians 13
Target God: Devotion
We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This requires complete devotion of all that we are to our God, leaving nothing back.
Day 24
Target the Heart: Joy
This pandemic has been difficult for our church in many ways. It has brought a level of discomfort and disruption that we are not used to. Don't miss the opportunities in this that God has given us for joy. Hidden behind each difficult moment is the potential for great joy.
Target the Word: Jam 1:2-4, Rom 5:1-5
Target God: Endurance
Let us thank God for the growth that He is surely bringing to each member of the body and to our church as a whole. Together we can think back to the difficult times that God has brought us through and how He has grown us through it. As we pursue a church plant in the face of difficulty let us together count it joy knowing that our heavenly Father will equip us for the work.
Day 25
Target the Heart: Peace
Jesus accomplished peace through his death on the cross. He crushed the enemy of peace, Satan. Yet Satan still rages and wars with his words. One day he will be finally banished forever and all war against God and his children will cease. Through faith we gain that peace now, knowing that nothing can thwart God’s victory.
Target the Word: Romans 16:20
Target God: Corporate Worship
We show that peace with each other in our discipleship and in our corporate worship of God. Do our gatherings as believers show the world the peace of God in our midst? Our gathering should be a welcome rest from the toils of the world, a place where grace abounds and we do not have to worry about what others think about us, because we know that we will be like a family with one another.
Day 26
Target the Heart: Patience
When are we going to plant a church already? When is my neighbor going to get saved? When will my children be mature? When… There are a hundred when questions that we could ask. But all of those questions should lead our heart examination to the Lord who is just in all that he does. He is never slow in fulfilling his promises.
Target the Word: Isaiah 26
Target God: Justice
In scripture, the call for patience, and the call to wait on the Lord is often linked to our trust in the just character of God. The judge of all the earth will do justly. When things go wrong, evenly horribly wrong, and it seems like there is no resolution in this life, we do not fear, for God will make all things right. He will call all wickedness to account. As believers those we do not fear the judgment of God because we look to the cross of Christ. There we see justice against our sin accomplished. This is the confident hope we have to share with a world, even a world that hates us. We can be tempted to be impatient in seeing the fruit of gospel work, but our doubts will only arise from taking our eyes off of the cross of Christ.
Day 27
Target the Heart: Kindness
The proclamation of the gospel is the root of the Great Commission, but what does that mean? The world will know that we are Christians by our love for one another. It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. A kind word turns away wrath. The world around us is angry about everything. The church is totally different. We are to proclaim and demonstrate something that is only produced by the Spirit of God, kindness.
Target the Word: Luke 6:32-36
Target God: Mercy
More important than our kindness is God’s kindness. We are to be merciful because God is merciful. If we are filled with the joy of knowing God’s mercy to us, we will overflow with that to others. Preaching the gospel will be easy, not when it is a burdensome duty, but when we know the wonderful freedom of the sons of God.
Day 28
Target the Heart: Goodness
Sometimes we get so busy doing work that we forget to do good works. Sometimes we shy away from talk about good works, because we don’t want to imply anything contrary to Sola Fide. But have no fear. God has prepared before all time that we should walk in good works. We are to let our good works be known to the world so that when men see it they rejoice and give glory to God on the day of his visitation.
Target the Word: 1 Timothy 4:4; Philippians 4:8
Target God: Providence
God’s providence is his generous goodness on display. He is not only sovereign and controlling all things, but he is working all things together for our good, for those who love him and are called by his name. Praise the Lord for his goodness. He will provide whatever we need. We will not lack any good thing as we seek to do his will. We will never be able to say that we did not have at our disposal anything we needed to accomplish the commission he has given.
Day 29
Target the Heart: Faithfulness and Trust
God has called us to do an amazing thing: plant another local church. The implications of this are both staggering and eternal. Our only course in this is to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. We must acknowledge God in all our ways, and He will make our paths straight. He will provide the strength we need to get the job done. Ask God to provide strength to those planning to go out from us. Ask God to provide strength to those who are planning to stay. We all need God’s strength. We all need to be courageous and do what we are called upon to do.
Target the Word: Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Target God: Strength
When Joshua took over responsibility for leadership in Israel a heavy burden was laid on his shoulders. He was being called to a very difficult task. Israel had proved their reputation for obstinance and rebellion toward God. Moses had his hands full his entire ministry and that is not an exaggeration. If Joshua was to follow in the footsteps of Moses and lead God’s people well, he would need strength from God. His own strength, no matter how great, would not suffice.
Day 30
Target the Heart: Unity
Do you ever find yourself wondering why you and a brother or sister disagree so admittedly on something? There is much to disagree about in the world today especially in the midst of a pandemic. We aren't always going to agree upon the right course of action to take or on current politics. That is actually ok. We can disagree about many things and still be unified. We all agree on the most important truth in the universe, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must remain unified around that truth. As we spend this time together in prayer and fasting let us also focus this time on the unity that the Lord has called us to.
Target the Word: Psalm 133, Eph 4:1-16
Target God: Humility and Gentleness
Pray that God will help us to be unified around Jesus. While we each are working through our individual responses to the challenges of our time, we must also focus on the role that God has given each one of us in the church. The apostle Paul makes it clear that each member of the body has a part to play in the building up of the body. Look to God to provide the grace to bear with one another in love, "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Day 31
Target the Heart: Self-control
When we think about planting a church, would we think that self-control would be a necessary quality to pursue? It’s actually essential to church planting. Self-control is a guard rail against pursuing all sorts of paths that are attractive, plausible, efficient, and many other values of worldly success. Self-control teaches us to fix our minds on what God has given us to do and to not be distracted by other pursuits.
Target the Word: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Target God: Discipline
Discipline is the root of discipleship. We go into all the world to make disciples, but that is going to require from ourselves first a dedication to some hard work. And secondly, a dedication to call others to the obedience of faith. It’s not always pretty when our flesh clashes with the Spirit of God, but God will prevail. In humility and faith, we pray that we can receive the tasks ahead of us, fixing our eyes on the prize, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We know that we will receive that prize for God is faithful. Press on for that imperishable reward!