Stage Overview:

ABIDE & MOBILIZE INTERCESSION

​ Abiding in Jesus is the foundation of everything else in life and ministry. If we are not resting in Him, waiting on His voice, seeking Him for guidance, and enjoying His presence, then we are in no position to push forward with any sort of movement work. Abiding is meant to be the root and foundation of all that we are and do; after all, God does not call us primarily into work, but into community - he invites us into the eternal Trinitarian community along with all other believers. Further, he does not call us to work for him, but rather to work with him in what he is already doing. Abiding is our "wellspring work" - everything else that we are and do must flow out of that place of intimate, relational, joy-filled communion with God. If our union with God is lacking, we run the risk of all our other work slipping into idolatrous self-dependence.

​ As we read in John 14-15, obedience to God's commands is rooted in love for God, and our rootedness in God's love is what enables us to obey God's commands in the first place! These two, obedience to God and love for God, are inseparable. How often are we like the Pharisees of Jesus' time who tended to focus far more on obedience to their interpretation of God's commands than to the love for God and others that was supposed to be the foundation of those same commands?

​ Too often we are sidetracked by what we think we must do for God, rather than resting in and working out of who we already are in God: his beloved. If we could grasp the simplicity of that cosmic reality, we would have no problem with motivation to see his kingdom come. It's been said that there are two types of people in the body of Christ, lovers and workers; and lovers will always get more done than workers. Which am I? How do I see myself? Am I a worker who happens to sometimes love? Or a lover who is moved by that love to work? The distinction between those two is truly the difference between life and death in our walk with God.

​ Movements are built on prayer - but mobilizing prayer from the outside must be built on the movement team’s own life of prayer and seeking the Lord. Abiding and Mobilizing Intercession, therefore, are central to every stage of a movement work.

Prayer Priorities for this Stage:

ABIDE

• Deepen our daily habits of connecting with and listening to the Lord
• Grow in listening prayer for life and ministry
• Grow in fasting
• Grow in regular times of prayer with our team

MOBILIZE INTERCESSION

• Model prayer personally for our prayer team
• Increase personal and team listening prayer and intercession
• Build or strengthen our personal and team prayer shields
• Explore technological helps to mobilize prayer for our people
• Identify others from whom we can learn more about intercession and mobilizing intercession
• Ensure each team member has their own personal intercession team (prayer shield)