Praying together as a Family At Christmas

Praying Together 

in the 

Christmas Season--

Christ wants a praying church—What about a praying family?  With the Christmas season upon us, this would be a good time to and look for ways to try and apply some of our learning about praying together. 

Taking that idea, I present the following to each of you as a challenge to you to try the following:  Look for opportunities to pray with your spouse, children, family, and friends.   Take a few minutes together and remember what Christmas is about, especially about the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then encourage each person say a brief sentence prayer that is related to what they have just considered about Christmas.

At the end- you could even sing a carol like ‘Silent Night’ and then say ‘Amen’ or just have everyone say ‘AMEN’  together, if you don’t sing.

This could be done at a meal, at a time when the family is together, or other special time. It is possible that what you do this year, you may want to do in upcoming years—could be the possible start of a wonderful family tradition, and be an encouragement to all.

Symptoms of a Prayerless Church or Organization

Symptoms of “Prayerlessness” 

in a Church or Organization

 In the course 'Praying Together' offered on Pray!Network, www.praynetwork.org, a number of symptoms that may be seen in a prayless church have been compiled, and are in the chart below.  There may be other symptoms not listed, but any of these symptoms are red flags, that when seen should encourage those of us who pray to further seek God's help in encouraging prayer.

Christ said that He wanted His house to be a 'House of Prayer':  Matthew 21:13

©2013 Lewis Turner

         Symptom                                            

1	Independence from God—a failure to “look to Jesus”	Matthew 6:33
2	A disconnect from the power of Jesus	II Timothy 3:5
3	A failure to seek God’s Wisdom	Prov 2:1-9
4	A lack of humility among leaders and the congregation	II Chronicles 7:14
5	Divisions present among the congregation—creating disunity	John 7:11
6	A failure to connect with others, and a failure to encourage them	John 13:35, I Corinthians 13
7.	A typical feeling of mistrust or lack of consideration—IE mistrust is sometime manifested as ‘not having a voice’, or not being heard when decisions are made	John 13:35
8	A host of other issues—IER gossip and complaining; a lack of Godly purpose and vision; a lack of Godly love.	Proverbs 29:18, Revelations 3:16