Fervent Prayer: Ministries
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21
Our focus today is on ministries. All too often, ministries in churches can just be seen as departments in an organization. To some degree, this is true. Usually a ministry has a leader, a team, and a specific focus that serves as a branch to a larger organization. Based on that definition, I can see how a ministry is a department. But we know it's much more than that. If you simply take a look at verse 21:
...working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
He works in us. What we do should be the Lord working in us... not us dictating to the Lord the work that should be done. Secondly, the work being done should be pleasing and this can only be accomplished through Jesus. Lastly, it's about Him. For and to His glory (so that He is plainly seen).
So please pray for the ministries at Mercy Hill Church for the following specific areas:
Focus
That we may be focused on what is pleasing to the Lord. That we don't fall trap to the "standard" programs and convention offered by churches because it's popular. That the work done is truly what the Lord is calling us to as a body.
Leadership
That the Lord raises leaders and that the hearts of those he's raising be open to serve and be the Church; not self-serving and about "building something." Also for the current leaders in place. 1 Peter 4:11 says "...whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies." May we pray for our leaders of each ministry that they serve by the Lord's strength and not their own.
Humility
Philippians 2 reminds us of Christ's humility. Specifically verse 3: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. At the heart of our ministries, there should be the mindset that we're "being the Church." Meaning we are pursuing what is pleasing to Him through Jesus for His glory. For this to happen, all those who serve must continuously seek humility.