Just a friendly reminder that we’re going to hold a “Pray for Brisbane” gathering this Friday night. We’ll be praying for our friends, family, workmates and uni-mates, our neighbours, our city, and all the churches in our area. We’ll be asking God to pour out His life-giving Spirit, to give life to the spiritually dead through the gospel, to build His church, bless the least and the lost, and grow His people in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

As the poster says, it’s at Keiyeng and my place. So please come, and let me know if you can come by leaving a comment below.

Finally, here are some prayer points to pray for our local community. It’d be great if you could print off this and the other two “Prayer for Revival” posts, and pray through them regularly.

Pray that many will realise their need of God and will turn to Him in true repentance and faith, and find Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. Pray that great numbers will be born again, into the Kingdom of God.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict the world, and your own community, of guilt regarding to sin and righteousness and judgement, so that many will turn from sin (John 16:8).

Pray that the community will be less tolerant of sin. Pray that many will see the awefulness of sin and all its damaging consequences, and turn from their sin in the strength of the One who gives forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin.

Pray that many will realise the emptiness of life without Him and will find that Jesus Christ gives them life, and life to the full (John 10:10).

Pray that God will be exalted in the view of those in your community who now have no regard for Him.

Pray earnestly for young people, so many of whom are ruining their lives in so many different ways. Pray that many will repent, give their lives to Jesus and serve Him throughout their lives.

Pray that many will turn from false beliefs, cults, untrue religions, pseudo-Christian cults, materialism, New Age superstitions and all beliefs that keep people enslaved in sin, so that they will find new life in Christ.

Pray that God Himself will restrain and reverse the amazing rise in Satanism and the occult in our community. Pray that He will protect His people from the opposition of Satan. Pray that He will deliver many from this sin into the Kingdom of God.

Source: Bill Price, Enriching Your Prayer Life, p.86

Here are some prayers to be praying for churches in our local area, Brisbane and beyond.

Pray that Jesus Christ will be lifted up as Saviour and Lord, drawing people to Him.

Pray that preachers will denounce sin, preaching the holiness and justice of God.

Pray that the love of God, and His kindness to us in Christ, will be proclaimed powerfully in the Church through the nation, so that all people may see that our wonderful God is mighty to save.

Pray that wherever the gospel is preached it will be preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, giving life to the spiritually dead.

Above all, pray that the Holy Spirit of God will fill many in the church, giving His people holiness, love, concern, power and a burden for those who are living and dying without Christ and without hope.

Pray that God will raise up many young, powerful, dedicated, enthusiastic preachers, with a burning desire to win many lost people for Christ. Pray that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit, to call the nation back to God.

Pray that there will be an expectancy among God’s people that He will bless them with a great outpouring of His Spirit.

Source: Bill Price, Enriching Your Prayer Life, p.85

Continuing our theme of big prayers to our big God, here are some prayers that I’ve found really helpful to pray. We’d love if you could pray them for our church.

Pray that God’s people in your church will feel an overwhelming sense of the need for revival. Pray that they will have a deep consciousness of the majesty, power, holiness and greatness of God.

Pray that they will have an intense realisation of the sin tolerated in their lives and turn to God in repentance and dedication.

Pray that ordinary Christians like us will enjoy closeness with God, spending time with God in His Bible, and stirred to earnest prayer.

Pray for an authentic outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your own church, so that people will speak the gospel boldly (Acts 4:31).

Pray that the lives of Christians in your church will be holy and loving, characterised by a concern for those living and dying without Christ and without hope.

Pray that our Christian faith will affect our lives more deeply, that our faith and love for God will be more dominant in every aspect of our lives, when we meet together and throughout the week.

Pray that people will look for, and use, opportunities to tell others about our wonderful Saviour and what He has done for us, thereby obeying His order that we should be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Pray that those who plan activities in your church will value people more than programs, and will encourage activities designed to spread the gospel and to will the lost for Him.

Pray that we will build bridges to those outside Christ’s kingdom so that they will respect us and understand when they hear the Good News about Jesus.

Source: Bill Price, Enriching Your Prayer Life, p.84

As part of our desire to pray big prayers to our big God, we’re going to hold a “Pray for Brisbane” gathering.

We’ll be praying for our friends, family, workmates and uni-mates, our neighbours, our city, and all the churches in our area. We’ll be asking God to pour out His life-giving Spirit, to give life to the spiritually dead through the gospel, to build His church, bless the least and the lost, and grow His people in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

As the poster says, it’ll be on April 13, 7:30pm at Keiyeng and my place. Let us know if you can come by leaving a comment below.

