Facilitated
by: Dr. Sam Tillery and Harry Skandera
(Sam Tillery)
This is always such an exciting time
when we get together as one body. We see differences
when we pray together, as we pray in symphony and that
is what we have tonight. It is a concert of diverse
voices, passions and heart expressions for the Lord.
If you have your Bible, please turn with me to 1 John
2, otherwise you can just listen. I am going to read
this and then we are going to pray a little into it
right where you are, so you will need to project. 1
John 2 beginning with verse 1, My dear children, I write
this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody
does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our
defense - Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
I would now like several of you who
feel led, just to speak out in thanks and expression
to what that passage just declared is true.
(Prayer)
(Sam Tillery)
Verse 2 says, He is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the
sins of the whole world. Let’s thank Him for that.
(Prayer)
(Sam Tillery)
Verse 3, We can be sure that we know
Him if we obey His commands. Father, sometimes I think
the world around us questions whether or not we know
Him. The commands that they know of themselves, they
do not necessarily see in your church. The ways in which
we have warred against one another and struggled, but
thank you Father that you are bringing healing and wholeness
in these areas. May we recognize that we are to be doers
of the word, not hearers only. Verse 4, The man who
says, “I know Him,” but does not do what
He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.(5)
But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly
made complete in him. Help us Father to obey your word.
Let’s take a few moments and pray into this. Ask
God for help. Remember, we are not praying so much about
personal things tonight, but as a corporate body praying
for a body of believers, the united body of Christ in
this city.
(Prayer)
(Sam Tillery)
Verse 5 and 6, But if anyone obeys
His word, God’s love is truly made complete in
him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims
to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Think about how Jesus walked, His
life, character and actions. Let’s pray and release
that, that would be for us here in Santa Rosa and Sonoma
County as a church. So, listen for that still small
voice of that specific area which God is wanting us
to pray release in so that we may walk in it.
(Prayer)
Father, may your people be a people
that walked as you walked and that we would know what
the Father wants us to do and then do it, just as you
did Jesus and to make it our main deal just as it was
yours, Father. Lord, may we walk as Jesus walked. May
we be about your business God. May we know what it is
that is your business. May we be a people that know
your word and know how to spend time with the one most
important person that matters above anything, God and
know how to walk as Jesus walked that we might shine
in this world that is crying to hear you, see you and
feel you. Help us Jesus! Help your body to reflect your
walk.
Jesus, the one thing about the way
you walked is that you walked without any regard to
what people thought of you. You cared nothing about
the opinions of the religious establishment or anyone
else and it was all the same to you when multitudes
were following you and it was all the same to you when
you were despised and rejected. We know that you desire
to have a people that would reflect that, that their
eyes are on you and not on the people that are around
them. We know that you desire us to be free from the
fear of man, wanting the praise of man and not the praise
of God, please help us. Father, I am reminded again
this week that your son, Jesus is the shifting point
for all mankind, that your son walked in such a way
that the more I realize what your doing there Father,
I am driven to the cross to beg and plead for those
in this community who have chosen to deny you so far.
I know that your word says that the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but you also say to continue
to put Jesus in front of people. Father I pray that
we would continue to do that. That Jesus would be the
talk of the town.
Father walk through us among the people.
Father we pray that your truth would
be in us, not just in our minds Lord, but in us. We
are here Lord representing your church for the city
and county. Lord, that our love for you would be evident
in all that we are and all that we do in this place
and yet we read your word Lord and it says that if we
don’t keep your commandments, we’re liars
and your truth is not in us. Father, we just confess
that we have not kept your commandments. Our divorce,
we have violated our covenants with one another, we
gossip, we do all of the things that other people are
to be doing, not your people. May your truth be in us
Lord so that we may really be transformed by who you
are.
Lord, that we would become a lover
of the Father and a lover of each other. A virgin bride
groom, ready with flasks full of oil.
(Sam Tillery)
Before Harry comes, I looked out at
you as you were praying and I cannot help but to think
about how the Lord feels as you are here representing
yourself, as you represent different congregations and
cities in our county. These verses talk about the evidence
of our love for the lord is in our obedience. Your being
very obedient tonight to come, not just to any prayer
meeting, it’s the united body. As we were singing
earlier and standing, my heart was blessed because I
am so enjoying the diversity of the body of Christ and
the privilege to be in a different congregation, different
flavor land expression of the body of Christ each month.
