The sheep hear His voice and follow

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
John 10:2-4 (NKJV)

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:27-28 (NKJV)

Preach the word

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, 

in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, 

to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Acts 20:28 ESV

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; 

reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

An eager Shepherd

Pray for a Pastor, for he is to:

"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, 

exercising oversight, not under compulsion, 

but willingly, 

as God would have you; 

not for shameful gain, but eagerly;"

1 Peter 5:2 ESV

Imitate their faith

Remember your leaders, 

those who spoke to you the word of God. 

Consider the outcome of their way of life,

and imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7 ESV

Provide for your Shepherd

During Biblical times, people took in the Holy men, Prophets, Disciples providing shelter and food. This doesn't seem necessary nowadays because our Pastors aren't nomadic anymore, but surely there is something that we, as the flock, can do for our Shepherds that will show them our appreciation, love, and support. Pray about it.

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”
2 Kings 4:8-10 ESV

What to pray for Pastor

And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, 

who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Jeremiah 3:15

*******

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for our Pastors.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Honor preachers and teachers

Let the elders who rule well 

be considered worthy of double honor, 

                                                         especially those who labor in 

                                                               preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

Pray for a Pastor

     Yesterday morning at the beginning of church service, our men stood up at the front of the church and called the Pastor to join them. They said a prayer for him, asking God to be with him and give him the words to share the gospel, and just lifted him up in prayer. It made me think... how often do we look to our church leaders for guidance, help, or just to bend their ear? Or how often do we lift our leaders up to a higher standard than we expect from even ourselves? Think about everything they do. I'm amazed at their patience, knowledge, and especially their hearts. It takes a very special person to lead a flock.
     I am so grateful to have had some one-on-one time with our Pastor on several different occasions. His opinions and insight are very important to me. Just yesterday he spent a long time talking to me about my concerns of salvation for a loved one. I needed reassurances; he didn't give me the reassurances I needed, but instead gave me the truth that I needed to hear. It was a blessing to have that time.
     I have had three very special Pastors in my life and I didn't thank any of them nearly enough, but I'm going to try to remedy that this week.
     Join me, will you? Not only join in prayer for your Pastor but do something concrete. Send your Pastor a card, or an email, or even just a text and tell them what they have done for you and your walk with Christ.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

*******

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for our Pastors.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Pray for the health of The Church

When I felt compelled to make this our constant prayer for the coming week, I thought it was for the health and growth of individual churches. My husband and I spent several months visiting (nearly) all of the area churches. We were looking for a good fit, but we didn't know what that looked like. We just went into each church with an open mind and an open heart. Our beliefs dictated a lot of our decision but unknowingly, God was directing us to a healthy church. Not to take anything away from the other churches because, like I said, we didn't know what we were looking for. We were also curious as to how other denominations did things, their beliefs, etc. Our community is definitely rich in churches; there aren't enough people in town to fill all of them.
As I was researching the subject for this week's topic of prayer, what I found could be applied to The Church, not just individual churches. "The Church" as a whole is in just as much trouble as the churches are. We are living in an ungodly world. This country was founded on Christian values and those values are in jeopardy.
So, what makes a healthy church?
A belief in what the Bible actually says; not a loose interpretation invented to give everyone a warm, fuzzy feeling. Our Bible is very straightforward. "You need to do this." "Don't do that." "These are the consequences."
A strong leadership structure - not just a Pastor. There need to be others to help and advise, Elders or Deacons or Shepherds. Just as Jethro suggested to Moses, there need to be many levels of responsibility. Not all of the burden can fall on one man. Our government is based on this model, businesses, families, so it only makes sense that our churches should follow the same model.
A healthy church should serve. We should serve each other, our communities, our world. This can be at any level. Each of us is called to serve. When we serve in unity, we can accomplish great deeds; individually, or in masse, we show the image of God when we serve.

These are the main attributes (that I was able to research) of a healthy church, whether it be a small country church or The Church. It doesn't matter if you have a congregation of ten or of hundreds or thousands, what matters is that you are doing what a church should do.

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:1-5

Please join our prayer group as we spend the week praying for the health and growth of The Church. Please ask God for guidance as to how to be Christ-like and an image bearer. Ask for guidance as to what you can do to help the Church be healthy. Listen for God's direction. He answers all prayers.

I'll post a daily reminder to pray on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power