Prayer Leader OnLine

Vol. 3, No. 7
July 2006

Introduction: Be Encouraged! Be an Encourager!

Encouragement is a powerful dynamic. Whenever we are down, frustrated, feeling overwhelmed, often a simple word of encouragement from a friend--or the Lord--is enough to keep us going.

I have heard a number of stories from our national convention in Mesa, that involve someone being encouraged in a special way. One was a faith-based prayer ministry leader, struggling to make ends meet financially, who was starting to seriously contemplate taking a full-time job with a regular pay check. But God sent a businessman to PrayerQuake; he connected with this ministry leader, and then gave him a large donation. God was saying to this leader "Keep on, I know your struggle and I will provide." Another was a church prayer leader from Illinois who came on a very shoestring budget. So much so he was planning to walk from the hotel every day to the church (1.5 miles in 105 plus heat). But God blessed him with a group from Oregon who committed to taking him back and forth, who befriended him, buying meals and resoures for him.

My point? As prayer leaders we both need encouragement, and we need to be givers of it as well. When you are down and struggling, watch for it. Ask God to provide you with a breath of encouragement. As you look at others in your church who are struggling in prayer, in ministry, offer an encouraging word, or provide an encouraging act of kindness to them.

We're in this together. Let's encourage each other. One way to get and give encouragement is to go to a regional conference or to send someone (your pastor?) to one. Check out our Fall regionals and other conferences we recommend to you. Click here to see the line-up.

Blessings,
Jon Graf
President, CPLN

. . . prayer is anything but easy.

First, the good news. An excellent article in a recent issue of a highly respected national magazine identified prayer as the first step toward becoming a healthy congregation. So often prayer is an after thought or, worse still, not even mentioned. And often by the nation's best-selling pastors and teachers! (I confess, I one day expect to see How to Grow a Church Without Much Prayer at the top of our best seller list)

Now, the bad news. The writer's explanation of why prayer should be listed as a first step is because "prayer is easy."

Excuse me? Prayer is immediate, free, commanded, modeled, even promised as effective (Jas. 5:16) . . . anything but easy! If prayer were truly easy, this E-letter would be largely unnecessary. The 2,000 plus people attending this year's annual CPLN convention (and displaying such a hunger for knowledge about the life of prayer and praying) would probably have stayed home (maybe to pray!).

Prayer is certainly undervalued by leadership and underutilized in most congregations and ministries but it is anything but easy. Authentic prayer is more agony than ease (Col. 4:12). Each and every prayer may be free but a genuine life of prayer is costly; just think about the sacrifice of time, the dedication to training, the pain of travailing.

Maybe the author of that article meant that prayer is simple. Uncomplicated and straightforward. A reshaping of our thoughts and wants to fit the will of God and the mind of Christ as we talk and listen with the help of the Holy Spirit. Focused, maybe that is what he meant by easy. Regardless, prayer may be simple but it is never easy.

Pastor/author A.W. Tozer once wrote, "To pray successfully is the first lesson the preacher must learn if he is to preach fruitfully; yet prayer is the hardest thing he will ever be called upon to do and, being human, it is the one act he will be tempted to do less frequently than any other. He must set his heart to conquer by prayer, and that will mean that he must first conquer his own flesh, for it is the flesh that hinders prayer always. "

With a prayer for all single-minded, hard-working prayer leaders,

Phil

How Do You Love Jesus?

Appreciate the Differences among the Body of Christ

The Five Love Languages by counselor Gary Chapman has been on the Christian bestseller list for years. The book reveals how people express love in different ways. Words of affirmation, spending quality time with loved ones, gift giving, acts of service and physical touch are several ways to receive and express love.

Problems arise if a person doesn’t understand that his or her partner may speak a different “language” when expressing love. Not feeling loved is a common result.

Similarly we differ in how we express our love to God. How do these love languages relate to our prayer life and our relationships with God and others in the Body? Some express love by service—by doing things. Others express love by spending time with God. I wonder if people who express love through physical touch long to sense God’s presence. They may seek experiential worship more than words of affirmation.

People pray differently, too. Our spiritual gifts and personality types influence how we pray. For example, a person with a gift of mercy or encouragement probably gets excited about praying for people’s needs. But a person with the gift of evangelism may become frustrated in a prayer meeting where the only requests lifted up are the needs of the Body. Why? He or she wants to pray for the lost. (My book, The Power of Personal Prayer has a chapter on understanding prayer styles.)

Given the same request, a pessimist prays differently from an optimist. In praying for the area around a church, the pessimist will remind God of the problems—the broken homes, the drugs and the gangs. The optimist will pray God’s blessing on that same neighborhood. We need both types of prayer.

