Praying for your church staff

Praying for your staff

Exodus 17:8-13

 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.  And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”  So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

The future promises great things for our church and if we begin to consistently and specifically pray for the church staff, our church would take off and never look back. Here’s the one thing I want you to learn, I want you to learn to pray for your staff.  The greatest thing you can do for your pastor, ministerial staff and your church as a whole is to learn how to pray for your staff. 

I absolutely cannot emphasize enough the importance of praying for the church staff. Please understand the attack Satan puts on ministers.

A great illustration of someone praying for their leader is found in Exodus 17:8-13.   Aaron and Hur serve as an example of supporting their spiritual leader.  As Moses needed their physical support, ministers need your prayer support.

Looking at this passage we see that there are several reasons to pray for you pastor/church leader. Aaron and Hur serve as our example.

1.       Godly leaders come under attack (vs 8)

The story opens with Moses and the children of Israel under attack by Amalek and the Amalekites. I’ve learned this in the ministry … that Godly leaders, Godly movements and churches doing the will of God come under attack.

Satan watches for just the "right time" to attack Christian leaders. Usually he attacks after victory or when the leader is tired.

In this story both had happened.

               1.     After a victory

In vs 1 we see the need for water and then in vs 6 we find God working a miracle by providing water from a rock. So after the miracle, the victory, in vs 8 we see that Israel was attacked. What happens many times after great spiritual victories? The enemy attacks.

              2.      When the leader is tired

Think about the things that would make a pastor tired? Look at what Moses as a leader had to put up with? Back in vs 1 we find that the people had been complaining for the lack of water. Then in vs 2-3 people began to complain and grumble, in fact in vs 4 Moses thought they were going to kill him. I am sure Moses was tired … physically, emotionally and perhaps even spiritually. Then the attack came. When did Amalek attack, when did the enemy attack? It was after a tough time.

Many times the attack comes after a great victory. Godly leaders come under attack.

2.       Godly men cannot win the battle alone (vs 9)

Pastors cannot do what needs to be done by themselves. It's a team effort. I need you and you need me. The church is described as a body.

We also need God's help. What kind of church would we be if we didn't have God's help? I heard a long time ago someone saying, "You don't need God's help to grow a church." The more I pastor the more I realize that's true. But we do need God's help to become the church that glorifies God!

Moses had Joshua, Aaron and Hur. He needed their help and would not have succeeded without their help. Your staff needs an Aaron, a Joshua, in our lives, because leaders often come under attack and we can’t win the battle all by ourselves.

3.       Godly men are able to inspire people (vs 9-10)

Pastors and ministers are high visible people. When the pastor is successful then everyone is inspired to be successful. Opposite is true. When the leader fails, everyone fails. Moses climbed to the top of the hill in order that ... for two reasons

1.    He could see the people: insight (Overview of the battle)

One of the major tasks of a Pastor is to be able to see the big picture, that’s insight.

2.    The people could see him: inspiration 

The people saw Moses, he was with them, he was part of them, and he inspired them. Moses could have done his job in the tent, but he couldn’t see the big picture and he couldn’t inspire the people

The number 1 motivation principle: People do what people see!

As you pray for your staff, pray that we can see the big picture so that we can give insight and inspire others.

4.       Godly leaders influence the lives of their people (vs 11)

Leadership is really influence. A leader is responsible for three things ...

                     1.     Pray for his people

I do many things as a pastor.  Sometimes I am a counselor, a teacher, a preacher, an administrator and so on. But I realize I can only do 2 things that can influence everyone in the church. (1) Preach and (2) Pray. Pray for my prayer life and pray for the prayer life of your staff. If prayer is one of the greatest things you can do for your staff, then prayer is one of the greatest things your staff can do for you.

            2.     Model Commitment

This is what Arron and Her are doing. They are showing the Israelites the importance of calling on God.

     3.        Lead them to victory

When you pray you know where the victory comes from. That’s why I want prayer to be at the very center of everything we do here at FBC Howe. As our church grows, we ought to grow on our knees.

5.       Godly leaders are human (vs 12a)

Moses was very human, his hands got heavy. Moses wanted to keep his arms stretched toward heaven, but he couldn't. Preachers and ministers are very human.  Sometimes people tend to think that the pastor cannot sin or does not sin. So remember, your staff is human, pray for us.

6.       Godly leaders plus prayer equals victory ( vs 12-13)

This is the only way the pastor/leader will have victory and the only way the church will have victory. If you do not pray for your staff there will be no victory… in your life or in the church.

Notice, nowhere in these verses do we see Moses asking for help. They just did it. Don't wait to be asked to do something and don't wait to start praying for your staff.

As the saying goes, the future is as bright as the promises of God. Our future is bright and God promises to answer prayer. All I need now is your help. Can I count on you?  

Counting FT and PT staff, we have five on our staff. I’ve asked each for five requests. I’m asking you to pray for these five things every week. You can pray one for each of us each day, or one staff member a day. Just pray.

