Lakeview Christian Center

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, When God Comes to Church, p. 9

Personal & Corporate Revival:

“…He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6)

-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:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Phil. 1:12)

-Influx of visitors present for our Grand Openings
-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 by vibrancy & Gospel truth

Returning from Exile

“Return, faithless people. I will cure you of your backsliding” –Jeremiah 3:22

[1 Peter 2:1-3]

Revival for Spiritual Disciplines in Exile

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (v. 2-3)

-Awakening from lethargy & spiritual coldness
-Nourishment for souls starving for the Word (Deut. 8:3)
-Repentance from a posture of prayerlessness
-Returning to practices of giving that have been placed on hold

Restoration for Relationships in Exile

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” (v. 1)

-Renewal for marriages in functional divorce
-Faith for parents who have given up
-Hearts of wayward children drawn to the home
-Restoration for friendships destroyed by bitterness

Loving the Local Church

“God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven. Rather, He is creating a people among whom He can live and who in their life together will reproduce God’s life and character” –Gordon Fee

[Ephesians 2:18-22]

Temple of God

“In [Christ] the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (v. 21-22)

-People of holiness who reflect God’s character
-Church distinguished by God’s manifest presence
-Church structured on the cornerstone of Christ
-Gathering as a place for God to dwell by His Spirit

Members of the Household

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (v. 19)

-Loving the church as Christ loves the church
…“Every Christian should have his church enclosed within his heart, and be affected with its maladies, as if they were his own, sympathize with its sorrows, and bewail its sins” –John Calvin
-Valuing the corporate gathering & church membership
-Practicing Biblical fellowship & “iron sharpening iron”
-Cultivating an atmosphere of leading and following
-Serving the family of God as well as those outside the family

Word & Spirit

“The Word without the Spirit is pedantic; the Spirit without the Word is chaos” –John Piper

The Sword of the Spirit

“…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21)

-Unbelievers in our midst to receive new birth by the Word
…“since you have been born again….through the living and abiding word” (1 Peter 1:23)
-Individuals who cherish the written Word & meditate on it day & night (Ps. 1)
-Church that values the preached Word & practices “expositional listening”
-Souls “saved” by the implanted Word & guarded by disciplined reading

The Spirit of the Sword

“While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word” (Acts 10:44)

-Spirit making us doers of the Word and not just hearers (James 1:23)
-Spirit using Word to “comfort the afflicted & afflict the comfortable”
-Spirit-filled lifestyles of godly character, righteous living, and mission mindedness
-Spirit-gifting that exalts Christ (1 Cor. 12:3) & empowers the church (Eph. 4:11)

A View for God’s Work

“Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17)

Looking Back: Gratitude

“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)

-For the work God has accomplished to bring us here
…Flooding away obstacles preventing our access to the community
…Planting us deeper into Lakeview
…Pruning & disciplining us as a congregation
-For God’s favor upon us at both Monday’s hearing & our previous variance exception
-For how God has been working in our lives individually

Looking Forward: Faith

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17)

-A church that is quick to believe and slow to doubt the promises of God
-Postured with listening ears & open hearts when God speaks
-Strengthened faith when we experience trials
“For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3)
-Embracing the discomfort & sacrifice that accompany acting in faith
-Faith for seasons when it seems like God isn’t working
“When reason fails, with all its powers, then faith prevails, and love adores”
-Spirit to root out the seeds of unbelief within each of us

Praying with the Hymns

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm
Deep in His dark and hidden mines with never failing skill
He fashions all His bright designs and works His sovereign will”

-A people who characteristically trust in God during trials
-Faith in God to accomplish His purposes in His way & timing (John 7)
-Comfort & joy for those who are currently suffering
…“The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower”
-God to interrupt seasons of mourning with merciful intrusions of His presence

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

“And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him”

-Display of God’s triumph in overcoming Satan’s tactics
-Committed to the battle of God & guarding ourselves against the Enemy
-Biblically informed about the realm of the demonic & postured accordingly (1 Peter 5:8)
-Built up in truth & submitted to God in order to resist the Devil (James 4:7)

Praying Psalm 96

Sing a New Song

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96:1-2)

-God to bless this morning’s time of worship with His presence
-Those reluctant to worship expressively would be freed to celebrate God
-Anthem of salvation (v. 2) & exploring the “glories of Calvary” through song
-God to give us a “new song” – a fresh understanding, experience, & appreciation of who He is & what He has done
-Our corporate worship to display the greatness of God & the magnitude of grace

Declare His Glory Among the Nations

“Declare His glory among the nations; His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods” (Psalm 96:3-4)

-God to use us in spreading a passion for His name to the remotest parts of the earth
-God to bless Sovereign Grace’s efforts to extend the church to the most unreached people
…1,569 unreached people groups in the world
…6,747 least reached groups (fewer than 2% evangelical)
-The Lord “to be feared above all gods” (v. 4) in nations presently trapped in idolatry
-Young & old in our church to sense a burden for local & global missions
-All in our church to experience the joy of declaring God’s glory among the nations

“Rising Generation”

The Pivot Ministry

“Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob” (Psalm 24:6)

-Producing present and future pillars in the church
-Young people to gain an other-worldly and eternal perspective
-Amplified passion for God and saturation in his Word
-Growing love for the church and sacrificial service for the Kingdom
-Both visitors and “wandering” Pivoters to be drawn to this weekend’s meeting

Youth Camp ’08: “SOAR”

“…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles…” (Isaiah 40:31)

-Youth to gain an increased vision of God’s greatness
-Renewal of love for God, hunger for the Word, and commitment to righteous living
-Spirit to grant conviction of sin and godly repentance
-Experience of joy in the presence of God during corporate worship
-God to save the lost teenagers on the trip

“Spiritual Warfare: Fighting the Flesh”

The Enemy Within

“…your desires are at war within you…” (James 4:1)

-People who know ourselves rightly and guard ourselves accordingly (1 Cor. 10:12)
-Humility to pursue correction & accountability when we sin
-Freedom from the chains of lust, anger, bitterness, fear of man, and drug addiction that burden and immobilize many
-A holy church that hates sin biblically, battles the flesh faithfully, and loves Christ richly

Mortification by Vivification

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13)

Killing sin by bringing to life…
-Purity of mind instead of lust, pornography, and sexual immorality
-Genuine love for others instead of selfishness, jealousy, and fear of man
-Self-control instead of over-indulgence, greed, and carelessness
-Patience instead of anxiety, idolatry, and unbelief
-Gratitude instead of complaining, strife, and anger
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8)

Quenching the passions of the flesh by the greater delight in God
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2)

Spiritual Warfare: The Battle of Thoughts

Battling the Attack on Truth

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God…” (2 Cor. 10:5a)

Defending truth in an age of….

-Marginalizing the clarity of Scripture and the knowability of God
-Belittlingly the preaching the Word and the proclamation of the Gospel
-Man-centeredness and the denial of God’s sovereignty
-Confusion about the Gospel and the work of Christ
-Emphasizing personal spirituality at the expense of the local church
-Muddling gender roles and the attack on Biblical manhood/womanhood

Battling our Functional Theology

“…and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5b)

Fighting thoughts that….

-Temporary pleasures of sin are more satisfying than the joy of Christ
-Current situations of difficulty are outside the realm of God’s sovereignty
-Past records of sin are beyond the reach of grace
-Our “common sense” and worldly wisdom are above the authority of God’s Word
-Another’s sin against me is greater than my sin before God
-Hidden sin will go away when I am ready to deal with it
-My husband/wife/child/friend will never change/repent/believe/come home/be healed