"An Evening of Prayer"
Assign the following segments of the order of service to various members of your congregation. Encourage widespread participation by recruiting worship participants in advance of the service. If you choose to have a variety of musical selections, consult the list of songs directed to God from the "An Evening of Prayer Music."
Hymn - See Songs of Prayer*Opening Remarks re:
Purpose and Format of the Service1. Prayer is hard work, so we shy away from praying.
2. Our models tend to be meditative.
3. In Today's service, our praying will be up tempo, like sanguine people talking.
4. All the music is directed to God. They are prayer songs.
5. You'll enjoy this hour of prayer.
Preparing our Hearts to Pray
� Leading in Confession
� Sins of Commission
� Sins of Omission
� We have not been absolutely perfect
Hymn
- See Songs of Prayer*Prayer of Praise
Song of Praise to God:
"How Great Thou Art" (vss. 1,3 & 4)Prepare the hearts of the congregation to touch the lives of unbelievers.
1. "Unite my heart with Yours, Lord."
2. "Bring my life into alignment with Your Holiness."
3. "Give me more of Your Spirit than the spirit of fear."
4. "Clear my vision to see opportunities to love, to encourage, and to befriend.
Chorus:
"Lord Lay Some Soul Upon My Heart"Read Prayer,
"Live Giving Father..."Life Giving Father, we covenant with You today to place the same value on relationships that You have bestowed on us. We would invest in friendships as we long to do in financial resources. Forgive us for flinging aside the difficult relationships in favor of the easy, the charming, prominent, and successful--those who give us something in return. Make us also friends with the socially deprived and despised. Enable us to become the giver in the give and take of friendships.
We choose to cast off the handcuffs of self-preoccupation that would make us fear risking. With your help, we will slip from behind the protective mask of low self-esteem. Apply Your grace to our feared disgrace in social circles. Provide us with the power to demonstrate outwardly the love we feel inwardly. As we become Your servants, we choose no longer to remain a slave to anxiety, fear, and self-preservation. May Your sustaining love grant us the faith to believe we live to love by first dying. Amen.
Read:
John 17:20-26 (Jesus' Prayer)Directed prayer
on John 17-- Our influence on Pre-Christian Friend:1. Ask for unity among believers.
2. Ask for the Sanctification of believers.
3. Ask for your pre-Christian family and friends to come to God.
4. Ask God to encourage believers to witness.
Hymn:
See Songs of Prayer*Prayer for Our Influence:
Master, we come to You as servants seeking directives for this day. You alone give us orders. We do not live to serve ourselves, but You who have bought us with a dreadful price--the life of Your Son Jesus. Your love has captured our hearts and our allegiance. Assign us jobs to Your liking, for in them we find lasting fulfillment.
You know what is best. Deal with us as You desire and in the way that pleases You.
Your honor is more important than our preferences. We stand ready to do what You want, go where You wish, be what You require. We do not wish to live unto ourselves but for You.
An Lord, help us to serve You worthily and cheerfully. Amen.
Chorus
: "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go"Direct small groups (3-6 per group) in praying for upcoming outreach events and Holy Days.
Chorus:
"Open Our Eyes Lord"Lead volunteer prayers of Thanksgiving
(Have people in the congregation say aloud what they are thankful for.)
Chorus:
"Thank You Lord"(Choir comes up from congregation during song)
Lead in Imaginary Prayer Walk:
1. Step out of your house and walk around the block.
2. Pray for unsaved neighbors.
3. Imagine yourself paying the clerk for fuel for your vehicle.
4. Pray for owners and workers at porno, adult bookstores, theaters.
5. Go to a local church other than Nazarene. Ask God to bless the pastor, to instill wisdom in governing boards, to add 30 new people.
6. Walk back to your house and to the place where you pray. Tell God you'll go anywhere, to anyone, as He desires.
Offering/Offertory:
Choir sings, "The Lord's Prayer"Additional Suggestions:
Praying for Unsaved Persons1. First I must know that I am in total oneness with the will of God in my own life. I pray and search my heart.
2. Pray that I will be able to show Christ to _______________ (person) by my actions, words and love.
3. Pray for patience--I pray for patience because, it may be years before _______________ (person) comes to know Christ.
4. Pray for the opportunity to be able to witness to __________________ (person).
5. Pray that God will send someone into the life of _________________ (person) who will be the key to his or her coming to know Christ.
6. Pray that God will begin to speak to __________________ (person) and deal with his or her life.
7. Pray that God will begin to soften the heart.
8. Pray for an obedient heart.
9. Pray that they will be wise in the decisions they make.
10. That they may know "how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, and know this love surpasses knowledge." (Eph. 3:18-19)
11. Pray they will come to the point where they will hate sin.
12. Imagine them discovering God at work.
13. What about God, if it were known, would attract ______________ to God?
14. How can I leak the good news about God?
15. God's love will be experienced.
16. God's people will multiply preveniency.
17. God's people will become sensitive to the openness of people.
18. That the ear of the unbeliever will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's speaking.
19. The unbeliever will open his/her social circle to the Christian and the Christian to unsaved.
20. The unbeliever will see God at work in his/her life.
21. They will reinvision God to be loving, just, good and ultimately desirable.
22. They will long for personal peace, freedom from guilt.
23. They will desire worship.
24. What can I do, or say today to bring your light to his/her world?
Taken from Church of the Nazarene Evangelism Page:
http://www.nazarene.org/cg/evang/eveningofprayer.html
E-Mail: [email protected] Phone Number: 1-800-821-2154
For further information, please contact: Dr. Lyle Pointer Personal Evangelism Coordinator
E-Mail: [email protected] FAX: (405) 491-6658 Phone: (405) 491-6367
An Evening of Prayer Musical Selections Prayer Guides Home
Revised: October 19, 2000.