Dear Watchman, Some people have the unique joy of literally walking where Jesus walked. (Every time I lead a team to Israel, I love seeing the pure delight that individuals experience as they actually walk where Jesus walked). However, many Christians will never walk where He walked. On the other hand, it is possible for everyone to walk with Jesus. In fact, the more you walk with Jesus, the more you live like Jesus. As we pray this month, along with many others who are praying and fasting for 21 days, may God draw us all closer to Him. Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2, ESV) From the beginning of God s creation, God indicates that His intent was for us to become like Christ. After all, in all of His creation, we are the only living beings made in the image of God. No believer in Christ can become like Christ automatically or over night. Becoming like Christ is a slow process that will take the rest of your life. It s not about perfection but progression. Having longer quiet times is not the answer. Believe it or not, when we love God, we naturally run to Him often and excitedly. We don t have to be motivated by guilt to spend time with the One who gave His life for us! Jesus didn t order us to have a regular quiet time every day. Instead, He commanded us to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) As our intimacy with Jesus deepens, our imitation of Christ develops. My prayer for you and for our entire church this month is that God will use the temptations we face, the truth we embrace, and the choices we make to transform us into the likeness of Jesus so those who are outside of God s family will experience the unimaginable, unconditional, uncontainable, unstoppable love of God through us! February is a great time to talk about Love. Please pray for many we love who are included in the following ministry initiatives this month: Marriage Moments - (in Longview, Feb. 12; In Marshall, Feb. 19) For couples to fan the flame of love for each other. SPARK - Feb.16-18. For hundreds of youth to recommit their love for God. The Engage Challenge. For every person that Mobberly individuals engage, to feel the love and acceptance of God. With Passion Week approaching, you can already be praying for 218 to be saved in 2018. Pastor Glynn February 2018 Alert, 1
During 2018, we will be using the acrostic P.R.A.Y. as a guide for our prayer time. In Matthew 6:9-13 you see these same elements in the Lord s prayer, where Jesus offers praise to God ( Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy ); offers words of repentance ( forgive us our debts ); ask for sustainment ( give us today our daily bread ); and offers yielded service ( Your kingdom come, your will be done ). Again, this is just a guide. Spend time with God worshipping Him, praising Him, seeking to be closer to Him and listening for what He wants to say to you. Yield to His direction. Praise: Praising God for who He is and for what He has done. Praise God: He is LOVE Definition: One who is strong and has intense affection, benevolence, kindness and tenderness Psalm 136:1-9, ESV: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; Ephesians 3:16-19, ESV: that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 1 John 4:7-8, ESV: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. Praise the Lord: For the over 1,100 people praying together for our nation, our church and ourselves during 21 Days of Prayer. For Engage Coordinators providing engage activities in their Connect Groups this month to keep engaging East Texans in the forefront of our minds. That Engage 201 has 50 participants this semester. For Engage10K progress; 1,741 relationships invested +676 gospel shares=1,307 households engaged with the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the many new engage stories being shared through Mobberly people. That He brought a new orchestra member to be a part of the Worship ministry. For the worship gatherings with Charles Billingsley, which were God-honoring and impactful. For a great Connect Sunday on January 28 with New Year, New You. We have seen many people show interest in joining a Connect Group in the new year. We have seen teachers felt led by God to change their group to reach more people and start new Connect Groups. For His protection and blessing over our children physically and spiritually while they are on our campus. For the kids who have come to know Christ and have followed Him through baptism over the past month. For student leadership and other students evangelizing on their campuses. For students beginning to realize that safe Christianity is never what Jesus offered. For His constant provision for leaders and inspired teaching material on Sunday mornings. That two people responded to the gospel of God s grace through the Tuesday morning Family Services Ministry since last month s Watchman report! Pray for these new sisters as they begin to grow in their faith: Keanna and Amy. For new records for Thrive: 200+ participants first week of semester including 40+ kids, 2nd week participation of 125 participants with threat of impending snow storm including 40+ kids. That our Life Matters Ministry is partnering with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to host a professional education conference in April. That this month three Heart Galleries were completed for 2018 to be utilized throughout the region to connect older foster kids with potential forever families. That Thrive! for Kids partnered with LeTourneau University Nursing Program to be a for-credit offering for their Global Service Learning graduation requirement. February 2018 Alert, 2
