Prayer and Fasting: Day 22 Friday 3rd April prayer in the church
(By Sylvanus Bowlin) Pray that God will help us as a church and individuals to be persistent in our daily prayer life with him. What does the bible say about prayers? James5:16 The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. Prayers are the way in which we communicate with God and it deepens our relationship with him. I pray that these verses will encourage your daily walk with Jesus and help you experience the power of prayer. I believe that prayer is the fundamental thing in a believers’ life. If we look at the life of Jesus his whole life was based on prayer, communication with the father. A relationship without communication is no relationship; it’s a two way thing. So for a healthy relationship with our God and Lord we need to keep on praying both individually and corporately. As a body of believers God wants us to be persistent in our prayers. God wants to communicate with us and he wants us to communicate with him. We need to hear from God, discovering what he is saying to us as a body. God wants us to bring everything to him so that he can help us. We can do this by the word and prayers, so here are some scripture verses to help us with our prayer life and our walk with God. Bible verses about prayers are great if you want to know how to pray. Jesus is our perfect example. John17:15 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Luke18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Matthew26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew6:9-13 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’ Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Colossians 4:2, 3, 4 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17, 25 6 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
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It’s interesting as I write this Community Church Blackburn hasn’t met physically as a congregation in a physical building since the 15th April 2020. Its nearly 20 days since then and I can testify that the church, without physically meeting feels stronger and more vibrant than ever!!.
Paul the Apostle says this to the church in Ephesus 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. Never does this feel so real and relevant, at the moment, as we are scatted about Blackburn and further afield. But God is building His temple and building his Church. Over the last 20 years Community Church Blackburn has physically met in different locations and places and our presently place of meeting has been Wesley Hall. We have been so Blessed while we have been there and it’s a wonderful beautiful place to meet together. Please spend a moment today to give thanks to all the people who work to maintain and upkeep Wesley Hall. Give thanks to for all the work Pauline and her staff do and also the Methodist management committee who allow us to use this building. Please give us guidance as a church praying about where we continue to meet, as the life of the church progresses. It would be wonderful to have our own space and use this for mission, work with the poor and outreach for the Glory of God if He wills it. I believe when the time is right for CCB. He will provide a building, but it will be for His Glory and His Glory alone!! So keep praying! Helpful Bible Verses Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Psalm 84 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Day 20: Wednesday 1st April pray for Christ Central.
Community Church Blackburn is part of a wider family of churches called ChristCentral. Being part of a larger family of churches is a great privilege and its been wonderful to be blessed by members of the Apostolic team teaching and preaching at CCB over the years. We’ve had Jeremy Simkins, Graham Anns Ginny Burgin, Rob Coleman, Graham Web and the list goes on. As an Elder and a leader at CCB I also feel like we’re well supported by our family of churches. Please pray for the ChristCentral Apostolic team. Give God thanks for their wisdom, their vision, their care and their faith. Please also pray for the other ChristCentral churches in the area, Preston, Blackpool, Barnoldswick, Westhoughton, Bolton, Manchester, Liverpool, Macclesfield, Stockport, Lancaster and Cumbria. These are churches of different shapes and sizes many of them being church plants. Please pray for favour for them and Gods Kingdom to advance in their area I find being part of wider family of churches lifts the vision of the church and we have a wider breath of view of what God is doing in the wider church and nations. Please pray for all those involved in ChristCentral and all it feeds into mission and the church. Please also pray for the team who lead and organise the Devoted festival as I’m sure it’s a complicated time. With no one being sure whether it will take place or not. Please pray that the team, have wisdom and endurance and blessing. Helpful Bible Verses Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. Titus 1:5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you Day 19: Tuesday 31st March pray for God to move in our worship
(By Pete Smith) First, please do give thanks to God for all he has done in putting together a wonderful worship team in CCB. He put it in our hearts in late 2018 and since then has brought new musicians in, brought another to faith, and called others from among us to new roles and responsibilities. God has built a team of hard working, worshipping, skilled people, it is a delight to see and a pleasure to be a part of. Please pray for ongoing and increasing humility and servant heartedness among the team. It is hard not to let being up front at church go to your head. We are there to serve the Lord and the church. Our gifting is for other people. Please pray for continued and increased servant hearts all around. Please pray for continued and increased delight in God among the team. We are foremost *worship* leaders, so pray for continued and increased wonder and joy among us in God, in his great power and might, in his stepping down among us to serve and die for us, and in his secure promise of eternal glory. Pray for an increased depth of knowledge of God in his word. It helps in any serving role to know well the Word of God, the deeper we go in his word the more we can be useful to others. Pray for us all. Pray for our Sunday gatherings as a church that the weight of the presence of God among us would continue and increase. Scripture instructs us to eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy, pray for this and for yourselves that your voice might be heard more. Pray that no matter what happens on a Sunday that we would remain God focussed. Pray for the worship leaders. It would be good to establish I guess four or five or six different leaders so we can have a breadth of styles and songs. We are well on the way there with a few different voices being heard over the past months. Pray for the leaders and for me (Pete) and the wider leadership team as we support and develop new worship leaders. Useful bible verses: On serving: Philippians 2:3,5-8, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves…Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross. On worship: Luke 7:44-47, the sinful woman forgiven, “She has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair…she has not ceased to kiss my feet…she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. On worship and keeping our focus on God: 1 Timothy 1:17, “To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Day 18: Monday 30th March pray for Alpha.
