Spiritual Discernment
Do you need to "press the pause button" of your busy life and enter into several devoted hours alone with your great and loving God? Here is a retreat guide you can use to strengthen and take care of your soul.
Concert of Prayer
A concert of prayer is an extended, intentional, united, and sustained commitment to call upon God in prayer. The concert of prayer centers on worship and prayer and is normally broken down into segments. The segments usually include various formats of prayer, and one or more leaders introduce the segments and formats.
David Bryant, director of Concerts of Prayer International, suggests the following program for a concert of prayer:
Celebration (15 minutes)
- Praise with hymns and choruses that focus on awakening and mission
- Reports of God's answers to prayers offered during previous concerts
- Prayers of praise for God's faithfulness, for his kingdom, for his Son
Preparation (20 minutes)
- Welcome to the concert!
- Overview: Why are we here?
- Biblical perspective on the concert's prayer focus
- Preview of the format
- Teaming up in partners and huddles
Prayer of Dedication (5 minutes)
- Commitment to be servants through prayer and to be used in answer to our prayers
- Thanksgiving for the privilege of united prayer and for those with whom we unite
- Invitation for Christ to lead the concert and to pray through us
- Hymn of praise
Seeking for Fullness/Awakening in the Church (30 minutes)
- In partners: for personal revival
- In huddles: for awakening in our local church' and ministries
- As a whole: for awakening in the church worldwide
- Pause to listen to God
- Chorus
Seeking for Fulfillment/Mission Among the Nations (30 minutes)
- In partners: for personal ministries
- In huddles: for outreach and mission in our city or campus
- As a whole: for world evangelism
- Pause to listen to God
- Chorus
Testimonies: What has God said to us here? (10 minutes)
- On fullness (awakening)
- On fulfillment ( mission)
Grand Finale (10 minutes)
- Offering ourselves to be answers to our prayers and also to live accordingly
- Prayer for God's empowerment in our own lives for ministry
- Prayer for prayer movements locally and worldwide
- Offering praise to God, who will answer our concert of prayer in wonderfu l ways
- Leave to watch and serve "in concert"
This Concert of Prayer format came from: Douglas A. Kamstra, The Prayer Church Idea Book (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications)
A Guide to Fasting and Praying
Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. - Joel 1:14
To learn the how and why to fasting, download the 'Guide to Fasting' below. This guide was put together by Menlo Church.(https://menlo.church/)
Rest
Rest is not laziness or a sign of lack of ambition. Rest is fundamental to God (Genesis 2: 2–3) and the well-being of all creation. Rest is a transcendent anchor in the midst of doing. God wants us to rest because a society that encourages overwork is no different from a society that encourages lying, murder, stealing and promiscuity. God also wants us to rest, because if we don’t we will not have time to care about the people we love, the neighbors we know, the strangers we meet and the gifts that come to us while we rest.
Download the spiritual formation resource REST below.