Devotional Guide #others Dr. Phillip L. Dunn, Pastor 223 South Aiken Blvd. SE Aiken, SC 29803 803.648.4167
In the following pages are devotionals written from your Pastor and Staff Team to help guide us in our time of prayer and fasting over these next 14 days. We can be confident as a Church Family that God hears our prayers and that He will faithfully show Himself strong on our behalf. He wants you and I to seek Him for spiritual breakthroughs in our lives! Let us pray that God will allow us to reach many lost people in 2015 for His Kingdom! Our theme is #others and there are those in your life that do not know Christ. Would you take a day to miss a meal and pray for that person or couple by name? Would you pull time away and ask God to save them for His glory? Let us ask God for a great harvest of souls both here in our region and around the world. Would you take a day to pray and fast and ask God to meet with us on Sundays as we gather in a special way? May all who gather on Sundays feel the presence and love God through us! Let us ask God to continue to give a great spirit of love and unity as we move towards a great future! Pastor Phillip 1
Day 1: from Pastor Phillip, Senior Pastor SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah (1:4-11) Brokenness before God: Nehemiah s desire to rebuild the walls did not start with a strategy. His desire to rebuild the walls started with a deep burden and sense of brokenness. Nehemiah said, When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. The broken wall around Israel was a symbol of the spiritual brokenness in the hearts of God s people. The strategy would come, but for Nehemiah the spiritual work was always the starting place for true-life transformation in Israel. As we seek God during these two weeks of prayer and fasting we are beginning with a spiritual focus in mind. Let us ask God to bring us to a renewed awareness of sin, pride, and brokenness in our personal walk with God. Ask the Lord to rebuild the broken places in your life that need repairing and healing. Take time to read Nehemiah (1:4-11) and pray the word of Nehemiah to God. We are on an exciting journey as a church! If we will love broken people the way that God has loved each of us in our brokenness, then we will feel and see the power of God in new ways! Let us pray that we as His people will fully engage in the power of God! 2
Day 2: from Gary Farina, Minister of Discipleship/ Singles SCRIPTURE: Acts (1:8) Jesus says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. As believers Jesus tells us to go and be witnesses of Him, we are to start here in our community and share the gospel through our own story on how Jesus changed our life. We ought to be thinking about others and where they will spend eternity. It starts in our own backyard. Can you be a witness for Jesus today? Make a special effort to share your story with one person this week and see how God will bless your obedience. 3
Day 3: from Pastor Allen, Deaf Ministry Pastor SCRIPTURE: Luke (2:36-38) Anna s testimony It is TIME to fast and pray. Read Luke 2:36-38. We can follow Anna example. We worship our God daily. With God s blessing, we will use our wisdom by fasting spiritually and praying spiritually. Sometimes, we are too attached with our secularized world. We feel discouraged with the evil happenings. Jesus already said it two thousand years ago. With spiritual joy, we are getting closer to our God s Kingdom. With fasting and praying, we need to out reach the ripe harvesting people to edify them up and grow in God s House (our church). Anna s main role was to speak for God, proclaiming His Truth. Let our main role must be to speak for Jesus Christ, proclaiming His Victory. 4
Day 4: from Katherine Granillo, Minister of Media SCRIPTURE: Ephesians (6:10-18) We are in a war. Are you prepared? As Christians we are fighting a daily battle: our flesh vs. our spirit. From the moment you surrendered your life to Christ, Satan put a huge bullseye on you and he will try to get you down any way he can. One of the best ways is through your thought life. Fasting and praying are two spiritual disciplines which allow us to focus our thought life and rage war against the enemy. Paul tells us to put on the full armor because we have authority through the Holy Spirit to take our stand against Satan. Put on the belt of truth because Christ is our Truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness for Christ is our Righteousness. Fit your feet with the gospel of peace because Christ is our Peace. Take up the shield of faith for Christ is our Faith. Put on the helmet of salvation because Christ is our Salvation. Take up the sword of the Spirit for the word of God dwells in us. Let us daily surrender for the Holy Spirit to take control of our thoughts and actions. So are you ready? 5
Day 5: from Bill Howard, Minister of Music SCRIPTURE: Psalm (119:175a) Let me live that I may praise you. Have you ever heard the question asked, How s your love life? What about this question? How is your Praise life? A heart of love will also be a heart of praise! If we truly love something or someone we will have their praise on our lips and we will be excited to share that praise with # OTHERS! When was the last time you praised your church? When was the last time you praised your church staff or Bible study class? When was the last time you offered up praise to your Savior Jesus Christ? If it s been a while and you truly love your church and your Savior, make a change in your life beginning today and start sharing and praising Him to #OTHERS! 6
Day 6: from Chris Masters, Associate Pastor/ Senior Adults SCRIPTURE: Matthew (25:31-46) Beginning in Matthew 5, we have the public teaching ministry of Jesus recorded in The Sermon on the Mount. The finale of this teaching is found in chapter 25:31-46. There Jesus gives us a guideline for ministry that can be summed up in just two words: Practical and Merciful. Jesus mentions giving food, shelter, and fellowship to the less fortunate as the practical side of ministry WHAT we are to do within our community. Then He mentions HOW we are to do it with mercy and compassion out of a heart overflowing with the love of Jesus. May Jesus transform our hearts so that we see the needs around us and respond as He leads. 7
Day 7: from Cortney Norris, Modern Worship Leader SCRIPTURE: Isaiah (43:18-19, 21) Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise. As our church looks to the future for what God is doing, He has entrusted us with this time of transition. By faith, we continue to walk in obedience as we put our best foot forward in asking God to prepare the way for us. God never intended a believer to remain the same, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, He pricks and nudges and breathes newness into our lives. This is only healthy for every believer. It is my prayer that God continues to do something new inside of each heart at Millbrook. May God breathe His plans into this community so that all people will declare His praise. 8
