Congregational Excellence Prayer Team [link removed] February 2020
Where have you stopped praying for a breakthrough?

At the recent Alpha Conference, the Alpha USA national director, Craig Springer, talked about a miracle-stopping mistake revealed in an empty jar.

It appears in story of a terrible dilemma. A woman’s husband had just died leaving her with two boys and crushing debt. In desperation, she cried out for help to the mighty prophet, Elisha. He replied, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

The place was barren. She had nothing, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha’s instructions were cryptic at best. He told them to go door-to-door asking their neighbors for empty jars, as many as they could get. Once inside, they were to pour oil into all the jars. When one filled up, they were to put it aside and fill the next one.

Amazingly, the oil in this one small jar filled all the jars they had! It was only when they ran out of jars that the oil stopped flowing. Now they could sell the oil, pay their debts and have plenty to live on (2 Kings 4:1-7).

How many empty jars are you placing before the Lord these days? Every prayer we ever pray is an empty jar we are asking God to fill. Yet in some cases, we have stopped praying. We have stopped desiring to see change or believing it can happen. We feel defeated, so we quit. This is a miracle-stopping mistake. It happens inside us. Where does defeat have a hand on the wheel right now?

For breakthrough out there to occur, it needs to occur in us first. We have to rekindle hope to defeat defeat. God says, “What do you have? What resource could you release to me, so I can multiply it and give you a breakthrough?” Do you have any empty jars you could place before the Lord?

Craig framed it this way: “What if God’s outpouring matches our outcry?”

Don’t be like the guy who stands in the rainstorm with a Dixie cup. Let’s put out every empty jar we can find to catch the miraculous outpouring God longs to give.

Lining up more jars with you,

Roger Ross
P.S. For encouragement, you can receive a weekly Prayer Text by texting KINGDOM to 573-227-6557.

Praying daily for the grace needed to start new places for new people
and transform existing churches across Missouri.
Feel free to pray for a different area each day. Thanks for your prayers!

SUNDAY: Let’s pray together: Lord, multiply your Kingdom through us.
MONDAY: THANK GOD for multiplication growth in our Prayer Team! We are SO grateful for 1,009 people praying daily & weekly (by text), representing over 350 churches!! (More prayer releases more power!)
TUESDAY: Sow in prayer the seeds for a Great Awakening in our churches, communities and nation. Pray for the 11 churches in Missouri in our new Multiplying Kingdom Impact (MKI) consultation process. Ask the Lord Jesus to reveal new insights and ways of being that transform each church. Ask the Holy Spirit to invite 15 churches to begin an MKI process in 2020.
WEDNESDAY: Ask the Holy Spirit to invite at least 30 people to participate in the 2020 Planting Academy that kicks off with a retreat on Feb. 21-22 in Columbia. Petition the Holy Spirit to teach us how to live and minister in his gifts and power.
THURSDAY: Hold before the Lord these churches that are starting something new in 2020: Eureka UMC 2nd site in the Fall of 2020. Good Shepherd UMC new worship site in the Spring of 2020. Church of the Shepherd UMC 2nd site in the Fall 2020. North Cross UMC 2nd site in the Fall of 2020.
FRIDAY: Seek God’s will to reveal clear next steps for the United Methodist Church around the world and for our Missouri Conference. Pray: Lord, give us a kind spirit of cooperation to create a new future.
SATURDAY: PRAISE GOD for our new CE staff team of Geoff Posegate, Melanie Smollen, Tammy Calcote and Roger Ross. As we kick off the ‘20’s, please… Invite the Holy Spirit to move in each of the “How to Connect New People to Christ” workshops being offered in each of our 9 Districts. As of February 1, 24 of at least 27 workshops have taken place.
Ask God to spiritually prepare each of our 9 District Innovation Teams to lead these workshops, and for pastors and lay leaders to be inspired to engage in a 6-week study in their church on the book Hero Maker: Five Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders.




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