Just a couple of Sunday’s ago, we were at the
community worship service at Redwood Covenant Church
as we united to worship together. What a beautiful expression
of the body and it is different than what it would be
like at each one of our different congregations. It
stretches, expands and blesses me. Harry would you come
and lead us in the next segment here.
(Harry Skandera)
What a blessing to be here tonight.
Sam was talking about how good it is to be in different
parts of the body here in the county. The Lord always
speaks as you come into the sanctuary where part of
His body worships continually before His throne, you
get a different approach to the body of Christ. I was
sitting here tonight remembering how this is a church
of releasing. If you walk out here to the parking lot,
you can see the different stones that they have set
up representing the different missionaries that they
have sent out all over the world.
I understand that the theme of the
Christian Missionary Alliance is right across the front
on these banners here. What I saw were some themes for
us to think about tonight. The first of course, our
Savior where we are reminded of heaven.
Next, Christ the one who sanctifies
us, we remember the holiness. Next, Christ our Healer,
the healing in our body. Christ our coming King, our
Hope. I want you to think about these things, because
I believe that what the Lord is doing tonight, is we
are sitting on the last month of the year and we are
doing is we are speaking into the year that is to come.
We are finishing up one year and going into the next.
I asked the brother working this over-head
projector if he would leave this picture up, because
this is a picture of what we are doing here tonight.
( It is a picture of one drop of water hitting a puddle
and the rings that it ripples out) We are speaking and
releasing. What is being prayed and what is being spoken
here is going outward into the body of Christ in this
county, but also into our city and into our county.
As you allow the Lord to speak to you and through you
tonight, do so with a conscience sense of releasing,
because this is a place of releasing.
There is a brother in our church and
his night job is a waiter, but his name is Wes. He is
a very artistic kind of a guy. He has a painting that
he brings down from time to time to some of our meetings.
It shows some of the different church buildings from
around the county, some of them you would recognize,
and there is music, a song coming out of each one of
those congregations and it goes up heavenward over the
map of the county and blends together into one song.
As we go into this next part of prayer,
I really want you to think about that, because I believe
that is what the Lord is doing. There is a sound that
is going up out of here tonight. It is going into the
atmosphere. It is permeating this county. I’m
talking about demonstrating our love. I want us to divide
right now into groups of three or four max. We’ve
done this before and you might pick someone that you
don’t know that well. We are beginning a theme
tonight that I believe the Lord is going to release
over the church of Sonoma County this year.
We have been going around to the different
ministries and churches in the county for 5 years now
and like we will tonight, we are going to pray for this
congregation for whatever they would like us to pray
for. It’s been a few years, but the last time
we were in here they asked us to pray that a huge dept
would be taken care of, over a million dollars, and
it was strangling the church, they just felt like they
were sat upon by the debt. We prayed into that and we
took up an offering. The crowd was actually smaller
than tonight’s, but we came up with $432.00, but
it was a seed offering, an offering of faith that would
be used to take down the debt.
It was about 8 months later we were
here for another big worship service and the testimony
was that the debt had been taken down, they had been
able to refinance and they were free in a way that they
had not been free before, they were released. So, what
I am saying is that, if you are in a place where they
play swing dance music, don’t try to do hip hop,
go with the flow. If the Lord is releasing in a place,
then release, because you’ll catch the anointing
of that place.
I say that, because I want your faith
to be stirred tonight. What we are going to do in our
small groups first, is we are going to bless one another.
You may or may not know the people that you are with,
but I don’t know that that is going to matter,
because you have something that God has given you that
you carry in Him and I want you to release it to another
person within your group. You may find your inspiration
from within your own heart. You may want to turn to
a scripture and read it over a person, maybe as Kyle
plays something softly you may be stirred to speak something
that is one of the themes here, maybe healing, hope
or sanctification. Let’s take the next few minutes
and bless the brother or sister in your circle until
each person has been blessed.
(Prayers of blessing)
(Harry Skandera)
Ok. Now remember that ripple. I want
you to stay in these groups and I want you to ask the
other people in the group what part of the body in this
county that they reside in and I want you to bless their
congregation. So, if I am with Sam, I am going to speak
a blessing from Santa Rosa Christian Church which I
represent, to Foothill Community Church, which Sam is
the Pastor at. Let's bless the body of Christ, we'll
take a couple of minutes. I know that we can do this,
and remember your speaking a blessing that is going
out over this county. You are setting a tone for 2006,
your washing the body with His word.
