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FROM THE STUDYof DonegalPresbyterian Church |
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SEPTEMBER 2011
“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in
numbers daily.” Acts 16:5 (NRSV)
This
was going to be just another typical meeting of the Presbytery of Donegal, but
something happened: I CHANGED MY
MIND! This happens more often than you
might think, but can “teaching elders” (formerly known as
“ministers of the word and sacrament”), do such things? YES!
When
I looked at the docket, I couldn’t help but notice that one hour and
forty minutes were to be dedicated to a section called
“The 3-D church” which was to be led by the Rev. Dr. Stan Ott, the founder of the Vital Churches Institute, and the
program known as the Acts 16:5 Initiative.
Where is my “android” when I need it? I would be attentive, would not yawn or
doze-off and would listen to the best of my ability to what Stan was going to
share with the approximately 130 or so ruling and teaching elders in
attendance.
I
did not do a personal survey of what everyone else experienced, but I discerned
that the Holy Spirit was at work in the midst of Stan’s
presentation. How did I come to that
conclusion? Here are some signs:
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I did not think about
the Phillies!
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I did not
“drift-off” to the
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Stan was not selling
us anything. He was passionate
about the Acts 16:5 Initiative and it showed!
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He expressed a deep and
sincere love for the church and for Jesus Christ.
Rev. Ott
captured the hearts of the crowd when he asked us to partner-up with someone
near us and discuss and then experience one of the two practices for growing
disciples, known as “The Prayer Covenant”. Steve Sturgis was sitting next to me. It is based on Matthew 18:19: “Again, I tell you that if two of
you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my
Father in heaven.” The prayer
Covenant works like this:
“…Agree to pray for each other daily and (if appropriate)
with each other weekly for a specified number of weeks. Agree to pray for each other daily for 30
days.” So Steve and I discussed
our prayer concerns and began our journey.
I
would like you to pick a prayer partner and do the same thing and see what
happens! Maybe you would share your
experiences during the “Sharing the Good News” time on Sundays, or
let me know how things went. Here are
the suggested prayers to use.
Lord,
grant ___________ and me the grace today to commit our lives to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ without reservation, and grant ____________ and me further the
grace to know your strength and your guidance this day. Amen.
Another great prayer to use in a prayer covenant is
from Ephesians 3:16-19:
I pray, according to the riches of
God’s glory, that God may grant that __________ and I be strengthened in
our inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in our
hearts through faith, as we are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that _________ and I may have the
power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the
breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of
God.
I believe that all of us would
benefit from this three year program which is too detailed to list. I’m excited about how this could help
us as individuals and as a congregation.
Would you be interested in an outcome like this:
“The
goal of the Acts 16:5 Initiative is vitality and renewal … not exhaustion
or frustration.” ??
Peace,
TOM
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING US?
Contact Pastor Tom McKinnon
to find out when the next “Church Membership 101” Class will be
conducted.
The Cross Universal symbol of Christian faith
The Dove The presence of God as the Holy Spirit
The Fish Early symbol of being a Christian
The Book The Word of God
The Pulpit Preaching the Word of God
The Cup Chalice and baptismal font:
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
The Fire The burning bush (Exodus 3) and Pentecost (Acts 2)
The Triangle The Trinity
From The Presbyterian Handbook, Geneva Press, Louisville, KY,
2006, p.78.