Monday Devotion & Prayer Prompts

In the past few weeks I’ve read the New Testament book of Acts again, and God’s word continues to scream at me that American “Churchianity” is not biblical Christianity. At the end of almost every chapter, I said “WOW,” either to myself or just bursted it out loud. Certainly there are some “WOW” things happening in some American Churches, but those are the exceptions rather than the norm. In Breakout Churches, Thom Rainer reports that 8 out of 10 American churches are in decline or erosion (174) – Yuck!

So what was different about the Early Church? What made it so powerful? I believe there are many lessons we can learn from them, but we must note at least two. First, prayer was a major priority for first century Followers of Jesus. The Early Church was born during a prayer meeting (Acts 2). The early Church prayed and God showed up to save souls, to purify the Fellowship (Ananias & Sapphira), to heal the sick, to set the captives free and so much more. In the American Church prayer is often neglected, stagnant, minimal or an after thought. Let’s pray boldly this week – just as the Early Church did.

Secondly, the Early Believers lived the Gospel. They didn’t just understand that their purpose was to advance the Kingdom of God – they did it. The researchers behind Breakout Churches found inconsistencies in declining churches’ in their willingness to practice their beliefs. “The clearest example of this reality was in the area of evangelism. They might believe that Christ is the only way of salvation, but they are unwilling or unable to share the Gospel with non-­‐Christians” (177). In contrast, Breakout church members, like Early Church Members, “are passionate about reaching others for Christ personally” and “do not expect all evangelism to be done by the staff or a select few from the church” (177).

The early church prayed fervently, then put feet to their prayers and “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) -­‐ good lessons!

MONDAY PRAYER PROMPTS: 

1. Lord, forgive us for being lame in our prayer lives. May we make prayer a top priority in our personal lives, in our families and in our church.

2. Set us free Father from our timidity, our insecurities, our fears and from our unfruitful past. Lord Jesus, wreck us with your love. As we pray, give us “Christ-­‐like eyes” to see others as you see them. Then, grant us wisdom and sensitivity to respond redemptively.

3. Lord we certainly pray defensively for the protection of our students, but like the Early Church, we also pray for their boldness. Their schools are tough, but ripe, fields for evangelistic harvest. Empower them to be salt & light on their campuses. Give them persistence & courage and help them to work together to advance your Kingdom’s Glory. Help us as parents and church leaders to equip our children for evangelistic success and to model a disciple-­‐making lifestyle.

4. Give us wisdom Father as we sharpen our church’s mission efforts. Use us to be a blessing to our local, regional and global ministry partners.

5. The Bible is our guide for our individual lives and for our church. Grant us courage to follow its examples and principles.