Greetings from the manse in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and “praise be to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
God has blessed us with the Gifts of the Holy Spirits “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7) of the body of Christ as “God determined” (1 Cor 12:11). These gifts are given for the local church to benefit not just the gifted individual. I want to believe that all of us at Plume Avenue Church are gifted in one gifting and to some more gifts. There are certain things we can do and achieve because of the gifts given to us and there are certain things we cannot do because we are not gifted in the area and that is okay.
There is one thing that each and everyone of us can do as believers that is vital for our relationship with God. We can all talk to God and ask God to intervene in all situations in our lives and the lives of other people. Prayer (talking to God and listening from God) is very important for the growth of our relationship with God. I would like to encourage each and everyone of us to develop a culture of talking to God and listening from God “without ceasing” or “continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
We pray because we know that “apart from Christ we can do nothing” (John 15:5). If we are going to grow in our “knowing Jesus and having Him known”, prayer is one thing we all need to be involved in as individuals and as groups whenever we can. Prayer is a lifeline we need to keep open all the time if we are to be an effective church. I would like to take this opportunity to implore you by the grace of God to talk to God and listen from God concerning the life of our church.
We are encouraged to pray for each other (James 5:16) and to “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2), and pray for those who teach and preach, that they “may proclaim the message clearly, as they should” (v4 4).
I implore the Church to pray for the life and mission of Plume Avenue Church and to take every opportunity to encourage one another to pray for God to be at the centre of everything we do and say as a local church. Let’s talk to God and hear Him more and more and in the process we will each grow in our knowledge of God and each other.
Andrew