We have been running Alpha almost ongoing for the last 12 months and I have to say it has been a real blessing. I love Alpha because it really works and we’re seeing people coming to faith or start to make a journey to faith through it. If you don’t believe me have a look here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMMD5C0k-s Over the last twelve months we’ve developed a fantastic team, between guys from Reignite church and Community Church Blackburn. I just want to publicly thank them here for all there, time and effort. You are awesome!! I just want to thank everyone who’s has provided food for the Alpha over the last 3 months. It has been well appreciated and Tricia’s Chicken was a very special thing!! Please pray for Alpha. Particularly pray for the guys who are presently on, it as we were just about to do the Holy Spirit away day section before we went on lock down. Please pray for these guys, because God was and is moving in their life. Please pray for wisdom about how we continue with this group to finish it. Lastly please also pray for the future as I suspect people now are asking lots of questions about the meaning of life as what they thought were important has been significantly challenged. That may be you family, work colleagues or friend. So please consider inviting them or coming with them in future. The answer is Jesus!! But a great way to give that answer is Alpha Helpful Bible Verses 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Day 17: Sunday 29th March pray for church unity and RISE.
God is working in Blackburn and Darwen. Something special and significant is happening. God is working and building the unity of His church! That doesn’t mean conformity, I don’t think Jesus wants the church to be like that! He loves the fact that church comes in all different shapes, sizes and flavours. Jesus wants unity of purpose and Lordship. For all our differences and there are many! We honour and follow Jesus and we want His kingdom in this town to be advanced and His name to be Glorified and honoured. RISE is the church unity movement in Blackburn ad Darwen If you are not aware of RISE please have a look at the website here: http://www.riseunitymovement.org/ Or you can follow on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/RISEunitymovement/ God has done amazing things over the last 12 months via RISE and these are just a few:
So God has done amazing work over the last 12 months and Blackburn with Darwen is spiritually an exciting place to be. As I’m writing this I’m just finishing the minutes to the last RISE steering meeting held on the 19th March via Zoom. I can testify there are lots of plans and a lot of exciting things coming in the future via RISE so watch this space!! Please pray for all these plans, for wisdom, humility and the team to be reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for churches and particularly. Church leaders we’re funny creatures! Please pray that there is greater unity, trust and love throughout Blackburn and Darwen. Finally, pray for the RISE steering group. There was a real sense of tiredness at the last meeting where there was so many things that it we felt God wanted to do, but as a team and individuals, weren’t sure where the time or capacity to get these things done was going to come from. (God of course!!). So please pray for fresh energy, help and solutions!! Helpful Bible Verses Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! 1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Day 16: Saturday 28th March pray for Ministry with strangers and refugees
(By Lisa Norcross) Blackburn has been welcoming asylum seekers for over 15 years, and we see the result of this in the amazing diversity of Christians from all over the world brought together in our church family. The asylum seekers you will meet in church and around the town have been forced to flee their home country because of persecution, war or violence. Within Community Church Blackburn we have brother and sisters who have had to leave behind everything, home, work, family and friends because of their Christian faith. What a privilege it is to be able to offer them a warm welcome and belonging to our community. Once they arrive in Blackburn, they face a stressful and complex legal battle to convince the Home Office of their right to stay. There are individuals in our church for whom this has gone on for considerable years. If the process goes well, they have just £5 a day to live on and are not permitted to work. If their legal case fails, they face homelessness with no right to work, claim benefits or even access a homeless hostel. You know the names of individuals in this situation although they are probably too humble to have let you know of their daily struggle to survive. Some of these individuals have a language barrier to overcome too. I know sometimes we may be nervous of trying to strike up a conversation with someone with limited English but think how much more nerve racking it must be for them! While we are all currently housebound, why not send a text, pick up the phone or even try a zoom or video chat with some of these fantastic individuals. Prayer/Action Points: Make the first move! Be brave and strike up conversation and friendship with our brothers and sisters from around the world. Pray for healing from the trauma that has forced them to leave their home country, the horrors of the journey here and the challenge of their legal battle to stay here. Pray for successful legal battles with fair and compassionate judges. Bible verses: The Bible is quite clear that God’s heart is for the marginalised and poor. He tells his people, both in the Old and New Testaments, that we are to: Treat foreigners as if they are native-born (Leviticus 19:33-34) “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Show hospitality to strangers (Hebrews 13:2) Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and feed the hungry (Matthew 25:31-46) “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute (Proverbs 31:8) Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Give justice and help to the poor and needy, because that’s what it means to know God (Jeremiah 22:15-16) But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know me?” says the Lord. Further Reading: refugeeresourcecentreforchurches.org.uk Day 15: Friday 27th March pray for Wisdom in finance.
