Apex Baptist Church Blog

Monday, August 19, 2013

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.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Hopes for the Congregational Fast at Apex Baptist Church

During the week of August 18-24 our church will be praying and fasting for a spiritual breakthrough in our personal lives and in our church body. Anyone who fasts should consult their doctor before going an extended amount of time without eating. There are many different types of fasts that members of our church will participate in.

First, some will do what is called a “normal fast.” These people will only drink water and fruit juices during the fast. Others will do what is called a “partial fast.” This type of fast is when a person only eats fruits and vegetables.

Other people will abstain from something other than food for the purpose of prayer. The goal of any fast is to abstain from something in order to spend time in focused prayer to God. In his book, The Power of Prayer and Fasting, Dr. Ronnie Floyd offers nine outcomes or results of the congregational fasts that his church has done. My hope is that God would stir in our hearts and accomplish these same things.

1. Focus – I pray that God delivers great clarity to our congregation. We are in a wonderful season of ministry and I pray that He allows us to focus on the things that He desires and that we would not be distracted.

2. Wonder – I pray that we get a bigger glimpse of God than we have ever understood before. I am specifically praying that this would affect the way we worship.

3. Sensitivity – I pray that we will be more in tune and sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our lives. I pray that we will follow where he leads us.

4. Unity – A church wide fast will unify us to accomplish the mission God has for us. I am praying that God brings generations together in unity of purpose and direction through this fast.

5. Growth – I pray that God will grow every person participating spiritually through this week. I pray that this fast is spiritual fuel that will launch many into a new season of growth.

6. Anticipation – I am praying that this will affect the worship services in that we will come expecting God to speak to our hearts and then respond to Him.

7. Enlargement – I am praying that God enlarges our vision as we pray and fast. My prayer is that God helps us see the harvest fields ready for harvest.

8. Engagement – I am praying for a renewed engagement in our church. I am praying God would urge many who are not serving into service.

9. Advancement – I pray that the Gospel will advance across the street and around the world because of this week of prayer and fasting.

*First posted at www.johnmarkharrison.org on 8/17/2012

Saturday, July 27, 2013

New Service Times Coming in September!

We are so excited to announce that beginning Sunday, September 8 we are going to move to three Worship Service hours on Sunday mornings! Each Worship Service hour will also include Life Groups and preschool care.

Service times will be:

9:00 AM -- 10:00 AM
10:15 AM -- 11:15 AM
11:30 AM -- 12:30 PM

God is moving in Apex and we can't wait to see what He's going to do next!