September 2025 Month of Prayer, Fasting and Abstinence
Equipping the Saints
We are embarking on the second month long prayer focus of the year. In January we focussed on a new season as the two churches, Telford Elim and Shrewsbury Elim, came together. ‘The consecration of this new season as our two churches come together.’
In May, at the annual Elim Leader’s Summit in Harrogate, the theme was ‘equipping the saints.’ Therefore, we will also focus our September prayer guide on the same theme.
Ephesians 4:11-16, CSB,
‘And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head – Christ. 16From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.’
(11-13) God gifts His Church with people to enable it to function, to enable the believers to grow into Christian maturity, and to minister. The Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd/Pastor and Teacher are these people, collectively known as the APEST; also as the Fivefold foundational ministries of the church. The Fivefold people’s purpose is to equip the saints for life, ministry and mission.
The Fivefold is the Biblical blueprint at the heart of the church, Spirit-gifted people given to equip God’s people for all of life, faith and service.
(14-16) Christian maturity helps guard the believers from false teachers, and enables Christ’s body to be healthy and continue to grow. Hard work, study, practice, refinement, accountability and correction will also add maturity and strength, as do the spiritual gift/s given to us by the Holy Spirit, and the equipping work of the Fivefold.
God’s purpose is that His Church will be healthy, and grow in every way. The Fivefold equips the church, universal and local, to grow.
It is a spiritual church. We can have all the trappings of success, a beautiful building, lots of people, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is spiritual health/success. The job of equipping the saints is to enable the saints to grow spiritually, in every way, for life, ministry and mission.
Day 1 – Pastor Leslie
Ephesians 4:11-13, CSB,
‘And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.’
Paul places the measuring line way up there, the exalted Christ. Measured according to the fullness of Him. As a Christian I can never say, ‘I have made it.’ All of us are in need of further equipping, because the line we aim for is way out there, Christ and His fullness.
Father, as we pray this month into equipping the saints, we ask for the guidance and anointing of Your Holy Spirit. As we pray, may Telford and Shrewsbury Elim churches be further equipped for the work of ministry, be further built up, become more unified in the faith, in knowing Christ, become more mature according to the standard of Christ. Amen.
Day 2 – Pastor Leslie
In Ephesians 4:11-13, there are three successive prepositional phrases:
- The equipping of the saints
- for the work of ministry
- for the building up of the body of Christ.
The APEST are gifted people given by Christ to His Church. It is about the gift of a person, to the body, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, and growth of the body of Christ.
In the equipped/prepared body of Christ, each person has a role, and a part to play in the strengthening of the Body in order to continue the work of Christ.
Hebrews 13:20-21, CSB,
‘Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus — the great Shepherd of the sheep — through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.’
Father, the writer prays for his readers to be spiritually equipped with everything good to do or work according to Your will, for Your good pleasure. We ask the for the same.
As MacDonald wrote, Believer’s Bible Commentary, 2211, ‘He places the desire in us to do His will; He gives us the power to do it; then we do it; and He rewards us.’
Thank You for the desire, birthed in Christ, to walk closely with Him. It is a good thing, but also a work of grace.
It is all a partnership between Your grace and will, and our faith, obedience and work. You give, and we do with what You have given, including through Your Word’s guidance, grace and Spirit’s empowerment.
Help us with our obedience. Obedience is about our faith in action, and our work then happening from that base, our commitment to Christ, His cause and ways. Grant us the energy, ability and grace needed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 3 – Pastor Sandie
Romans 1:8, NLT,
‘Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in Him is being talked about all over the world.’
The impact of the community of believers in Rome was immense. Rome was the centre of the world during Paul’s time. Multitudes of people were constantly flowing in and out of the empire from all the surrounding cities and provinces. Such was the influence of the Roman Christians sharing their faith, without compromise, that many souls were being swept into the Kingdom, turning from the hedonistic culture of their time, embracing the gospel wholeheartedly, then taking the Christian message back into the regions they had come from.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You for the special Christians You brought alongside us who were committed and faithful to share the gospel message with us. May we too be bold and influential in our society, sharing the gospel with kindness and compassion, always in a way that will bring You honour. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 4 – Pastor Sandie
Romans 1:8, NLT,
‘Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in Him is being talked about all over the world.’
Paul was so encouraged by the reports of the believers in Rome that he couldn’t stop thanking God for them.
Paul was also a model leader in the way he showed appreciation and gratitude to the Roman believers. It is so important to appreciate those who labour for the gospel. We are all ‘Team Jesus,’ no one is more important than the other. We may have different roles but we each have a calling on our life to fulfil before Jesus returns.
