Praying for a Prayer Movement

What is your first instinct when you see the turmoil happening in our world? When you witness friends tearing each other apart on social media. When you hear news stories telling us that another pandemic is not a question of if but when. When you read the statistics that show an epidemic of loneliness and depression impacting young people.

What's your first thought when you hear of anemic churches struggling to survive? When you see Bible-believing denominations fracturing and church leaders disgraced. When churches teach moralism more than the gospel.

What is your knee-jerk reaction when societal structures are teetering? When global economies struggle? When wars rage? When standing for life and proclaiming the truth is labeled as fascist. When confusion overtakes common sense. When evil seems to be advancing unabated.

Is your first instinct to pray? Is your first thought to go to the throne of grace? Is your knee-jerk reaction to fall on your knees?

O friends, too often, I find myself stepping into the headwinds of culture and tackling life challenges without first praying.

I think we all desire to see a great move of God in our nation and our world.

The revival historian, J. Edwin Orr, has famously said, “No great spiritual awakening has begun anywhere in the world apart from united prayer — Christians persistently praying for revival.”

Are you familiar with the 1949 revival that swept the Scottish islands known as the Hebrides? Most church historians consider it the last genuine awakening in the western world.

It began when two octogenarian women, Peggy and Christine Smith, were greatly burdened by their church and community's dire state. They gathered each evening to pray, sometimes interceding into the wee hours of the morning.

Eventually, they were joined by some local ministers and a visiting Scottish preacher.

Within weeks thirty were gathered to pray. Then fifty. And then hundreds.

Buses began to come from the four corners of the island, crowding the church. The conviction of the Holy Spirit began to sweep over the island. The crowds read scripture, sang, and continued to pray. Across town, people, we cut to the heart, and it was not uncommon to see people weeping and repenting over their sins.

Revival had come and shook the little island of Hebrides. The revival lasted for two years. It is said that over 90 percent of the island came to faith in Christ.

What precedes revival? Prayer.

For some time, I've felt a burden to deepen my prayer life, but also to encourage our churches to work together to see a prayer movement in our communities. But even a movement of prayer is Spirit-generated, so our first prayer is to simply as the Holy Spirit to do something we can't do.

One little step toward fostering prayer in our Network is the Pastors Lifting Up Pastors document we created last year. We've updated the pdf file, and you can download it here. I strongly encourage you to pray for 2 to 3 other pastors in our Network daily. I would even encourage you to lead your congregation to pray for other churches in our Network each Sunday.

Here's a picture of a board in the back of a little church in Auburn, Georgia that I came across years ago. The name on the board is the church I was pastoring at the time. I had no idea that another church (of another denomination) was praying for us. I was convicted that our church wasn't doing the same!

Let me leave you with this passage of Scripture that Peggy and Christine prayed the night that God used them to start an awakening in the Hebrides:

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.

- (Isaiah 44:3)

The Exponential Power of Cooperation

Are you familiar with the Belgian draft horse? They are the strongest horses in the world. 

Bred to work farms, these horses can pull a tremendous amount of weight.

From what I've read, a single Belgian draft horse can pull up to 8,000 lbs. alone. But these horses are even more powerful when they are teamed with other horses.

So, if one of these majestic animals can pull 8,000 pounds, it is logical to think that two could pull 16,000 pounds, correct? One would assume that to be the case, but actually, two Belgian draft horses yoked together can pull up to 24,000 pounds (3x the weight one horse can pull). And what's even more impressive is that if those two animals are intentionally trained to work together, they can pull 32,000 pounds of weight (4x the weight either could pull alone). And that's just two horses. Imagine the pulling power if there were more horses teamed together!

This story serves to illustrate the power of synergy and cooperation. I sincerely believe that each individual church in our association, by God's grace, can do powerful kingdom work. Still, I also believe that when we intentionally and strategically work together, we can do exponentially more for the kingdom.

I know it's an overused phrase, but I sincerely think that we are better together. But our "togetherness" must be grounded in theological truth and missiological purpose, and thus I like to think of us as United in Christ - United for Christ.

As you've heard me say, associations are the oldest form of Baptist cooperation, dating back to 1707 in Philadelphia. That first association had three stated purposes:

1. Provide a means for pastors to mutually encourage one another.

2. Provide a means for churches to hold each other accountable to sound doctrine.

3. Provide a means for churches to pool their resources for evangelism and missions

It is my prayer that our Network can carry on that type of cooperative effort in the Brazos Valley.

