1-24-23 Today in the Word

Prayer as Ministry Tuesday, January 24 | Acts 6:1–7 Prayer is the common task of ordinary Christians. Maybe you’ve heard someone say at a missionary conference, “Some can go, many can give, all can pray.” Yet there are some in the church who are set apart for a ministry of prayer. According to Acts 6:3–4, prayer and preaching the Word were the two fundamental duties of church leadership. As the early church grew in numbers, its cultural makeup became more diverse and its administrative responsibilities more complex. When the needs of some widows were overlooked, the church brought the matter to the apostles. However, the apostles declined to take on the responsibility. They directed the congregation to choose seven people known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to address the concern (v. 3). This was not because the apostles felt the ministry was unimportant. The decision was a matter of ordering their priorities. To take on this important ministry would not allow them to give their attention to prayer and the Word. Any person can pray. All Christians should pray. But some believers are called by God to engage in prayer to an even greater degree. Pastors and church leaders have a responsibility to pray for the flock they serve. Some Christians have a special passion that enables them to devote themselves to prayer more than others. Some are in a life situation that enables them to spend much of their time praying for others. Others have taken prayer as a spiritual vocation. The seven who were chosen did more than oversee the church’s ministry to its widows. Stephen was also a dynamic teacher. Similarly, those who have been called to a prayer ministry often do more than pray. The apostles prayed and taught the Word. >> How can you know if God has called you to a special ministry of prayer? The only way is to begin praying. If you would rather pray than do anything else, you may be called to such a ministry. Pray with Us First, we thank You for gifting some with a passionate focus on prayer. Second, we ask You to fill them with the Holy Spirit and to bless their prayers. Third, we ask You to call more to this spiritual vocation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more