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 67:2 “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all [living in Lebanon].”
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O Father, Holy One, Your heart overflows with adopting love!
Make the light of your face shine upon all peoples living in Lebanon: to the Lebanese Shiites, be gracious; to the Lebanese Sunnis, be kind; to the Lebanese Christians, show mercy; to the Lebanese Druze, give blessings. Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy.
And to the non-Lebanese living in this nation: may the light of your face brighten their hearts and minds. To the 1.5 million Syrians: may your right hand sustain them; to the 600,000 Palestinians: may your way be known to them; to the 75,000 Iraqis: manifest your saving power. And to all your precious children from all the ends of the earth living here: Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy.
Today’s Movement Theme: PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS
In gospel movements, all believers make disciples; all believers build the church; all believers share their faith; all believers meet felt needs in the community; and anyone can learn to facilitate the discovery group gatherings. In movements, followers of Christ really are a priesthood, and because of the small-group structure of movements, everyone participates in the life of the church.
Movements are not like trees with trunks that have centers of power, centers of gravity. They are rather more like grass, where masses of roots connect to other roots, but there’s no ‘center’ to kill, no ‘trunk’ to chop down. You can pluck up a patch of grass, but the rest of the grass goes on spreading and thriving. The only way this grass-like structure works is if movements teach and model the priesthood of all believers, equipping each and every person in the movement to be disciples not converts, participants not consumers, doers of the word not mere hearers.
As we pray today, we will intercede for new seekers and followers of Jesus to join in their vocation as image-bearers of God, co-laboring with Him to usher in New Heavens and New Earth.
Pray the Scriptures
Exodus 19:3-9 “Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians...Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ …
So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. And all the people responded together, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded.‘ So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak…’
- Ask: for the grace of obedience to be poured out over new and emerging believers
- Ask: that each and every person would know s/he plays a vital role as God’s priest
- Ask: for believers to listen and learn from God directly as He speaks through the Scriptures
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1 Peter 2: 4,5, 9 “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. … And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. … Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. … [Dear brothers and sisters, you are not like those who refuse to obey God’s word; instead,]
You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
- Pray: that each believer would feel herself a living stone in the temple God is building
- Pray: that every seeker would understand his role in the formation of church and the execution of God’s mission
- Pray: that all disciples would be responsible for showing others the goodness of God
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James 1:22, 25; 2:17 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. For faith by itself is not enough. Unless it produces good deeds, faith is dead and useless.”
- Petition God for the grace of implementation
- Petition God for new seekers and believers–as well as established leaders–to be liberated from a spirit of consumerism that would have us merely hear God’s word but not put it into practice
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 Mount Lebanon (excluding Beirut).
Aley : Baabda : Chouf : Matn : Beiteddine : Jdeideh : Jounieh : Zouk Mosbeh : Bouchriyeh
Prayer
Lord Jesus, obedience is life; your words are life. May we say ‘yes’ to life-giving connection to God which comes as we obey, as we practice, as we put into action our faith. Lord, allow believers in Lebanon to reject passive, consumerist tendencies in their faith; empower them, instead, to be a priesthood of believers, a holy nation, called for a purpose, commissioned by God to render into the world the rule and reign of Christ, and to shine the goodness of Christ’s light into the shadow and chaos of this present darkness.
Amen.