Sunday Morning Services Prayer Guide
Praise: “Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:3-5) Thank the Lord for blessing us with the opportunity to congregate as the Body of Christ in such a beautiful facility and walk in obedience to His Word. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
One: Invite the Holy Spirit to enable you to pray according to God’s Word and with a disciplined mind. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)
Two: Pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence on the teachers and in the hearts of the Sunday School students, “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
Three: Pray that those who attend the song service will die to their own thoughts and grasp the Lord’s will and be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s enabling to sing in spirit and truth. Ephesians 5:19 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” In Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
Four: The bulletins and announcements will reflect the Lord’s will in regards to giving people opportunities to become involved in a local Body of Christ. People will take time to enjoy the Bibles studies, the services and the Christian fellowship times offered through CrossRoads Church. The Bible says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18)
Five: Through the people who attend this church, God will provide for the needs of this church Body and that He will prove Himself faithful to those who are obedient to His will. “Jehovah-Jireh,” the Lord will Provide found in Genesis 22:14. “Jireh” meaning to see or to provide or see as prophet, God always providing, adequate when the time comes. Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring in the whole tithe… ‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
Six: That God would consecrate our sound system and use it for His glory and He would give wisdom to the soundman and bless his efforts to help us achieve the Lord’s work. “Consecration” is the separation of persons, utensils, buildings, or places from that of secular uses to be used for the worship of the Lord. “Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.” (Leviticus 8:10-11) As the vessels were being devoted, symbolically Moses was presenting a picture of the Holy Spirit’s anointing, using the vessels for blessing and grace.
Seven: The message of the Lord through the spoken and written Word will spread and people will respond to it with a right heart. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 says, “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”
Eight: The prayer time would be ministry to the Lord Jesus, to the Body of Christ and pleasing to God. Jesus said, “My [Father’s] house will be called a house of prayer.” (Matthew 21:13) Psalm 116:1-2 says, “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice, He heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.”
Nine: That God will do a work in Norton and make us a part of it. Plead for His mercy and that He would deliver people from the bondage of the flesh, the lures of the world, and the lies of the devil; that He would make CrossRoads Church a spiritual hospital, where the Holy Spirit is doing spiritual heart surgery, taking away hearts of stone and giving repentant sinners a heart of flesh so they may be able to love the Lord and have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ; where the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is giving Christians a powerful thirst and hunger for the Word of God, Christians are saying, “Lord Jesus teach me to pray,” where we are seeing Holy Spirit fruit being manifested in the lives of born again Christians and Holy Spirit gifts being exercised through sacrificial love.
Close with Praise: The call to pray is from God’s Word and we are given a sure promise, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b) Our righteousness is accomplished by having Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord. By His sacrificial death and victory over sin we are found to be righteous in God’s sight. For this be sure to thank God and Jesus Christ.