Apr 11 – The following prayers are written by Pastor Leslie, and are again developed from his previous blog series on The Essence of the Church of Christ [January 2021].

Father, thank You that as we work our way through this Holy Week, towards Easter Sunday, for Your grace, love and power at work among us. You have built Your Church upon Christ Jesus, the Cornerstone. He is the immovable Rock upon which we stand. Thank You also for Your word and Spirit’s role in the strength and solidity of Your Church.

Your Spirit brings Your life which animates and energises Your Church, and Your word transforms us in godly and holy ways as we feed on it, and take time to digest it as we reflect and meditate on it. Forgive us when we forget about the Spirit’s central place in the life and success of Your Church.

When people do not pass on a living faith – the Church can soon turn into another religious institution built upon mankind’s understanding of Your ways and purposes. An institution without Jesus, devoid of the Spirit, and built on human understanding. We pray that Telford Elim, in person and online, will be a church that does pass on the living faith of the Gospel to all we encounter and engage with.

In this Holy Week, as we reflect and move towards Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday – we pray that we will be those who seek to be led by and walk in the Spirit, filled with and obeying Your word, fruitful in every good work. We pray that we will walk with Jesus each and every day, denying self, taking our cross and following the Lord.

We pray that we will grow in our understanding of the finished work of the Cross, and what that means for our day by day lives bringing victory and spiritual power into our lives.

That we will live out the reality of the Resurrection life Your Spirit brings to us so that people see Jesus in us. Empower us to present Your life and call to salvation, in Christ, to the world during this Holy Week. Amen

Apr 12 –Father, Your Spirit, word and people make up the Church. In its teaching and practice, and its New Covenant standing before You – the Church is a powerful force for salvation, redemption, discipleship, truth, peace, righteousness and justice in the world.

Denominations, Movements, Traditions and Expressions are all elements of the Church, but they do not constitute the Church, they are the human forms which allow people to engage and connect with Your pure, holy Church. Thank You for Telford Elim, in person and online, which is our local church – part of Your great Universal Church.

Any Movement or Denomination that loses its connection with the Missional heart of the Spirit, whether in its teaching or practice, also loses connection with its life source. Together in partnership – Your Spirit, the Bible, and Your empowered people are called to be witnesses to Jesus.

Lord Jesus, we confess that there have been, and are, Movements or Denominations that no longer base their expression of worship and mission on You as Cornerstone, Your word and Spirit’s missional heart, have ultimately given way to the world and Satan, and are now stuck in a vicious cycle of decline. Draw them back to biblical orthodoxy, and a Christ-centred faith. Amen

Apr 13 – Father, as we think about Jesus’ life, ministry, purpose, vicarious death on the cross, and resurrection, the theological truth that comes to the fore is Covenant. Covenant is at the heart of Your plan to save, deliver, keep and renew Your people. Jesus inaugurated Your long-promised New Covenant – Hallelujah!

Thank You there is a unity between the Old and New Testaments in that covenant is at the heart of Your relationship with Your people. In the OT, it was with Israel and the Jewish people established by Promise, Law and Sacrifice; thank You also for the several instances where Gentiles were accepted by You because of their faith.

In the NT, the Church was established by Christ inaugurating the New Covenant, and includes all who repent, believe in and follow Him, whether Jew or Gentile. Teach us how to more fully understand the importance of the New Covenant to our salvation, and lives, as believers, on this earth, and to apply this understanding practically in our day by day lives.

Covenant is not simply a theological construct, it is Your divinely inspired and initiated means of connecting with people. That connection is built upon promise and sacrifice – redemption and full salvation blessings that flow from it. Without covenant, the Church would be another religious institution, but because of covenant, it is filled with the power of Christ’s victory and life of the Spirit.

Covenant began in the Garden of Eden and finds its completion in the life, ministry, suffering, Cross, resurrection, ascension and heavenly ministry of Christ. Empower Telford Elim, in person and online, to teach, preach and live out the truths contained in the New Covenant. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Apr 14 – Father, Mission – thank You that Your Church is to be Missional – participating in Your mission in Christ, by the Spirit, through the preaching, teaching and faith of Your Church. We pray that we will join You in Your mission to the world living out the Gospel as You call us to do. We ask for divine appointments whereby we can share Jesus and His Gospel with others.