For a great 4th annual Alzad Vuestros Ojos (Lift Up Your Eyes) week of prayer focusing on the lost Hispanic community. a. For people who joined in prayer at church every morning, who prayed in different home groups every night and for people who prayed at home via online helps or prayer guides provided for them. b. For a great 4th annual Night of Prayer and Worship to close off the week of prayer. We were joined by four other Hispanic congregations from Longview to foster unity and be able to pray and worship together for God to use us as ONE to reach the many Hispanics who are lost in East Texas. c. For the Salvation of Micah Dewitts, whom God providentially brought to us through a divine appointment and whom we were able to lead to Christ in the middle of this week of prayer. For Connection Church, Spearfish who has called a new pastor, Jon Ballard and that he and his family arrived safely this week and will begin their ministry there the last Sunday of January. For the way God has blessed the distribution and the impact of the Numana Meals our church packed in November. For many visitors to our Marshall campus. Repent: of sins I have committed and of commands I have neglected. Our ongoing sins disturb our fellowship with our heavenly Father. This is why we need to repent of our sins and confess them to God. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9, CSB). As you pray, take some time to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your sins. It might be helpful to think through various areas of your life: sins of thought, sins of attitude, sins of relationships, sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of self-rule, or sins of self-reliance. Ask God for the grace to repent. Ask God to restore your fellowship. And then thank God that your sins were already paid for by Christ. Rest in His unfailing love. Ask: When our hearts are God-oriented in praise and purified through repentance, then we are ready to Ask. No doubt there are many things we would like to see God do for our nation, for our church and for ourselves. If you are not already signed up for Pray21 it s not too late. To receive daily text message prayer prompts text Pray21 to 903.467.5818, or to receive daily email prayer prompts email Pray21 to prayer@mobberly.org. God encourages us to come boldly to Him and ask. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16, CSB) Ask God: To use the temptations we face, the truths we embrace and the choices we make during these 21 days of prayer and fasting to transform us into the likeness of Jesus, so those who are outside of God s family will experience the unimaginable, unconditional, uncontainable, unstoppable love of God through us For this growing Christlikeness in the body of Christ to provide a compelling witness to all of East Texas of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To draw others to new Engage 201 opportunities beginning Feb. 21 in Longview, Marshall and in Spanish. Pray for new coaches and participants to have minimum distractions, wisdom, and courage as they are equipping and being equipped to engage East Texas with the gospel. For young adults to catch the engage vision and for wisdom to equip them to begin spiritual conversations and continue with confident gospel conversations through their circles of influence. For the spring engage challenge to mobilize the entire Mobberly family to intentionally pray, listen, serve and share with people in their circles of influence as we prepare to celebrate and proclaim the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, during passion week and Easter weekend. To guide our preparation for Passion Week and that all of us would invite people who are far from God. To raise up and call out more men willing to serve on the Marshall worship team. To call new people of all ages to serve as a part of the Worship ministry and use their God-given talents to worship Him. To help us learn how to make worship our lifestyle on a daily basis and not just on Sundays. February 2018 Alert, 3