One of the ways we seek to partner, mobilize, and strengthen our churches is through our Annual Gathering, which, over the past few years, we have been gradually reshaping to be an annual Church Health Conference.

This year we are changing the format to accommodate three guest speakers coming to share a word with our pastors. I believe that all three will benefit our pastors and lay-leaders in unique ways while contributing to the long-term strategic goals of our Network.

Our main speaker will be our newly elected Southern Baptist President, Bart Barber. Bart will be bringing a message designed to encourage and edify our Network. As pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville, Bart can identify with and relate to normative-sized Baptist churches. At the end of Bart's session, we will have a time of Q & A where you can ask Bart questions that are on your heart, including questions about the focus and direction of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Deepak Reju will be another speaker featured at our Church Health Conference. Deepak is the Pastor of Counseling at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. We have asked Deepak to share a message on creating a culture of counseling and discipleship in the church. We live in an age of great moral confusion and increasing mental and emotional stress. It is incumbent that our churches equip their members to counsel one another. We hope this will be the first step for our Network to be able to provide our churches with Biblical Counseling training.

Finally, Kyle Bueerman from the North American Mission Board will speak to us on church revitalization. Kyle is the Rural Specialist on NAMB's Replant Team. He is also the co-host of the popular weekly podcast, Not Another Baptist Podcast with Matt Henslee. Kyle specializes in rural church revitalization, an increasingly pressing need in our association. I pray that Kyle will help our Network continue its vision of seeing churches revitalized and replanted.

All three of these men will be a huge blessing to our Network of churches. I encourage you to mark the date on your calendars now - October 15th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.

The conference is free for all BVBN church leaders and members, but we do ask that you register in advance for the meeting. You can do so by clicking here. 

Thank you, friends. I am praying for you and that our Network will continue to partner strategically together—United in Christ, United for Christ.

Mount Rushmore Rules

Vision is important. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 29:18 that where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. Of course, that verse's context refers to the prophetic vision that comes from God's Word. And thus, any vision that any leader has for the church of God must be anchored in the Word of God.

It is the Word of God that gives us our mission:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

But how each church carries out the mission is determined by vision.

Each pastor, therefore, has a vision. Leadership implies direction and vision. If a pastor tells me he has no vision; I don't believe him. Unless he hopes to simply survive Sunday to Sunday, every pastor is trying to shape and guide the church in some direction.

But sometimes, in our drive to lead with vision and experience organizational momentum, we can get impatient.

And sometimes, impatience can cause us to miss opportunities to celebrate and offer thanksgiving to God.

Consider the carving of Mount Rushmore. The famous faces of four past presidents were shaped into the granite of the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941. 14 years!

The vision for the monument first originated with South Dakota’s state historian Doane Robinson. Robinson contacted sculptor Gutzon Borglum who expanded Robinson's original vision from two faces to four. The vision was quite grand as it would be the largest sculpture attempted at that time. There was much fanfare and national attention as the work began in 1927.1

But Borglum knew that he needed to keep the public excited by the project and focused on the overall vision. So instead of waiting until the project was completed to celebrate, Borglum organized a dedication ceremony after each head was completed. Washington was first, of course, as his stone effigy was dedicated on July 4, 1930.

Jefferson was the next head to be completed, but because of some unforeseen weaknesses in some of the stone, adjustments had to be made to move the location of Jefferson's image. But this didn't deter the vision, and Jefferson was finished and celebrated in 1936.

Next came Lincoln, dedicated in 1937, and finally, the sculpture of Roosevelt received the same honor in 1939. Final details and finishing touches were added over the next couple of years, and the whole monument was dedicated on October 31, 1941. The vision had finally come to pass.

There are lessons here for us. Let's call them the Mount Rushmore Rules:

1. Accept the truth that vision takes a long time to be realized.

2. Sometimes, vision must be adjusted.

3. Celebrate milestones to keep the vision fresh for the people.

Celebration is not merely strategic. It's biblical.

Thanksgiving should be part of any celebration, for it is God who both gives the vision and providentially brings it about. And thus, we are commanded in Scripture to be thankful.

Perhaps it is the absence of celebration and thankfulness that causes anxiety to arise in our hearts when the detours and challenges come.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So, friends, keep moving forward with God's vision on your heart for the ministry you have been tasked to lead. Don't let setbacks deter you; adjust and keep moving. And finally, don't forget to celebrate along the way.