Archive for prayer – Page 4

It ALL Began with Flake!

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Friday, April 3rd, 2020
Arthur Flake

The church has been praying for years…so it didn’t all began with Arthur Flake.  But for Southern Baptists Sunday School work, it all began with Flake.  Arthur Flake wrote several books in the early 20th century that formed the foundations of a Sunday School movement in churches that resulted in people being saved, baptized and taught the Word of God. 

Imagine the impact if every Christian in North America—starting with your church—had one person they prayed for regularly and were sharing the gospel with.  That is the aim of the Who’s Your One emphasis launch by Southern Baptists Churches in 2019. Have you identified your one! 

I am thankful for this movement of evangelism and prayer in our churches!  But identifying your one, interceding for your one, and being intentional with your one didn’t begin with our current SBC president, J. D. Grear.  Dwayne McCrary, author of the book It Begins with Prayer, shared that when he looked at Flake’s Journal, “Flake specified that “Every teacher should have a prayer list of all lost for whom his class is responsible.”  It ALL began with Flake!

If Flake were alive today, he would be exhorting every Sunday School teacher, every group leader, and every member of a group, to identify their one.  To have a prayer list that is dominated by the names of people who have yet to become followers of Christ.  It ALL Began with Flake!

I am thankful for movements like Who’s Your One because it is calling us back to the understanding that every one of us need to have a prayer list that is dominated by the names of people who are lost. 

In the midst of the crisis that our world is facing, I can’t imagine not having the peace that passes all understanding and the hope that comes from my faith and trust in Jesus. 

McCrary goes on to say that in his journal notes, Flake “also called for each teacher to share his or her prayer list with other teachers.”  And I believe we should ask the members of our group to carry a list and to share their lists with the group.  Together we pray for our one! 

Reaching begins with prayer and it all began with Flake!

By Mark Miller, Baptism-Discipleship Team Leader, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board

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Reaching Begins with Prayer

By Scott Sullivan · Comments (0)
Thursday, April 2nd, 2020

My dad owns a farm in northwest Louisiana. During the season when calves are being born, he will walk onto his porch at night with a rifle and a spotlight to keep coyotes away. He knows that many times the cow will seclude herself and birth the calf. Even though they choose seclusion, they need the group!

Like the farmer, you as a Sunday School leader have the privilege of praying and caring for group members and reaching new ones. Consistent prayer is a powerful tool! Yet, prayer remains the most undervalued treasure in the Christian life.

Wait, what!?

Prayer is NOT reserved for a special few but is to be practiced by all believers. The truth is that a believer learns this best in connection with a group of believers, like a Sunday School class. This vital relationship will provide at least three essentials for the believer:

  • Protection from predators
  • A foundation from which to flourish
  • Relationships that foster revival

A sheep is the most commonly used metaphor to describe a Christian in the New Testament. In Luke 15 we learn three valuable principles when guiding sheep to spiritual maturity.

First, sheep need one another to survive. I learned decades ago on my dad’s farm that predators rarely go after the herd, they prey on the isolated farm animal. Sunday school leaders must guide their members to regularly seek how to minister to participants within their group, welcome the wanderers looking for a new flock, AND provide an open door for the isolated individuals who may have never been born into a flock.

Second, sheep need the flock in order to thrive. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that He offers abundant life to all who follow Him. You see, the Christian life is not just about surviving. Jesus tells us that His goal is that we flourish from the foundation that He has provided in the local church. So what’s the deal with believers who lack peace and power? Either they are not accessing the power available to them or they have never genuinely been born into “the flock.”

Third, sheep need deep relationships that lead to revival. The natural tendency of most sheep is to wander and push boundaries. Many wake up one day separated from the flock and lacking the energy to find their way back. Leaders, we must consistently provide a place for wandering sheep to return. To be like Christ, we must be willing to leave the 99.

Friends, if we fail at anything, may it not be in our efforts to reach wandering sheep or those who have never been born into the flock! And a key ingredient for ministering within the flock and reaching those outside the flock can be found in a group of believers who fervently pray.

Written by Dr. Scott Sullivan, Discipleship Catalyst with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board

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It Begins with Prayer

By Dwayne McCrary · Comments (0)
Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

It Begins with Prayer  Why the call to prayer is important today

If you had to define the basics of ongoing Bible study groups (most commonly called Sunday School), what would you include? Obviously, Bible study would be included, but what else? The past few weeks of social distancing, “safer at home” initiatives, and groups of less than 10 may have revealed those basics. We are not so worried about who will bring the donuts as we are focused on sharing our experiences, encouraging and being encouraged by other believers, and praying for neighbors who are more open to a wave and a conversation (even if it is shouting across the street). We are praying for lost neighbors, building community through prayer with each other, and serving each other through prayer all while doing some type of Bible study together…even if that is not at the same time or in the same way.

