How to Pray for Your Pastor

Praying for Your Pastor

by Pastor Randy D. Bond, Jr.

“Pray also for us.” —Paul (Col. 3:2)

Without a doubt, pastoring has become more challenging over the last few years. Effective ministry can only happen when it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Your pastor urgently needs your consistent, specific prayer! James 4:2 reminds us that we "do not have because we do not ask God." Below are some specific areas to pray. We encourage you to pray the Scripture. Ask boldly for the things that God is looking for in a pastor to be graciously imparted to your pastor. You may not be able to pray all of these every day for your pastor, but if you will keep this in your Bible, then you can pray for at least one or two each day. Imagine what the Lord might do if your entire church family were praying consistently and fervently for your pastoral staff! May the Lord richly bless you as you seek the blessing of God for your pastor.

Pray for Blessing with Gratitude

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” (Col. 1:3)

Pray that his heart will be Humble and Desperately Reliant on God, not men. And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” (Ex. 33:15)

O, our God…we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You. (2 Chron. 20:12)

Pray for God’s Presence and Power

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9)

Pray for God’s Leadership and Wisdom for fruitful ministry

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:9-10)

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? (1 Kings 3:8)

Pray for Open Doors/Hearts and Bold Preaching

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ. (Col 4:3)

[pray]also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel…that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Pray that Love will fill, surround and encourage your pastor.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-45)

Plead for Protection and Steadfastness for him AND HIS FAMILY

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith (1 Pet. 5:8)

Pray for Strength and Refreshing

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. (Is. 40:31)

Pray that his character would always match his calling

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thes. 1:11)

Pray the he will be able to competently carry out the fullness of his ministry. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16)

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Col. 1:28)

What Happens When We Die?

Thanks for stopping by! This is the resource page for the study "What Happens When We Die?"

The YouTube video can be found here

The Chronology for the events following physical death are here

The Two Judgments table and Scripture related to the study can be found here

Please let me know what you think of this study or if you have any questions in the comments.

Thanks again! God Bless!

Key Scriptures Every Christian Should Know By Heart

Key Scriptures Every Christian
Should Know By Heart

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Col. 3:16) Below are 60 foundational verses to begin your journey of hiding God’s Word in your heart (Ps. 119:11).  Start by working your way down the Foundation Column.  Once you have completed that column, go deeper and memorize the Building Column.  The goal:  Know all 60 precisely.

        FOUNDATION         BUILDING

LIVE THE NEW LIFE 

Christ the Center 2 Corinthians 5:17 Galatians 2:20 

Obedience to Christ Romans 12:1         John 14:21 

The Word         2 Timothy 3:16 Joshua 1:8 

Prayer         John 15:7         Philippians 4:6,7 

Fellowship Matthew 18:20         Hebrews 10:24,25 

Witnessing Matthew 4:19         Romans 1:16 

PROCLAIM CHRIST 

All Have Sinned         Romans 3:23 Isaiah 53:6 

Sin's Penalty Romans 6:23         Hebrews 9:27 

Christ Paid the Penalty Romans 5:8 1 Peter 3:18 

Salvation is not by Works Ephesians 2:8,9 Titus 3:5 

Must Receive Christ          John 1:12 Revelation 3:20 

Assurance of Salvation 1 John 5:13 John 5:24 

RELY ON GOD'S RESOURCES 

His Spirit         1 Corinthians 3:16 1 Corinthians 2:12 

His Strength Isaiah 41:10 Philippians 4:13 

His Faithfulness Lamentations 3:22,23 Numbers 23:19 

His Peace         Isaiah 26:3 1 Peter 5:7 

His Provision         Romans 8:32         Philippians 4:19 

His Help in Temptation Hebrews 2:18         Psalms 119:9,11 

BE CHRIST'S DISCIPLE 

Put Christ First         Matthew 6:33         Luke 9:23 

Separate From the World 1 John 2:15,16         Romans 12:2 

Be Steadfast 1 Corinthians 15:58         Hebrews 12:3 

Serve Others         Mark 10:45 2 Corinthians 4:5 

Give Generously Proverbs 3:9,10 2 Corinthians 9:6,7 

Develop World Vision Acts 1:8         Matthew 28:19,20 

GROW IN CHRISTLIKENESS 

Love         John 13:34,35         1 John 3:18

Humility         Philippians 2:3,4 1 Peter 5:5,6 

Purity Ephesians 5:3         1 Peter 2:11 

Honesty         Leviticus 19:11 Acts 24:16 

Faith Hebrews 11:6         Romans 4:20,21 

Good Works Galatians 6:9,10 Matthew 5:16

Motivation for Memorization*

Often when Christians today are challenged to memorize Scripture their reaction is tantamount to modern-day martyrdom.  We react with about as much eagerness as to a request for volunteers to face Nero’s lions.  Maybe it is because we associate it with memorization in school:  uninteresting and of limited value.  Some say they have a bad memory.  But what if someone offered you $5,000 for every verse you could memorize in the next seven days?  How many Scriptures could you quote by next week?  Any financial reward would be paltry compared to the accumulating value of the treasure of God’s Word deposited in your mind.  You CAN memorize Scripture if you set your heart and mind to do it!

