July 31 – This week the focus is on the Simplicity of Faith.
1 Corinthians 15:58, ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, knowing that your work is never in vain [if it is] in the Lord.’
Father, thank You for these wonderful words. Standing firm in the Faith requires a deep knowledge of the One who brings us into the Faith – our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us, as a Church, this depth of understanding.
We pray that we will not be easily moved from the central principles of the Faith. May we also clearly understand how to serve You and do Your work – not end up serving the Church and its work.
We confess it is easy to lose sight of the main points of our faith in the busyness of life,
and/or because of the encroachment of the world and its values into our lives,
and/or the pressure we put ourselves under to become better, more productive Christians,
and/or through the confusion that can come into our minds when we are not clear as to the best way forward,
and/or by the darkness that can overwhelm and make us feel spiritually lethargic or empty.
Cleanse, renew and strengthen us in the battle for the Faith. It is difficult, with all or any of these pressures, to remain true to the Gospel and free in Christ – may our Church be a centre bringing many into victories in these areas. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 1 – Father, we can face the danger of trying to improve our Christian walk and lives by following a programme without truly applying the key biblical principles that are crucial in creating disciple-making disciples. May we clearly hold to the principles which are at the heart of a healthy faith:
A good theology. May our theology be balanced and robust enough so it enables us to understand the Faith in Christ.
Lord, grant us the depth of understanding and knowledge, a theological base, that helps to have a better understanding about Your nature, word and Your dealings with Your creation, and our security in Christ.
May our theology give us the foundations from which we build our faith, morality, spirituality and actions, which teaches us about the Lordship of Christ, and how to apply this concept, the Lordship of Christ, to our daily lives in practical ways.
Good theology is a defence against carnality, errant spirituality, and bad practical Christian living. Protect us from the divisiveness, pride and partisanship which can arise when holding to a human-based theology instead of allowing Your Spirit to teach us a living, practical theology which deepens both our relationship with Christ and His Church. Amen
Aug 2 – Father, thank You that Christian spirituality is different from other forms in that it is derived from a full relationship with You, through a saving relationship with Christ, brought about by Your Spirit bringing us alive and enabling us to walk in a living, loving relationship with You.
Christian spirituality is about living and practising the life of the Spirit. It enables us to submit to the Lordship of Christ. We pray for the development of a vibrant, balanced, effective and life-giving spirituality in our Church.
May the unique Pentecostal DNA of Elim give us the confidence to explore and embrace Pentecostal spirituality. May the life and lordship of the Spirit not be quenched because of weak, watery or carnal influences.
Instead, may our Church’s Pentecostal spirituality encourage the development of worshippers who will worship in Spirit and in truth – worshippers who serve Your Kingdom purposes fully committed to Your work and service. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 3 – Father, godly Ethics lead to a fruitful Christian life – that is the behaviour that underpins practical Christian living, helps us produce good, Christ-honouring fruit, and are important to the life of faith.
How we obey Your word?
How we apply Your word in the different contexts of life?
How we behave as Christ’s followers?
How we think as radical disciples being transformed by Your word?
How we build our relationships, and act in them in Christ-honouring ways?
How we view ourselves in Christ and not through a worldly lens?
How we view work as a Creation Ordinance which enables us to serve Christ and Your purposes in our world?
How we act in society as ambassadors for Christ?
These are the sort of questions which Christian ethics cover in helping us find answers and a platform from which to practically live out our faith day by day and be fruitful.
Thank You for those in our Church who teach us in these areas – those who challenge us to think more deeply about what we are doing, why we act as we do, and to consider how we are practically applying our Faith to our everyday lives. May they be blessed.
Open up our minds and emotions to embrace godly living, and to practice living in Your presence so that each of us produce much good fruit. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 4 – Lord Jesus, You want us to fully enjoy the blessing of submitting more completely to Your Lordship through our bodies, souls and spirits.
i. Our Bodies: The body is that which unites us to our mortality. How we treat our bodies is important to You. The Bible deals with many things to do with our bodies including: a proper diet, rest, sleep, exercise, work, health and death.
The Gnostics, an antichrist group who attached themselves loosely to the church, saw the body as unimportant to the Christian’s spiritual health; whereas, the NT writers recognised the wholeness of body, soul and spirit, and the body’s importance to a healthy, vibrant Christian walk.
To the NT writers, the body needed disciplining in the Christian pathway including through fasting, abstinence and making its impulses and desires subject to the word of God, and rejecting the body’s sinful urges for self-gratification and sinful pleasure.
Father, as we are encouraged to do – we pray for the wholeness and health of our bodies; and for the day by day light and grace to understand that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and should be treated as such.
May I become better at treating, exercising and living in the body You have given to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Aug 5 – The soul is that which unites us to humanity. It is made up of our emotions, mind, will and relationships. It is not so easy to divide the soul into these parts because each impacts upon the other, but it is helpful for us to understand that the Bible deals with each of these parts of us in relation to our common humanity.
If my emotions are not whole – this affects how I think, the decisions I make, and how I relate to other people. If my thinking is in error – then I will make bad choices which possibly bring guilt or shame which can make me hard-hearted which in turn affects my future choices, how I feel about myself and treat others.
Father, as I walk with Christ day by day, in His truth, learning to live in His freedom, among His people – I pray that my soul will be brought more and more under His Lordship.
May my thinking become godlier, my emotions more animated by Your Spirit, my choices [will] more submissive to Your word, and my relationships better reflecting Your Triune nature.
Bless the team who go from our church to the Limitless Festival. We ask for Your grace, favour, covering and presence to go with them. May it be a time of encounter with Christ, infilling by the Spirit, and of wonderful, life-giving fellowship with others.
We ask for a favourable canopy of weather over the whole event from beginning to the last person leaves the sight on Wednesday night. In Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen
Aug 6 – Father, my spirit is that which connects me to You. Outside of Christ my spirit was dead and subject to the control of Self, Sin, Society and Satan; in Christ, it is brought alive by Your Spirit and is that piece of me most connected with You.
As I grow as a true worshipper who lives and serves Christ and His purposes – then my spirit becomes the greater, larger channel through which You pour out Your power, love and grace, in Christ, through me to the world.
In our Church, may we all develop a deep, profound and effective simplicity of faith which includes a sound theological basis, a deep Christian spirituality, and fruitful Christian lifestyle.
May these principles lead to a more disciplined body, a more Christ-like soul, and to a greater, larger more vital connection with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen
