What is a gospel movement?

A church planting movement (CPM) or disciple making movement (DMM) can be defined as “the multiplication of disciples making disciples and leaders developing leaders, resulting in indigenous churches planting churches which begin to spread rapidly through a people group or population segment.” Click here to read more about gospel movements.

Declare a Promise

Ezekiel 37:9b-10 “‘Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.”

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Lord, with one phrase–‘Lazarus! Come forth!’—you raised a dead man; and with one phrase–‘Come, O breath, breathe into these dead bodies that they may live again‘–you raised a dead nation; you reconstituted them into an army: the forces of Yahweh. And today, we join in accord with your Word: Middle East, live! Receive the breath of the Lord, the Spirit of the triune God. Be raised to life. Return and live. Be dead no longer; slumber no longer; be sick no more. Return to Life, and Live!

Today’s Movement Theme: 5 Directions

Today we will pray for five non-negotiable ‘directions’ or orientations for the health of disciples and groups in gospel movements. The first three are fairly universal, applying to all Christian brothers and sisters across time and place. The final two do not necessarily apply to everyone, but in movements specifically, they are essential.

These five ‘directions’ are:

1. Love Up
2. Love In
3. Love Out
4. Give Account
5. Zoom Out

Love “Up”

The first commandment must remain first, and always. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. As we pray for gospel movements in the Middle East and North Africa, let us pray that the Lord would sanctify our love.

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John 15:9b-11 “Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

1. Pray for the grace of abiding in Christ
2. Pray for the grace of obedience
3. Ask that the joy of Jesus would fill believers’ hearts as they remain in his love by obeying his commandments

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Deut 6:5-7 “Listen, O Israel! … You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands … : Repeat them again and again.”

1. Ask that the first commandment would be first
2. Pray for believers to be devoted to the commands, obeying and repeating them

Love “In”

To sustain movement, groups and leaders must cultivate bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. We must practice the New Testament’s ‘one another’ passages. Without this grace, a disciple making movement simply will not happen.

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Rom 12 “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other.”

1. Pray for genuine love among brothers and sisters in Christ
2. Pray that believers, especially new believers, would delight in honoring one another
3. Pray for camaraderie: laughing with those who laugh, weeping with those who weep
4. Pray for the grace of harmony among networks of house churches

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John 17:21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

1. Ask that the church would be unified as Father and Son are one
2. Pray that apprentices of Jesus would learn to love the way Jesus loved his friends and disciples

Love ‘Out’

Clearly, to partner with God in a church-planting movement, leaders and communities must engage lostness on a daily basis, sharing boldly and broadly everything they’re learning from God. And importantly, they must make disciples not converts.

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Matt 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1. Ask that movement practitioners would make disciples not converts
2. Pray for new communities of faith to quickly be baptized
3. Intercede for emerging church communities to start new groups

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John 20:21 “Again he said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’”

1. Ask for believers to incarnate God’s love in the same way Jesus modeled
2. Pray that disciples, like Jesus, would live to ‘seek and save’ the lost

Give Account

In movements, there is a strong emphasis on accountability and follow through. This happens on all levels of church life: from groups of seekers starting on the discovery journey all the way to movement leaders, accountability is a core value.

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1. Pray for leaders to hold each other accountable to commitments and strategies
2. Ask for new groups to practice the discipline of group accountability and follow through

Zoom Out

Because of the emergent nature of movements, it is essential to incorporate regular cycles of ‘zooming out’ to adjust old tactics and ideate new ones. Movement practitioners cannot get too comfortable in their habits and neglect zooming out to a higher level of perspective.

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1. Pray for fruitful times of strategizing, like Paul being a ‘master architect’ and building firm foundations of faith for communities
2. Ask for reproducible rhythms of strategizing that are indigenous to the myriad of cultures in this region

No Place Left

Each day, we pray for one of the countries the Grove represents, believing in faith that a disciple making movement will touch each and every community throughout these nations.

Today, pray by name for the tiny Island nation of Bahrain

For Bahraini Sunnis, Bahraini Shiites, and for Saudis and other gulf Arabs there

Prayer

O Father! We ask that you would build your church in the Middle East/North Africa and continue to catalyze the spread of a disciple making movement that transforms this nation: disciples making disciples, leaders raising leaders, groups starting groups, and churches planting churches. Lord, as your people learn to love God, serve the lost, care for each other, follow through on their commitments, and strategize effectively, would your grace guide in all things and your love sustain through all seasons.

Amen

More Information About the Grove and Ongoing Prayer Needs

What is the Grove?

The Grove is a learning and implementation community of 23 intentional kingdom workers from 7 different nationalities serving in 8 strategic nations within the Middle East and North Africa. We have intentionally banded together for 2023-2024 to learn, grow, experiment, pray, and serve together.

What does a learning and implementation community do?

• Learning:
  • 3 face to face trainings over the 2 years
  • 1-2 ongoing learning meetings monthly
• Implementation:
  • We put into practice our learning right away in our individual contexts
  • We band together in cohorts to support each other in implementation
  • We are intentionally experimenting together and sharing our experiences and learning

How can I be praying for the Grove aside from the daily Prayer Fuel?

• For the participants to grow together in unity and fruitfulness
• That participants would continue to develop their authentic personal witness
• For new and creative ideas to share within natural social groupings rather than just individuals