This week’s prayer focus is on John 15, using reflections on this chapter from the Telford Area Mission Retreat Day in Pleasant View in Wales in November 2018.
May 6 – Father, You are the Gardner. This passage reveals what You are looking for – You expect fruitfulness in Your Church, and in the local churches that make it up. As the great Gardner, there is no one like You in creating an abundant harvest.
This fruitfulness includes the fruit of new life in Christ, good character fruit, and the reproduction that comes from making disciples. We pray to be guided into doing those things that enable us to abide always in Christ.
Wherever people don’t abide in Christ, fruitfulness dies and You lop off that branch; wherever fruit is being produced, You then prune the branch in order for a new season of fruitfulness.
We commit our branch/church to You. Thank You for it. May You guide and direct us in our Kingdom Building Focus of clearing our mortgage. We look to You as we give and work towards this goal.
We ask for grace, generosity of spirit, creativity and good fruit from this endeavour. We would that good, lasting fruit is produced through it in each of our lives, and in our church. It is in abiding in Christ, the Vine, that we are truly connected to the source of our life.
Help us to be more clearly connected to Christ. If we do not abide in Him, then we lose the source of spiritual life, and therefore, the ability to produce good fruit. Teach us what it means to abide in Him, how to do it fully.
It is only by abiding in Him as Vine that we will be able to do those things that will produce abundant fruitfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen
May 7 – Father, if we abide in Christ then we can truly live as He wants. You call us to be productive, remain connected and secure in Christ, filled with His word, filled with your Spirit, filled with His love, and full of Your joy.
This call to abide in or remain in Christ is a lifelong call to live a full, overflowing and wonderfully fulfilling life. It is a life of meaning and purpose which adds depth and spiritual maturity.
We pray that anything which hinders us truly abiding will be made clear as You sanctify us. Grant us the grace and understanding to know how to deal with those things that reduce our fellowship with Your Son.
We pray for a season of abundant fruitfulness. Build further stronger bonds between each us in Telford Elim, in person and online, as we abide in Him. We pray that we will be spiritually attuned to living connected fully to Jesus our source. In Jesus’ name. Amen
May 8 – Father, at the heart of abiding in Christ is applying Your word. Holy Spirit help us to do this every single day. As we commit to immersing ourselves in Your word each day, obeying it, all the while seeking the grace to think, act and plan according to its light, help us to apply it aright.
As we read the words in John 15:12, ‘My command is this: love each other as I have loved you,’ these words challenge us. Again, we pray for the insight and understanding to know how to truly love each other.
May anything that separates us from Your will and purposes be overcome. Grant us the grace and godly insight and wisdom to overcome it, to know how to re-engage with Christ’s love as the foundation of that engagement. In Jesus’ name. Amen
May 9 – Father, as we further pray into John 15, thank You for verses 14-15, CSB, ‘You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.’
Lord Jesus, You set the perfect example of complete commitment to Your friends – You gave Your life so that they could be accepted by Father. Father, Your acceptance in Christ is the most amazing thing we will ever experience.
We give praise, honour and glory to the Lord Jesus for His indescribable and overwhelming love and commitment to our salvation.
As we reflect on what we have received through Christ, we also acknowledge the challenge that this brings: to be obedient to Him and His words. We pray that many more people in Telford will come to that same place of obeying Christ.
Reveal Your Father heart in Telford. You are the Gardner, but also the One who actively seeks to engage fully with us in Christ. Bless Your fruit bearing people here in Telford across all the churches. In Jesus’ name. Amen
May 10 – Father, You have chosen us to be fruitful in Christ. You have commissioned and equipped us to go and bear fruit. Thank You for this call.
We pray that we will be faithful in our service of Christ – then we will produce much good fruit. You have programmed us to be fruit bearing, to produce good, permanent fruit, if we will remain in and abide in Christ the true Vine.
As we produce fruit, You have opened the door for further blessings in Christ’s name. You love to supply the grace we need. We pray again for a great breakthrough across Telford. Where there is darkness and spiritual death – we proclaim new life in Christ.
As we love one another – the world sees who we really are. We pray for protection and strength as the world is challenged about its state of darkness before Christ. If they hated Jesus, they may hate us because we are His.
You have chosen us to bear good fruit which will glorify Christ; sadly, the world is producing bad fruit which does not glorify the Lord Jesus.
Lord, You have overcome the world, grant us the grace to also overcome it. We pray in this season of mission and evangelism, that Your saving grace will be preached leading to the salvation of many. Amen
May 11 – Father, as we pray into John 15 today, we especially consider why the world may hate us: because we reject its principles of sin and spiritual darkness.
When we are about Your business – when we are motivated by our love and devotion to Christ – when we choose a different pathway of righteousness and godly truth – when the source for our love is Christ, Your Kingdom comes and Your will is done.
As we reflect on these reasons why the world hates us – we chose to pray according to a different mind-set. We pray for Kingdom principles to be established widely in Telford so that they become the basis for the life choices of many more people.
We pray that people will clearly understand how to please You, Father, by relying on Christ, seeking to understand and do Your will. May many come to the same place of surrender to Christ, devoted to Him and His cause, and growing in their understanding and love for Your ways.
May hundreds, even thousands of people – men, women, young adults, young people and children – across Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire connect to Jesus and His well of salvation. In His name and for His glory. Amen
May 12 – Father, many in the world pay lip service to You while completely rejecting, even hating, Your beloved Son. Yet, it is His Incarnation which is the turning point for world history. Jesus’ coming is the most important event in history.
Jesus cannot be circumvented, ignored, replaced nor discouraged by their rejection. When they reject Him – they are rejecting You. Christ will always provoke an emotional response in those who oppose Him. We pray for the conviction of the Spirit so many repent of their sin, believe into Christ, and begin to abide in Him.
When we love You – we are connected to You through Christ. He is the One who saves and gives spiritual, eternal life. He demonstrated His truth in His teaching, preaching, miracles, signs and wonders.
We pray that His prophetic call to salvation and the life of discipleship will be outworked through our church, in person and online. That we will bring His ministry to Telford which exposes the true root of the world’s rejection, rebellion against You.
Your Gospel not only exposes sin, but it also gives the hope for an awakening to Him, the true Vine. Holy Spirit, enable us to bring His word and ministry to Telford in such a way that many are saved, filled by You, and led into the life of faith and discipleship. Fill us with Your presence and power so we can abide in Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
