Leeds Vineyard

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Mark’s gospel starts with the pithy sentence, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God…”. Our theme for this month of prayer and fasting is simply the question, “Who is Jesus?” In fact it is our main teaching theme for the year.

At a time when we are watching flawed leaders take control and power over our lives I am deeply moved by the prospect of examining instead the life and purpose of a leader who lived a perfect, flawless life and whose call to follow fills us with both a high challenge and a boundless hope. 

He shines a light to reveal our brokenness - but then sacrifices himself to bring redemption. He sees the problems in the world and the troubles in your life – and he draws not on anger or violence but on grace and the power of life over death.

Who is this Jesus? We will discover a wonderful man – who is also God-who-loves. A Saviour with power to rescue and a Healer of wounds who brings wholeness and reconciliation. A leader with authority and legitimacy who steers us into the brightness of a shining new eternal day.

We will reflect on who this Jesus is in four phases:

Existence
John 1:1 starts by saying, “In the beginning was the Word …” Jesus exists outside of time, He existed before the beginning and will exist forever.

Encounter
But, as part of God’s plan of salvation, we can encounter him as a man. In the flesh, just like you and me. His life is a matter of historical record. And just as men and women bleed, so did he.

Experience
Amazingly, we experience Jesus today through the presence of His Holy Spirit in our lives. The person we read about in the bible is made real today, in our lives.

Expectation
And our prayer is Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus. We wait with expectation for Jesus to return and inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth.

So, in the next month, I am inviting you to fast and pray for the whole month with the specific focus of exploring who Jesus is.

Each week day the Prayer Guide will provide you with a scripture, a reflection and a personal prayer. Each will open up a different facet of who Jesus is. At the weekend the Prayer Guide will give you a focus for outward prayer specific to Leeds Vineyard.

If you don’t already write in a journal – this might be a good time to start. Just jot down your prayers and what you sense the Lord saying in reply. Make a note of decisions or questions or thoughts. If the Lord gives you a prophecy or a word of knowledge for the church or others, write it down. At the end of the month you can look back and see what He has been saying to you and through you.

In the Notes For Joining In Prayer there will be a range of suggestions for praying on your own and with others – it is a glorious thing to be able to reach out to the Lord alongside those who are on the same kingdom adventure as us, so please do join in if you can. There is more information here about Engine Room.

In Notes For Joining In The Fast you will find notes about Swap-your-Screen. You can find other guidance on fasting on the website: just search for “fast”.

And then on Sunday 26 February 2017 we will give time to hearing from everyone about what the Lord has been saying to you.



PDF Prayer Guide