Men’s Ministry
Every other Thursday a small group of men from Huntsburg Congregation Church meet in the Fellowship Hall from 6:30 to 7:30 PM to pray for the needs of the Congregation, for the lost, and for our Nation. At Huntsburg Congregational, prayer is a vital part of our ministry. Max Lucado, a well-respected Christian writer said this about prayer, “When we work, we work, but when we pray, God works.” True!
The Apostle Paul wrote the following in Colossians 4:1-2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Colossian Church from prison in Rome and he was more than likely chained between two guards when he penned these words. He was a serving a two-year jail term in Rome. Why? For preaching the Gospel of Christ. The first word Paul wrote in Colossians 4:1 is the word “devote”. Paul was urging the Colossian Church and us here at Huntsburg Congregation Church to be devoted to prayer. When Paul told us to be “devoted to prayer” he meant that you and I are not haphazard, and you are not forgetful. It means you and I are taking steps to see that prayer is part of our regular life, the same way as eating and sleeping.
Paul was asking the Colossian Church in verse 2 to pray for him and Luke because they were in jail. Now watch this, we see Paul’s heart in verse 2. For example, he does not ask the church to pray for him because the conditions in jail are bad or that the prison food is horrible. Paul does not ask prayers for these things. He was not having a pity party in jail. He was asking the church to pray for him for two reasons: 1) That God would open a door for him so he could share the Gospel message, and 2) that he could proclaim that message clearly to people. This is what Paul wants the church to pray for. Do not pray for him and the conditions he was going through. Pray that the Gospel was being shared and he could do it clearly.
When we pray for others, the following three things happen: 1) Our bonds grow stronger! For example, when I pray for Ron and when Ron prays for me, do you know what happens? The bonds between us get stronger through prayer. Amen. When we pray for each other at church our church grows stronger, and 2) when we pray for people, we begin to care about them. Watch this. When we pray for people on the prayer list an amazing thing happens. We begin to care for these people. Prayer can do that. 3) When we pray for those who hurt us it can break our stony heart. When we are bitter at someone and are angry at someone our hearts become hard towards that person. But when we pray for that person our hearts soften towards them and the more we pray for that person our prayers chip away at our stony hearts. This is the power of prayer.
All men are invited to join us every other Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at the church. If you feel uncomfortable praying out loud you do not have to. You can just pray silently to our Lord. We look forward having you join us. Please call Pastor Zupancich at 440-636-5504 for more information.
