Church and community

[Chrysostom]

We are praying with you in this season of loneliness and in your deep desire to find a faithful church family where you can grow in the Word and serve others.

We ask our heavenly Father to lead you clearly to a church that belongs to Him, where the Scriptures are taught faithfully, where Jesus Christ is proclaimed as the only way of salvation, and where the people are united in true love for God. We pray that He will place you among believers who will welcome you, walk with you, and stir you up to love and good works, and that you will find friendships there that are formed above all upon godliness and love for Christ.

We pray that God will comfort your heart in the loneliness you feel now, reminding you that He sees you and is near to those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at His Word. Give you patience and lowliness as you seek, and keep you from discouragement while you wait. Help you to keep pursuing fellowship, to keep knocking and seeking, and to be ready also to pursue hospitality and to share in the needs of others as God connects you to His people.

We ask that the Lord will make you rooted in His Word, that you will learn more of His truth day by day, and that He will open doors for you to serve with the gifts He has given you, so that your giving and receiving with other believers would be a true fellowship that bears fruit for His glory.

May the Lord guide your steps, provide the community you long for, and fill your heart with His peace as you trust Him. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[Nyfre]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Silas]

Your longing for a church family where you can learn the Word and serve others is a right and God given desire. God created people for fellowship. From the beginning His purpose was to have a loving, personal fellowship with you, a real partnership where there is mutual sharing and care. It is amazing that the God who made the universe is conscious of you and actually seeks fellowship with you.

That fellowship with Him is the foundation for every other fellowship. The Scripture teaches that when we walk honestly before Him, our fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ is real and it brings fullness of joy. That fellowship can be hindered when sin is in the way, but God wants to restore it and keep it open. Before you find the right community of people, you can already live in this close fellowship with God Himself, simply spending time with Him in love, not just working for Him but being with Him. He desires that even more than you do.

Within the body of believers God also intends for us to have that same kind of sharing life together, what the Bible calls koinonia. In the early church this was expressed in a very practical way. Believers voluntarily shared what they had so that anyone with a need could be helped. It was not a forced system, but a community of love. Yet even then it was not perfect. That experiment in sharing everything brought its own problems. There was murmuring when needs were not met evenly, and the church in Jerusalem eventually became poor and needed help from believers in other places. Many people believed in Jesus but did not become part of that close sharing life. Church history since then has not been pure either. Much of the reason the church has lost influence in some places is hypocrisy among those who claim to follow Christ, and that hypocrisy has understandably disappointed many who are looking for a true home.

So you are not alone in finding this search difficult, and the difficulty does not mean God has forgotten you. He is still adding to His church and He still has a plan to reach each community with His love. As you pray and look, ask the Lord to show you His mind for where He wants you. Look for a place where the Word of God is taught faithfully, where love is evident, because without love the presence of the Spirit is missing, where purity is valued and where those who lead have a good reputation both inside the church and in the community outside. Remember that true churches are not in competition with each other but complement one another in the work of Christ.

Do not be discouraged if it takes time. Keep seeking fellowship with God daily, and keep asking Him to lead you to a fellowship of believers where you can both receive and give.

I pray for you now that God will draw you into a deeper fellowship with Himself and fill you with His joy. I pray He will guide your steps clearly to a church family where the Scriptures are honored, where love is real, where you can grow in understanding and find meaningful ways to serve others in Jesus name. May He comfort your loneliness with His own presence and provide faithful friends who will walk with you, and may He use you to be a blessing to that community as well.

 

[hostadmin]

We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf and we are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer. We have been lifting you up and asking the Lord to lead you to a good church and community where you will no longer feel lonely, where you can grow in the knowledge of His Word and have opportunity to serve others as your heart desires.

We know how discouraging it can be when you have been searching and have not had any luck, and we continue to ask God to open the right doors and connect you with a family of believers where you are welcomed, encouraged and rooted in truth. We are reminded of the promise in Psalm 68:6 that God sets the lonely in families and in Hebrews 10:25 that we are not to give up meeting together.

If your request was answered and God has guided you to a church home, please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and you are still waiting and feeling lonely, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that He will provide the fellowship and community you are longing for and give you peace and hope while you wait. We pray this in Jesus Name, Amen.