"How can I lead my church to be more prayerful?"
It’s a simple question. It’s one that an Acts 29 pastor asked Terry Virgo at our Northwest Regional meeting in March.
It’s a simple question. It’s also a great question.
Terry gave a simple but great answer:
The pastor has to model what it means to be a man of prayer.
Not to impress people, but simply to show them what it means to be prayerful.
Earlier that day, Terry taught a group of pastors what it means to be men of prayer. I went to the regional meeting out of obligation—it’s my job to be there. I drove home thanking God for my job and that it allowed me to be there. Virgo’s talk on prayer was helpful and convicting. It’s the best stuff I’ve heard on prayer in a long time. ...
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Posted in: Spiritual Vitality
Tags: terry virgo, prayer, prayerfulness, how to help your church become more prayerful, pastor, how a pastor should pray, church planter, praying, need for prayer, modeling prayer, model prayer, model prayerfulness, congregation, showing others how to pray, leading your church
Terry Virgo founded New Frontiers, an international, 700-church, charismatic, reformed, and missional network based out of England. Terry and New Frontiers have been a blessing to Acts 29 and its leaders over the past few years, and we're thrilled to share a vision of planting churches to see as many people meet Jesus as we can.
Here, from his 2010 session at our London Dwell Conference, Terry talks to church planters about why they should pray for their cities, and for their church's needs for things such as meeting space.
Terry remembers when he first read A.W. Pink's, The Sovereignty of God, how he was amazed for the first time as a newer believer by God's sovereignty. However, this newfound discovery, "took away the edge of my praying," he says. "For a ...
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Posted in: Spiritual Vitality
Tags: reformed charismatic missional, terry virgo, new frontiers, missional, mission. church planting, prayer, power of prayer, why pray, why pray when god is sovereign, if god is sovereign why pray, what is prayer for, reasons to pray, 1 kings 18, elijah and prayer, elijah, prayer and the church planter
By Dr Sam StormsThe easiest thing about praying is quitting. Giving up seems so reasonable, so easy to justify. It’s always been that way, which is why Paul wrote in Colossians 4:12, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Persevering in prayer when no one seems to listen strikes many people as a sign of fanaticism, if not mental instability.
People in Paul’s day faced the same temptation to quit that we do. But too much was at stake. Though defeated at the cross, Satan and his demons are still active. The weakness of the flesh abides. The threat of schism in the body of Christ is ever present. Great opportunities to share the gospel are at every turn. So, don’t quit, says Paul. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Keep ...
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By Dr Sam StormsThe easiest thing about praying is quitting. Giving up seems so reasonable, so easy to justify. It’s always been that way, which is why Paul wrote in Colossians 4:12, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Persevering in prayer when no one seems to listen strikes many people as a sign of fanaticism, if not mental instability.
People in Paul’s day faced the same temptation to quit that we do. But too much was at stake. Though defeated at the cross, Satan and his demons are still active. The weakness of the flesh abides. The threat of schism in the body of Christ is ever present. Great opportunities to share the gospel are at every turn. So, don’t quit, says Paul. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Keep watch at ...
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Planning an Intentional Devotional Life for 2010. Do you have a plan?
by JR Vassar, Pastor of The Apostle's Church NYC
The most important thing you can do in 2010 is cultivate a devotional life that facilitates the intimate nearness of God. You won't accidentally get close to God. So, for 2010, I wanted to encourage you to embrace a focused intentionality in your devotional life. Here are some things I have been thinking through with regards to my devotional practices in 2010.
Have a no exemption time and place to meet with God. If you do not schedule in focused time with God, everything else in your life will schedule it out. Have a time and place and treat it as an appointment with the most important person in the universe. And, keep it; no ...
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