To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ sharing God’s love with international students: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. (Adapted from Paul’s thanksgiving for the Colossians; Col 1:2-6NIV)
In sitting down to prepare this week’s blog, we are convinced as much now as ever before the importance of prayer, the power of prayer, and the protection of prayer. So as we are reminded this week about the ISMNZ conference it is time to focus our hearts in prayer.
Last week in the Palmerston North ‘Connect’ Philosophy of Ministry Bible study, one of the focuses of shepherding a community of disciples was praying for our disciples. We looked at the way the Apostle Paul prayed for his disciples and the churches he was a part of planting. His prayers were filled with thanksgiving, they were intercessory for protection, and in so many cases, the goal of his petitions was that followers of Christ would grow in their knowledge of God, their discernment of Truth, their faith to act, and gain hearts of understanding.
So, as we travel this road towards the ISMNZ conference...
Let us pray that our time together would:
- Draw us nearer to God
- Cause us to grow in our love for one another
- Bring praise to our lips as we testify of the harvest He has given us
- Encourage us to know God and share His word amongst the nations
Also, please seek God for His guidance as we plan TOGETHER how our time together will glorify Him: Pray -
- Whether you can be a part of the planning team
- For the central ‘theme’ of the conference to be revealed and illumined through the Holy Spirit
- For those with musical gifts to come forward with a desire to serve in our time together
- For those who are responding from as far south as Dunedin and as far east as the USA to have the resources to be able to attend.
- For our returnees who are a big part of the focus of this conference, that their testimonies would convict and inspire us.
May God bless your week. We are still in need of your feedback! Give John or Janeen a call at the ISMNZ office 06 357 0762; or email us at:
