Back in January a number of us went to a conference run by the Midlands Gospel Partnership. Growing Churches looked at the issue of church-planting, which we found particularly relevant at the beginning of a new church.

(more…)

As Emmanuel gets busier, we all face questions of priorities. As another week begins, what things shall I go to, and what things are optional.

Here are three reasons why getting together to pray ought to be right at the top of our ‘to do’ list.

1. If we don’t pray we’re saying that we know how to build a church.
But the Bible is clear that the job of building a church belongs to the One who said: ‘I will build my church’. Emmanuel doesn’t belong to us. Emmanuel isn’t ours to build. On our own, we don’t even know what’s best to be doing. It would be very arrogant to claim we can manage on our own without praying.

2. If we don’t pray we lose out on the way prayer changes us.
One of the great things that prayer does is change our attitude. Simply asking for help humbles us, and puts us back in our rightful place. Seeking the Lord about something opens us to thinking about things in a different way.

3. If we don’t pray together we can’t encourage one another and be encouraged.
One of the real encouragements of a prayer meeting is listening to other people’s prayers: eloquent or not, it’s a great thing to hear other Christians trusting in God. It spurs me on to do the same. We need that help from each other.