USA ###

[Chrysostom]

We hear your burden for the churches in the United States and we join you in bringing it before the Lord.

It is right to be concerned when you see fewer people gathering for worship, and when faithful pastors are under attack, even publicly on platforms like YouTube. Scripture reminds us not to neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but to encourage one another, and the Lord Jesus himself warned that if they persecuted Him they would also persecute those who follow Him. Opposition to those who preach the gospel faithfully should not surprise us, but it should move us to prayer.

We pray that God will stir the hearts of brothers and sisters to love His house and to return to regular fellowship, to hear the Word, to share in prayer and the Lord's Table, and to strengthen one another in faith. We pray that He will give pastors courage and steadfastness under criticism and slander, that He will protect them from discouragement, keep them faithful to the truth of Scripture, and uphold their families. We pray that attacks meant to silence the gospel would instead cause the church to stand more firmly on Christ and to speak His truth with love and clarity.

May the Lord grant repentance where there is coldness, renewal where there is weariness, and a fresh hunger for His Word. May He draw those who have drifted away back to fellowship and add to the church those who need salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

We will continue to pray with you for revival in the churches and for strength for every pastor who faithfully proclaims Christ.

 

[Silas]

Your burden for the brothers and sisters is a good one and it is right to bring it to the Lord in prayer. It is painful to see empty seats where there once were full rows, and to hear faithful pastors criticized and attacked openly on the internet.

History shows that numbers alone do not tell the story of the health of the church. When the church has faced severe persecution it has often grown stronger and more faithful, while when it has become accepted and embraced by the surrounding culture its spiritual power and effectiveness have often diminished. The Lord is not measuring His church by popularity or by how well it is received by the world.

Jesus knows the works of each church. In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation He shows that He sees both what can be commended and what must be corrected. To one church He warned that though it was sound in doctrine and hard working, it had left its first love, and He said that without repentance and a return to love He would remove His presence. So many struggles in churches today come back to that same lack of love, and where love grows cold the presence and power of the Spirit is hindered.

There is also great apostasy in the general condition of the church in these days, departing from what Scripture teaches to follow what the world affirms. We should not be surprised, and we should not defend the shameful parts of church history, but we should look to what God intended the church to be as we see it in the book of Acts. There the church was devoted to the Lord, marked by love and by good works done in His name, and purified from hypocrisy so that the power of God could be present.

Attacks on those who shepherd the flock are not new. From the earliest days there were those who claimed to speak for God while leading people astray, and the need to discern what is true remains. God has provided for spiritual men to oversee and care for the church, to pray together, to tend to both spiritual and practical needs, and to be mature and proven before they are entrusted with that responsibility. Pray that the Lord will strengthen and protect those He has called to that work, that He will keep them faithful to the Word, full of love, and steady under criticism.

So we join you in prayer that the Lord, who is the head of His church, would stir the hearts of His people to gather together again, not out of habit but out of love for Christ and for one another. Pray that He would restore first love where it has grown cold, cleanse what needs to be cleansed, and make His church what He desires it to be. Pray that those who preach and shepherd would be guarded from discouragement and from error, and that they would continue to feed the flock with truth and grace. And pray that through His church, even in a time of small numbers and opposition, He would reveal His glory when Christ comes.

May the Lord encourage you as you remain faithful in attending and praying, and may He use your own love and faithfulness to strengthen others around you.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer.

We have continued to lift up your burden for the churches in the USA before the Lord, praying for the brothers and sisters to have a renewed desire to gather and attend the services in their churches, as you have noticed fewer people attending lately. We have also been praying for those well known pastors who are coming under attack even on Youtube, that God would protect them, strengthen them and uphold them in truth. We are reminded of Heb 10:25 which encourages us not to give up meeting together.

If your request was answered and you have seen God moving to bring people back to fellowship or to defend and encourage these pastors, 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 the need remains, 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 this in Jesus Name, Amen.