What is a gospel movement?
A church planting movement (CPM) or disciple making movement (DMM) can be defined as “the multiplication of disciples making disciples and leaders developing leaders, resulting in indigenous churches planting churches which begin to spread rapidly through a people group or population segment.” Click here to read more about gospel movements.
Declare a Promise
Psalm 96:3 “Declare his glory among the Lebanese, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
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We come with fresh prayers today, Lord, to join in with the angels singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy.’ As their song continues day and night around your throne, we join in with the hosts of heaven and declare: Holy is the Lord God Almighty among the Lebanese; marvelous are your works among the Lebanese; worthy is the Lamb of God in every city, district, municipality, town, and village of Lebanon. May your fame spread in this nation, and may this nation impact the region.
Today’s Movement Theme: Prayer for Emerging Churches
Today, we will pray Ephesians 1-3 over our brothers and sisters in Christ from non-Christian backgrounds. Many of these believers have never stepped foot into the walls of a church building. They come from all backgrounds and gather in all places across Lebanon: Lebanese Sunnis coming together as family and friends; illiterate Syrian war widows gathering for church and listening to the Bible; Palestinian refugees meeting in slum housing amidst generational poverty; Lebanese Shiites meeting up in politically charged neighborhoods; Lebanese Druze assembling in homes in mountain villages. On and on it goes. In various parts of Lebanon, emerging movements are taking root.
Therefore, we wish to pray today for the strengthening of the hearts, minds, and spirits of the believers: not so much for ‘multiplication’ or ‘fruit’ or ‘new ministry,’ but for the interior miracle of being rooted and established in the love of Christ.
Ephesians 1:3, 5, 8
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
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Father, we thank you for these precious sons and daughters of God following you. We bless them, in accordance with your Scripture, with every spiritual blessing because they are united with Christ. And we thank you for adopting them into your family. Lord, allow them the grace to feel this reality more and more deeply. And we pray, Father, as you shower them with your kindness, that you would grant all wisdom and understanding to them. Holy Spirit, lead them into truth. Your word is truth.
- Pray spiritual blessing over these believers
- Ask that their sense of being adopted would go deeper and deeper into the core of their being
- Release a spirit of wisdom and understanding over them as they grow in New Testament community
Ephesians 1:18-20a
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead”
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Lord, flood our brothers’ and sisters’ hearts with light! With the light of the Christ! May your light shine bright over them and in them and through them, piercing all darknesses, all shadow. And may they experience–may they see in action–the greatness of Your power. We declare: the same power that conquered death and raised Christ from the dead dwells in their mortal bodies.
- Pray that the light of Christ would illuminate their hearts as they continue to trust
- Ask that they would see first-hand the greatness of God’s power at work in their lives and in their communities
Ephesians 2:5-6, 8
“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
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Lord, you are rich in mercy. And we thank you for the richness of your love and mercy in the lives of our non-Christian brothers and sisters in the faith. We ask that you would continue to deliver them from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your Beloved Son, Jesus; Lord, give them life! And allow them to know–to really experience–that they are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and their true identity is hidden in Christ with God. Lord, show them that salvation is never earned; it is always a gift. Grant them this grace, Lord, the grace of non-striving, the grace of accepting your salvation.
- Pray for ongoing sanctification of the brethren
- Ask for the grace of awareness of their true identity and position in Christ
- Declare over them the grace of non-striving
Ephesians 3:12, 16-20
“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
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O Lord! Teach your church to come boldly into your presence, assured of right standing in Christ. And empower these precious brothers and sisters from your storehouse of unlimited resources. Grant them all they need. And as they grow, may Christ be more at home in their hearts as they trust him. May the roots of their faith go down deeper and deeper into the soil of God’s marvelous love, and let them come to know–to be intimately acquainted with–the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Father! Complete them. Perfect them. Sanctify them. Do abundantly more in their hearts and minds than we could ever ask or dare to imagine. For they are your masterpiece! And you have set them apart for special works in Lebanon that will bring You glory.
- Pray that new believers would be confident in their standing with God–in Christ–and would come boldly before the throne of grace in their times of need
- Ask that their trust in Christ would deepen
- Intercede for their ongoing salvation–their sanctification–that their roots would drive down deeper and deeper into God’s love
- Pray that they would know the love of God the way Adam knew Eve: intimately, as a lover
No Place Left
Each day, we pray for various regions of Lebanon, believing in faith that a disciple making movement will touch each and every community throughout the nation.
Today, pray by name for the areas of Akkar, in the far north of Lebanon.
Bir Akkar : Wadi Khaled : Rabieh : Halba : Al Qoubayat : Qaitea : Jouma : Dreib : Jabal Akroum
Prayer
Lord, sanctify your church. We remember our brothers and sisters today from non-Christian backgrounds. So many didn’t have the same opportunities we did: to grow up learning about you and what you’re like. And so we pray, Lord, that you would recreate them, that you would transform their thoughts and feelings about God, and conform their beliefs to the reality of your Goodness.
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy.
Amen.