Forgive us when we forget that the Church is to be mission minded – when we disconnect from one of the foundational principles of the Spirit’s presence among us – to empower Your people to be witnesses to Christ. We plead the blood of Jesus afresh, and choose to submit to Your pathway of mission and discipleship.

In the book of Acts, we see the early Church living out mission in the reality of the life of the Spirit in it. It was not made up of perfect disciples but a community of believers like us, worshipping, living, serving, giving, fellowshipping and doing life and mission together in the Spirit. They were enabled and empowered by Your Spirit to do so.

We ask that all of us in Telford Elim, in person and online, will experience His filling and empowerment making us mission minded – transforming us into Your missionaries preaching a Gospel of Good News, repentance and belief in Jesus, Holy Spirit power and Your transforming love to our families.

We ask that we will be a people on mission together building healthy relationships, godly workplaces, wise places of learning, and grace-filled communities – Christ-honouring people, places and new centres for mission. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen

Apr 15 – Father, on this Good Friday, when we solemnly remember Jesus’ suffering, trial, agony and death – we ask that You will bless our 10am gathering in church this morning. As Pastor Alisha preaches, bless her ministry, and anoint her by Your Spirit to speak Your word to the church.

For those going out into Wellington to witness to Jesus, bless them, and grant them many divine appointments to share Your love and word of grace. May each us bear witness to the Vibrant Life You give through the Cross.

We ask that our church will be a place where worship, service, fellowship, giving, mission and care are outworked – a people filled with thanksgiving, prayer, praise, preaching and service fully expressed in Christ-honouring ways. May our church be filled with the love and life of the Spirit, and effective in making disciple-making disciples.

Acts 2:42-47 (CSB) ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.’

It would be wonderful, Lord, if our local church could reflect something of the missional heart and vibrant life of the early Jerusalem Church as presented here – we ask that it will do so. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Apr 16 – Father, thank You that the essence of the Church is its people who meet and worship in places full of Your love, life and light, relevantly incarnating the Gospel Good News of Jesus. That is our heart’s desire – that people will see Jesus in us, see His grace at work among us, and see His salvation flowing through us to others.

We ask that there will be a strong partnership in the Gospel in Telford Elim, in person and online, that gives evidence to our love for one another, and the reality of Your presence among us as people are saved and discipled through our missional ministries and service in  and through the church.

We pray that Telford Elim will be a local church which helps disciples grow in the unity of the Spirit allowing for the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts and operations among us. Fill us with Gospel power to redemptively transform local communities because we are filled with missionary disciples who worship, grow, witness, serve and care for the people around us.

We proclaim You, Holy Spirit, as the Lord who is with us and in us. I believe that You earnestly desire to empower us afresh for mission and evangelism, to open doors of opportunity, and to provide what is needed as we step out, in faith, in Your mission to the world in Christ – we open ourselves up to You to receive all You want to give to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Apr 17 – Father, on this Easter Sunday – we give thanks and praise for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and what this great, central fact means for us, and our church. He is Risen – Hallelujah!

For a church to thrive in its vision and mission, it needs clarity of purpose in what it wants to achieve – we want to glorify Jesus, serve His purposes, and be together as His people in Telford Elim. Empower us collectively to bear witness to the power Your resurrection life among us.

We pray that You will guide us in how to create a vibrant, Spirit-filled setting for people to meet together – and then do mission together. Empower us, in person and online, to create a missional centre filled with inspired and motivated missionaries – a church growing and changing its communities in Christ-honouring ways.

Each person in Your church is called to lay their lives down as a living sacrifice before Christ, and be good news to those around them. We pray that our church will further develop into a fellowship of believers who are known as a people who love You, Father, love Jesus, love Your Spirit, love one another, and love the communities You have placed us in.

We pray that our church would live out its mandate to be a missional centre part of Your wider body, bride, army and family! A church where the life of Your Spirit and a good, sound understanding of Your Word are present. Christ’s church growing and flourishing – as it does so, becoming even more established in Christ, fruitful for Christ, and honouring to Christ. Amen