2012 Week 41

⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  James 4:6-10 (NIV)

1. Pray that as we submit ourselves to Him, we will learn to resist the devil and stay strong or stand firm in the midst of temptation and opposition.  Our Lord is full of compassion and mercy.  Let us continue to draw near to Him and in due time He will bring about the fulfilment of all his promises.

2. Pray for the building project to continue smoothly.  He has carried us so far already.  Please pray for critical needs:
(a) The outstanding financial need.  The offering target for this year is $1.5 million, however, there are bills to be paid even before the target is reached, so it is necessary to raise funds early.
(b) The urgent need to find suitable tenants for the rental floors of the new building.  We need commitments for half the rental space by the end of this year in order to meet the stipulations of our bank loan.
(c) The last "half piece" of the building permit so that interior work may commence immediately.

3. Continue to uphold Betsy and sons Darrell and Derek in prayer.  May the God of comfort be with them as they move on with their lives without Walter.

4. Pray for the Board of Deacons and the smooth continuation of the church business.  May God's grace carry them through this time of transition.

5. Pray for the Pastoral staff, ESC Core Leaders, Ministry Group Members and other leaders as they continue to serve and cast a vision.  Pray for spiritual and quantitative  growth for the ESC.  May the Lord make us aware of the newcomers that come to visit every week.  We pray that as they feel welcome, they will make NYCBC their spiritual home and find a place to serve Him meaningfully.  May He also help us to reach out to the unsaved within our circle of influence and in our neighbourhood.

6. Continue to pray for our missionaries as they minister in various parts of the world.  Many short-termers and various coworkers will be sharing  during the Sunday school classes in October.  May He prompt many of us to expand our vision and respond obediently to the Great Commission.

7. Pray for the Baptism classes to be held in October and November as well as for the Baptism service to be held on November 25th.  Pray that those taking that step of obedience will give a good testimony of His mercy and grace and will continue to get established in the faith.

8. Pray also that we will all be diligent to apply and obey the teachings we receive each week from the pulpit and other various sources (Sunday school, BSF, personal study of His word, Leadership summit, etc).  From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  Luke 12:48b (NIV).