Lakeview Christian Center

February: Health of the Church

Morning Meditation Psalm: Psalm 30
Song: “Everlasting”

Sunday Gatherings

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:22-25)

Pray for….

-Experience of the presence of God
-Hearts ready to hear and respond to the preached Word
-Joyful celebration of God’s work through song
-Honoring God sacrificially through tithes and offerings
-Unbelievers to be convicted of their sin and turn to Christ
-Building of genuine relationships in the body
-Those in seasons of difficulty to receive comfort
-Visitors to feel welcomed and at home
-Children’s ministry to effectively communicate God’s care
-All who are present to grow in the reality of the Gospel

January: Church Family

Morning Meditation Psalm: Psalm 24
Song: “O Great God”

Men of the Church
(Men’s Retreat)

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 1:20)

Pray for….

-Sweet times of communion with God
-Godly fellowship with other men
-Attentive minds and hearts to receive the preached Word
-Attentive ears to hear the Spirit’s conviction & encouragement
-Wisdom and equipping for God’s calling on their lives
-Strength to lead in the church and in the home
-Freedom from categories of idolatry and bondage
-Renewal in the Spirit and refreshing in the Word
-Increased delight in God and the nearness of his presence
-Abounding love for others and a heart to serve

January: Church Family

Morning Meditation Psalm: Psalm 1
Song: “Knowing You”

Women of the Church

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:3-5)

Pray for….

-Growth in the leadership of husbands for their wives
-Strengthening of biblical roles and values for women
-Effective fellowship among the women of the church
-Encouragement and empowerment for wives and mothers
-Grace and faith for single moms and for those who may struggle in their season of singleness
-Women to rejoice in trials and persevere in affliction
-Young ladies to speak grace and promote unity
-Older women to train younger women in the Lord
-Church filled with women who hate gossip, idleness, jealousy, and strife but who study God’s Word daily, bear the church’s burdens through prayer, and encourage the saints in steadfast faith.

January: Church Family

Morning Meditation Psalm: Psalm 84
Song: “Haven’t You Been Good”

Fellowship & Relationships

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Pray for….

-Consistent and meaningful participation in Covenant Group ministry
-Establishment of meaningful friendships
-Commitment to fellowship and consistent attendance
-Church characterized by godly conversations
-Humble pursuit of accountability and correction
-Freedom from bitterness, jealousy, gossip, and other enemies
of relationships
-Those on “the fringe” to feel welcomed and connected
-Gospel to be at the center of our relationships and church life

Awakening Prayers for Awakening

“Revival is a season in the life of the church when God causes the normal ministry of the gospel to surge forward with extraordinary spiritual power… Revival is seasonal, not perennial. God causes it; we do not. It is the normal ministry of the gospel, not something eccentric or even different from what the church is always charged to do. What sets revival apart is simply that our usual efforts greatly accelerate in their spiritual effects.” –Ray Ortlund

Personal & Corporate Revival

-Softened hearts ready to receive the Word
-Fresh vigor and empowerment in the battle against sin
-Awakening of boldness in personal witness
-Experience of the presence of the Spirit in daily living
-Church community characterized by self-sacrifice & service
-Gospel central in the life and ministry of the church

Revival in the City

-Influx of visitors for our Sunday gatherings
-Gospel to shine through us into the Lakeview community and beyond
-God to bless this city with the gift of repentance
-Nominal Christianity & dead religion replaced with vibrancy & Gospel truth

The New Year

Looking Back: Thanksgiving

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15)

-Personal Blessing—What has the Lord done in your life recently?
…Victory over sin and freedom from bondage?
…Sustaining you through seasons of trials?
…Fresh experiences of the presence of His Spirit?
…Financial provision or physical healing?
-Corporate Blessing—What has the Lord done in our church?
…Leading many visitors to attend on Sundays
…Saving soul after soul through Alpha & outreach ministries
…Growing us in the unity of the faith

Looking Forward: Faith

“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16)

