Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Prayer is foundational for revival. Our church theme for 2022 is “Revive us again.” We are seeking God to work in us and through us, to encourage and equip us, to accomplish His will and advance His kingdom in and through CBCGL in 2022. The place where that starts is in prayer.
Here are a few suggestions for how to increase the frequency or consistency of your prayers (in no particular order).
1. Change how you think about yourself, your identity. Move from: “I need to pray more.” To “I am someone who prays.”
2. Start small. If you don’t pray much beyond meals or bedtime, start with just praying the Lord’s prayer each day. From there, with consistent participation in prayer, you can begin to increase the amount you pray, doing so incrementally – from 1 minute, to 2 minutes, to 5 minutes, to 7 minutes, to 10 minutes, etc…
3. Link praying to something you do automatically – like checking your phone. You can have the background of your screen or a reminder set at a specific time so that you are reminded to pray.
4. Change how you think about prayer. Move from: “I have to pray.” To “I get to pray.” The God of the universe, who made us and the rest of creation, wants to spend time with you. One might even say that he is dying to spend time with you (more accurately, he has died and risen again to spend eternity with you).
5. Create a prayer chart. Put up a calendar and just mark off each day you pray. Work at creating consistency. If you miss a day, get right back to prayer the next day.
I have more suggestions for increasing the frequency of your prayers or the consistency of your prayers. But you have to start somewhere. Often the motivation for an activity doesn’t come until we begin taking the action (then we have the momentum to do the action – in this case, pray). Don’t be discouraged or give up. Let’s be people who are known for our praying (our dependence on God and desperation for God to do His work among us and through us)!
On Jan. 16, 2022, in the afternoon from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, in room A-202, we will have our Bible Study Leaders Training. This will be a time to understand 5 things we need to know as we lead Bible Studies; what is Bible Study; Why we Study the Bible; some barriers to Bible Study; and some methods for Bible Study. We hope you can join us! If you can’t make it in person, but would still like to join, we will be using the Friday Night Bible Study Zoom Link for the meeting. Here it is: https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
This Week (Jan. 14 –Jan. 20, 2022):
1. Tonight, on Jan. 14, 2022, we will have Friday Night Bible Study. Join us from 7:30-9:30 as we take time to sing, share, and study the topic of how Jesus is “The Savior Who Came To Us.” If you want, read Luke 2, in preparation. You can join in-person in Room A-216 or online. https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. CrossPoint Community Sunday School and YAs Sunday School – on Jan. 16 – is back to normal.
a. The Young Adults will be meeting at 9:45 am (in-person in Room A-202 and online)! We will be studying the Gospel of John and taking time for Scripture recitation. Info is found on the YAs Teams Chat Channel or the Facebook Messenger chat for the Teams Meeting Link.
b. “Big Survey, Big Screen Perspective” Sunday School is this Sunday in-person (Room A-216) and online via the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=RnpLcnpjQ01nTGZLSmhaZ3l4L3dKQT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767
Join by phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
3. This Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, Pastor Nathan Willems will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL! You can also watch the live stream if you wish.
a. Text: Ezekiel 11:1-21
b. Title: What are you hoping for?
c. Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/resources/live-stream/
4. This coming Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, at 7:45 pm, you are invited, encouraged, and requested to join our weekly prayer meeting. We’ll spend time using Scripture to inform our prayers and then share our requests and prayer together. The link is found below in the section on prayer.
Administration / Events
5. CBCGL’s COVID-19 waiver form is likely to be updated again. If you have not completed a waiver, please do so. You can find the most up-to-date waiver at http://bit.ly/cbcgl-covid19-waiver. You must have completed this form and follow its guidance if you plan to participate in any in-person church activities. Note: the following is the most recent guidance from the COVID task force.
a. Wearing a face mask is required to attend indoor church activities regardless of vaccination status except when preaching, teaching, or leading the worship service.
b. After international or domestic travel by plane, self-quarantine for ten days before attending church in-person activities or follow state and CDC recommendations or requirements (such as fully vaccinated individuals who have traveled obtaining a negative COVID Test before in-person participation).
c. MPR room is limited to only no contact sports, e. g. ping-pong, badminton, etc., and otherwise pre-approved activities.
6. On Jan. 23rd, at 10:50 am, CBCGL will hold the installation of deacons, elders, and ministers. CrossPoint will join via the Mandarin LiveStream on YouTube.
7. Did you know that we have updated reports from our missionaries on a regular basis? Please check the missions tab in our bulletin to read through these reports and learn how you can support our missionaries. This week, it is an update about Henry Lu and COCM.
8. All other announcements can be found here (in our CrossPoint Community bulletin).
For Prayer:
1. Our time in prayer shows what we think about God! Do you see your need of Him? Or are you trying to live this life without / apart from Him? Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:15 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.
https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. Here is our list of prayer and service requests. The service request tab is for brothers and sisters to ask for assistance or announce any give-away items. It is an attempt from EM to reach out and take care of those in need among us. You may also enter yours via the provided link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U64MLIp-EpQ8YKfIpHzBNR_3tceMaOxrchnfbqlkcpU/edit?ts=5e851f21#gid=0
In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL