Welcome to Sanctuary in 2007! We have made changes to our schedule that you need to know about, ones that incorporate new themes and new leaders. This is going to be fun.
Our first set of each Sunday is going to be focused on praying through an Apostolic Prayer. These prayers are found in the letters written to the churches and are amazing treasures of language and understanding of what God has on His heart for cities. Sanctuary is committed to using the bible as our prayer-book. It is God's written word to us and has power in the hearing, praying and understanding. We have found these prayers to be exceptional aids in saying it well when it is time to pray for our city. The years have passed since these were first written (centuries, actually) but the truth contained in them is timeless.
One of our favourites is found in Ephesians 1:17. This passage documents Paul praying for the church in Ephesus mid-way through the first century. He is writing to encourage them and give counsel, as he did for all the churches in his care, and as he arrives at v. 17 he is on a roll. He has just given the richest description of how God feels about them, what He has given them through this joining that has happened in Jesus giving Himself up for them and how it is all going to end. It is powerful stuff if you let it soak in to your spirit a bit. Verse 4 is a wonderful start to this discussion: "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." Imagine the implications of this. God knew about you before this all began and had AT THAT TIME decided that you were the focus. You were going to be the reason for it all. It was you that had won His affection and He was going to work toward having you whole and holy at the end. Amazing! Grasping this can go a long way to helping us change our approach to everyday life in its most mundane moments. There is reason and purpose to it all, and He waits for us in eternity. He is not waiting for you to get it right and attain to something...He is working for you to see that it happens!
Verse 10 tells us that God will have it all under one head when He draws this earth to a close. Everything in heaven and on the earth will come together. God will dwell with us and we are going to love it.
With all this fresh in his mind and heart, inspired by divine truth and probably buzzing from the presence of God at the mere writing of it, Paul goes on to pray for these people. Verse 17 tells us that he asks for something unexpected but obviously critical to their growth, stability and increasing joy: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." This is an amazing request, one that we draw on again and again in our meetings. God, show us more of who you are! If we can see more, know more and comprehend more of who you are, we will see it correctly, live well and please you. It is a critical prayer in this hour for all churches and we pray it for Winnipeg's church family all the time. To know Him is to love Him. To see with His eyes is to get priorities right.
Come for our first hour and join with us as we sing and pray through this prayer and the many others like it in the New Testament.
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Our first set of each Sunday is going to be focused on praying through an Apostolic Prayer. These prayers are found in the letters written to the churches and are amazing treasures of language and understanding of what God has on His heart for cities. Sanctuary is committed to using the bible as our prayer-book. It is God's written word to us and has power in the hearing, praying and understanding. We have found these prayers to be exceptional aids in saying it well when it is time to pray for our city. The years have passed since these were first written (centuries, actually) but the truth contained in them is timeless.
One of our favourites is found in Ephesians 1:17. This passage documents Paul praying for the church in Ephesus mid-way through the first century. He is writing to encourage them and give counsel, as he did for all the churches in his care, and as he arrives at v. 17 he is on a roll. He has just given the richest description of how God feels about them, what He has given them through this joining that has happened in Jesus giving Himself up for them and how it is all going to end. It is powerful stuff if you let it soak in to your spirit a bit. Verse 4 is a wonderful start to this discussion: "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." Imagine the implications of this. God knew about you before this all began and had AT THAT TIME decided that you were the focus. You were going to be the reason for it all. It was you that had won His affection and He was going to work toward having you whole and holy at the end. Amazing! Grasping this can go a long way to helping us change our approach to everyday life in its most mundane moments. There is reason and purpose to it all, and He waits for us in eternity. He is not waiting for you to get it right and attain to something...He is working for you to see that it happens!
Verse 10 tells us that God will have it all under one head when He draws this earth to a close. Everything in heaven and on the earth will come together. God will dwell with us and we are going to love it.
With all this fresh in his mind and heart, inspired by divine truth and probably buzzing from the presence of God at the mere writing of it, Paul goes on to pray for these people. Verse 17 tells us that he asks for something unexpected but obviously critical to their growth, stability and increasing joy: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." This is an amazing request, one that we draw on again and again in our meetings. God, show us more of who you are! If we can see more, know more and comprehend more of who you are, we will see it correctly, live well and please you. It is a critical prayer in this hour for all churches and we pray it for Winnipeg's church family all the time. To know Him is to love Him. To see with His eyes is to get priorities right.
Come for our first hour and join with us as we sing and pray through this prayer and the many others like it in the New Testament.
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
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