Do you know that everything you have God has given you! Your family, your friends all your possessions, your work, even your church. Down to every breath that you take. Take a breath now!! God has given you that breath. Its extremely precious. God gives us every good thing by his Grace and His Mercy. This is one of my favourite Hymns and it’s probably yours as well. It reminds us of Gods provision. Sing it through this morning and consider its words "Great is Thy faithfulness, " O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. "Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-- "Great is Thy faithfulness, " Lord, unto me! Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. "Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-- "Great is Thy faithfulness, " Lord, unto me! Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! "Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-- "Great is Thy faithfulness, " Lord, unto me! One of the huge themes in scripture is trust and faith. Reading through the Old Testaments God is crying out for his people to trust Him.
I want to ask how much do you trust God with your income, finances and provision? Last year I told personal stories of how when I’d trusted God for His provision, God always honoured it. Not always through finances directly but in all provision. Most of you will have stories of your own. If you have can I encourage you to bring them to mind now to encourage yourself!! Great is Gods faithfulness! If you have decision to make around income and finances. Can I encourage to honour God first? I promise you God will not let you down. Pray for more faith in you finances. Pray also that as a church we have more faith in finances over the coming years. I’m always stunned, humbled and shocked when I think how much money is given, often Sacrificially to Community Church Blackburn and it’s a huge weighty responsibility having to consider how this is used. Please pray for the leadership team when making decisions about how church money should be spent. Please pray that we are wise but full of faith!! Pray that the leadership and future Eldership team will continue to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit and Gods kingdom is built!! God is Good!! Helpful Bible Verses Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Proverbs 3:9 Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! Matthew 6:19-21 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Day 13: Thursday 26th March pray for Newday and Devoted.
(By Geoff Shanks) Over the last few years Newday & Devoted have been fantastic! The experiences of our Youth at Newday have inspired them, and all of us, as we have seen them grow in their faith and gifting. The same can be said about our Fellowship, as a whole, after our experiences at Devoted. As I write this, one or both, of these precious events could be cancelled due to the current Coronavirus outbreak. So where do we look for answers and reassurance? Isaiah 55 v8-10 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. Will Newday and Devoted happen this year? Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know that God is sovereign. As there is a purpose for snow and rain, here is a purpose for all things. So if Newday & Devoted happen, be blessed. f they don’t, also, be blessed! Because God loves you! Geoff Shanks Day 12: Wednesday 25th March pray for 20’s to 30’s young adults.
I’m so proud of our 20’s to 30’s at CCB. When I was in my early 20’s I wasn’t half as responsible as our guys. They are all holding down incredible responsible jobs and have been growing stronger and stronger in their faith. I see great leadership qualities and potential in them and am amazed how they conduct themselves. I thank God for them!! They are also incredible funny, a little zany and inventive and Like eating food!! Check out Dining with Dan, supporting compassion (With Dan Hamilton) to see what he's eating each day and lets see how many we can follows we can get him!! https://www.instagram.com/diningwithdanofficial/ Quite recently they have started their own small group, working their way through Isaiah and am so encouraged by what they are doing. If you want to Join them Zooming, give them a shout!! Please pray for them. Please pray that they are protect from the evil one. Please pray for them at in their work. Please pray for them during what often can be a lonely and formative time where large life decisions are worked out! We’d love to see this age group grow in our church in numbers and in faith so please pray for Growth!! If you don’t know them, get to know them. They are cool!!. In normal times invite them for a meal. A lot of them are away from close family geographically now so please pray for them, particularly for wisdom. God is good!!! Helpful Bible Verses Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect Jeremiah 1:7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. |
AuthorStephen Norcross is an elder, married to Lisa and living in Blackburn. Stephen works full time for Community Church Blackburn. Stephen studied music at university and uses his musical gifts leading worship. He also has a passion for bible teaching. ArchivesCategories |