As we form groups at FCMC, we try to form them in a way that reflects the lifestyle patterns we see in Jesus.  I’m talking about Up, In, and Out.   But how will that work with a prayer group?

Quick review:

• Up is about growing in our relationship with God, expressing our love to God, receiving from God, and hearing from God.  It is about knowing and being known by God more deeply.
• In is about loving one another.  It’s about being with people to know and be known, to serve and be served, and to love and be loved.
• Out is about meeting the worlds needs with God’s love, grace, and power.  It’s about God working through us to advance His kingdom.

So, our activity will be prayer.   We’re not sure when we’re going to schedule our meetings.  We’re getting together to (ahem) pray about it.  And we’ve had plenty of prayer at FCMC.  We truly believe that only God can bring about a network of micro-churches stretching across the First Coast for a movement of mission and discipleship.  Only God can revive churches and renew regions.  We know we can’t do this on our own so we’ve been praying.  But up until now, we have not had a dedicated prayer ministry or prayer group.  I am excited we’re about to start one.   We need one.

So how will we do Up-In-and-Out?   By praying!

In my mind, I tend to associate prayer with Up.  For that matter, when I teach about the Up component of missional community living, I point to the place in Luke 6 where Jesus spends the night in prayer.  I explain to people without much subtlety, “Jesus prayed. He spent time with the Father that way.  So Prayer is an obvious way to do Up.”

But prayer is often In and Out, too.  When we pray for one another, that’s one of the best forms of In.   A few weeks ago, I received prayer for healing and wow, did I feel loved and blessed by the people in the room.  In prayer, they led me to Jesus.  My love for the people in that room grew tremendously.

And when we pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, that’s Out.   You catch the spirit of that kind of prayer in John Bunyan’s quote: “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

So that’s what we’re going to do.  We’re going to pray to seek God and to hear from God. We’re going to pray for one another.  And we’re going to pray for God’s Kingdom to advance on earth and especially on the First Coast.  We’ll do Up, In, and Out and may never leave the room we meet in.

So here’s an offer: if you are joining God in His work, we’ll be happy to pray for you.  Just send us an email or use the contact form below.