In his book, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life, Donald Whitney lists several benefits to memorizing Scripture:

1. Memorizing supplies spiritual power (Ps. 119:11; Eph. 6:17; Matt. 4:1-11)
2. Memorizing strengthens your faith (Prov. 22:17-19)
3. Memorizing deepens witnessing and counseling (see how much Peter quotes in Acts 2:14-40)
4. A means of God’s guidance (Ps. 119:24)
5. Stimulates Meditation (Ps. 119:97)

Methods for Memorization*

1. Have a plan.  Use the list on the first page to get you started.  Or, if you are deeply struggling with some issue right now, then let your first verses center on that.  For instance, if you are struggling with a habit, find some verses that will help you experience victory over it.
2. Write out the verses.  
3. Repeat and remember one phrase at a time.
4. Draw picture reminders or use hand gestures to help you visually remember it.
5. Memorize word-perfectly.  Don’t settle for getting close.  The Enemy has a knack for  throwing you off with a subtle misquote.  “Did God really say...?” (Gen. 3:1)
6. Find a method of accountability.  Because of our tendency toward sloth, most of us need someone to hold us accountable.  Find a Scripture memory partner or two and hold each other to it.
7. Review and meditate daily.  

“As a pastor, teacher and counselor, I have repeatedly seen the transformation of the inner and outer life that comes simply from memorization and meditation upon Scripture.  Personally, I would never undertake to pastor a church or guide a program of Christian education that did not involve a continuous program of memorization of choicest passages of Scripture for people of all ages.”  --Dallas Willard

*These sections adapated from Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Donald Whitney (Navpress, 1991), pp 41-47 

Where is God When it Hurts? Sermon notes

Where is God When it Hurts?

Red Hills Southern Baptist Church, Cedar City, UT

Sermon by Pastor Randy Bond

January 27, 2013 

Eccl. 7:2  It is better to go to a house of mourning 

  than to go to a house of feasting, 

  since that is the end of all mankind, 

  and the living should take it to heart. 

"We do not give the subject of evil and suffering the thought it deserves until we ourselves are confronted with tragedy.  If by that point our belief--not well thought out but deeply ingrained--are largely out of step with the God who has disclosed himself in the Bible and supremely in Jesus, then the pain of personal tragedy may be multiplied many times over as we begin to question the very foundations of our faith." 

--D.A. Carson

"Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians.

And wimpy Christians will not survive

 in the days ahead."

--John Piper

1. The Bible deals honestly with the reality of suffering.
1. Suffering is often undeserved.  Job 1:1, 9
2. Suffering is usually unexpected.  Job 1:13-17
3. Suffering can be unimaginable.  Job 1:18-19
4. Suffering is always painful.  Job 2:7-8; 30:17, 27-31
2. Why Do People Suffer?
1. Because of your own sin Deut. 28:58-63; 
2. Because of someone else’s sin Josh 7:1-5
3. We live in a broken/fallen world Gen. 3:17-19
4. To reveal the glory of God John 9:1-3

A word of caution:  The reason for a particular suffering may not be discernible--if ever.  We ask for explanations; God gives us revelations.  (Job 42:5)  Don’t be quick to jump to conclusions about calamity in your life...or others’.      (Job 42:7)  The most important thing we should be looking for is not WHY but WHO.

1. Suffering in the Christian life?
1. Christians should expect to suffer. Phil. 1:29; John 16:33; Acts 14:22
2. Suffering comes from our identification with Christ.  Matt. 24:9; 2 Tim. 3:11-12
3. Comes as a demonstration of God’s love.  Heb. 12:6-7; 1 Cor. 11:32; Deut. 8:5
1. To refine our faith and our character.  Is. 48:10; Heb 12:11
2. To reveal His glory our complete dependence upon Him. Job 42:5-6
3. So we can relate more intimately with Christ.  Phil. 3:10-11

"Because of my sufferings, I will appreciate (in heaven) the scars of Christ and also the scars of other believers. (In heaven) I will see men and women that in the world were cut in pieces, burnt in flames, tortured and persecuted, eaten by beasts, and drowned in the seas - - all for the love they had for the Lord. What a privelege it will be to stand in their ranks! But what a shame it would be if, in conversing with them, we could only shrug our shoulders and prattle Me? Suffer?...... Perhaps we would bite our complaining tongues more often if we stopped to picture this scene in heaven. The examples of other suffering saints are meant to inspire us upward on our heavenly journey home." --Joni Eareckson Tada

1. It is comparatively light.  Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet. 1:6
2. Ends in Joy and Blessing!  Ps. 126:5-6; 1 Pet. 4:13-14; Rom. 5:3-4
1. How to Deal with Suffering
1. If the suffering is the result of your own sin, repent and learn!  Hos. 6:1
2. Trust God’s sovereignty.  Job 1-2  God is sovereign over angels, demons, nations, nature, disease, death, comfort and calamity.

"A nominal Christian often discovers in suffering that his faith has been in his church, denomination, or family tradition, but not in Christ.  As he faces evil and suffering, he may lose his faith.  But that's actually a good thing.  I have sympathy for people who lose their faith, but any faith lost in suffering wasn't a faith worth keeping." -Randy Alcorn

1. Trust God’s love and goodness.  Heb. 4:15; Deut. 31:6

"There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."

--Corrie ten Boom, Nazi concentration camp survivor

1. Be moldable and teachable.  Is. 64:8
2. Be patient with the process. Jas. 5:11 
3. Choose joy.  James 1:2-4  

You cannot choose if or how you are going to suffer, but you can choose how it affects you.  God does not promise us a problem-free life; He promises His presence and His peace.  John 14:27