A Week of Prayer

From Gospel Translations

Going Hard after the Holy God

Prayer requires constant renewal. The first week of the year is a good time for renewing the life of prayer. The life of prayer is the life of personal communion with the living God. It is renewed by seeing him afresh. If we seek to see him in his glorious holiness he will reveal himself to us. And the more we see of him the harder we will pursue him. There is a mysterious mingling of peace and pursuit in the Christian life. We press on to make the full Prize our own because he has made us his own. The measure of our present experience with Christ is the intensity of our longing for its increase.

Let “A Week of Prayer” be a launching pad for your new life with God in 1984. Look at the opportunities of the week, pray about your involvement, then “go hard after the Holy God.” I invite you to join me in fasting and praying for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit to intensify our love to Christ, deepen our grasp of truth, strengthen our trust in God’s promises, endear to us the word of God, free us from personal vices, enliven family love and faithfulness, embolden our witness to unbelievers, make our personal involvement in worship authentic, move us out in acts of justice as responsible citizens, increase our compassion for the needy, convert the lost in our midst, and make oaks of righteousness out of new saplings.

Sunday, January 1

Morning worship: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-8)
High School room open for prayer during both services
Book table open in foyer with books on prayer
Noon fast and private prayer for the week
Family and friends gathering for prayer and fellowship in your homes
Monday, January 2

Noon fast and prayer in the Conference Room. (Come and go as you
can. If you can’t come, pray where you are, meet with others).
Tuesday, January 3

Noon fast and prayer in the Conference Room
Wednesday, January 4

Noon fast and prayer in Conference Room
7:15 “Praying in the Word” in the chapel for an hour. Let’s fill the first
Wednesday of 1984 with prayer, and the chapel with pray-ers. Come and learn how to spend extended time in prayer by using Scripture.
Thursday, January 5

Noon fast and prayer in the Conference Room
Friday, January 6

Noon fast and prayer in the Conference Room
9:30 p.m. - 8:15 a.m. A Night of Prayer. Last year 90 people began this night and about thirty stayed through. It was for me a deeply moving time. Consider it a “sleep fast” with the meaning: “God, I yearn for you in your fullness more than sleep.” (They do this in Korea every week!) The night has been well-planned into eleven units of time with hourly breaks for refreshment and for coming and going. There will be designated leaders in each unit and topic focuses.
Saturday, January 7

Noon fast and prayer in the Conference Room
Sunday, January 8

Morning worship: “Going Hard after the Holy God” (Philippians 3:2-16)
High School room open for prayer during both services
Book table open in foyer
Noon fast and private prayer
Evening service: “What Has God Done This Week?” You are the sermon. It was a rich time last year. Trust God to do great things again.
“Come let us know, let us press on to know the Lord!” (Hosea 6:3).

Putting on the press,

Pastor John