United in Prayer: Day 8

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9:35-38

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When it comes to the current state of our churches, we tend to judge the effectiveness of the church on its pastor’s ability. Is he able to effectively communicate the gospel in a way that’s easy to understand? Does he have a grasp on how to run the church smoothly? Is he able to handle relationships well between all of his church members? All of these questions are important. But while the pastor leads the church, it’s important to note that a pastor is not the church. 

The church is comprised of all of us! And our churches will only be as effective at accomplishing its mission as we are willing! Did you know that 80% of the work done in local churches is often done by 20% of the church? Imagine if everyone in our seats were to commit themselves to lending their gifts to the church! How the name of Jesus would grow and be glorified! But, even for some of us reading this right now, we’ve become complacent with just coming and sitting in a seat on a Sunday morning. We’ve become apathetic to the plight of others who have not yet heard a gospel presentation. God has equipped us with everything we need for the church to function as it was meant to be, and we squander the opportunity. The gifts that God has given us were never meant to stay with us. They were given, so we could share them with a world that desperately needs them.

As you pray today, think about the ways you and your church could serve better alongside your pastor. 

Prayer for Strengthening Churches: 
Heavenly Father, you have raised up the church to be the body of Christ. We are to be about the work he did while he was on earth – teaching, preaching, meeting needs, showing love. But sometimes, we expect our pastors to do all the work while we sit back and get fed. Forgive us for the times when we expected someone else to do the work you called us to do. Help us to be more faithful to answer your call as we grow in knowing your heart.

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If you've enjoyed this excerpt from our United in Prayer guide and would like to join us for our 21 Days of Prayer, we invite you, your church leaders, pastors, staff and congregation to unite with us. To access all of our resources and let us know that you are praying with us, click here: converge.org/21-days-united-in-prayer