One Prayer 2010 - Week 3
About Grace Community...
At Grace Community Church, we believe if we seek, we will find. Find hope, truth, God, forgiveness, relationships and One More. One More broken life made whole, marriage saved or strengthened, addiction broken, relationship restored. One More of the people Jesus misses the most, found and brought home. Grace is part of the Lifechurch.tv network. Visit the link below to find out more.
About Ray Johnston...
Ray Johnston is the President of Thriving Churches International. He is a twenty-five year veteran of both youth and adult ministry. Ray has served in churches in Duarte, CA and Marin County, CA. He was the Chairman of the Department of Youth Ministry at North Park College and adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago, IL. For many years, he helped coordinate the youth Ministries Program of the Evangelical Covenant Church where he was responsible for the support of youth pastors, youth ministry training and the development and promotion of national youth events. He is also founding Pastor of Bayside Church in Granite Bay. Ray is author of four books: What If It’s True, Developing Student Leaders, Developing Spiritual Growth in Junior Highers, Help, I'm a Sunday School Teacher: 50 Ways to Make Sunday School Come Alive. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, leadership training events, national conferences and family camps. He is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary. Ray and his wife Carol currently live in Granite Bay. They have four children, Mark, Scott, Leslie and Christy. For more information about Ray or Bayside Church, visit...
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Unstoppable Hope
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV84
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
4 Facts Regarding Discouragement
1) UNIVERSAL Disease 2) REPEATING Disease 3) CONTAGIOUS Disease 4) DEADLY Disease
Refresh
Nehemiah 2:17 NIV84
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Rely
Nehemiah 1:4-5 NIV84
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands,
Refocus
Nehemiah 2:19-20 NASB
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem."
Rebuild
Nehemiah 2:20 NASB
So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem."
Keep Rebuilding
Nehemiah 4:21 NIV84
So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.
Refuse
Nehemiah 4:14 NIV84
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Talk It Over
Take time to identify what next steps God wants you to take from this message. Talk it over on the phone, at work, online, even on the way home. How infected has your life been with the disease of discouragement? Review the four steps for replacing discouragement with hope. Which one do you need to focus on this week? Share about a situation that made you want to give up. What do you need to do to keep yourself encouraged and put your hope in Christ?
Prayer Request
We've got a whole bunch of people that would love to pray for you. Once you submit the request, volunteers, and staff will be bringing it to God for you! If you would LIKE TO BE CONTACTED, please let us know.
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