If we don’t understand these different styles, we may get annoyed with others in the Body. If those of us who are doers don’t see enough people in service for the Lord, we think they don’t love Jesus and that they aren’t committed. It may be that they speak another language and express their love through giving. Or maybe they show their love for Jesus by spending more time in prayer.

I believe a simple understanding of the various ways we express love and pray can go a long way toward bringing unity to our churches. The truth of 1 Corinthians 12 applies here—the Body is made up of many different parts, but all need to work together and understand how each functions.

We should apply the love described in 1 Corinthians 13 and appreciate variety in the ways we express our love for Jesus Christ and in how we pray. In fact, we need to enjoy these differences.

Jonathan Graf is president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network. You can read more about prayer styles in his book The Power of Personal Prayer (NavPress, 2002). Jon is available to do conferences and prayer consulting with churches. You may contact Jon at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Dynamic Corporate Prayer

What Are You Doing on the First Friday of the Month?

Does your church participate in First Friday Prayer? "What's First Friday Prayer?" you ask. An ongoing "praying for revival" initiative, that sees thousands of church prayer groups and hundreds of thousands of individuals cry out to God for the U.S. church on the first Friday of every month.

First Friday has been in operation for more than 30 years in the United States. Currently shepherded and monitored by Intercessors for America, First Friday has kept a heart cry for revival at the forefront of many churches. First Friday is also the monthly expression of a document called The National Prayer Accord. Issued in 1999, the Prayer Accord, which was signed by more than 70 denominations and 200 national ministry leaders, calls our nation to extraordinary prayer for revival in the church and a national spiritual awakening to Christ in our nation.

The idea is to have local church prayer groups fast and gather together on the first Friday of each month to pray for our nation's spiritual health. General themes for prayer provided by IFA, can be found in Pray! magazine (in CPLN's Empowered section) and at www.ifapray.org. The CPLN will also begin including First Friday prayer themes on our site, and provide links to the First Friday section at IFA's site.

It's Time to Ignite Your Prayer Life

One of the best things we can do for our prayer lives sometimes is to get out of our routine. Taking a day to pray or going to a prayer conference for refueling can be an excellent catalyst to ignite our prayer lives.

The CPLN wants to recommend to you six fall conferences that can Ignite you and your people toward deeper levels of prayer. Three conferences are wholely sponsored by CPLN, one is sponsored by our parent ministry, Harvest Prayer Ministries, and two--recommend to our Canadian members--featuring our president Jon Graf, are sponsored by the C&MA of Canada.

CPLN Regionals:

Western Regional
San Jose, CA
September 15-16
Keynoters: Jon Graf, Ginny Kisling

Southwestern
Dallas, TX
September 29-30
Keynoters: Dr. Alvin Vandergriend, Dr. Jerome McNeil

North/Central
Cleveland, OH
November 10-11
Keynoters: David Butts, Jonathan Graf

Cost: $45 ($36 to CPLN members). Earlybird specials $36, $28 (CPLN), Pastors halfprice: $22

The North Central Regional also offers a special opportunity. Come in a day early (Nov 9) and participate in a College of Prayer. Colleges of Prayer is a pastor/prayer leader training intensive that covers nine modules over a three-year period. (You are not making a three-year commitment by coming to this.) The goal is to develop church leadership hungry for God and revival and equipped to encourage others to go deeper in prayer. If you want the added training, you pay $100 (fee includes your spouse as well), and two of you can come to both events. Click here for more details or to register.

Harvest Prayer Ministries Conference

The Midwest Prayer Conference features Dr. Henry Blackaby as the keynote speaker. There will also be a good assortment of workshops on individual, family, and church prayer. Workshop speakers include Jon Graf, David and Kim Butts, and Al Vandergriend. It will be held at Maryland Community Church in Terre Haute, IN, October 26-28.

The cost is $89 ($71 CPLN members) Earlybird rates: $75 ($60 to CPLN members). For more information go to www.harvestprayer.com

Canadian "Ignite Prayer" Conferences

Sponsored by the prayer mobilization team of the Canadian Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination, these two regional conferences feature the teaching of Jon Graf, CPLN president. The two regional conferences will be November 3-4, Spruce Grove Alliance Church (Greater Edmonton, Alberta), and November 17-18, at Bayview Glen Church in Metro Toronto. The cost is $40 per couple, $27 individual, $20 for students. For information or to register go to www.alliancepray.ca or call (306) 374-0663.

Need Your Hearts Warmed?

Do you ever feel like your prayers are rote, mundane, uninspired? How about the prayers of others in your chruch?