(Prayers blessing the different
congregations)
(Harry Skandera)
We all know that there are things that
are wrong in our cities, but the ripple that we are
releasing tonight is like displacing the darkness. Let's
speak the light, let us speak the healing, let us speak
the holiness, let us speak the words of heaven and hope.
This is a place/sanctuary that has been dedicated to
those propositions. Let us speak them and bear witness
to one another speaking those blessings into our cities.
(Prayer)
(Sam Tillery)
We sit in a building that houses a
part of the body of Christ that is very mission minded.
It is appropriate that being in this place, that tonight
we have the opportunity to pray for and send off two
that have been in our midst to the land of Russia. Pastor
Rob and Donna Thomerson have served in this community
for over 23 years in Sebastopol and West County Community
Church and he is going to share a little bit more with
you in just a few moments, but this has been a little
hard for me.
This journey that we have been on over
the past 15 years in the Pastor's Alliance praying together,
sometimes you don't realize how much you appreciate
somebody even though you may not minister day to day
together. I found myself struggling with the fact the
God is calling him to Russia and I had the privilege
of traveling with Rob to where they will be ministering
and we've been able to minister, pray and serve together
in this community and now in just a few days they will
be moving on from here in preparation for next year
moving into Russia, but they are a part of us.
I have had my times of being overwhelmed
with the emotion of thankfulness that I feel this a
way of having a sense of loss of a good friend and co-laborer
in the ministry and yet realize that we are a part of
the great kingdom of God that stretches over the face
of this earth. We had the privilege of praying as pastors
for Rob on Wednesday and now tonight with Donna here.
You all have been such an incredible testimony in this
county, city and amongst the pastor's. We'd like to
have you come and share little bit about what you have
done with the pastors more in light of City Reach and
encourage us and then give us some ways in which we
can pray for you, your church, and this transition to
where you are going to. After that we will be shifting
into praying for the Alliance Church.
(Rob and Donna)
I think that it is pretty appropriate
that you are with us as we go out and that is how we
really feel tonight. We feel not only is West County
Community Church sending us out and that has been part
of God's plan and destiny for us, but equally that it
is from the church here in Sonoma County in which we
go.
I am thinking about when Sam and I
went to Latvia and then on over into Russia where we
told them what was going on here and showing them the
transformation video. I am still a little overwhelmed
to have been used to stir a nation to prayer. It was
pretty amazing what Latvia did with what little we brought.
I am sure God used other things in addition to us, but
it is pretty amazing. As we were flying from Latvia
over to Russia, Sam and I and our partner from our church
that was with us, John, we were on this almost empty
airplane flying over Moscow.
I guess that we were just talking
about the things that we had been doing and experienced
in Latvia together. There was an older gentleman three
or four rows up from us all by himself. You could see
his white hair up there. Pretty soon he got up out of
his chair and came back over to talk to us. I can't
remember exactly how he started the conversation, but
he said something to the fact that we must be Christians.
His name was Patrick and he flew back
and forth from Latvia all the time. He had been a widower
for over 15 years and had been going over to work with
youth groups, I think he said about 65 groups or something
like that, and had had this heart for Latvia and the
darkness that was there, anyway to make a long story
short, he had been praying for the nation and that God
would somehow stir that nation to prayer and bring the
body of Christ together.
When we asked him what he saw was
the number one problem in Latvia, he said it was that,
the body of Christ being so fractured and divided. We
shared with him that that is exactly why we had been
there and we asked him if he had heard of the transformation
video, and he said, "oh, man, I have heard about
this and my daughter had been telling me how I needed
to see it", and he said, " that is exactly
what our nation needs", and John pulls it out of
his case and says, " you mean this right here",
and we shared with him that we had taken it over in
the Russian language, this man them began to weep.
He had been praying for 15 years that
God would somehow bring the body of Christ together
and there was the answer to prayer right there on the
airplane! He said that, " you are the answer to
my prayer". We just happened to be on the same
plane, ha, ha, yeah right. It was God. I tell that story
for this reason, all of you are an answer to somebody's
prayer.
Ten years ago an x-police officer in
Russia was praying that there would be someone over
here that would pray for him as he began a church. Our
church over here, "God, how do you want us to connect
to the world?", and we became the answer to one
another's prayer. It wasn't just our church. Every time
that I went over to Russia, I realized that it is not
just West County Community Church that is the answer
to this prayer, because I found out that he had a very
big heart for his city, which if you are counting is
from 2 to 4 million people with only 10 little evangelical
churches with about 50 people each and that's about
it.