-Experiencing the “year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:19)
-The Men’s Retreat (Jan. 30-31)
…Men rooted in the Word and the discipline of prayer
…Men to experience freedom in categories of besetting sin
…Fathers to receive fresh revelation to lead their families
-Revisioning & renewal for the various ministries of the church:
…Operation Replant, Alpha, & Mercy Ministry
…The Pivot, Youth, and Children’s Ministries
…Covenant Groups & Weekend Services
…PrayerForce & corporate prayer gatherings
-2010 to be a year of Kingdom-minded, self-sacrificing, Gospel-centered, risk-taking growth in LCC for the glory of God

Praying for Everyone

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Intercessory Community

-Intercessory prayer to be an essential component of our lives
-Valuing corporate and personal prayer and avoiding its neglect
-Prayers that are not self-focused but Kingdom-minded and
Gospel-centered
-Supporting others through prayer and bearing their burdens (Gal. 6:2)

Prayers for All People

“Big general prayers become powerful when they are filled up with concrete, radical Biblical goals for the people we are praying for” —John Piper

-Homeless & neglected in the city to find rest in Jesus Christ (Matt. 11:28)
-Missionaries in foreign countries to rejoice in tribulation (James 1:1-4)
-New Orleans business owners as well as blue-collar workers to treasure Jesus Christ as precious (1 Peter 2:4)
-Those in governmental authority to be gifted with supernatural wisdom and peace that leads them to the gospel (1 Tim. 2:2)
-“All of the saints” (Eph. 6:18) to be guarded from the enemy, preserved in doctrinal purity, and matured into Christ’s image for God’s glory

Christmas Musical

Dec 13th & 14 at 6:30p

God, Save!

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21)

-For both nights to be a packed house
-God to open hearts to receive the message of the gospel
-Those who labor in self-righteousness to find rest in the hope of Christ
-Those who worship self and sin to find satisfaction in the gift of Christ
-The familiar story of Christmas to newly and powerfully impact all who are present

God’s People, Rejoice!

“Let the word of Christ [the gospel] dwell in you richly, …[by] singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16)

-Fresh joy and gratefulness for our salvation
-Fresh amazement at the miracle and mystery of the incarnation
-God to be honored by songs of praise that celebrate His work
-Hearts that have grown cold to be warmed again to the gospel
-Spiritually weary to find assurance in God’s accomplished purposes

Praying with the Psalmist

Psalm 13 – How Long, O Lord?

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long…must I have sorrow in my heart?” (Psalm 13:1-2)

-Comfort for those who are suffering or are in a dark season (v. 2)
-Afflicted to experience a renewed sense of God’s nearness (v. 1)
-Those experiencing depression to be assured by God’s promises
-Those who suffer to be given a heart that trusts in the steadfast love of God, rejoices in His salvation, and sings in His sanctuary (v. 5-6)

Psalm 20 – Petitions for Grace

“May the Lord fulfill all of your petitions!” (Psalm 20:5)

-Protection in all of its forms (v. 1-2)
…From the seductive world and the lure of sin
…From doctrinal errors and ideas that shipwreck faith
…From functional unbelief and resistance to God
-God to sustain faith and empower ministry
-God to honor our worship and sacrifice (v. 3)
-Fresh joy and gratefulness for our salvation (v. 5)
-Removal of confidence in man— looking to God for victory (v. 7-9)

Psalm 145 – Passing the Baton of Faith

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:5)

-We would be a church that speaks unashamedly about the glory of God and the salvation He has wrought (v. 1-3)
-Constant streams of downward flow—fathers to sons, mothers to daughters, older to younger, singles to families—of celebrating the works of God (v. 4-5)

Leading & Following

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee”
—Charles Wesley

Followers

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him” (Mark 2:14)

-Hearts of submission to Christ and to leadership
-Sheep who know the Word of their Shepherd and respond to His voice
-Followers of Christ who conform to the image of Christ
-Delighters in God and in the nearness of His presence
-Church to be a culture of leading & following

Leaders

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. …Pray for us,
for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act
honorably in all things” (Hebrews 13:17-18)

-The Pastoral team (Keith, Peter, Matt, Jeff, Pete)
-Covenant Group leaders & extended leadership team
-The raising up of new leaders
-Pray for……
…Spirit empowerment for God’s calling on their lives
…Strength to lead in the church and in the home
…Trust in God for daily responsibilities
…Faith in God as they meet resistance
…Protection from the attacks of the Enemy