Some prayers for the capital “C” Church for 2010 and beyond…share yours, please:
- unity in the body: Jesus said the world would know that we are His disciples by our love for each other;
- relentless teaching of the Gospel; and
- sacrificial application of it in our lives: sacrifice needs to be more of a reality for the Church. What could the Church do if we all sacrificed for the good of those in our communities?;
- secure and humble leadership: we must lead out of our security in Christ;
- massive vision: God is with us, let’s walk in that and believe the impossible;
- YOUR TURN….
Those are great.
I guess I would add that as individuals we would have a greater awareness of God in our daily lives…. that we would not treat God as an extracurricular activity, but as our highest priority in life.
I continue to pray for the church to be more honest about her flaws…and her failures…I pray she develops the courage and character to admit she is often messy and imperfect instead of pretending to have it all figured out.
(no-one believes that anyhow)
I pray she’ll get over using bumper-sticker-esque slogans that don’t really communicate the reality of life in Christ authenticity to those in the world.
I pray the church will learn to practice apologizing for her failures (real and perceived…) instead of pointing her finger at her human element as an excuse(?) for her broken relationships and sometimes disappointing behavior.
But, my biggest dream for the church is for her to set the global standard for LOVE and serving world…instead of being known for her exorbitant buildings, politics, phobias and her often widespread condemnation of outsiders…I pray that she really will be known by her LOVE