World Christian Prayer Meetings

When our church sent out our first mission team we prayed a lot.  This was because we were sending our leaders into a dangerous country in southeast Asia for two weeks.  Anything could happen, and since we were new at this, we feared the worst.  

We organized special prayer meetings twice a week for four months in advance.  Attendance was high and prayers were detailed and fervent.  We were in this together, life or death.

Then, after hearing the reports from our team that arrived safely home, we were encouraged to try it again, and to pray even more, because we saw that prayer works.  That was the genesis of our World Christian Prayer Meetings (WCPMs).

They Took On a Variety of Forms

Our global vision was to create a “World Christian” climate in our church.  This was developed largely through these prayer meetings.  Initially, they were focused around the mission trips, for a a few months beforehand.  But then, the form of these WCPMs changed a little each year.  

Later on, they became standard mid-week prayer meetings, but not to be confused with the infamous slow-paced long-listed vision-lacking somber-like-somebody-died prayer meetings, rather these were entirely focused upon His Mission and His Glory and pressing forward.  

Eventually, we settled in and held them on Sunday evenings monthly.  The meetings were always filled with energetic believing prayers directed at Gospel progress around the world.  Regardless of how tired you might be going in, it was always worth it because you would be roused by the Spirit over the advance of the Kingdom.

The Outline Remained the Same

We would break into groups of four or five adults and youth.  Children were always welcome, of course.  There were five movements of prayer each meeting.  The leader would be well prepared with current information.  It was one hour of serious and joyful praying together--truly one of the highlights of each month of ministry!

1. Sharing of Scripture about God’s Mission in the world.
2. Praying for our own church’s vision for Gospel impact among the unreached people group we adopted and the surrounding region.  We would pray for our partners, upcoming trips, church planting, and many other things on our hearts.
   
3. Praying for an unusual place in the world using Operation World.  We skimmed through the description in our groups, and then we prayed.  Sometimes we would have a brief motivational media presentation.
   
4. Praying for one of our supported missionaries.  We contacted them that week to get up to date prayer requests.  After praying that night, many would contact our missionaries, and keep us all current with their needs, successes, worries and much more.
   
5. Praying for our own church’s vision for Gospel impact in our own community.  We would pray through our vision, goals, and for our staff and leaders dedicated to making it happen.  We would pray along with all the developments.

Praying for Laborers in the Kingdom Harvest

Every prayer meeting was grounded in these words of Jesus Christ our Lord, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

The Kingdom is here with the Messiah and it is time to bring people into the Kingdom.  The problem is that the harvest is ready but there are so few laborers who are ready.  There are always so many people ready to come into the Kingdom. Do you see this problem?  Are you concerned about this problem?  

The solution to the problem is, first of all, prayer.  We are told to ask, beg, plead with the “Lord of the Harvest,” who is overseeing and directing His Harvest, bringing many into His Kingdom.  This is urgent.  We are to Pray now! Pray often! Pray continually!  “Please, please, please, Lord send out more workers into the Kingdom Harvest!”  Be prepared that those who pray such prayers are going to end up being those involved in the going, and it will be thrilling . . . becoming a World Christian!