"She opened her heart and accepted what Paul said.............."

Tomorrow, the Montgomery Baptist Association will be meeting with a team of people who care deeply about this city. We will be looking at the opportunity to start some new outreach with the ultimate goal of planting new churches. Some church plant dreams include these areas: a deaf church, a Mixtec church(starting VERY SOON), a Chinese church and more.
Would you pray this week for these areas of potential outreach and church planting?
I was reading our Preschool Sunday School lesson the other day for next week and it highlights the conversion, baptism and ministry of a woman, Lydia, who opened her home for a church to meet. I'm wondering what would happen if even a few of us who are followers of Christ opened our home for a Bible Study (if we have not already)that would lead to a new church that was a discipling, missionary church to a people group that may not have that place to gather here in Montgomery to be discipled and worship the Lord. 

"One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying." 
Acts 16:14

Lydia went on to use her home for a church to meet and for Paul to use to share the gospel with others.

Prayer points this week:
Would you pray for those in Montgomery, like Lydia, when having the gospel shared, would "open their hearts" to God and receive Him?
Would you pray for all of our Christian churches to have the fire to go and share the gospel everywhere, like Paul, and share with people who may be different than the followers of Christ in our churches?
Would you pray that WE, as followers of Christ(you and me)would open our hearts and homes to helping the gospel be shared among those who do not know him yet?

Losing Our Life In Order to Share the Gospel Through Prayer

For followers of Christ, Easter is all year long if we want to be real here. So, with that Easter mindset, let's start out this week with a reminder for us all as we go through this week.

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. – John 12:25-26 (NIV)

How will you "lose your life for Christ" this week?  Remember that in "losing ourselves for others, we find a deeper and more renewed sense of our relationship with Christ." 

Prayer Requests this Week:

1. I just heard that there is going to be an intentional church plant downtown for millennials this next year. Pray that the Gospel of Christ will be breathed into the hearts and minds of those who are in that people group.
2. Continue to pray for the people group, the Mixtec, who live in our city. There is a church plant in the works, probably in the Chisholm community. Many have shown interest in this within the community.
3. Pray for the "changing of the guard" regarding our governor. Pray for our new Gov. Ivey as she sorts out things things. Pray for a hedge of protection around her.
4. Pray for the hearts and minds of ALL people in the Greater Montgomery area. Heart change IS the ONLY way to solve the crime, school, race, poverty and consumer religion issues in our area. Christ is the answer for all of these issues. And pray for followers of Christ in the area to see these issues too in a different light from before.

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously."
Matthew 10:5-8 The Message

Holy Week

HOLY WEEK

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. – John 12:25-26 (NIV)

1. Pray for our city as there are many who need to make things right with Jesus, many who don't know Him and many of us who need to continue our journey to the Cross by asking for more understanding of getting out of ourselves.

2. Pray for our governor, Robert Bentley. Help him to come to a full understanding of his choices and accept the consequences. He has lost his wife of 50 years, about to lose his job and career, helped tear up two families and had many other losses I am sure. Pray for true sorrow and a turning around of his actions. Pray for our whole state right now as we all recover from a leaders choices.
3. Pray for all our leaders both in government and our community. They need wisdom and direction as the public is always watching and ready to devour.
4. Pray for ourselves. As followers of Christ, we are to "lose our life" EVEN MORE, every day. "Not my will, but thine" for our lives.

A musician, Ken Medema, whom I have admired all my adult life wrote this simple chorus when I was at a college student week back in the 80's. He reminded us that our lives are not our own and in order to "find" life, we have to lose it.

Finding leads to losing,
losing lets you find.
Living leads to dying
Death leaves life behind.
Finding leads to losing
That's all that I can say...
No one can have Life another way.

As we live life this Holy Week......let us lose OUR life and find TRUE life in Him.