Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

Let God Arise! (continued)

Moreover, let us pray fervently that inner city churches will combine their efforts, funds, initiatives, and projects to make their own unique and powerful contribution to global and local mission. Pray that God would move on the hearts of those in charge of many mission agencies, that they will no longer ignore the rich resources of the urban churches, but will make it feasible for urban disciples to be deployed to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches, especially among the dozens and dozens of communities where no evangelical presence exists. Above all, let us cry out to God day and night for a new level of rigor and discipline among his people. Pray for a tough minded but tender hearted faith to embrace the small congregations and store fronts in the city. Let us pray for them, that God will provide themwith a kingdomwarfare consciousness, the rigorous kind of mentality that will allow urban disciples to adopt the necessary mindset to endure hardness and suffer in spiritual warfare for their communities. Let us pray for new levels of boldness and power, for new aggressive outreaches, for more dedicated and prevailing prayer movements among urban churches, and new networks of leadership and support that will link urban disciples of good will to mobilize their resources for maximum impact on the city. Intercede passionately to God to provide the resources for urban churches to initiate new outreaches of compassion, justice, and peace on behalf of the homeless, oppressed, fatherless, the mentally challenged, those plagued with HIV and other communicable diseases, for the elderly, those sick and in prison and neglected. Pray for an outpouring of love from the Church that amazes and creates new hunger for Jesus in the lost, a kind of love that serves as a foundation to express and authenticate the Gospel of Christ. Pray that God will use the efforts of justice and righteousness as a gateway for hundreds of thousands to be converted to the Lord. Do not neglect to pray for your own particular locality, and its need to see the signs of the Kingdom manifested within it in word and deed. Pray for your church, your pastor, your community, civic and city leaders, your neighbors, principals, law officers, and all others in leadership in your midst. Pray for the release of new levels of boldness and clarity in preaching, and more authentic signs of the Kingdom in your community so God can reveal to the lost there the majesty and wonder of the Lord Jesus. Pray for yourself and family for a new availability to see the Kingdom advanced at your work, your school, your neighborhood, your family, in your life. God will answer us if we only will ask him in faith and authentic surrender to his will (Matt. 6.6; John 15.16).