Prayer Meeting Activation. Equipping Fort Thomas - May 2012

Transcription

1 Prayer Meeting Activation Equipping Fort Thomas - May 2012

2 What is Equipping Fort Thomas Intensely Practical Extremely Narrow Intentionally Local Topically Diverse Biblically Grounded

3 What Equipping Fort Thomas is NOT A weekly worship service Designed for a single local congregation or network Something you should feel guilty for skipping

4 What is an Activation? When you come into a training Not knowing how to do something Not knowing why to do something And leave choosing to put a specific practice into action. 3 Sections Current State of this Practice Midrash Passages How to Get Started

5 What is a Restoration An ancient biblical practice or belief that has been largely forgotten A restoration feels like trying hard to remember something that you feel you forgot but that you never really knew The process of restoring something is like putting a puzzle together one piece at a time, running out of pieces before it s done, then searching for the next piece Restorations are always messy and constantly evolving

6 Where Prayer Gatherings Fit Today in the Weekly Christian Rhythm Attend a worship service - 50% Worship service + small group - 20% Worship service + small group + service in a ministry - 10% Worship + small group + ministry + second teaching - 5% Worship + small group + ministry + teaching + prayer - 2%

7 Frequency of Gatherings in Acts Worship Service Small Group Teaching Gathering Lords Supper Prayer Gathering - mention 0x - mentioned 0x - mentioned 5x (Acts 4, 5, 15, 19, 20) - mentioned 2x (Acts 2, 20) - mentioned 12x (Acts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12,13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 28)

8 Comparison of Weekly Gatherings Today s Christian Worship Service Small Group Serve in a Ministry Teaching Occasional Prayer Early Christian Daily Prayer Teaching most days Weekly Lord s Supper Serve in a Ministry Synagogue

9 Number of Prayer Gatherings per week in each major religion Religious Jews Observant Muslims Radical Disciples of Jesus - 22x /week - 35x /week - 1x /week?

10 Why Pray To Minister to God To Intercede for a present Kingdom movement To cast our cares on Him

11 Prayer Meeting Descriptions They all joined together constantly in prayer They devoted themselves...to prayer. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. When they heard this [Peter and John s report], they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Sovereign Lord, they said, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them...after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly....and [we the Apostles] will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.

12 Prayer In the Throne Room 8 Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

13 Instruction on Intercession I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

14 Getting Started Believe enough in the Why of a Prayer Meeting Decide on the Who Agree on the When (rhythm, frequency) Determine the Where (proximity is important) Develop a sustainable How

15 The Who Your household Those you are discipling Your neighborhood Those wanting to intercede on the same topic

16 The When & Where Fixed Hour Prayer (morning, noon, evening) Weekly Prayer Gathering Early morning (Headed to work) During the Day (working in proximity) Later evening (same street after the little ones go down)

17 Different Hows Intercession for Families Listening Prayer Topical Intercession Harp and Bowl Prayer and Worship 1 Cor. 14 Gathering and Prayer Lord s Supper

18 A Sustainable Prayer Rhythm Involving the Kids Take responsibility then spread it around Make it as low maintenance as possible without diminishing the meaning Use helps (prayer books, worship books, plan 3 months of prayer topics in advance etc.) Release gifts (worship leaders, prayer leaders etc.)

19 Everyone should leave with 1-3 clear next steps