Mainstreet | Daily Prayer Guide

If you have ever watched one of the medical shows that have become popular with television viewers, you will have seen ‘the transformation.’ This would be the change that takes place when individuals who are consumed with their various personal problems, political views, and ambitions suddenly come together in a united effort to save a patient experiencing a medical emergency. Everything else becomes insignificant.

Paul expresses a similar focus when he says, “...let’s run the race before us...throwing off everything that might get in the way and any sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began and finishes our faith...” (Hebrews 12:1-2). In our day of hurting and wounded people, we cannot afford to be one more church that spends all of its time arguing over things that will not matter in the light of eternity.

Just as Aaron, the high priest, was anointed on his head and the oil ran down his body, so the Holy Spirit descends from our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, flowing from Him down onto His body, the Church. Anointing always brings harmony.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that, throughout the fulfilling of this dream that the Lord has given DBC, we will experience genuine harmony resulting from the Holy Spirit’s presence among us. Ask God to show you specific ways that you can contribute toward the unity of believers at Dunwoody Baptist Church.

A Prayer from Jonathan Sangster:
Thank you Lord, for all that You provide us with. Thank You for countless blessings, and the opportunity we have to give those blessings and treasures back to You. I’m glad You led me to Dunwoody Baptist Church, to be a part of this family. I pray that as we seek Your will in this campaign, You would put in us a spirit of generosity. I pray that we would seek to glorify You in all that we are planning and accomplishing. In Your Name and for Your Kingdom, Amen.

The Roman Empire was at one of its greatest moments in terms of size and influence. The borders of the empire were larger than ever before. Their elaborate governing system was in full operation. Tax money was coming in at a higher rate than ever. Truly the Roman Empire was operating in one of its finest hours. It was the most modern civilization the world had ever known.

If it were possible for the leader of this great empire, Tiberius Caesar, to have looked from his palace in Rome all the way to a distant remote mountain somewhere in Galilee where eleven men were gathered around their leader, and if he were able to hear what this leader was saying to these eleven men, there is little doubt that he would have laughed out loud. The leader said to His disciples, “I have been given complete authority...”

However, if Caesar could have seen about 350 years into the future, he would have been aghast to see his successor naming Christianity as the official state religion. It took less than 400 years for Christianity to conquer the great Roman Empire. History would later show that this act of being made an official religion of the empire would be a blight rather than a blessing to Christianity. However, it is still significant to see how a church of only eleven impacted the entire known world in such a short time.

How were they able to achieve this feat? It was through power—Holy Spirit, God-given power. We can impact our world because we have the same Holy Spirit living within us, thus the same power.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that the leaders of Dunwoody Baptist Church will be mightily filled with Holy Spirit’s power and thus impact the world for Christ

A Prayer from Allen Taliaferro:
Lord Jesus, we want to seek Your face in all that we do. Don’t let us get ahead of Your plan. Remind us how important it is to commune with You in prayer each day. Bless our efforts as we move forward with what we believe You have called us to do. Help us to unify our campus and draw more people in to Your Kingdom. We ask these things in Your name, Amen.

How do you know that your life has been changed by the power of God? Well, how do you know that a high voltage electrical line has touched you? When a person comes into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, it is very obvious to the one who has received this new life and to the people close to Him. When God comes into your soul, you will know it! However, the question can be asked: “Does the Bible teach about the evidence of a changed life?” This Scripture in James is the heart of this epistle, and it gives a clear understanding of a biblical working faith that is evidence of a union with Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks of this in Romans 4:1-3, using Abraham as an illustration. Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. But from God’s point of view, the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

There may seem to be a contradiction between these verses in James and Romans. Paul stresses the root of faith, while James stresses the fruit of faith. Paul looks at our salvation from the Divine perspective, and James looks at it from the human perspective. Paul sees the fire, and James sees the smoke. Yet, in reality, the two go hand in hand. Is your faith evident to those around you? Does your faith penetrate your character and actions? Can others tell that you love the Lord?

Prayer Focus:
Lord, increase the faith of every member of our church so that it is obvious and visible to the outside world. Pray Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.”

A Prayer from Cathy Hubbard:
Father, there is a good lesson to be learned from 1 Timothy 6:18-20, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share—this is the way they can save up treasures for themselves for the coming age, if they want to make sure of the only life that is real.” Lord, the phrase “rich in things but poor in soul” is a good reminder of what has true worth. There is no price tag I can put on all of the blessings I have received from Dunwoody Baptist—the deep friendships, youth ministry for our children and spiritual gifts. Thank You for this church and the community of people in it. May we all be doers of the word, not hearers only (James 1:22), Amen.