The Mississippi Annual Conference Worship Committee invites the entire conference to embark together on a twelve-week journey of intercessory prayer for our 2009 Annual Conference, June 11-14.
Beginning March 23rd, we will pray a different scripture for each of the 12 weeks, concluding with the week of Annual Conference.
Each of these scriptures invites us to reflect on doors that we encounter in our lives. Let us unite in praying that all who come to Annual Conference will assemble with open doors - open hearts, ready to hear from God and worship God, and will leave renewed and equipped to make disciples by opening new doors for others to see Jesus.
Week 12
June 8 Being a Doorkeeper
Psalm 84:2, 4, 10 (New International Version)
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you. 10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
In this time of final preparation for Annual Conference and during Annual Conference, we must not become too busy to remember that our purpose is to make disciples. Making disciples requires open doors, and we are the doorkeepers. A door is a means of access to what is on the other side of the door, and the pertinent definition of "keep" is "to cause to stay in a specified condition or position." It is our constant responsibility as doorkeepers to keep the door to the kingdom open. Many of us have likely visited a lodging place where we encountered a doorkeeper, or doorman, that made our entry into the place pleasurable and inviting. On the other hand, some of us have likely encountered a doorkeeper that was not so attentive, welcoming or helpful. Since the doorkeeper is often the first representative we encounter when we enter, the doorkeeper's greeting can significantly impact our impression of that place.
As doorkeepers to the kingdom, we will at some point be the first representative of the kingdom that visitors will meet. Like the psalmist, we all yearn for the presence of God, for a relationship with God. Making disciples requires us to be inviting to those seeking lodging where we have found it, showing them love, welcoming them, celebrating when they decide to stay and encouraging them to become a doorkeeper as well. Consistent success in this endeavor can only be accomplished by prayer. Let us pray that we do not become so engaged in the acts of business, worship and fellowship that we become door-blockers but that we are attentive to our responsibility to keep the door open as doorkeepers.
Please continue to pray through Trans4mation, starting June 11, and through Annual Conference, opening June 12 with Communion Service. There will be designated space for prayer at Annual Conference.
Week 10
May 26th
Praise Opens Doors
Acts 16:24-34 (New International Version)
24 [The jailer placed Paul and Silas] in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loo se. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
When it seems like our circumstances are hopeless, when it seems like we are in "the in ner cell" of bondage or affliction, we need only to praise. Praise looses. Praise frees us from our situations. It takes the focus off of me and causes me to focus on God.
The Bible says God dwells in our praises. (Psalms 22:3) While God is always present with us, our praise results in a greater manifestation of His presence. One translation says He is enthroned in our praises. He exerts His almighty power in an atmosphere of praise. One can imagine the great praise Paul and Silas were engaged in. We see how strongly God manifested Himself as a result.
Our praise not only frees us, but it also serves as a testimony, as a witness, of our relationship with God and the goodness of God. Whenever we praise God publicly, it is an opportunity to invite God's presence and power, not just for ourselves, but for others to see and experience. As we can see from this scripture, it is key in making disciples that unbelievers experience God through us in a way they might not on their own.
As we pray for 2009 Annual Conference this week, let us remeber that praise opens doors. During this last two weeks or so, let us keep a continuous prayer of praise on our lips and in our hearts. Let us open our time of business and worship full of praise, opening the door for God's presence to manifest itself in a powerful way to accomplish freedom and change in all present.
Week 9
May 18th
Unexpected Guests, Unexpected Doors
Joshua 2:1,8-9,11,14-16
Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there.
Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you.
The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below.
The men said to her “Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land.”Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the outside of the city wall and she resided within the wall itself. She said to them, “Go toward the hill country, so that the pursuers may not come upon you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned; then afterward you may go your way.”
Sometimes God just comes right on in. As we read about Rahab’s encounter with God through her unexpected guests we see two primary things.
First God directs those who follow to go into unexpected places, through unexpected doors as He did the spies.
Secondly, like Rahab, we may find God showing up through unexpected guests at unexpected times walking right into the middle of our lives.
So this week as you read this text from Joshua chapter 2 ask yourself, “Who do I most identify with?” Is God saying, “Go and I will send you through unexpected doors into unexpected places and I will guide you on the way.” Or, do you identify with Rahab. Have you answered a knock at your door to find that God has come right into the middle of your life in ways you had never expected.
Pray this week for eyes to see and ears to hear. Seek God’s guidance in doors you may be being directed to enter and be aware of who crosses your path or comes into your life as God may unexpectedly be present in and through them.
Pray likewise for our conference, our churches and our ministries.