Leaders may be encouraging some of these actions, but these actions are coming from within the group as well. The things the group is asking for tell us what they value and why they are a part of an ongoing Bible study in the first place. Getting to the basics is not a bad thing. In fact, it should be welcomed because it brings attention to the more important things.

In It Begins with Prayer, we find a call to pray daily for lost people by name, to build community through intentional prayer partnerships, and to make disciples through serving with prayer as the starting point. While prayer is the unifying element, each supports the reaching, teaching, and serving work of an ongoing Bible study group. All of these actions can still take place in a “shelter in place” world, pointing to the necessity of each.

These actions will be just as important in the days ahead. Nothing keeps us from praying for lost people, praying with another believer, or serving others through prayer…nothing. Shouldn’t that tell us something about what the future of our ongoing Bible study groups might look like?

The ideas in It Begins with Prayer came from the notes of Arthur Flake, a leader in Sunday School development. Writing in 1920, he faced a time of unprecedented change. World War I ended in 1918. The Spanish flu pandemic ended in 1919, killing 3 to 6 percent of the world population (estimates vary). Flake proposed a simple plan for reaching people for Bible study. That plan was built around prayer. Could it be that God is preparing us to learn from the past? I’m not a prophet, but I do know that prayer changes things, and it may be time for us to rediscover that basic truth.

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Dwayne McCrary – team leader of adult ongoing Bible study resources at LifeWay Christian Resources, husband, father, GDaddy, Bible study teacher to both empty nesters and 3 year olds, adjunct professor (MBTS), reader of history books, and road bicyclist. Copies of It Begins with Prayer can be purchased or downloaded (PDF and audio) at LifeWay.com/TrainingResources.

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4 Critical Steps for A New Believer (Baptism, Bible Study, Prayer, Community)

By Bob Mayfield · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

Someone you know or a guest in the church has just become a new follower of Jesus Christ!!

Fantastic!!! That is wonderful…

Now what?

I doubt many people would give a person who had never driven before the keys to their new car. Someone who has just become a new believer needs some guidance as they begin their journey of faith in Jesus Christ. Here are four critical steps that you can share with a new Christian as they begin their walk with Christ.

Baptism
Yes, the first step is to be biblically baptized. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality; that this person has found new life through Jesus Christ and has made Jesus the Lord of their life. Your church may offer a baptism class, or maybe counseling to help this new Christian with his or her new faith. Encourage them to get baptized as soon as possible.

Bible Study
If the new believer does not have a Bible, help them get one! Encourage them to read the Bible daily. A daily soaking in Scripture is vital to spiritual growth. Which translation should they have? Here are two suggestions: 1) the translation that the pastor preaches from; 2) the translation that you or your Small Group uses at group meetings. The book of Ephesians is a great book for new believers because it is full of the doctrine of the church and it is only six chapters long. Afterward, help them get into a daily Bible reading plan.

Prayer
The best way to teach a new believer how to pray is to pray with them. Let them learn from you that prayer is a two-way conversation with God.

Community
A new believer needs a biblical community. Encourage them to become a member of a local church. But they will need more than membership. They need a smaller group where they will belong. A Sunday School class or a Small Group is an outstanding place for a new believer to develop new friends and mentors; to study God’s Word; and for ministry and prayer. A Small Group is really how the church is organized to be… well to be the church! Most likely, the smaller group is where a new believer is going to find people willing to walk alongside him or her, and disciple them into spiritual maturity.

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Bob Mayfield is the Sunday School/Discipleship specialist at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Bob also has his own blog at bobmayfield.com.
Follow Bob on Twitter at @bobmayfield and on Facebook at facebook.com/thebobmayfield

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Categories : 31 Ideas of Outreach & Evangelism, Evangelism, Outreach/Evangelism
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Group Prayer for Lost Friends and Neighbors

By admin · Comments (0)
Friday, August 18th, 2017

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10, ESV)

How can we as groups (Adult/Student/Kids classes or Bible Study groups) be more strategic in praying for our lost friends and neighbors?

  • Pray Intentionally – Have a specific time during the group prayer time to pray for the lost.
  • Pray Specifically – Pray for lost friends and neighbors by name
  • Pray scripture during your prayer time for the lost.
  • Pray for God to open your eyes to see the lost around you/opportunities for conversation.
  • Pray for other Christians to cross the paths of friends who can have conversations that point/lead them to Christ.

Incorporate Prayer actions as part of your group prayer time. This works great for all ages groups, but specifically for kids and students with shorter attention spans:

Prayer box or journal – Have each person in your class write down on a card or in a journal the names of lost friends. (Kids may even want to add a picture of their friend.) Record dates and prayer requests for the lost friend.  Remember to record how God is answering prayers.

Group Prayer Walk –For kids or students, you might want to prayer walk their school praying for their lost friends. Adult groups can prayer walk a subdivision of a class member.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)

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Maria Brannen is a State Missionary at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

 

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Categories : 31 Ideas of Outreach & Evangelism, Evangelism, Outreach/Evangelism
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