He was willing to do something that
he had never seen any Russian pastor do before, and
that was to bring the pastors together to pray, that
was pretty radical stuff. As we began to talk, parallel
to that, God was beginning to draw me into this thing
called Pastor's Prayer Fellowship and I just began to
share with him the journey that we were on here in Santa
Rosa. All of that to say this, you have been the answer
to a prayer that has been prayed in a city in russia
for a long time.
They meet every Wednesday, about 5
pastors in that huge city and they pray and one of the
things that they do is they thank God for the church
in Sonoma County, because it's to them that they owe
their birth and it's to them (us) that they look for
encouragement, hope, vision and strength, as they have
realized now that it is not just West County Community
Church praying for them, but that there is a connection
here with the body of Christ on the other side of the
planet.
You never knew that most of you, did
you? So, you are linked at the hip. We are going as
your ripple. Part of our assignment over there is to
help develop the movement of prayer in the body of Christ
in that city, probably the third most influential city
in Russia, huge potential, huge. It is so important
and significant to both Donna and I that we can be sent
in kind-of a formal way from you. We couldn't leave
here without that so, we really appreciate that.
(Donna)
I just want to second that. I just
really thank the Lord for all of the churches in this
area. Some of you might not know that a couple of the
Gillman's went with us on our trip to Russia last summer,
so we just appreciate your prayers and we will be keeping
in touch and letting you know how it is going, so I
guess we better get to sharing the points that we need
prayer for.
(Rob)
Prayer points... for the practical,
pray for the sale of our home, we are trying to get
that sold. Pray for our children, our grown children
who are totally behind us on this, thank God. Pray for
our two elderly fathers who are both approaching 90.
We have both of their blessing, but they fear that they
may not be able to see us again, so pray that God would
take care of that in their heart. Pray for our church,
West County Community Church in Sebastopol, this Sunday
is our last Sunday there, and just pray for them, because
we are the only pastors that they have ever had, so
it is a huge transition, but God is already working
so incredibly already and it involves you guys. That
is pretty much it, oh, that we can learn the language
and handle the weather. I just bought an LL Bean coat
rated at 50 below zero, so.
(Sam Tillery)
I am going to have Rob and Donna sit
right here and the rest of you get into your groups,
and I am going to have you pray in your groups for the
requests that they just mentioned, then when you are
done, I would like you to come over as group, lay hands
on and bless them. Pronounce God's blessing and anointing
upon them.
(Prayer)
(Harry Skandera)
I would like to invite pastor Kyle
of Santa Rosa Alliance Church to come and share about
this congregation and how we might pray and bless them
here.
(Kyle)
Thanks for coming here. Harry had mentioned
about our debt a few years ago, that was actually before
I came here and God used you all to do that in such
a way that, it wasn't necessarily a direct prayer of
mine, but one of the things that the church couldn't
do is hire any extra staff, and that blessing of your
prayer and God answering actually enabled me to come
here, so I certainly appreciate that.
We bring these things to you, because
we know that you pray, no other reason than that. A
couple of things that you may not know about us is that
we actually have 3 churches that meet here. We have
an Hispanic congregation and a Cambodian congregation
that also meet on these grounds in addition to our Anglican
speaking church, so those things I would love for you
to pray for, the expanded community.
Pastor Fernando, who is here, and pastor
Carlos work together and Todd Brown who is the pastor
of our Cambodian church, so please pray for them. We
are in need of a senior pastor. We have been in a search
for a year for a senior pastor, so we covet your prayers
for that and I think that that is our biggest need and
is something that I am looking forward to you praying
about here tonight since we set this up here with Sam
and Harry.
We sure appreciate that you pray for
God's leading and direction in leadership here. There
are several members of our congregation here. Is there
anything else that any of you can think of, Jeff or
anybody that's here? Obviously, just like your churches
we have lots of needs, but I don't want to give a big
list to you, we have a big need and God will answer
that, so I would love it if we could pray about that.
(Harry Skandera)
There have been many tremendous meetings
in this room that we have experienced as the body of
Christ in Sonoma County. I would like us to stand and
join hands. I would like a few of you to cry out to
the Lord for Santa Rosa Alliance and for their need
for a pastor.
