Lord, keep us right, true in doctrine, true in experience, true in life, true in word, true in deed. Let us have an intense agony of spirit concerning the many who are going down to the everlasting fire of which our Master spoke. Lord, save them! LORD, SAVE THEM! Stay, we pray Thee, the torrents of sin that run down the streets of London; purge the dead sea of sin, in which so many of the heathen are lying asoak. Oh! that the day were come when the name of Jesus shall be a household word, when everybody knew of His love, and of His death, and of His blood, and of its cleansing power. Lord, save men, gather out the company of the redeemed people; let those whom the Father gave to Christ be brought out from among the ruins of the fall to be His joy and crown. “Let the people praise Thee, O God, yea, let all the people praise Thee.” Let the ends of the earth fear Him who died to save them. Let the whole earth be filled with the glory of God.

- Charles Spurgeon

Amen

Oh! give us to serve Thee, and especially, and this prayer we have already prayed but we pray it again, make us useful in the salvation of our fellow man. O Lord, have we lived so long in the world and yet are our children unconverted? May we never rest until they are truly saved. Have we been going up and down in business, and are those round about us as yet unaware of our Christian character? Have we never spoken to them the Word of Life? Lord, arouse us to a deep concern for all with whom we come in contact from day to day. Make us all missionaries at home or in the street, or in our workshop, wherever Providence has cast our lot, may we there shine as lights in the world.

- Charles Spurgeon

Amen

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all alike and 10 is very much alike, rate how alike you and the Apostle Paul are when he says in Romans 10:1 “it is my heart’s desire and prayer to God that they are saved”?
Wherever you sit on this scale, we all could be more passionate and personal in the way we pray for our local communities:

LIST all the different demographics unique to your community and pray without ceasing and without growing weary.

LEARN about each demographics best interests, perceived hurdles to the gospel and pray! Ask God for new relationships & depth in existing ones, for opportunities to love, serve, get to know and care for each demographic.

KNOW what is going on in the local community: events and activities that are run by locals for locals. Pray for the success of the events and for your own time to invest in local relationships through these events.

WALK and pray for the residents of each house you pass. Stop at street signs and pray for entire streets.

NAME all the people individually who you have met and come to know in your local area – be faithful for years in prayer for them.

My brother, Toby, has started a blog. Over the next coming months he will be joining a group of young guys who are dreaming to creatively transform the City of Sydney with the story of Jesus and will be using his blog to communicate ideas and plans. Please join with me to pray for them… or why not consider joining them.

Why the name middle children of history? Because that is who they are trying to reach.

In the novel, Fight Club, writer Chuck Palahniuk, through the character Tyler Durden, gives voice to a generation without a Metanarrative (an overarching story that rules over all times, cultures, histories, and people):

We are the middle children of history—no purpose or place. We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won’t. We’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very ****** off.

Let’s not leave our generation to the futile story they have found themselves in… lets share the story: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Cor 15:3-6)

www.middlechildrenofhistory.info

In his book, Let the Nations be Glad, John Piper talks about prayer as a “wartime walkie talkie not a domestic intercom”. (pp. 45-49). We need guidance, strength, supplies, wisdom and strategy from headquarters. Prayer is for mission. It is designed to advance the kingdom, not for calling the butler to turn up the thermostat. Pray as Jesus teaches us: for the Fathers name to be hallowed and for his kingdom to come – for prayer is the fuel to all our efforts.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God…. is that they may be saved.”
(Romans 10:1 NIV)

• Praying for the different demographics in your community – pray for the salvation of individuals without ceasing and without growing weary. Make a list and be faithful for years.
  In Kirribilli I pray for:

o    The Lonely
o    The Too busy
o    The Wealthy
o    The Keep up with the Jones’
o    The Backpackers/ tourist
o    The Workers
o    The Business Owners
o    The Unemployed
o    The Cathollic Church
o    The Chinese Christian Church
o    Streets by name
o    Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre
o    The Schools
o    Businesses & Organisaitons
o    My apartment block
o    The Prime Minister
o    The Governor General
o    The Theatre Goers
o    The Kirribilli Markets – stall holders, goers, organisers.
o    Greenway Housing
o    James Milson Retirement Village
o    Local people I Know

• Topics I pray about:

o    Demographics best interests, perceived hurdles I see in locals to the gospel, relationships with them – for new ones & depth, for opportunities to love, serve, get to know and care for them.
o    “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jer. 29:7
o    For people to walk into church off the street, that we would be blessed to have “too many” visitors each week sitting under the sound of the gospel
o    That my love be genuine for my community – for love sake not for duty/task sake.
o    Events happening in the community and time to invest in relationships through these events.
o    Families in the community – that God would strengthen family units and keep them together.
o    The beauty of creation and the joy of community – that it would make people stop and think about the creator.

• Praying for leaders
  I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for local counselors, council community workers, member of parliament, Police, Harbour Bridge Security, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Tim 2:1-2)

Online help to manage your prayer points:
ECHO PRAYER