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Nanosermon Script:
They say you can tell how strongly the heart of a church is beating by the vigour of its prayer meeting. Well, measured by that yardstick, how well is your church doing?
And if you don’t have a church – you should, but if you don’t – then maybe you meet with family or friends. Even husband and wife is a church, and a powerful one at that. So how well is your mini-church doing, measured by its prayer meeting?
What’s wrong with your prayer meeting?
I think many of us will have to put our hands up and say, ‘Not very well.’ Now you could be saying that for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the attendance is poor. Perhaps the attendance is predominantly female. That’s not bad if you’re a group of women, but it is a concern if prayer is thought in a church to be a girly thing to do.
Perhaps it’s not very exciting. Perhaps nothing ever happens. Perhaps you never see an answer to your prayers. So that’s why the people have stopped coming.
Right then, so what shall we do about the prayer meeting? Pray about it, I hear you say. And by so doing you have made my point.
I have sat in too many prayer meetings where we discussed the stuff for around half the meeting, and then the leader said something like, ‘Shall we turn to prayer?’ and we all put serious faces on and inclined our bodies a shade forward.
We need to seek the Lord
Then we started giving God his orders. Lord you know this situation, person, blah blah blah. Lord, do this. Do that. Do this, Do that. Do this, Do that. Do this, Do that. And you know, we turned to prayer but rarely did we turn to scripture. Above all, not once did we say, ‘Lord, show us what we can do to advance your Kingdom in this situation.’
So we didn’t actually seek the Lord. We didn’t ask his wisdom, or his direction. The word of God says, in Deuteronomy chapter four and verse twenty-nine:
Deut 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Look, the context is all about Israel being under judgment because of corporate sin. I accept that, but should WE not be seeking the Lord in every challenge? If we seek him in his word he may show us something we need to put right. Or he will show us a word which gives us something to do.
Be sure of this. The Lord receives many of these ‘do this’ ‘do that’ prayers. Rarely does he receive a prayer asking him to show us something we should do. And I have a theory that when the Lord does receive those kinds of prayer he pours out his heart to those humble people who asked.
The Lord will give you a plan
So now, when you come back next week, someone has been shown a word. Someone else confirms it. I’ve lost count of the times the Christian Voice Lamplight Bible Reading Plan has thrown up just the right scripture on just the right day. But we are not limited by that. The word in season will come one way or another. Yet another person in the meeting has had a dream, or a vision. Two or three people will bring the same idea.
Now we’re motoring. We have sought the Lord and by his grace he has shown us a scriptural foundation and a plan. And by carrying out the Lord’s plan, standing on his word, we are setting ourselves up for the Lord to break in and bring a miracle. And when we tell the whole church about this, people will start coming to that prayer meeting.
As for the gender imbalance, well, men like it when the Lord reveals an action plan, because action is what they thrive on. And although prayers aren’t weapons – because it is the word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit, it doesn’t hurt to hang some ceremonial swords and axes on the walls of the prayer room. Just to, er, complement the flowers, you understand.
Let me know in the comments how your church prayer meeting is going, and if this NanoSermon blessed and encouraged you, then share it!
Bible Reading Plan
In the link below you’ll find a Bible reading plan to help you read through the Bible in one year in a smart and structured way. It’s only a pound or two and worth every penny. It’s helped me, and it’ll help you.
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BIBLE READING PLAN →
If you only start half-way through a year, it’s no matter. You’re going to want to read it again and again anyway, aren’t you? So don’t lose any time, start reading your Bible now and holding those in office to account before King Jesus.
SCRIPT ENDS
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