(Prayer... Father, my mind goes to
the fact that you must have a reason as to why it has
been a year and perhaps, Father you have been working
in ways in the body, congregation and leadership that
could not have happened outside of them not having a
pastor. We thank you for those who have been on staff
and have continued to pastor and those who are their
leaders, Elder's and Deacons or whatever they may call
them, but Father we thank you for those who have been
carrying this year. Father, if they are weary, lift
them up and strengthen them. Give them your vision and
your heart, may it not be lost in the time, but Father
keep them strong and together. Father, we petition you
to bring forth a clear unity in the body as to the leader
that you have been preparing for this congregation,
and not just for this congregation, but the city and
the county. May it be a man who leads and sees the kingdom,
not just a local church, so Father would you bring that
individual forth, but not before it's time. Settle the
congregation and bless them in your purposes .....Father,
we speak to you and know that you are the commander
of the hosts of heaven. We ask that you would dispatch
a spiritual force out of heaven that would not allow
any gate of Hell to prevail against this place.
Lord we are mindful and we remember
how this congregation was used to break through a barrier
in this city about the use of land and the size of a
church building, and they tarried long to build this
building here and break through that, so Lord, we ask
that you would come and that you would not allow any
retaliation in the spiritual dimension, in the spiritual
dynamic of the forces of Hell to prevail against this
place. That you would keep your own word and testimony
by the mouths of the hosts of heaven, that the gates
of hell would not prevail against it, against Santa
Rosa Alliance Church..)
(Harry Skandera)
Ok, we want all of the SRAC members
present to come to the middle so that we can make a
circle around them. What we have here is a simple multitude
representing different churches, different cities and
pretty soon different countries. I don't want you to
take turns. I want you to draw in close and I want you
to smother them with your prayers. Pray as you feel
led to pray in your hearts and from the heart that we
need them.
(Prayer)
(Harry Skandera)
Scripture tells us that it is more
blessed to give than to receive, so if I could ask Todd,
Jeff and Fernando, if you would bless us, the church
of Sonoma County.
(Blessing)
(Jeff Gillman)
Father, we do indeed bless the church
of Sonoma County. We believe you are preparing a bride
for you and we love this bride and she is beautiful.
We are delighted that we are surrounded by that which
represents the church of Sonoma County and Lord we thank
you, bless them and bless you.
(Pastor Kyle)
And Father, I agree. I know God that
it is music to your ears to hear the praises of your
people, the blessings of your people, and them crying
out to you. I agree for the blessings that have been
called out to you in the name of Jesus for Santa Rosa
Alliance Church and turn it around Father and ask that
same blessing on the community here. This county is
in desperate need of knowing who you are and right here
in this place Father are those who call upon your name
and represent you, that present you son Jesus to those
around us God. As we have prayed here this evening,
I pray for the church of Sonoma County God, that you
would be lifted up. The one thing that binds us all
together is your son Jesus and may we never lose the
focus and the sight of your son in that which we think,
say and act upon. God, we bless the church, the bride
of Sonoma County. Bless it with love and sustenance
the comes only from you and your spirit, your wisdom
and your power, in Jesus name.)
(Fernando - Prayer for the
blessing of the Church of Sonoma County in Spanish)
(Harry Skandera)
I am sure that as we have heard those
around you speaking their heart, that you have heard
something, treasure them, because as God begins to move
in our community, we want to move with him. Let's stand
and sing.
(Sam Tillery)
Amen! It's been good to be together
hasn't it? Well stay tuned. City Reach meets the first
Friday of every month right on into 2006, we have no
clue where yet. The schedule has not been set, so if
your congregation would like to host us, certainly contact
us and we'll get you on schedule, otherwise, stay tuned
to the website, www.unitedprayer.org and you'll find
out where the next City Reach Prayer
is located.
One thing that we continue to forget
to do, one because it's not really a high priority from
the standpoint of why we are gathered, but we don't
have to many opportunities to take up a collection for
the Pastor's Prayer and Ministry Alliance. There are
expenses and things of that nature, so if you would
like to help out in that way, we are not going to pass
something around, but we will find a basket or a hat
or something over by the door and you can make checks
out to Pastor's Prayer and Ministry Alliance. We are
a 501c3 and are official. Lord bless you and thank you.
We'll see you next time.
Special Thanks to Christelle Eddy
who transcribed this document.
|