It's easy to get into habits of prayer that make it seem weak and lifeless. Prayer is difficult. And apart from the Holy Spirit it is just wasted effort. One of the most dynamic books on prayer to arrive on the market was just released by NavPress in early June. Written by Fred Hartley, local church pastor, and cofounder of the Colleges of Prayer, Prayer on Fire will encourage you toward more dynamic prayer--prayer fueled by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer On Fire offers the challenge, "Watch what happens when the Holy Spirit takes hold of your prayer life." Watch indeed! If you want to revive your prayer life or that of people in your sphere of influence (discussion questions make it accessible for group study), then I highly recommend that you read Prayer on Fire.

In it, Hartley offers a thorough biblical look at the symbol of fire--a theology of fire. How was it used, why, what were the results. Then the remainder of the book looks at the fire of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, driving us to prayer, fueling our prayer lives, reviving our hearts and our congregations. The book presents dynamic, balanced teaching on the baptism of or filling of the Holy Spirit, and has a lot to say about the need for spiritual hunger within us. An excellent Appedix, "Fire Starters" presents prayers you can pray that will open the door to a deeper work of the Spirit in your life.

Prayer on Fire is the next must-read book for prayer leaders and pastors. It will give you a fresh, renewed hunger for the passion of the Holy Spirit to fall on you and your ministry. You can order it through your local Christian bookstore, or if you want your CPLN discount, order it at our member store or from Pray! magazine at www.praymag.com.

Prayer Evangelism Tools

Teach Your People to B.L.E.S.S. Others into the Kingdom

God's plan to transform personal lives and whole cities calls for prayer--believers praying for their neighbors and then being available to them. Your people can make a difference by simply praying: Five blessings, for Five neighbors, for Five minutes a day, Five days a week, for Five weeks (commitment to start).

Here are some blessings to pray, based on the acronym "B.L.E.S.S."

B: Body (health, protection, strength)

• Pray that God will cover them "with his feathers," give them refuge under His wings, and be to them a "shield and rampart" (Ps. 91:4).
• Pray that they may seek the kingdom of God first and receive all other blessings they need as well (Mt. 6:33).
• Pray that for all their needs they may look to God, who is prepared to "give them their food at the proper time" (Ps. 145:15).

L: Labor (work, income, security)

• Pray that they may keep their lives "free from the love of money and be content with what [they] have" (Heb. 13:5).
• Pray for diligence in work. "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (Prov. 10:4).
• Pray that neighbors who work outside the home will meet Christians who show them the deep and passionate love of God.

E: Emotional (joy, peace, hope)

• Ask God to fill the empty spaces in unsaved neighbors' hearts with the knowledge that there is a God who loves them and wants them to love Him in return.
• Pray that they may be content because they have "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Phil. 4:12).
• Pray that in times of trouble they will pray to God and discover the peace of God that passes all understanding in Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:7).

S: Social (love, marriage, family, friends)

• Pray that children will obey and honor their parents and that parents will train and instruct their children in the things of the Lord (Eph. 6:1-4).
• Pray that they may have good friends who will stick by them at all times and family members who will stand by them in adversity (Prov. 17:17).
• Pray that they will "bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances [they] may have against one another" (Col. 3:13).

S: Spiritual (salvation, faith, grace)

• Pray that they will "receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in [Christ]" (Acts 26:18).
• Pray that they will call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Acts 2:21).
• Pray that the kindness of God will lead them to repentance (Ro. 2:4).

In order to sustain prayer, believers often need reminders. Beginning a B.L.E.S.S. iniative at your church will help keep them targeting the lost. To order simple brochures that help people remember what to pray, go to www.prayershop.org and purchase the "Five Blessings" Brochure ($2.50 per pack of 10).

--This material is adapted from Developing a Prayer, Care, Share Lifestyle by Dr. Alvin Vandergriend. This book is available at www.prayershop.org.

Check Out New Web Feature

If you haven't yet been to Empowered at www.prayerleader.com, it's time you checked it out. The CPLN puts together the "Empowered" section of Pray! magazine. This section, written especially for prayer leaders always covers a theme related to growing prayer in a church.

We now post the articles from Empowered on our website. But there's more! Since Pray! is constrained by space, and we are not, we post much more content than you will see in Pray!'s Empowered. The lead articles have more details, plus we include extra pieces that do not appear in Pray!.

For example, July's Empowered was on Holding a Solemn Assembly. Our website includes two additional articles that did not appear in Pray!: "How One Church Structured a Solemn Assembly" and "A Time to Fast." The first article goes into detail showing how the church mentioned in the lead article (Christ Community Church) put together its event. "A Time to Fast" gives suggestions on how to incorporate a fast as part of your solemn assembly.

Even if you receive Pray! magazine, it is important to look at our online version. You will usually find much more detail to help you grow prayer in your church. Click here to see the latest issue.

(C) 2006 by Church Prayer Leaders Network, 619 Washington Ave. Terre Haute, IN 47834