Don’t forget we conclude our 40 Days of prayer and fasting with an “all night” prayer gathering this Friday, November 16. The first hour of prayer begins at 8:00pm and the last hour of prayer begins at 6:00am (Saturday). Sign up for a 60-minute slot in which we will pray—this is not something you come to all night long. Dress warmly as we will be “prayer walking” around the campus and to various buildings to pray specifically for ministries that occur there. I’ll see some of you at 2:00am!

Let us join David this week as he prayed this prayer in Psalm 27:4 (ESV):

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.

David did not pray this prayer in a time of peace but during a time when his adversaries and enemies encamped around him. Today, many things compete for your heart’s attention. Take some time to verbalize to God what they are (a project due, confusion around a relationship, fear of the future, a long to-do list, an illness, a parenting challenge, financial or health issues) and how they weigh upon you.

Then, ask that He would help you see these important things in light of the most important thing – your intimacy and friendship with God, your communion with Him throughout the day, and your ability to gaze on His beauty and goodness, worshiping Him and aligning your heart with His heart.

Renewing Our Mind

As the quote above affirms, we do not travel well without some “external references” that enable us to see where we are and where we are going. We need to see familiar landmarks to keep us oriented and to move us in the right direction. Without markers, we actually end up going nowhere, walking in circles. When we walk in circles, we are stuck and do not make progress. 

The same can be true in the spiritual life. Our walk with God, this journey of faith that is intended to lead us toward glorifying God and making disciples by helping people find wholehearted life in Jesus, can grind to a halt when we are not sure where we are.

As a church, we have adopted a very simple “map” and have drawn this on a napkin that enables each one of us to determine “where we are” as members of Fellowship Bible Church and how we can continue to grow in spiritual maturity.

Each icon on our Fellowship strategy map indicates a particular category of activity that we believe every member of our church needs, not only to find personal wholehearted life in Jesus but also to help others find wholehearted life as well. We believe these categories are true and necessary because the Scriptures tell us so, and we will finish our 40 days praying through what God’s Word says about each one.

Read through the following Scriptures, paying close attention to the activity of God’s people:

Deuteronomy 31:12

Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.

Luke 4:14-16

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

Hebrews 10:24-25

…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Engaging Our Affections

• What are some things that we can experience when “gathered” with God’s people that we might not experience in times alone with God? When together, what things might we sense in our hearts that may not be present when alone? Why do these things matter?
• We live in a culture and day when the habit and commitment of gathering weekly to worship and serve at a church is more sporadic than regular. Fellowship is no exception. We estimate that at least a third of the people who call Fellowship their “home church” are not here on any given Sunday. Think for a moment how a lack of regular attendance and service at church can hamper the spiritual growth of the individual and the church as a whole.

Expressing Our Faith

Let’s conclude our time today with a prayer of gratitude for the honor of gathering on a weekly basis to worship the Lord and serve one another, and the many blessings that flow from our time together. Thank God that we are not alone in this journey of faith; we are a family in Christ, and our weekly worship service is one way we are tangibly and visibly reminded of this truth. 

Thank God …

• For those who sacrificed financially to purchase land, build a building, and retrofit a warehouse
• For a safe and bright environment for our children to learn about God and salvation
• For a worship space with equipment that enhances our worship experiences
• For hundreds of volunteers who serve each and every week
• For chairs to sit in, a roof over our heads, heating and air conditioning
• For preaching and curriculum that is Bible-centered
• For all who steward their gifts faithfully in order for the church to be equipped and built up
• For doing more together than we could ever do on our own
• For walking with others on the same journey, with the same struggles and fears
• For the opportunity to hear how God is at work in the lives of those we worship and serve with

Add other blessings that the Spirit brings to your mind as you think about the privilege and responsibility we have for one another. We gather, worship, and serve, then we are sent out into our community to make Christ known, in word and deed.

Close your time of prayer, thanking God for the promise that where brothers and sisters “dwell in unity,” there is blessing and “life for evermore!” (Psalm 133).