Day 8: from Scott Shipes, Children s Minister SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:(30-32) What are some things you wait for in life? Think of the longest time you have had to wait for something? Is there anything you are still waiting for? Are you asking God to do something and are waiting for Him to answer? Waiting isn t always easy but if we believe that God hears and answers our prayers we have faith that He will answer. His answer will be either yes, no or wait. The answer wait may take a few days, months or years but God will answer in His own timing. As believers we have a privilege to pray to God the Father and believe that He hears and answers prayer. If we are praying according to God s Word we can trust that God will hear and answer according to His perfect plan for our lives. Once we believe by faith that Jesus is our Savior we need to live our lives day by day by faith. We need to read and obey God s Word so we can know how to live and trust His promises even when we don t understand them. Let s live with an attitude of worship and obeying God every day. In our time of prayer and fasting, let s have an attitude of praising Him and thanking Him for all that He has done and will do for us, as we believe in Him by faith. 9
Day 9: from Gary Farina, Minister of Discipleship/ Singles SCRIPTURE: John (13:34), 1 Corinthians (13:13) A new command I give you Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Jesus is serious when He is talking about loving one another; He talks about it over and over in His word. Is it possible to love like Jesus and live it out as He did? I believe if you are a true disciple you can love like Him. It s not easy but as we grow in Christ so will our heart. Love is an action word; can you show the love of Jesus is talking about to someone different than you? Ask Jesus to pour His love out to you this week so you can pour that love into someone else. 10
Day 10: from Pastor Allen, Deaf Ministry Pastor SCRIPTURE: Mark (4:39) Fast and Furious Already, The year of 2015 is here. Where have those years been gone? Have we done our accomplishments? How much more do we have to glorify our God? How long do we need to keep serving God? You? Me? Our staff/deacons? Our Senior Pastor? Are we too fast and furious? Let s open our Bibles and read Mark 4:39. We know that this author was fast and furious writing this short and simple gospel, the Book of Mark. In this verse, Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the water, Quiet down! My friends, we need to quiet down and start listening to our Lord Jesus Christ with our humble hearts. 11
Day 11: from Bill Howard, Minister of Music SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel (24:24b) I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. Wow! King David just lays it right out there for us! Talk about throwing down the challenge! Every time I read this passage I am challenged to look into my own heart and ask myself, what has it cost me to be a follower of Christ? Is there something in my life that makes # OTHERS wonder what makes me different? Do I live my life in such a way that # OTHERS can see, hear and sense Jesus Christ is alive and living in me? As we walk into this New Year and begin this time of prayer and fasting, will you be willing to spend the time with God in prayer? 12
Day 12: from Chris Masters, Associate Pastor/ Senior Adults SCRIPTURE: Acts (5:27-32) What will it take for the church to win the world to Christ? Like the early church, we will have to overcome many obstacles. In this passage, the disciples were warned again not to preach the name of Jesus. What kept them going? They had three things that we must have in order to boldly proclaim Jesus in a world that denies Him. They had COURAGE in the face of trials. Like Martin Luther, may we stand boldly and say, Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Secondly, they had CHARACTER. They would not compromise, but said, We must obey God rather than men (29). Finally, they felt a CALLING to be witnesses to what they had seen, heard, and experienced. That s what it will take for us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. 13
Day 13: from Scott Shipes, Children s Minister SCRIPTURE: Matthew (5:16), 2 Peter (3:18) Are you praying for your children every day? As parents and grandparents, we can t afford to give way to neglecting this great privilege. Praying for our children with Bible verses can strengthen our faith especially if we don t readily see the spiritual fruit. Lord, I pray that your light will shine through them. Read Matthew 5:16 - The light of Christ within our children can t be put under a bushel and hidden away. We want our children to stand unashamed of the Lord in the darkness. Their words and actions will reveal the light within them, draw others to Christ, and establish them in the community of believers. Lord, I pray that they will grow in the grace and knowledge of God Read 2 Peter 3:18 - Our children s awareness of God s grace and knowledge is rooted in how acquainted they are with the Bible. The less they know, the less they will grow. Yet the more they know, meditate, and apply God s word in their everyday lives they will grow spiritually and become greater influencers over those God has placed around them. 14
Day 14: from Pastor Phillip, Senior Pastor SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 17:29 Living a Missional Life: David asked one of the great questions of life when he had determined to do something against Goliath: Is there not a cause? He could not simply sit back and allow the giant to taunt and ridicule the people of God. Why? Because David knew the power of God in His own life! The Lord rescued David from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear and in that same way David believed God would rescue him from Goliath. When he spoke up he was met with criticism. As you set your heart on following Christ in a new way this year be prepared for the battle. Know that God is with you and that He will give you spiritual victory in your life. God wants us to live in victory so that He can be glorified in our weakness and difficulty. Are you ready to give in and quit? Perhaps you have a hand on the white flag of surrender and you are ready to raise it up. Remember this, God will allow us to face seemingly impossible situations so that He can show His mighty hand. Would you pray and ask God today to allow you to fully surrender to His grace, forgiveness, and power? Confess to the Lord your apathy, discouragement, and struggle. He knows. He cares. He still delivers! As we intentionally engage #others in 2015 we have a choice as a church. We will either fully trust in a mighty God to give us spiritual victory or we will pull back and rely on our own strength and resources. We have a cause! We have a Savior! We have the victory! 15
PRAYER REQUESTS & SCRIPTURES 16
PRAYER REQUESTS & SCRIPTURES 17
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