Worship & Prayer explores resources to help individuals and churches grow in worship and prayer. Find practical guidance on prayer habits, corporate worship, spiritual disciplines, the meaning of worship in Scripture, and leading gatherings that center on Jesus. This category includes biblical teaching, devotional insights, and ministry-focused articles to strengthen personal devotion and congregational life.
December 24, 2022
"It was the winter of 1968, the break between semesters of my senior year in Bible college," Ken Idleman writes. "Kaylene and I had been married the previous August and had determined that we would spend our first Christmas together in the Holy Land . . ."
December 22, 2022
Christmas means many things to David Empson, with most of his thoughts centering on family gatherings and music.
December 18, 2022
That night at that Disney amphitheater, Arron Chambers recalls, "I witnessed the uncontainable joy Dad had for Jesus and all things Christmas." (This is the first of eight Christmas reflections Christian leaders will be sharing in the days leading up to the celebration of our Lord's birth.)
March 3, 2022
On March 1, I joined IDES’s “31 Days of Prayer and Fasting.” Each day I receive an email from IDES with prayer points to cover for Ukraine that day. I encourage you to join me and many others.
March 1, 2022
By Corbin Marshall I stand on a stage professionally illuminated by theatrical lighting. Several expertly trained camera operators aim high-definition cameras in my direction. My likeness and voice are amplified throughout a large auditorium as well as broadcast across multiple online platforms. I’m holding a guitar. A wireless in-ear pack is fastened to my belt and I’m wearing headphones. A click track provides a constant tempo to our band. At any point, a producer can discretely inform me whether our teaching pastor has made it back from our other church campus. I chose this set list of songs several weeks
February 25, 2022
I met Oksana Kuklinowsky when I was preaching in several churches in Ukraine. Her husband, Valeri, was minister of the church in Zdolbunov, in eastern Ukraine. . . . Several years later, Valeri was killed in a tragic accident, leaving Oksana to raise their five children. . . . I tell you all this because I need to put a face, or faces, on Christian families in Ukraine. . . .
November 1, 2021
Could This Key Focus of ICOM Over the Next Four Years Restore the Missing Power of Pentecost?
June 15, 2021
Early this year, TCM International developed an initiative called PrayerFast to encourage and celebrate prayer and fasting movements around the world.
February 1, 2021
A few weeks before the pandemic’s arrival in early 2020, my wife and I drove to Grand Island, Nebraska, to speak to a conference of rural churches from across the state. We had the privilege of encouraging 125 leaders. That was a pretty long trip, even in a hybrid vehicle, so we needed to stop every so often to fill up with gas. If we were to run out of gas, it would be pretty silly to get mad at the car. It’s our responsibility to fuel up when needed. In a similar way, we need regular fuel stops to
November 22, 2020
Three hundred children were dressed and ready for school when the orphanage’s housemother came to George Mueller and told him there was no food to feed them. Without panicking, Mueller asked her to take the children to the dining room and prepare them for a meal. He blessed the food that they did not have, and he waited. He was confident God would provide. Within minutes, there was a knock at the door. It was a baker who said he could not sleep and somehow knew the orphanage needed bread that day. The baker brought in three batches of bread,
November 13, 2020
The Answer May Help Us Pray More Passionately for God’s Will in Our Lives, Churches, Communities, and Nation By Dale Reeves Earlier this month, Trevor DeVage challenged our church to pray every day for a week, “God, break my heart with the things that break your heart!” That’s not a safe or easy prayer. It’s not consistent with the God-please-bless-me-and-take-care-of-my-needs-and-answer-my-prayers-the-way-I-want-you-to Christianity that many American believers have grown accustomed to. I can’t claim to know everything that breaks God’s heart, but I know one must be when I try to hide from him and go my own way—as Adam and Eve
October 24, 2020
By Jerry Harris Since May, my publisher’s letter has focused on the “foundation stones” that actually make the church . . . well, the church. We find them in Acts 2:41-47. This month we focus on the seventh one mentioned: prayer. Prayer is often considered a very personal experience, something connected to a private quiet time just between oneself and God. That’s not wrong. But in thinking about prayer that way, we can miss a very important aspect of prayer. The answer to the popular question “What Would Jesus Do?” typically is informed by what Jesus actually did in Scripture.
