Prayer is the tip of the spear in the arsenal of a disciple maker, so what are the tools we can use to mobilize it?
Seeking God’s heart for our communities, neighborhoods and cities is the first step in seeing a Disciple Making Movement. In this mini blog, we’re going to talk about one of the prayer tools we can use to see this happen — the Scripture-Led Intercessory Prayer. Continue reading to learn how you can use this tool to mobilize prayer today!
“[6] let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.” — Nehemiah 1:6
We have the authority to stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of ourselves, our churches and the lost within our communities and nation. In accordance with God's Word we seek to see His Kingdom come and His Will be done in each of these areas.
We call this Scripture-led Intercessory Prayer.
What does Intercessory Prayer do?
By repenting for ourselves and others, we take extreme ownership of the way things are around us.
Instead of distancing ourselves from the wrongs we see around us, we admit that we have strayed corporately and individually from what God desires and that we need Him to renew a right spirit within us and cleanse us from iniquity. We ask Him to bring His kingdom to our communities.
Furthermore, we have the essential spiritual muscle of praying with and for others grown as we set aside time to pray in this way. Our capacity for loving God and others is enlarged as our view of His goodness expands beyond ourselves and into our cities and the world at large.
So, how does the Scripture-Led Intercessory Prayer tool work?
1) Pick a Passage of Scripture
This could be Nehemiah 1, Proverbs 51, Matthew 6, 13, John 3, or any other passage you like.
2) Reflect on How You Need to Repent
Once you've read through the passage, take some time to reflect on it, listening to the Holy Spirit and asking Him to show you how you need to personally repent when it comes to engaging the lost.
Things that keep you from obeying all His commands
Things that keep you from making disciples — fear, love of comfort, worry, selfishness, prejudice, etc.
Ways you spend your time, energy, money, and words that damage your witness to others
Anything else the Holy Spirit puts on your heart
3) Repent of Your Personal Sins
Using a “popcorn” style of prayer in which anyone can pray multiple times in any order, have everyone confess the sins that came to mind aloud.
Keep prayer short and conversational — no more than a couple minutes at a time
No need to share something you don’t want to, or go into more detail than seems appropriate
Ask the Lord for His forgiveness and to replace your sinful responses with ones in accordance with His heart and will, remembering that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).”
4) Repent on Behalf of Your Churches
Re-read the passage again, this time reflecting upon how you might confess on behalf of churches in your area or the Church as a whole. Again, you’ll use a “popcorn” style of prayer and focus on ways the Church has dropped the ball in reaching the lost.
This could be repenting for how our churches have:
Become a social club and disengaged the lost
Spent our resources, time and energy on lesser things — better programs and buildings instead of investing in our communities in meaningful ways.
Elevated certain commands of God and ignored others
Justified using the same hate and vitriol as the world to bully those who disagree with us
Been silent on and disengaged from important issues facing our communities
Whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart, pray and confess it aloud asking God to meet that need with His forgiveness and renewing grace.
5) Repent on Behalf of Your Community
Lastly, pray and repent on behalf of your city, state or nation.
Pray for specific nonbelievers you know, people you are discipling, or those you wish to disciple
Pray against cultural, personal and spiritual barriers that keep people from turning to Christ
Confess sins on behalf of your communities and country — abortion, corruption, racism, hatred, violence, materialism, drugs, selfishness, sex trafficking, etc.
And before you know it, you've spent an hour or more in prayer!
Thanks for reading!