Prayer: Dear Lord, may we be a source of encouragement within our churches in Telford and Shrewsbury. May we be a blessing to our church leaders who diligently equip and watch over us. May we bring them joy when they think of us. In our churches and communities may we be known as peacemakers and encouragers, living our lives to bring You glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 5 – Pastor Sandie
Romans 12:1, NLT,
‘Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all that He has done for You. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.’
No matter what situation we find ourselves in we don’t need to copy the customs of this world just to ‘fit in’. We live in the world but remember we are Kingdom people. We can dedicate our daily routines as acts of devotion to Jesus. No matter how mundane we perceive our life to be, God sees it all and will reward our faithfulness. Recently one hospital worker said to me, “thank you for always noticing what I do and taking time to find out how I am, nobody ever notices cleaners.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, it’s not just the huge sacrifices You notice, but You see the daily sacrifice of a single mum taking care of her kids, often at a huge cost to herself. You see the forgotten Christian believer imprisoned and tortured in a country that has no regard for mercy or freedom. You see those who work in areas so diligently who are providing a service that is overlooked by the majority. We pray You will give us the grace and faith to remain devoted to You, even when it may cost us everything. To equip us for life, ministry and Your mission. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 6 – Sue North, Telford & Shrewsbury Elim Safeguarding Officer
Father God, as we prepare ourselves to be used by You to show Your love to the world, we ask that You will give us strength to address the issues in our own lives that cause us to stumble.
Lord, You know what we have each experienced in our lives, and we know that You are the One who can heal the wounded, and wipe away the tears from the broken hearted. Lord as we seek to become whole in You, we will know directly how Your love can heal every hurt in our lives.
As we trust in You, and hold firm to Your promises, that You will enable us to be ready to show and share Your love to others in our world who are hurting or experiencing difficulties in this season. Lord, let us remember each day how you have healed us, and how you can do this for others. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 7 – Sue North, Telford & Shrewsbury Elim Safeguarding Officer
Father God, we pray that You will strengthen us as we seek to serve You. Father, as we encounter people who are hurt and who are struggling – that we will have Your wisdom as we support them and seek to ensure that they, and everyone around them, are safe.
As we work with the wounded and the hurting, that, Father, we will open our hearts to listen to You, and are led by what You know is needed to comfort and support those who are hurting in our church family.
And Lord, as we prepare to serve You in this way – that You will shape us into the people You need us to be to show Your love to the world. Thank You for our church leaders, those You have called to equip Your people in Telford and Shrewsbury Elim. We thank You, Lord, that You love each one of us and want the best for each of us in our lives. We pray for spiritual growth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayers for Shrewsbury. Mark 1:16-20.
Day 8 – Pastor Malcolm
(V16) Heavenly Father, as we come to this passage of Scripture, show us at Riversway Church, how it is relevant to us at this time.
We thank You, Heavenly Father, that You chose ordinary people like Peter and Andrew to accomplish great things for Your Kingdom. They were ordinary in terms of education, and yet skilled who knew their trade as fishermen casting out their nets into the Sea of Galilee.
We ask You, Holy Spirit, to show us where You want us to cast the Gospel net into the areas around Shrewsbury, areas You have already chosen people to receive the Gospel message.
Would You bring to us, at Riversway, in addition to those amongst us, people who are willing to go out with their Gospel nets to bring in the lost. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 9 – Pastor Malcolm
(V17) I will make you to become fishers of men.
LORD Jesus. We thank you today, that when You called Your disciples, You promised to be with them wherever they went.
Your promises are also for us today, and we thank You, Holy Spirit that Your Presence is with us, wherever we go.
LORD Jesus Your call to each of us is to follow You every day, to take up our cross EVERY DAY, and to show the world that we belong to You. Holy Spirit, help and empower us to do this every day of our lives.
LORD Jesus, Your promise to Peter and Andrew was to make them become Fishers of men. Holy Spirit, would You help us to become skilful in fishing for men, women, young adults, teenagers and children. For Your Glory. Amen.
LORD Jesus. We recognise today, that BECOMING a fisher of people is a process and how we need You, Holy Spirit, to give us wisdom and guidance in how we share our faith with those who don’t know You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 10 – Pastor Malcolm
(V18) They immediately left their nets.
Holy Spirit, we acknowledge our need of obedience, when it comes to following Christ. Forgive us when we become distracted by things that are going in and around us. Forgive us for prioritising other things in our lives and placing them before Christ.