March 25, 2020
By Jim Nieman When Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colo., learned that a nearby church was making its technical and production equipment and expertise available to some churches displaced because of COVID-19 outbreak, they realized they should do the same. In fact, “We were embarrassed we didn’t think of it first,” said Tom Fitzgerald, executive pastor with Southeast. Staff at Southeast were aware of a couple of churches meeting in school buildings that have been closed because of the outbreak. Those churches weren’t able to gather to worship or to effectively produce their worship services to share via the Internet.
February 27, 2020
S. S. Lappin served as editor of Christian Standard from 1909 to 1917, and he then wrote hundreds of articles for the magazine until his death in 1960. Here are excerpts from an essay he wrote about prayer. _ _ _ Praying and Saying Prayers Bible prayers are brief but they are genuine and fervent. Ours are too long and we “say” them By S. S. LappinMarch 2, 1940; p. 7 . . . When prayer becomes self-conscious it ceases to be a prayer; it is merely saying a prayer. A certain Pharisee could not make the grade with his
February 26, 2020
By Brian Cook Three people gather quietly around a small table. Their bodies hunch forward as their lips move silently. The drone of electrical machinery whirs around them, punctuated only by the soft rustling of Bible pages and the gentle creaking of chairs. The sign on the door says Power Room. It is a cramped electrical closet situated on the far side of the stage in our worship center. Our churchs facilities have been updated significantly over the years, but its sturdy mid-century bones can still be seen amid the bulky circuit breakers and snaking wires that inhabit this secluded
February 22, 2020
By Brian Cook Three people gather quietly around a small table. Their bodies hunch forward as their lips move silently. The drone of electrical machinery whirs around them, punctuated only by the soft rustling of Bible pages and the gentle creaking of chairs. The sign on the door says “Power Room.” It is a cramped electrical closet situated on the far side of the stage in our worship center. Our church’s facilities have been updated significantly over the years, but its sturdy mid-century bones can still be seen amid the bulky circuit breakers and snaking wires that inhabit this secluded
January 9, 2020
William S. Boice graduated from Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and Harvard Chaplain’s School, landed at Utah Beach with the troops on D-Day, and was “the first chaplain on German soil with our troops” during World War II, according to newspaper clippings. The Army chaplain, who subsequently started First Christian Church, Phoenix, Ariz., in 1952, wrote about “Another Part of a Chaplain’s Life” for this Christian Standard article from 75 years ago. _ _ _ Somewhere in Germany Another Part of a Chaplain’s Life By Chaplain (Capt.) William BoiceJan. 6, 1945; p. 8 Gone are the pleasant days
December 17, 2019
By Stuart Powell Note: Use this meditation as part of a Christmas Nativity scene. Before the meditation, hide in the manger a large piece of bread (pita bread works well) and a sealed glass container half filled with grape juice or purple water. (Make sure neither item is visible to the audience.) Most Christians are familiar with the traditional scene of the first Christmas: Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and all sorts of animals. The centerpiece of the scene, surrounded by all the popular characters, is a feeding trough holding God’s bundle of joy, baby Jesus. As we take in the
April 2, 2019
By Halee Wood Queen’s song “We Will Rock You” became a worldwide sensation in the 1970s and remains popular. Even in recent years, it is still often played in many professional sports leagues. It is a stadium anthem! When the song is broadcast on stadium speakers, even the most reserved fans engage. The song delivers this message to the opponent: “There is a battle ahead; we are prepared, and we will prevail.” The song unites every fan—all races and all generations. Even those scattered folks who support the opposing team must sit on their hands while this song plays so
January 29, 2019
By After Class Podcast Life is short. Who has time to work, sleep, exercise, entertain oneself, and go to church? Here at Simulserve Christian Church, we feel your pain. Come join us and experience transformative worship in the company of fellow believers each week without neglecting everyday tasks that simply must get done. Our state-of-the-art, multilevel worship silo is designed to serve busy people like you. Speedy elevators and moving walkways that surround the perimeter of our innovative 360-degree silo provide quick and ready access to a wide variety of personalized Simulsuites. Inside each one, you will enjoy front-row visibility of
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