We need to see as God sees and be obedient; and remember that as we do the work of God we are the work of God.
Grace and Peace forever more.
Amen
Week 8
April 27th
Open The Door to Increase
Matthew 25:14-18, 26-27 (New International Version)
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
26But his master answered him, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed? 27Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest.
God is pleased with those who increase what He has given and displeased with those produce no increase. The increase we are expected to achieve, as described in this parable, not only applies to money but also to the kingdom of God. God's first instruction to man was to be fruitful and multiply, i.e., to increase His kingdom. (Genesis 1:28). The last instruction Jesus gave was for us to increase the kingdom. (Matthew 28:19-20). The gospels illustrate how Jesus poured into the disciples and began building the kingdom, and Jesus wanted the disciples to pour into others and continue building the kingdom. The remainder of the New Testament is a compilation of testimonies of those first kingdom-builders, investing their talents and growing the kingdom; these testimonies serve as inspiration, instruction and encouragement for our kingdom-building today.
This week as we pray for 2009 Annual Conference, let us be mindful of God's repeated instruction to us to be kingdom-builders. Let us be purposeful to share what has been poured into us by pouring into others, living and teaching so that we might attract people to Christ and build the kingdom. Let us joyfully release our seat at the table when it is time in order to make room for others' gifts, increasing the opportunities for service in the kingdom. With Conference only one month away, let us pray that God show us how to open new doors to new people thereby increasing the kingdom.
Week 7
May 4th
The Door of My Lips
Psalm 141: 3-4
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity: do not let me eat of their delicacies.
Both Matthew and Luke tell us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I believe that they knew and were teaching exactly what the psalmist was praying for in our text for the week. The Psalmist makes reference to taking in that which is evil as an act of eating delicacies. Evil and wicked deeds have to be masked as enticing or we would not be tempted to partake of them. If we could see them for what they are we would resist them; but without our lips, our eyes, our ears and our minds being guarded we often partake of that which is not good.
This week as you continue in your journey of prayer may you listen and notice what comes out of your mouth. Pay attention to that which your heart is full of. Pray as the Psalmist, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips, may all that I say reflect a heart of wholeness and love. Help me, may my heart be filled with good and not evil. May my days be spent with good deeds and not those of the wicked.
Let us pray likewise for our conference, our churches and their ministries.
We need God’s help.
Amen
Week 6
April 27th
Open the Door of Love: Forgiveness
Luke 15:17-24 (New Living Translation)
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have s inned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
The parable of the lost son should remind us not only of our salvation experience but also of instances where we, as believers, have made bad choices. Hopefully, as the prodigal son did, we "come to our senses" and realize that we have foolishly strayed, distancing ourselves from intimate fellowship with God. When we repent and return to our father, not only is there no condemnation but we are always met with open doors of love and compassion. How awesome! We should be so grateful for this truth. Remembering our own having-to-return-home experiences, we should be eager to open our doors, showing love and compassion to those who want to join God's family for the first time as well as to our brothers and sisters who have strayed and want to return.
True forgiveness requires not only that we reconcile but also that we celebrate the reconciliation. The parables preceding the parable of the lost son are the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep. In all three parables, Jesus indicated that we should publicly rejoice about those who were lost having been found. When we practice true forgiveness, we open the door of love, modeling our Father. As we pray for Annual Conference this week, let us truly be purposeful as individuals, local churches and as a conference, to have open doors -- hearts full of compassion, eager to love and celebrate all who come to join or return to intimate fellowship as God's family and our family.
Week 5
April 20th
Distractions, Agendas and Anxious Minds
Second Corinthians 2:12-13
When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord; but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.
It seems that Paul was on a mission for ministry as he went to Troas and it was confirmed by God with the open door, but Paul was tripped up by the fact that Titus was not there and for some reason Paul could not do what God had opened for him because of his anxious mind.
How often do we miss opportunities to do what God is calling us to because the circumstances are not exactly as we think they should be?
God is always opening doors for us; doors of affirmation and guidance, doors of direction and instruction. Do we, like Paul, see them yet not go through them, or do we miss them altogether? Are we distracted, do we have personal agendas? When God opens a door for us in a different way, are we blinded from seeing God’s way by holding on too tight to our own?
This week as you continue in your journey of prayer may you find ways of centering and sitting at the feet of Jesus; may you become aware when those things that have distracted you in the past and caused anxious moments fall away allowing peace and grace to come. May you let God design the way and release any agenda you have formed of your own. May you see God and respond with trust to God’s way.
Let us pray likewise for our conference, our churches and their ministries as well.