LORD Jesus, Your call for obedience is out of LOVE, not just out of duty. LORD, we remember Your Words to us today, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15, CSB).
LORD Jesus, we bring to mind the great sacrifice You made in giving Your life for us. We thank You, how You surrendered Your will to the Father in being obedient in going to the Cross.
LORD Jesus, we also realise that obedience to Your Word is greater than any sacrifice that we make. Amen.
Day 11 – Pastor Malcolm
(v19) James and John. The sons of thunder.
LORD Jesus, from this verse today we realise that You called not just ordinary people, but You called the most UNLIKELY people.
You called the foolish things of this world, to put to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1.27). You called the base things (insignificant) of the world, the despised things God has chosen to bring Glory to Yourself.
You chose men like John and James (hot tempered men) to be used in writing books of the Bible to be used in bringing about miracles, such as the man born lame (Acts 3)
Holy Spirit, help us to overcome those areas in our lives which we think could never be used for Christ’s Glory. Amen.
Day 12 – Pastor Malcolm
(V19) Mending their nets.
LORD Jesus, when you called James and John, they were going about their everyday work. They were running a business, having to sell what they caught to pay their bills, pay taxes, buy food etc.
Heavenly Father, we thank You today for giving us strength, each day, to go about our daily work. Whether it is staying at home to look after children, doing voluntary work in our church, working long hours in hospitals, care homes, in the office or on the factory floor, in study, and in business etc.
We thank You, Holy Spirit, for those who have skills in administration, those who work with the mum’s and toddlers, Sunday school workers. We especially ask for more helpers for our mum’s and toddlers group, Hapitots on Wednesday’s, so it can continue.
LORD Jesus, we pray for an increase in the finances that come into the church, to be able to improve the building, both inside and out.
In this season of ‘Equipping the saints for the work of ministry,’ we realise that this is essential and ongoing, and we need each of the 5 Ascension Gifts given by Jesus to bring about the building of Your Kingdom. Amen.
Day 13 – Pastor Malcolm
Verses 18 & 20. Immediately.
LORD Jesus. As we look at these verses today, we see that the disciples, You called, left their nets and business’ IMMEDIATELY!!
Holy Spirit, help us all to have a realization of the urgency of sharing the Gospel whenever we have opportunity to do so.
LORD Jesus, we know from Your Word, and what we see on our news channels, that Your return is very soon. To those who don’t know You as their LORD and Saviour, Your return will come like a thief in the night. Help us to live our lives, just as the early disciples did, in thinking that today could be the Day of Your return.
Today, LORD Jesus, we pray for the people, especially on the Harlescott estate whose minds are spiritually blinded, for those whose hearts are hardened against Your Gospel. Open their minds to Your word, and soften their hearts so they will repent and believe in You onto eternal life.
We pray for those who are sick, living in poverty, in addiction to drugs and alcohol, in crime, for immediate help to come about, for healing, help and deliverance in their lives for Your Glory. Amen.
Day 14 – Pastor Malcolm
Verse 20. They prioritised.
Holy Spirit, we realise today how Peter, Andrew, James and John were not only obedient to Your calling to follow You, but they prioritised it over their family and their livelihood.
Whatever that means to each of us today, we realise that there is a cost in following You as a disciple (Luke 14.25-33).
We realise Heavenly Father, that today, there are those in the world who are Pastors and Christians in countries where persecution will mean the risk of losing their lives.
At Riversway Church today we pray for those Christians in countries that persecute Your people who have to meet in secret, that You will continue to protect them, and provide for their every need.
LORD Jesus. We also need to acknowledge how we need to prioritize our time throughout this month of September when we spend time in fasting and abstinence, in order to hear from You, and take the time to pray as Your Spirit directs. Amen.
Day 15 – Nana Oppon, Telford Limitless Youth Leader
REST: Matthew 11:29, NLT,
‘Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
Matthew 11:29, ESV,
‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
Almighty Jesus, in YOU we live, move and have our being. We acknowledge and appreciate Your kindness, mercy, grace, and love towards humanity, the universal church, and our local church families. We thank You for every household represented, and for what YOU are doing in our midst.
As we journey through the seasons of life, by Your Spirit, teach us Your ways and may we have a teachable heart and spirit. May we walk like Christ, may the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You.
We pray that Your word will be hidden in our hearts, so that our steps may be ordered as You have ordained. In so doing, may we enter Your rest. Rest in health, in our families, in limitless youth, and every ministry. Help us rest in You so that Your mandate is fulfilled in the church. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