To guide us as we work through details to start three new groups including one for coaches and spouses, empty nesters and young professionals in Marshall. To guide us as we seek how best to lead our families through MERGE and parents disciplining their children. To prepare the hearts of Mobberly family members as we study God s Word leading up to Prove The Tithe: Affirming God s Provision on March 4. Pray that the devotional times and biblical study in February will impress upon our hearts the joy of generous, obedient and sacrificial giving for God s eternal purposes. To help our kids see the connection between God s truth and their everyday life situations and circumstances. To protect the health of our leaders and children as we continue to battle the flu in East Texas. For leaders to be strong, loving examples of Christ s love as they teach. For Leader Mid-Year training to be well attended and effective in preparing our leaders to be Christ- like in their teaching and outreach to children To help our leaders see the fullness of joy and blessing as they give themselves and their time as an offering and sacrifice to God. To call all leaders to invest in consistent, weekly personal study and quiet time as they prepare to lead children. For the construction of our new preschool building to stay on target with the finishing and opening of the facility, for the workers that are onsite to remain safe and injury free and as they are here on our Longview campus they may feel the love of Christ and hear the gospel message. To help us create an environment for each of our kids with special needs so they feel loved and can hear the message of Christ s love in a way that speaks to their hearts clearly. For lives to be changed during Spark Weekend. Our theme is Follow Your Leader. We are praying that our students will come out of this weekend not just knowing what a Christ follower looks like, but they are committed to living it out. For an awakening of hearts on the Kilgore College and Christian campuses in East Texas. For continued progress of leadership into disciple making followers. To draw many couples to Marriage Moments events on February 12 (Longview) and February 19 (Marshall). Pray for Pastor Glynn as he shares at these events, asking that God will use him to strengthen and encourage marriages. Pray that biblical, Christ-honoring marriages will thrive at Mobberly and in East Texas. To lead many couples to get involved in this fun challenge designed to strengthen marriages in The Great Marriage Race: Caribbean Edition beginning February 11 at Mobberly. To bring forth a harvest from the seeds planted through Real Men: Called to Worship that will cause the men of Mobberly to be active, engaged participants in personal, family and corporate worship. Pray for men to lead in this area! For continued growth and health of all participants in Thrive! Support Groups. For connection with new partnerships and organizations to grow our Celebrate Recovery ministry For spiritual guidance as we develop The Great Marriage Race for 2018. For passionate and dedicated volunteers for Thrive for Kids. For Jon Ballard and his family as they adjust to Spearfish and blessings as they serve at Connection Church. For Aaron and Renee Blankenship as Aaron assumes his new role as Pastor for Connection Church, Sturgis. Pray for them as they seek to reach the city of Sturgis. For God to provide all the volunteers, coaches and referees that will be needed for a new season of Upward Soccer which will begin in March. Pray for the many from our community that will join our league who have no church home to respond to our invitation to join us at Mobberly and respond to the gospel message. For us to be able to have the same spirit of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, so that we don t give up praying for the lost until we see God answer our prayers. For the maturity of our new believers who are slowly taking steps forward in their new faith and who seem to sometimes take more steps backwards than forward. For our main leaders in Mobberly en Espanol: Edwin Pastul, Juan Garcia, John Cohagen, Ricky Ruiz and Calixto Arce to continue to grow to be more like Christ and reflect that character to our congregation more and more. To lead those visiting our campuses to connect to our church. To guide in the potential launch of a Divorce Care class on the Marshall campus. To raise up people of Mobberly's Marshall campus to step into serving and leadership roles as our campus grows. To anoint Geoffrey Davis with His message as he preaches at the ETBU Chapel on February 7th. February 2018 Alert, 4
To use GenerationM, an outreach to mothers in the Marshall area, to reach mothers disconnected from Jesus and church to come and hear the gospel and find community. To continue to guide our women s ministry team to cultivate a culture of openness among our women to share God s love story though their story, to encourage those here and to engage those who are in their circles of influence. Yield: to what God says to me. Yield my will to God's will. Yield my agenda to God's agenda. We must be willing to yield our desires and our thoughts to God s sovereign wisdom. As Jesus faced the cross, He prayed in Matthew 26:39, CSB My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. We must pray with that same spirit, humbly yielding our will to God's will. To close our prayer by yielding to God is a way that we submit our desires to Him. In the end, it is our way of acknowledging that His will is what will truly satisfy us anyway. God s will and plan is better than ours. He knows the end from the beginning and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2, ESV) February 2018 Alert, 5