May you experience graced blessings and peace.
Amen
Week 4
April 13,
The Door to the Presence of God
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15: 37-38 (New King James Version)
The veil covered the entryway to the place called the Most Holy, the innermost place in the tabernacle. (Exodus 26:31-33) Only the high priest was allowed to go beyond the veil and enter the Most Holy once a year where he made a sacrifice for himself and the people's sins. (Hebrews 9:1-7)
Jesus came as the ultimate high priest, going on our behalf before God as the perfect sacrifice. Jesus also came to tear the veil to God's presence. The veil was an obstruction to God's presence created out of tradition, ritual and law. Jesus' death opened the door to the presence of God. Now, by the blood of Jesus, all believers may boldly enter the Most Holy. (Hebrews 10:19-20)
As we pray for 2009 Annual Conference this week, let us pray that God show us where we are so stuck in our old ways -- tradition, ritual, law, and even possibly denomination -- that we close the door to those who seek to experience God's presence. Let us pray that God keep us ever mindful that He provided a new way when Jesus opened the door for us to freely access God's presence, and that we, in turn, are to remember that we carry God's presence into every space and to open our doors -- the door to His presence in us -- to others.
Week 3
April 6th
Who Will Roll Away the Stone?
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”
Mark 16: 1-6a (New Revised Standard)
The women were on their way to the tomb to anoint the body. This was a custom of their belief. While going to carry out their work they knew the stone would be blocking their path and would be too big for them to move alone. Yet, that did not seem to deter their faith nor their zeal for their purpose. What they saw as they arrived at the tomb frightened them at first, but as the angel spoke words of assurance their fears were calmed. God was opening their hearts and transforming their understanding of anointing. Scripture tells us that they went and proclaimed what the angel had told them even though they had not yet seen the Lord.
In our individual lives and in our churches there are stones, big stones in the path of what God is calling us to be and to do.
As we pray this week for Annual Conference, let us pray that stones will be rolled away. Let us pray that God’s work will be revealed in a new way and that our hearts are opened by our encounter with the risen Jesus.
Week 2
March 30th
Deciding to Open the Door
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20 (King James Version)
When Jesus approaches us with the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation, he approaches the entryway to our hearts. He stands, hoping and waiting for us to open our doors, our hearts, to Him. He hopes and waits that we will allow Him in so that we might share a meal together. A meal represents the relief of our most basic needs. Meeting another's need is one definition of ministry. Sharing the experience of meeting each other's needs is a description of mutual ministry.
As we pray this week for Annual Conference, let us pray that we continue Jesus' ministry and follow His example. Let us pray that God show us how we can open new doors -- open our hearts -- to new people in new ways, engaging in mutual ministry and mutually encouraging growth.
Week 1
March 23rd
The Good Shepherd: The Gate
John 10:7-10
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “
To begin a journey of faith one must first begin with an encounter of Jesus. He is our shepherd and in this scripture adds the image that He is also the gate. He says that He is the way the sheep must go and come. As the sheep enter and leave through the opening Jesus has given through His life, they are cared for, guided and saved. He warns of the thief who will try to have us follow in the way that leads to death. He is the giver of life. He provides life for us and provides it abundantly.
A guide for praying each day:
Read the text each day and pause to notice what part of the scripture speaks to you.
As you read and pray on Monday, pray about your own relationship with Jesus.
How has Jesus been your shepherd? How has He been your protector? How has He been your provider?
As you read and pray on Tuesday, pray for your congregation and its relationship with Jesus.
In what ways does your congregation here the Shepherd’s voice? How do they respond?
As you read and pray on Wednesday, pray for the ways in which Jesus is calling your church to open its doors for all who may come.
How might your church be the gate of Christ for others to enter into? How does your church provide pasture for all who come?
As you read and pray on Thursday, pray for the ways in which Jesus is inviting your church family to go outside the doors of the church and carry the love of God to others.
How does your church go out to others? Who is Jesus guiding your church to go out to? How is He leading your church to serve them?
As you read and pray on Friday, pray for the conference and all who attend, that hearts and doors will be open to God’s healing and guidance.
Jesus says that He comes so we may have life and have it abundantly. Pray for the abundant guidance of the spirit for all at conference. May all know and hear the Shepherd’s voice.
As you read and pray on Saturday and Sunday continue to ponder in your heart, as Mary did, all the ways in which God is speaking to you in your time of prayer.
Listen for the Shepherd’s voice. Be still and know that God is the Almighty.
We invite you to journal or write your thoughts during this journey of prayer.
May you experience graced blessings and peace. Amen
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Jackson, MS 39201
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