Sunday Morning Prayers

Weekly Update – January 25th, 2023

On Sunday morning, Clint Blankenship reminded us why it is we pray the way we do in our morning services.  We pray together as a church with intentionality, as we come before God unified as one, following the pattern given to us in the scriptures.  As we pray, we have four prayers during our service.  These prayers are meant to give us the full breadth of prayer before the Lord, but they are also meant to model to us as individuals how it is we are called to come before the Lord.  The first three prayers follow the acrostic ACTS, with the last one being a prayer of response. 

First, we approach the Lord with a prayer of praise.  Here we cover the themes of adoration and thanksgiving to God.  This would be the A and the T of our acrostic.  To aid us in these themes, we typically read a Psalm to direct this opening prayer.  As Pat Quinn says, “wholehearted admiration, honor, and love for God are foundational to our relationship with Him.”  Therefore, we want the tone of our service to be set from the beginning with what Quinn calls “affectionate wonder.”

Second, we approach the Lord with a prayer of confession.  This would be the C of our acrostic.  It is easy to forget how blasphemous sin is against a holy God.  Therefore confession should not only be a part of our personal lives, but also a part of our corporate life when we gather together as a church.  Though we have been redeemed by Christ, we still have the need to confess our sins on a regular basis.  Doing so together, reminds us of the great need that we have for forgiveness, and when combined with the reminder of the truth of the gospel, we are assured that our sins are pardoned and we are fully accepted by God.  This is also a great time for examination of our own hearts as we prepare to hear from the Lord.

Third, we approach the Lord with a prayer of petition or supplication.  This would be the S of our acrostic.  We are needy people, but the Lord graciously invites us to bring our needs to him (Matt. 7:7-11).  Together we gather, united in one common prayer, as we ask the Lord to work on our behalf, on behalf of our community and on behalf of our world.  Therefore, we pray for those we are covenanted with who are sick, we bring before the Lord the families of those who have passed away or who are celebrating new marriages or the birth of their children.  In addition, we pray for our local schools and government, as well as our country, and issues around the world. Each week we will pray for the pressing needs before us, as well as a particular area of consideration.

Lastly, we approach the Lord with a prayer of response.  Here we come before the Lord to ask that He apply the message from His word to our hearts and allow us to not merely be hearers of what was preached, but doers (Jas. 1:22).  In addition, we pray that the Lord would awaken the hearts of any unbelievers present, so that they may come to Christ and join with the rest of us in following Him. 

Our goal as a church is to include the full range of prayer included in the scriptures.  We come before the Lord as one, led by the one who is praying, as we unite together in praise, confession and petition.  Through these prayers, we believe that, not only does the Lord hear us and respond, but that we, as a church, as further instructed in how to pray on our own.  At the same time, we are challenged to truly believe, encouraged to hope and together we trust that our Lord will respond to us when we seek after Him. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

[And] we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing...
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14-17

Announcements:

Membership Matters Class: Beginning Sunday, January 21st, there will be a Membership Matters Class for those interested in joining FBC. This will be a 4 week class (1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11), meeting at 9:15am during our Equipping/Sunday School hour. You can find out more about our membership process HERE.

Men’s Bible Study: Starting on Wednesday, January 24th, there will be a new men’s study beginning. The study will be based on the book, The Exemplary Husband. From here, the study will meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights at 8:00pm in the library. If you are interested see Clint Blankenship.

Women’s Bible Study: The seasonal ladies’ Bible study will begin on Tuesday, February 20th. Sessions will be offered at 9:30am and 6:30pm. More information and a signup sheet are available on the bulletin board in the hall.

Greeting Team: If you are interested in joining the greeting team, there will be a sign up sheet in the hallway this Sunday. We are looking for volunteers to serve one week a month on this rotation. If you would like more information, connect with Matthew Klika.

Home Groups: A potential new group will be forming for this coming spring. If you are not in a home group but would like to join one, look for a sign up sheet on the bulletin board. You can find more information about home groups HERE.

Befriend a Student: If you are interested in befriending a student from Longview Community College this semester, connect with Matthew Klika. You can find more information about befriend a student HERE.

Food Pantry: We are in need of pop-top and ready to eat items for our food pantry. These items are needed specifically for the homeless in our community that stop by the church building throughout the week looking for a meal.

Nursery Volunteers Needed: Nursery volunteers are needed each week during the 10:30am service time. Check the update or email Betty for more information on how you can serve.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Firm Foundations” meets in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of 1 Peter meets in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the New Testament meets in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE. 

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE. 

Wednesday Evening Activities

Awana, Youth Group, and Biblical Counseling are on Wednesday evenings. We share a meal in the Faith Center Gym at 6:00pm and then head into classes at 6:30pm.