On Saturday, Keiyeng gave a seminar (three times over) at the Be Trained women’s conference. The seminar was on big prayers to our big God. Over the last few months, Keiyeng and I have been convicted of the need to pray big prayers. Habakkuk 3:2 has been a pivotal verse for this:

O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk’s prayer was a call to renew God’s great work of redemption and renewal in a sleepy, slack and sinful people. I often feel sleepy, slack and sinful. I need reviving. God through Habakkuk 3:2 calls us to pray for revival. J.I. Packer defines revival as:

“A work of God by His Spirit through His Word bringing the spiritually dead to living faith in Christ, and renewing the inner life of Christians who have grown slack and sleepy”. (A Quest for Godliness, p.36)

After being in pastoral ministry for 7 years, I have come to know the truth of the following Bible verses:

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1)

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

Salvation is a work of God’s grace, regenerating the spiritually dead (John 3, Eph 2:4-5). It is God who builds His church (Ps 127:1, Matt 16;18). It is God who grows His people (1 Cor 3). We plant (share the gospel) and water (speak the truth in love), but it’s God alone who brings the growth. So I will be praying, and encourage you, to ask God to:

• Pour out His Spirit on people in St Lucia, Brisbane and beyond
• Brig repentance and faith in Jesus
• Build His church
• Grow His people in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

Not because I want the excitement or experience a spiritual high. Not because I despise slow growth and the everyday, ordinary experiences of the church. Not because I think I can twist God’s arm into doing something bigger or better than what He’s doing now. But because Jesus is seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). He is building His church. He is sovereign, and calls us to pray without ceasing. And because God deserves to be glorified and magnified among all people.

This Sunday, as part of our Light in the Darkness sermon series, we’ll be looking at The Great Reversal (Luke 1:46-55). The focus will be on Mary’s Song. Below is Pastor Scotty Smith praying through Mary’s Song, and reflecting on the passage for his life. It’s a fine example for us of how to pray through a Bible passage:

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation (Luke 1:46-50).

Lord Jesus, I woke up today very thankful for the gift of music, especially Christmas music. Every Advent [Christmas] hymn, carol, and chorus ignites my gratitude and fuels my hope. The story and implications of your birth make this non-dancer want to dance; this vocally-deficient singer break forth in song; this inhibited introvert to do cartwheels in the square. I praise you for giving me multiplied reasons sing, and for songwriters who capture my feelings and give me a means expressing what I long to say to you. I include your mother, Mary, in that list of great songwriters.

Though her story is unique, her song really isn’t. Indeed, I can sing her song—I must sing her song, for you’ve been mindful of my humble, broken, sinful state. You are being formed in me differently, but just as surely as you entered the world through Mary’s womb. You came to me when I wasn’t seeking you. Like Mary, I was chosen before the creation of the world—singled out to know you, worship you, serve you. I have nothing to boast in but you, Lord Jesus.

How inexhaustible is the treasury of your mercies; how bottomless is the ocean of your grace, how incomparable are the wonders of your love!

I consider myself as blessed of a man as anyone in the world or in all of history, because you’ve done great things for me, and you continue to do great things for me. Holy is your name, Lord Jesus. I have no concern for what any generation may say about me. It’s enough to know what you say about me. You tell me that I’m yours, that I’m forgiven, that I’m righteous in you, and that nothing can separate me from your love.

Jesus, help me to ponder and treasure these things… like a blind man seeing for the first time, a deaf man hearing for the first time, a starving man sitting down to an endless buffet of goodness and nourishment.

Indeed, your mercy has been extended to my generation and to me personally. Therefore, my soul glorifies you, Jesus, and my spirit rejoices in you, my God and my Savior. As the gospel goes deeper into my heart, free me from all fears except the fear of the Lord. May I hate only sin and love you with a love that is a perpetual “first love”. So very Amen, I sing, dance and pray, in your most glorious and gracious name.

In the 5:17 church vision night that we held a few weeks ago (here’s our vision), something we seriously want to grow in as a church is prayerful dependence on God. To help us as individuals and as a church to do this, I’ll (God willing) be posting some helps in the coming weeks. Here are 5 “Ds” that John Piper made part of his daily prayers. I’ve found them to be quite memorable and useful:

Whatever it takes, Lord, give me…

Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart. “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else. Again: “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will. “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Diligence to do your will with all my heart. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Maybe you could print the 5 “Ds” and put them in your Bible, and then pray them for yourself and 5:17 church whenever you read the Bible.