Pray for these

ROGER

1.    True humility

The opposite of humility is pride and the Bible says that pride goes before a fall. To me true humility is a total dependence upon God.

2. Divine guidance

I don’t want any agenda bur God’s agenda, no plans but God’s plans.

3.    Strength

I’m easily fatigued and worn out, both physically, mentally and spiritually.

4.    A burning desire for God and His word

5.    The be a Godly husband/father

WES

1.    That I would relentlessly pursue holiness.

2.       That I would lead a ministry that truly exists to make disciples.

3.       That I would seek God's wisdom in leading a ministry that challenges and empowers others to share the Gospel without fear.

4.       That I would love Elisha and my kids the way that Jesus loves the church.

5.       That I would be obsessed with the glory of the Lord and unhindered by the opinions of man

JONATHAN

1.      Pray to guard my family from the enemy and that I will lead my family in a lifestyle of obedience to God. 

2.      Pray that I would be obedient to God's leadership of His church.

3.      Pray that I would not fall into the temptation to please man versus pleasing God.

4.      Pray for our forthcoming baby, that he would continue to be healthy, for a smooth pregnancy, and a smooth delivery.

5.      Pray that I would not worry about tomorrow, but that I would continually trust in Matthew 6:26.

 

ANGELA

1.       That God will give me the ability to equip children to be passionate followers of Christ as they come to know Him as their personal savior, making their faith their own.

2.       Wisdom and Discernment: on how to move the children's ministry forward and to learn from past mistakes

3.       Endurance and Patience:  to wait on The Lord when I have to go through various trials

4.       My family: Protection of our minds, bodies, and emotions from any kind of evil or harm.

5.       Continuous growing of our faith:  From God's Word being planted in my family's hearts so that our faith will grow daily and direct our lives.

ELISHA

1.       Continued passion/excitement 

2.       Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and courage to follow through with action

3.       Tendency towards discouragement

4.       Protection against enemy attack

5.       A humble spirit

Praying for the Lost

Praying for the Lost

Psalm 142:4

We have been discussing in staff meetings the last several weeks on growth, church growth. A huge challenge for every church in this area, including ours, is growth.

A CHURCH GROWS THREE WAYS …
A church grows by what we call “transfer growth” when people who are members of other churches come and join our church.
Another kind of growth called “biological growth” in which the children of current members come to know the Lord and are baptized.
The third kind of growth is called “conversion growth.” That’s where children, teenagers and adults who really have no church background are brought to Christ by their friends and family members and become part of the church.
I suppose there are a variety of ways to grow a church, but one thing I’ve learned about church growth is that whatever you do to get people here, you have to do to keep them here. Not that is anything wrong with good, honest promotion of the church and its ministries.

I’ve also learned certain growth principles that rarely if ever change.
80% RULE
One principle we have to be aware of is the 80% rule. That is you can’t put people where is there is no space for them. And when a church hits 80% of its capacity in parking, worship attendance or Bible class space, then that church stops growing.
GREETING PEOPLE
Another principle we need to be aware of is our greeting. Within the first few minutes of someone visiting our church they have already decided if they like us and if they might come back.
PRESCHOOL AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Still another is in the Preschool and Children’s ministries. Families with young children expect nice, clean facilities with top notch ministries for their church or they will go elsewhere.

Though all of those principles are true and valid they primarily deal with the first two ways of growth … transfer growth and biological growth. The issue for growth through conversions is critical. How is the best way to grow a church through conversions? Or simply put how can you and I win lost people to Christ?

The best way is through prayer, so the question is, how do you pray for those who do not know Jesus as their savior? This is important and not just for growth, but because you have lost people in your family that need to know Jesus. Our lost friends at work, school and neighborhoods need to hear about Jesus.

May no one ever say about this church what David said in Psalm 142:4 “Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul”.

 We must all learn how to pray for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior.
What does prayer/praying mean?
Prayer is simply communicating with God, just as a child communicates with his father.

If we are going to pray for lost people to be saved we have to know …

• What does it mean to be lost?

To be lost means to be without hope of salvation, it means someone is spiritually dead. They are like someone drowning, they need to be saved.

• What do we need to be saved from?

Lost people need to be saved from sin. Sin  is what separates us from God. Jesus died for our sin.

• How many ways are there to be saved?

Only one way and that is through Jesus.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Here are nine things to pray as you pray for people to come to know Christ as Savior

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NINE THINGS TO PRAY WHEN WE PRAY FOR SOMEONE LOST
1)        Their name, God answers specific prayers
2)        That God would convict them of their sin John 16:8
3)        That God would remove the spiritual blindness 2 Corinthians 4:4
4)        That God would help them understand Ephesians 1:18
5)        That God would draw them to Himself John 6:44
6)        That God would bind Satan from them Matthew 12:19
7)        That God would reveal Himself and what Jesus has done for them
8)        That God would send someone to share Christ with them
9)        That God would give me the opportunity to share with them