Our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting are almost over! To conclude this special season in the life of our church, we are having an all night prayer gathering from 8:00pm Friday, November 17^th until 7:15am Saturday, November 18^th. Learn more and sign up on the event page for a time to come pray with us.

Don’t seek to develop a prayer life — seek a praying life. A ‘prayer life’ is a segmented time for prayer. You’ll end feeling guilty that you don’t spend more time in prayer. Eventually you’ll probably feel defeated and give up. A ‘praying life’ is a life that is saturated with prayerfulness — you seek to do all that you do with the Lord.

Dallas Willard

Begin with Adoration

This week we are going to continue to let the great hymns of the Church teach us about adoration. After reading the lyrics to this hymn, use it like an Old Testament Psalm, allowing the words to become your own words of adoration and praise.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

I sing the mighty pow’r of God,
That made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
And built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command,
And all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord,
Who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word,
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed,
Where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flow’r below,
But makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee
Is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be,
Thou, God, art present there.

Isaac Watts (1715)

Continue with Confession

This week, we will trust the Spirit to use Proverbs 28:13 to prompt our confession. Remember the power of sin is its secrecy. You are not alone in your sin, and confession brings not condemnation, but forgiveness in Christ. If the Lord so prompts you, confess your sin to a Christian brother or sister, for in so doing you will experience the grace and love of Christ…and freedom (James 5:16).

Proverbs 28:13

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

As the Spirit brings any sin to mind, confess it (agree with God that it is sin) and turn from it (repent). Thank God that He forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness on the basis of the finished work of Jesus and the promise of 1 John 1:9.

Now offer words of Thanksgiving

Start by adding one to two things to the list of things you are grateful for that happened in 2017.

Continuing with Psalm 116:12…

We render thanks. Consider the “benefits” of God toward you, and thank him specifically for them. For example, another benefit of God toward us is His protection (Psalm 20:1). “God, thank you for your daily protection…from things I don’t even perceive…”

Conclude with Supplication & Intercession…

Remember, supplication is making our own needs known to God and asking that He meet them. Intercession is making the needs of others known to God, and asking Him to meet them. Both are petitions and are “the heart of prayer.” God invites and delights in our asking.

Let’s begin by praying for those we know who do not yet know Christ…

Secondly, let’s continue to pray for people who may think they are Christians, but who have not personally put their trust in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

Now, considering your own needs, is there something you need from God for this day? Ask Him…

Including today, we have eight more days in our 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting. This season of seeking was prompted by at least two things. First, over the past several years we have come through some pretty tough waters, from a lawsuit to several leadership changes. We wanted this time of prayer to acknowledge our dependence and need for God.

And secondly, on March 8^th, 2018 we will celebrate 20 years since our first “public” worship service at the Franklin High School cafeteria. As we look back on 20 years, we are grateful. And as we peer into the next 20, we want to begin on our knees.

We want to be in lock step with the Holy Spirit. While anchored in the unchanging Word and unstoppable purposes of God, we recognize that the next 20 years will require us to adjust to the challenges and changes of our local and global context.

We will conclude our time of supplication and intercession by praying for specific prayer requests that our lay leaders are praying for Fellowship. We are making their prayers our corporate prayers…

• That we would be a body of people who deeply desire to live life WITH God, through the power and work of the Spirit, and become fully alive because of the shame-shattering, heart-changing blood of Jesus.
• That we would pay off our debt.
• For our hearts, mind, & hands to soak in the Gospel like a sponge. Drenched. Filled up to fullness that it transforms us into something new. That it pours out into our families, communities, and into the world, making disciples and serving.
• That we would be an authentic community of faith that demonstrates Gospel reconciliation in all of our brokenness for the whole community to see.